So, I decided to set a personal goal to send my P2V+ out 1.5 miles down range at 500 ft. alt. in my area. I picked that goal because everything that I might want to observe around here is within that range and I also think that's a realistic and reasonable goal. The best way to describe the area that I live would be -- an open subdivision surrounded by ranches and farms.
I flew two flights to get a baseline of what my stock P2V+ is capable of. The best of the two flights was 3334 ft. down range or just over 1/3 of my goal. Currently, there are zero hardware modifications but I do use the Vision+ Utility App for logging telemetry data and boosting the 2.4. The app works very nice (Thanks Ocatcr and team) and boosting makes a very noticeable difference, bringing the 2.4 to about the same range as the 5.8 controller. It will almost certainly go further than the stock 5.8 by picking the maximum number but I have found that picking around 18 for the booster and camera gets the two of them pretty close to matching. There is an obvious increase in heat generated by the DJI 2.4 booster when the output is increased by the App, so I only like to boost as much as I need.
To document my baseline test, here is a YouTube video of it. Data was captured by the Vision+ Utility logger App and overlayed using DashWare PC software.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_zGt9hjrtw[/youtube]
And just a baseline picture of my P2V+ for future comparison.
After several discussions, I have decided to start with FPVLR.com antennas to help me reach my goal. I am going to do this on a somewhat iterative process (if necessary), starting with the FPVLR Stage 2 kit that is already on order.
This will not only document what kinds of real-world gains are achieved through antenna upgrades but also demonstrate the modifications necessary to effectively and realistically triple your range. After I complete the stage 2 modification, I will fly two flights from the same location, at the same altitude, on the same path, with the same amount of App boost on the 2.4. Like the baseline, I will take the best of the two flights and compare. If that doesn't get me to 1.5 miles, then I will take it to the next level, and so on.
So now I anxiously await the stage 2 kit. The big question is -- is the FPLR stage 2 going to be enough to get me to my goal or will I have to do more?
.
I flew two flights to get a baseline of what my stock P2V+ is capable of. The best of the two flights was 3334 ft. down range or just over 1/3 of my goal. Currently, there are zero hardware modifications but I do use the Vision+ Utility App for logging telemetry data and boosting the 2.4. The app works very nice (Thanks Ocatcr and team) and boosting makes a very noticeable difference, bringing the 2.4 to about the same range as the 5.8 controller. It will almost certainly go further than the stock 5.8 by picking the maximum number but I have found that picking around 18 for the booster and camera gets the two of them pretty close to matching. There is an obvious increase in heat generated by the DJI 2.4 booster when the output is increased by the App, so I only like to boost as much as I need.
To document my baseline test, here is a YouTube video of it. Data was captured by the Vision+ Utility logger App and overlayed using DashWare PC software.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_zGt9hjrtw[/youtube]
And just a baseline picture of my P2V+ for future comparison.
After several discussions, I have decided to start with FPVLR.com antennas to help me reach my goal. I am going to do this on a somewhat iterative process (if necessary), starting with the FPVLR Stage 2 kit that is already on order.
This will not only document what kinds of real-world gains are achieved through antenna upgrades but also demonstrate the modifications necessary to effectively and realistically triple your range. After I complete the stage 2 modification, I will fly two flights from the same location, at the same altitude, on the same path, with the same amount of App boost on the 2.4. Like the baseline, I will take the best of the two flights and compare. If that doesn't get me to 1.5 miles, then I will take it to the next level, and so on.
So now I anxiously await the stage 2 kit. The big question is -- is the FPLR stage 2 going to be enough to get me to my goal or will I have to do more?
.