N017RW
Premium Pilot
FPVLR - Not too impressed - Penetration?
- Thread starter deathcharge
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Both antennas perform equally well so many people are saying.......... out in the wide open!
My question is which antenna design offers more penetration through obstructions, mainly trees? Circular or linear?
Knowing this fact will benefit the majority of us who aren't driving out to the middle of nowhere to pull off these long distance runs.
Theoretically... Circular is better all around, as while there is a few db loss at the linear end (the Phantom itself), you get the benefit of reduced multipath, and no loss of gain when the angle of the controller doesn't exactly match the angle of the P3.
N017RW
Premium Pilot
The problem is not so much the polarization but the frequency.
While there are various types of polarization you can read about and each offer pros/cons, 5.8GHz is not going to penetrate foliage very well at all regardless.
Beam shaping, i.e. passive antenna gain, will help to make the best of what you have but also has trade-offs such as increased directivity.
Similar to sound, low frequencies penetrate and 'carry' better than high frequencies.
This is commonly demonstrated with high power car stereos. The Bass carries while the Treble attenuates.
No matter what you choose having the same type antenna and polarization on each end will yield the best results.
While there are various types of polarization you can read about and each offer pros/cons, 5.8GHz is not going to penetrate foliage very well at all regardless.
Beam shaping, i.e. passive antenna gain, will help to make the best of what you have but also has trade-offs such as increased directivity.
Similar to sound, low frequencies penetrate and 'carry' better than high frequencies.
This is commonly demonstrated with high power car stereos. The Bass carries while the Treble attenuates.
No matter what you choose having the same type antenna and polarization on each end will yield the best results.
N017RW
Premium Pilot
True.
Confused as to what forum I was in.
No matter, 2.4GHZ not much better.
The serious guys use 450-900MHz which requires a Ham license.
Confused as to what forum I was in.
No matter, 2.4GHZ not much better.
The serious guys use 450-900MHz which requires a Ham license.
Generally... this is all true. Except in our particular case with a UAS, the circular polarization is actually better than linear on the control side, due to the fact that the Phantom changes angles frequently during flight, and therefore will not match exact angle with the antenna all the time.
Otherwise, yes, the 2.4 GHz is the biggest issue as it attenuates on anything that contains water (people, trees, etc).
It's been my experience that any flight under 8k ft it doesn't matter much what obstacles are between the controller and the phantom . However the further away from that distance my bird travels , the more obstacles play a factor. That's been my experience with the dbs antenna. The long runs of 4+ miles need to have a clear line of sight in order to maintain signal. I just don't think there is any antenna modification that would allow you to fly behind a sky scraper from 2 and a half miles away and still have signal. In order to achieve this one would need to put an amp on the phantom's antennas that are on the legs. These would also need to be pretty light . And the battery for them would need to be light as well. I would love to see someone modify and boost both the pilot side and bird side . I think the results would be amazing .
i got my windsurfer from ebay today. will see if it increases distance. btw, are the antennas supposed to be on a slight angle forward or straight up?
Can this improve signal:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R1PA9EO/
Alfa APA-M25 dual band 2.4GHz/5GHz 10dBi high gain directional indoor panel antenna with RP-SMA connector
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R1PA9EO/
Alfa APA-M25 dual band 2.4GHz/5GHz 10dBi high gain directional indoor panel antenna with RP-SMA connector
- Frequency Range: 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz
- Gain: 8 dBi @ 2.4GHz 10dBi @ 5GHz
- Connector: RP-SMA Plug (Male)
- Dimension: 167.3 x 66 x 18mm
- V.S.W.R: 2.0:1 Max
I think this "Important Pointer" should be clearly disclosed on your website so customers know ahead of time what is required for optimal use of this antenna instead of people dropping $300 and finding this out the hard way After the purchase. I know I fell into this category. I don't have the said 200ft. open space in my backyard, more around 125ft. totally unobstructed. I did some research, but one can only research so much and even then information can always be overlooked.
Now if this important info was readily made available directly on your site's FAQs I would have been able to steer clear and say to myself. "Nope, this is not for me"
Preying upon the uninformed; not openly disclosing optimal requirements for this antenna to perform as described thus preventing customers from making an educated purchase.
Rather just throw out there : "Gain 8 miles with this kit" That line should follow with an asterisk reading :
*if your lucky.
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I was also disappointed to find out after the $300 purchase that with the V.2 antenna; little is to be gained boosted vs. unboosted!
Why am I being sold boosters then?
My loss, but hopefully by creating this thread it will serve up some key info. that I missed out on. IF, they are lucky enough to stumble upon this thread.
Why am I being sold boosters then?
My loss, but hopefully by creating this thread it will serve up some key info. that I missed out on. IF, they are lucky enough to stumble upon this thread.
Wow this post is so filled with pathetic BS.
Preying? Seriously? Thank you for the laugh.
Educate your self and then you might not feel preyed upon.
I'm sorry if this sounds bad but the truth occasionally hurts.
$150 antenna
$300 identical boosted antenna
No mention of my extra $150 providing little to no gain.
Yeah, I'd call that a little misleading.
N017RW
Premium Pilot
I understand this. I've made my peace.
I put more stock in these boosters powering through trees than I should have.
The antenna works, so did my free homemade wind surfer. I had to drive out to the middle of nowhere to watch this antenna surpass a wind surfer, but yeah it works.
This wasn't my intended purpose. This kit was to be used in my semi obstructed 2 acre backyard; didn't pan out.
Don't bite on the boosters; adds a ton of weight and as the owner said somewhere (in another thread/forum) "there is little to be gained by boosting".
I know the idea of a "boosted" signal sounds enticing but beware. Had I done this; I'd be much happier with my purchase.
My experience; this kit is no better than a free wind surfer, in a obstructed or even semi obstructed area.
Regarding this long distance flying fad; I'm finding out really fast this is "gimmicky" at best to me. The novelty wears off rather quickly. I find I'm asking myself "why am I trying to fly so far anyway and risking my P3 with it's limited battery" I didn't want to set distance records. I wanted better backyard performance. Swing and a miss there.
You wanna set wide open records, go fpvlr.
You wanna fly out of your backyard and save , $150 or $300 bucks, build a free semi equivalent wind surfer and buy an extra battery or two for your P3 with the money I saved you by reading this post. Do that.
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The ITElite kit even without boosters is a great antenna mod. I did an 8 mile round trip last week with it. What a fun flight. Full signal the whole trip.
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