FPV Antenna - OEM?

[edibob11]

I have lost my FPV antenna - the one attached to the transmitter on my Phantom 2. I can't seem to find this anywhere - it's black, and about 6 inches long, and has an elbow joint which allows it to "bend" to 90 degrees.

Does anyone have a link to where I can buy one? I even went to a hobby store, and they say they don't sell them ... HELP!

 

[QYV]

strange, those "stock" antennas that come with FPV transmitters and such are a dime a dozen... they're actually the worst possible option due to the linear signal pattern they put out, they come bundled with every transmitter and receiver and most of us just throw them away.

Consider aftermarket antennas, even the cheaper ones are going to be better than what you had. If you're going to spend money replacing it you should replace it with something nicer that puts out a better, spherical signal pattern.

FPVLR is widely regarded around here as making the best (and yes, most expensive) antennas.. they have $110 and $120 kits with 3 antennas, one for transmit and 2 for receiver (short range omnidirectional and long range directional) that will take you out past 2km with rock solid FPV on any transmitter/receiver.

If you don't need that kind of range you can always go cheaper, there's little antenna pairs all over Amazon and (online) hobby shops in the $40-$60 range that will give you a few hundred meters of good solid FPV.

I have the FPVLRs, I suggest you head over to the FPV forum and post there for antenna recommendations. Be sure to mention exactly which transmitter and receiver you're running.
I really think with some decent aftermarket antennas you'll be surprised how much better your FPV performs, not even necessarily the premium FPVLRs.. just anything other than those little crap stick antennas (no offense) you refer to.

If you want to learn more about signal patterns and why those sticks are the worst I can dig up some youtube videos explaining what I mean

 

[edibob11]

Thanks for all the info. I have another antenna - looks like a mushroom, and I ordered a male/female adapter for it. I had one on it before, but it fell off during a flight (I actually have the gopro video of it falling off).

YouTube videos would be great ...

Bob

 

[QYV]

watch this video from about the 3 minute mark to the 5:30 mark, he does a really good job of explaining those antennas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6LuEhuU-l8

the video isn't designed around phantoms specifically but that 2.5 minutes of explaining signal patterns is useful. right there towards the end he says "that's why people are going to cloverleaf style" antennas but now there are tons more options for example FPVLR makes what's called a "pentalobe" with 5 lobes instead of 4 (cloverleaf/pinwheel = 4 lobes)

the main idea like I said is to get a spherical (instead of linear) signal pattern being output from your transmitter, which makes picking up the signal on a receiver much better and easier.
on the receiver side, like I said omnidirectional antennas work nice at short range because you don't necessarily have to worry about keeping the antenna pointed directly at the Phantom, it'll pick up signal from any direction but because of that they can't pick up weaker signal at farther range. for longer range you need a directional antenna which you DO have to keep pointed at the phantom (fpv transmitter, technically) but it can snatch a much weaker signal out of the air.

fwiw, my experience with range testing my FPVLR's went like this: I always have the pentalobe (the one in the 120 bundle) on the transmitter. so that being the case, in a zero-interference environment with the pinwheel from the bundle (omni) only on my receiver I got right around 650m before the signal wasn't really useable anymore.. that's with the best most premium antennas.
When I switched to the helix I went out over 1800m (1 mile = ~1600m) and still had rock solid FPV like it was sitting right next to me. this is with a 400mW TS353 transmitter btw.

obviously in a higher interference (urban) environment those numbers are reduced. cheaper antennas would just mean less range, like the guys running just a pair of the $50-$60 cloverleaf antennas usually get around 400m or so before their signal breaks up. I've also recently worked on a buddy's Phantom and he has a super cheap like $20-$30 pair and I can only get 100m over the city at best.
my point being, the more money you spend on better antennas the farther they work... so buy appropriately. I completely acknowledge that not everyone needs super premium 2km range

 

[SteveMann]

Thanks for all the info. I have another antenna - looks like a mushroom, and I ordered a male/female adapter for it. I had one on it before, but it fell off during a flight (I actually have the gopro video of it falling off).

YouTube videos would be great ...

Bob

Consider yourself lucky that you lost the cheap stick antenna - it motivates you to upgrade.
On your other antenna - you would have been better off ordering a replacement antenna with the correct connector instead of an adapter. Every connection adds loss to the signal path, as much as 1.5 to 2dB each, so you should avoid adapters.

 

[edibob11]

Thanks - you've convinced me to buy a better antenna!

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Remember to never power up a transmitter with no antenna mounted to it as you run the risk of frying it. Hopefully yours is still OK when you get the new antenna. And as mentioned by others, the stock 'pole' antenna or omnidirectional antenna is pretty much best mounted on the closest trash can for best reception. :lol:

 

[edibob11]

I am thinking I will need to buy a new transmitter already, but those are relatively cheap. I have a seven inch monitor with built-in battery [RX-LCD5802] which should work ok.

Suggestion for a new FPV transmitter?

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I am thinking I will need to buy a new transmitter already, but those are relatively cheap. I have a seven inch monitor with built-in battery [RX-LCD5802] which should work ok.

Suggestion for a new FPV transmitter?

I personally use the ImmersionRC 5.8GHz 600mW Tx but there are cheaper alternatives that work well.
Just be sure the channels will work with your monitor.

 

[edibob11]

Will this transmitter work with my seven inch monitor with built-in battery [RX-LCD5802] ?

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Will this transmitter work with my seven inch monitor with built-in battery [RX-LCD5802] ?

That is the Boscam with built in receiver? It should work no problem. The key is to be sure the channels are the same. The Immersion covers frequencies: 5740, 5760, 5780, 5800, 5820, 5840, 5860MHz. The monitor should cover those also under group D, channels1,2,3,4,5 & 7. Set it to those and it should work.

 

[QYV]

The RX-LCD5802 (which I also have) is a 32 channel receiver supporting both the Boscam and ImmersionRC/Fatshark frequencies.

Especially if you're going to get premium antennas, you can go with a Boscam TS353 transmitter (400mW) which is about half the cost of an ImmersionRC 600.
To be clear, either will work fine but the Boscam is cheaper and with good antennas is easily a 2+km setup which exceeds most people's needs so you can save $30-$40 getting a TS353 and apply that to better antennas.

Have we covered what your existing transmitter is? depending on your setup you may need a new cable to tie the system together. If you are currently running a Boscam transmitter then you can change out the transmitter no problem, but if for example you're running a DJI AVL58 with the FPV hub, if you switch to either a Boscam or IRC600 you will also remove the DJI FPV Hub and replace it with a plug and play cable. There are 2 different cables, one for Boscam and the other for ImmersionRC transmitter (the cable/pins are different). Please see this thread for links/reference: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=26413

You also need to know what transmitter you will ultimately run BEFORE buying your antennas because the Boscam and IRC have differnet antenna connector. See this thread for reference: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=22736

again ask us all the questions you want BEFORE you buy so you don't wind up with incompatible equipment!

 

[edibob11]

Looks like I lucked out - my FPV transmitter seems to be working ok - at least in my study. Will know more after I get out there again.

Thanks for all your help!

BTW - what does it mean when the LEDs flash RED three times, and then GREEN?