Bower strap failure, P4 Adv controller crashes to ground, breaks antenna.

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Isla Mujeres Mexico
I have been using this product for a month, probably 12 flights with my phantom 4 adv drone. very happy with function and comfort until....... the clip in the photo let go. It is poor quality, my controller fell to the ground and snapped off one of the two dji antennas, breaking the connection cable.

It was during a flight, thankfully I didn't lose the drone. I assume if the phantom had lost connection, it would have done RTH. ( I have had 2 of those events ). I haven't yet researched the cost of the repair. I was able to pick the controller up off the ground, no controls had been accidentally activated, I was able to fly the drone back.

You can see in the photo, the clip will not self close. I have contacted Bower.

Now for the antenna. I haven't called dji yet. Any advice? Is this user replaceable? I hate losing the flight time. Happy the P4 returned on one antenna. Do I lose range if I fly with a single antenna?

I wish I had looked closer at the clip in the first place. replacing it with a carabiner/split ring arrangement would have been more secure in any case.
 

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I have been using this product for a month, probably 12 flights with my phantom 4 adv drone. very happy with function and comfort until....... the clip in the photo let go. It is poor quality, my controller fell to the ground and snapped off one of the two dji antennas, breaking the connection cable.

It was during a flight, thankfully I didn't lose the drone. I assume if the phantom had lost connection, it would have done RTH. ( I have had 2 of those events ). I haven't yet researched the cost of the repair. I was able to pick the controller up off the ground, no controls had been accidentally activated, I was able to fly the drone back.

You can see in the photo, the clip will not self close. I have contacted Bower.

Now for the antenna. I haven't called dji yet. Any advice? Is this user replaceable? I hate losing the flight time. Happy the P4 returned on one antenna. Do I lose range if I fly with a single antenna?

I wish I had looked closer at the clip in the first place. replacing it with a carabiner/split ring arrangement would have been more secure in any case.
Oh that's got a hurt,,I have a cheap version of the bower and works great but now watching it after reading this,,yes hard to find ,,I regret giving mine away too,,I did see this on ebay today so have search there,,,,flying with just 1 antenna just won't be fun,,,sometimes easy just to get a second hand remote,,,also most that do the repair end up going next step with modified set up,,at or around same cost,,should look into it,,,I use panel on p4 and it's great,,don't fly for miles but good to issue free flights with transmission and signal,,good luck on your decision
Screenshot_20190604-080726.jpg
 
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I have been using this product for a month, probably 12 flights with my phantom 4 adv drone. very happy with function and comfort until....... the clip in the photo let go. It is poor quality, my controller fell to the ground and snapped off one of the two dji antennas, breaking the connection cable.

It was during a flight, thankfully I didn't lose the drone. I assume if the phantom had lost connection, it would have done RTH. ( I have had 2 of those events ). I haven't yet researched the cost of the repair. I was able to pick the controller up off the ground, no controls had been accidentally activated, I was able to fly the drone back.

You can see in the photo, the clip will not self close. I have contacted Bower.

Now for the antenna. I haven't called dji yet. Any advice? Is this user replaceable? I hate losing the flight time. Happy the P4 returned on one antenna. Do I lose range if I fly with a single antenna?

I wish I had looked closer at the clip in the first place. replacing it with a carabiner/split ring arrangement would have been more secure in any case.
That would spoil your day.
 
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The only way to make that clip work on your controller is to use a key ring so that the clasp will close completely.Good luck on your repair it should go easy.
 

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The only way to make that clip work on your controller is to use a key ring so that the clasp will close completely.Good luck on your repair it should go easy.
The clasp you’re using only works on the old standard controllers like my P4 standard.
 
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I go to a lot of conventions and get given neck straps for business card holders / passes. After convention - they add to my RC Controller neck strap inventory. Never had one break yet ...
 
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I have been using this product for a month, probably 12 flights with my phantom 4 adv drone. very happy with function and comfort until....... the clip in the photo let go. It is poor quality, my controller fell to the ground and snapped off one of the two dji antennas, breaking the connection cable.

It was during a flight, thankfully I didn't lose the drone. I assume if the phantom had lost connection, it would have done RTH. ( I have had 2 of those events ). I haven't yet researched the cost of the repair. I was able to pick the controller up off the ground, no controls had been accidentally activated, I was able to fly the drone back.

You can see in the photo, the clip will not self close. I have contacted Bower.

Now for the antenna. I haven't called dji yet. Any advice? Is this user replaceable? I hate losing the flight time. Happy the P4 returned on one antenna. Do I lose range if I fly with a single antenna?

I wish I had looked closer at the clip in the first place. replacing it with a carabiner/split ring arrangement would have been more secure in any case.

I'll be honest. I have done some minor Phantom radio repairs and mods and working inside a Phantom controller can be a B**** but antenna replacement is one of the easier things to do. Just make sure you disassemble everything in the correct order and be as gentle as you can and you should be fine on this.

This vid should help
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I second - be careful ....

I needed to repair the left antenna (looking at controller internals from backside) ... when I 'slipped' I broke the tiny connections on the scroll there ...
By time I found parts to repair antenna mount ... scroll wheel etc. - it was cheaper to buy a second hand controller.

I now have a spare broken P3P controller !!
 
I just have a standard controller for a v1.0 and even if the strap broke my controller wouldn't fall to the ground! I just use my thumbs and my fingers hold the controller.
Is the controller bigger for the p4 adv ? Sorry for the accident ?
 
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I just have a standard controller for a v1.0 and even if the strap broke my controller wouldn't fall to the ground! I just use my thumbs and my fingers hold the controller.
Is the controller bigger for the p4 adv ? Sorry for the accident ?
Thank you ! Several situations where I rely on the strap. 1. hand launching and catching. 2. Hovering, teaching, not actively "driving" for a moment. My hands tend to be pretty light on the controls. I'm often flying from a low beach chair in which case it would have dropped about 6 inches into my lap. This was a rare occasion where I was standing. Again, my bad for relying on a cheap hinged clip whose default fail position is "DROP". From the get go, I should have been using a hook. Oh well. about to order a ITE range extender instead of replacing the antenna.
 
Yeah I know it just takes a second for things to go bad. I was flying in a snow storm with my goggles on they fogged up so I took them off, I had a hard time finding my phantom and the wind took it! I had gone up about 3 hundred feet the wind was strong up there almost no wind at ground level! By the time I found my bird it was a long way off low battery! I couldn't gain any ground getting back from over all the trees! I panicked and pushed hard, still losing ground! I dropped down to the tree tops and finally hit a tree top and crashed! I'm lucky there was some snow, I think it cushioned the crash and it got no damage! So when things go bad it's usually fast!
Happy safe flying Isla Jim? and fast repairs!
 

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