Best Range Extenders these days?

[NickCopter]

Hey all,

I last owned a P3 back in about August 2015, and in those days the FPVLR kit was the way to go, with no competition.

In the last 2 years I see that a lot has changed! There are now even P3S and P34k I guess.

Now in the threads, I'm seeing almost nobody with FPVLR, and everyone using MaxxUAV and Itelite DB. Does anyone know why that is?

I'm also having trouble finding anyone who has tested multiple extenders. Most people just have anecdotes about the one they've tried, believing it's the best, with no empirical evidence.

My new P3P should be here shortly so I'm trying to catch up as fast as I can.

Thanks for your time!

 

[LarBear360]

From the videos I have seen, these things are all the same inside. A windsurfer should work almost as well. The thing I like most is they bring the Wi-Fi panels out of the box and out front. Most comments I've seen lean toward the Itelite for the P3S.

As intrigued as I am with these, I won't let the bird out of my sight so I really can't benefit from these nor do I wish to void my warranty.

 

[dirkclod]

Respectfully I disagree on the windsurfers . Was making those before we even had P3's . With all I have tried and believe me I have tryed alot just modding with out amps the Itelite is the best I have found to work .
And you can see in my sig what I use .
I have even used the FPVLR's but they were just not for me .
JMO.

 

[happydays]

Interested as to why you bought a P3 and not a P4 or Mavic?

 

[LarBear360]

I compared the two on the DJI website. The P3 & P4 were fairly similar except for the camera and a few added technological features I didn't need. I could buy 2 P3S for one P4. I used the money I saved to buy an extra battery, lens filters, lens hood, gimbal protector, case, and DJI Care. I still have money to spend on more stuff.

The Mavic was simply too expensive as well and more than I needed for a beginner.

 

[solentlife]

This is the Pro / Adv section and range extenders are very limited .... I have bought the dual Windsurfer designed for the twin antenna setup of the P3P .....

With my P3S - I had the Argtek system and averaged 2000m in rural terrain. With boosters - I had over 5000m ....

Nigel

 

[Hjones62]

Windsurfers are ok but wasn't a significant increase for me. I literally bought DbsMods ITELITE Long Range Extender the day it was released which was almost 2yrs ago. All I can say is that i'm more than impressed with there products. My first purchase was for a DJI Phantom 3 Advance. Install took all of 30-40 mins with the appropriate tools and bit of patience. Now when I tested I was on a full battery at 7am on my roof lol to clear most obstacles that may interfere with RC to Aircraft. I went vertical 300ft and went out on a straight line with minimal wind achieving 3.9 miles (20,592ft) with still 2 bars of reception on the RC to Aircraft. Video feed never dropped out and I had more than enough power to make it back. This range extender is truly one of a kind. I recently sold my Phantom 3 Advance to upgrade to Phantom 4 and the first thing I bought for it was the same DbsMods Long Range Extender. I will be doing some testing when all this RAIN slows down here in Miami. I'll make sure to record and upload the test as well. If you Guys like to see some content of mine you can check me out on Instagram under Topflight_Photography. Great weekend to you Guys!!

 

[NickCopter]

From the videos I have seen, these things are all the same inside. A windsurfer should work almost as well. The thing I like most is they bring the Wi-Fi panels out of the box and out front. Most comments I've seen lean toward the Itelite for the P3S.

As intrigued as I am with these, I won't let the bird out of my sight so I really can't benefit from these nor do I wish to void my warranty.

Well I know enough to know that windsurfers are definitely not the way to go lol. Insignificant gains at best.

Respectfully I disagree on the windsurfers . Was making those before we even had P3's . With all I have tried and believe me I have tryed alot just modding with out amps the Itelite is the best I have found to work .
And you can see in my sig what I use .
I have even used the FPVLR's but they were just not for me .
JMO.

Thank you for the input. May I ask why you didn't like the FPVLRs?

When I used them, the only thing I didn't like was having separate batteries for the boosters, and the fact that it made my controller so bulky.

Interested as to why you bought a P3 and not a P4 or Mavic?

Partly nostalgia, mostly price.

I got a P3P with 6 batteries, a DJI backpack, a rolling hardcase, an Nvidia Shield K1 tablet, 5 sets of props, etc for $700.

Windsurfers are ok but wasn't a significant increase for me. I literally bought DbsMods ITELITE Long Range Extender the day it was released which was almost 2yrs ago. All I can say is that i'm more than impressed with there products. My first purchase was for a DJI Phantom 3 Advance. Install took all of 30-40 mins with the appropriate tools and bit of patience. Now when I tested I was on a full battery at 7am on my roof lol to clear most obstacles that may interfere with RC to Aircraft. I went vertical 300ft and went out on a straight line with minimal wind achieving 3.9 miles (20,592ft) with still 2 bars of reception on the RC to Aircraft. Video feed never dropped out and I had more than enough power to make it back. This range extender is truly one of a kind. I recently sold my Phantom 3 Advance to upgrade to Phantom 4 and the first thing I bought for it was the same DbsMods Long Range Extender. I will be doing some testing when all this RAIN slows down here in Miami. I'll make sure to record and upload the test as well. If you Guys like to see some content of mine you can check me out on Instagram under Topflight_Photography. Great weekend to you Guys!!

Very cool! It's looking like I'll probably be going with Itelite as well, I'm just wondering why FPVLR disappeared from view when it used to be the one and only choice for distance

 

[dirkclod]

Thank you for the input. May I ask why you didn't like the FPVLRs?

When I used them, the only thing I didn't like was having separate batteries for the boosters, and the fact that it made my controller so bulky.

I never used any boosters just the stage 3 and it was just to much on the end of my TX for one thing and also found when comparing them
I could go farther low than with Tony's but now I could go farther high with them .I just don't fly high and the panel fit in my bag alot better
without having to worry about messing up any of the coils which would mess up the tuning of it .

 

[NickCopter]

I never used any boosters just the stage 3 and it was just to much on the end of my TX for one thing and also found when comparing them
I could go farther low than with Tony's but now I could go farther high with them .I just don't fly high and the panel fit in my bag alot better
without having to worry about messing up any of the coils which would mess up the tuning of it .

Yeah their kits do make the controllers a pain in the butt for storing. I used to keep one stock and one modded, and just pick based on what my objective for the day was.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[solentlife]

Have to support the Windsurfer .... on my old P3S - it doubled my range ...

With the P3P - I am still to test it out ....

To be honest - if I can get designed range with the P3P - I will be happy.

Nigel

 

[Numone]

I use a £3 windsurfer and it's excellent, by simply diverting the extraneous side and rearward facing signals, concentrating these forward. Very simple really.

 

[Dronereaper]

I am still in process of searching and collecting info but I am in the market for a range extender for my phantom 4 pro.

I'm not really looking to fly 4 miles away and come back but I will be flying in town and want an extender that would penetrate trees and houses better.

I had a p3s with argtek extender and it only got 1500ft away behind trees and lost Signal.

Can someone with experience help me? I've been talking to maxxuav and their evolite boosted kit is pricey but if the regular unlisted would do what I need is go that route

 

[Mark The Droner]

The ITELITE Maxxrange rarely gets any love these days and I have no idea why

 

[Smurdley]

The ITELITE Maxxrange rarely gets any love these days and I have no idea why

I have the regular DBS panel as well as the MaxxRange. The only issue I have is its size. With my boosted RC, a tripod is a must!

 

[Dronereaper]

Does the maxxuav evolite boosted kit add a lot of weight? I'm thinking I don't want alot of weight.

To be honest. I used to have a phantom 3 standard with the argtek extender and only got 1300-1500ft in neighborhood and lost Signal. Was t happy. But I just bought the phantom 4 pro and haven't tried ut seems better range. I may just add antanna extender like the one you stated or shockwave duo.

 

[Mark The Droner]

I think a lot of the problem is that long distance isn't plug and play, but some folks, especially new folks, think it is. They think they can just go buy something cool, spend several hundred bucks, and their distance problems are solved. But it is so much more involved. If you were really serious about distance, then you'd WANT to use a tripod because a tripod will aid in aiming and keep the signal steady, regardless of what antenna and amps you might or might not have. If you don't want to use a tripod, or you don't want to add weight, then you must be willing to settle for somewhat mediocre distance - better than stock but nothing to write home about.

 

[Numone]

I tried a $5 windsurfer first......and last! Does everything I need...