Phantom 3 STANDARD antenna upgrade
- Thread starter Dataa2
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****, I'm getting 3500 to 4200 stock and was thinking about buying the dbs this week... this worries me
dirkclod
Premium Pilot
@mandalay It looks good from your picture and sounds like you have tweaked it with all the right stuff . Other than this just being from one trip
and it it doing better the next maybe you just had a bad day of aiming . I have noticed with mine that part is important .
I do have my bird with dipoles but I got my best flight yesterday and it started drizzling when I started back . That gimbal don't think much of raindrops
Wanted to get wacky alittle. See if it keeps that up then I would just check my connections . Also on your connections make sure they are more than finger tight .
Everyone will get different results and I try and show just what I do get by trying them . You should have more than doubled your distance like most have though .
I have found though I have to be careful with my inspire mount and the way I have the screen looking at me cause I might be off with the way the panel is pointing if that makes any sense .
Here's what I got yesterday . And had not been able to bust 2.5
All this working on trying to improve your distance is not absolute and you do have to try it in different places . I get better in some than others . And what is strange to me is I get my best when the humidity is high and it's cloudy . Strange huh.
Doesn't make for good video but does for trying to get good #'s.
Also jay and ryback if it concerns you then just don't try using it . As I said nothing messing with this is absolute .
If I wanted guaranteed distance I would get one with Lightbridge but I wanted to see what I could get this to do .
and it it doing better the next maybe you just had a bad day of aiming . I have noticed with mine that part is important .
I do have my bird with dipoles but I got my best flight yesterday and it started drizzling when I started back . That gimbal don't think much of raindrops
Wanted to get wacky alittle. See if it keeps that up then I would just check my connections . Also on your connections make sure they are more than finger tight .Everyone will get different results and I try and show just what I do get by trying them . You should have more than doubled your distance like most have though .
I have found though I have to be careful with my inspire mount and the way I have the screen looking at me cause I might be off with the way the panel is pointing if that makes any sense .
Here's what I got yesterday . And had not been able to bust 2.5
All this working on trying to improve your distance is not absolute and you do have to try it in different places . I get better in some than others . And what is strange to me is I get my best when the humidity is high and it's cloudy . Strange huh.Doesn't make for good video but does for trying to get good #'s.
Also jay and ryback if it concerns you then just don't try using it . As I said nothing messing with this is absolute .
If I wanted guaranteed distance I would get one with Lightbridge but I wanted to see what I could get this to do .
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The FPV signal was always good; I was able to see the live feed the whole flight. I don't think it's any better than stock.
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Thanks, Dirk. It is only one flight so I'll need to try it at a different place and times to see if it's getting better. The connections are tight since I use a wrench to tighten them.
The only thing I failed to mention is I still have stock antenna panels with wires taped up with electrical tape in there. Not sure they would cause the interference...but I obviously can remove them and try again.
On the dipoles, how do you mod that? It seems you consistently get good range based on your posted results. And can you explain more on adjusting the Inspire mount relative to the panel? I don't quite get it.
On pointing the panel to the drone, I can only tilt the whole TX up or down since the panel is not adjustable due to the stiff blue cables. Is that how you do it too?
The only thing I failed to mention is I still have stock antenna panels with wires taped up with electrical tape in there. Not sure they would cause the interference...but I obviously can remove them and try again.
On the dipoles, how do you mod that? It seems you consistently get good range based on your posted results. And can you explain more on adjusting the Inspire mount relative to the panel? I don't quite get it.
On pointing the panel to the drone, I can only tilt the whole TX up or down since the panel is not adjustable due to the stiff blue cables. Is that how you do it too?
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I agree. If you want to fly 1.2 miles away while buying a cardboard shield so you can see where you're going, crashing and having to get in your car and go find it, getting in trouble because you lost sight of it, which by the way may be against the new FAA rules, by all means, trade it in on a p3p. If however, you would like to see what you are taking pictures of, keep it. I have one just like yours, and I like it.
@mandalay It looks good from your picture and sounds like you have tweaked it with all the right stuff . Other than this just being from one trip
and it it doing better the next maybe you just had a bad day of aiming . I have noticed with mine that part is important .
I do have my bird with dipoles but I got my best flight yesterday and it started drizzling when I started back . That gimbal don't think much of raindrops
Everyone will get different results and I try and show just what I do get by trying them . You should have more than doubled your distance like most have though .
I have found though I have to be careful with my inspire mount and the way I have the screen looking at me cause I might be off with the way the panel is pointing if that makes any sense .
Here's what I got yesterday . And had not been able to bust 2.5
View attachment 37946 All this working on trying to improve your distance is not absolute and you do have to try it in different places . I get better in some than others . And what is strange to me is I get my best when the humidity is high and it's cloudy . Strange huh.
Doesn't make for good video but does for trying to get good #'s.
Also jay and ryback if it concerns you then just don't try using it . As I said nothing messing with this is absolute .
If I wanted guaranteed distance I would get one with Lightbridge but I wanted to see what I could get this to do .
The funny thing is I added a gimbal knob on my fc40 and desoldered/soldered it in and that didnt worry me. Worst case, ill just pay for the install but ill probably just end up installing it myself anyway lol.
dirkclod
Premium Pilot
You wouldn't notice that till you got way out there
As far as where you where from your log shot you were flying away from any noise but around you
I don't understand just how all that works but like you say and I would do is get away and try .Look at my log shot .Only noise there was from critters.
I also wouldn't think leaving all the other stuff in your TX would be an issue but not having left mine in to see if it would be an issue I can't say for sure . I saw no reason to leave it in .
What I meant about the Inspire holder is mine will slip down some times from this
to this 
Now what did that make me do to the panel to keep seeing my device....point it up and then my aim gets off and can't find it again .
My panel is set solid and I just move the TX around. That's what I was trying to say .
Dipoles...That's all in this thread and a few others and I do those cause I just try to see what I can do straight out .You have to go in bird for the 5.8's and into the top of gimbal for the 2.4's . I have both .
5.8's on top and 2.4's hanging down . I have tried them everyway you can other than sticking them out the sides of the legs like some with P2V+'s have .I leave them like you see just to fly around but when I go long the top ones ,,5.8's I turn out to the sides like if you hold out your arms . Sorry for the long post but you asked a lot 
dirkclod
Premium Pilot
2.4's are hanging down and 5.8's are at the top and 5.8 is what I always lose also when out .You could just try the 5.8 ones but I just did both like I did with my Vision to keep enough antennas for both .
Like I didn't want to outfly my FPV . get me
dirkclod
Premium Pilot
I do try a lot of different combinations and in several places and at different times of day and weather . I never hardly get the same results.
I did find the way I have them in that shot works the best for me here .Might not for you . Is a crap shoot and ya just have to try different stuff.
What I find interesting is I get my best runs when there's some moisture in the air...high humidity...and cloudy .
Now that's just when I am trying to get out around 3 miles .
Really is no need for it But...if ya know you good that far then I don't worry about going 1 1/2 miles out .
I just got the I wanna see what I can do bug The Standard was said to be just for close range and that was the wrong answer for me
Is addicting dude
I did find the way I have them in that shot works the best for me here .Might not for you . Is a crap shoot and ya just have to try different stuff.
What I find interesting is I get my best runs when there's some moisture in the air...high humidity...and cloudy .
Now that's just when I am trying to get out around 3 miles .
Really is no need for it But...if ya know you good that far then I don't worry about going 1 1/2 miles out .
I just got the I wanna see what I can do bug
The Standard was said to be just for close range and that was the wrong answer for me
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I just got the I wanna see what I can do bug
I like your attitude
Hey Mandalay...I live right near you-have a PS3 also. 
Are you worried at all about that little airport there? I doesn't show on the apps as a no fly area-just wondering if you've noticed how busy it is (if at all) over there. That park is an ideal spot to fly with all the open space. Going to try the Windsurfer mod myself first.
Are you worried at all about that little airport there? I doesn't show on the apps as a no fly area-just wondering if you've noticed how busy it is (if at all) over there. That park is an ideal spot to fly with all the open space. Going to try the Windsurfer mod myself first.
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Hi Thanh - So you also live in EG. That's cool.
No I'm not at all. That airport is not marked as no-fly-zone by the app since I think it's just a tiny one used for crop duster planes, which I have not ever seen one taking off or landing. I usually go to this park with my brother-in-law, who also has a P3S, when we get a chance on weekends since it's close to home and pretty much wide open to the south and east. Let us know here how the Windsurfer works out for you.
No I'm not at all. That airport is not marked as no-fly-zone by the app since I think it's just a tiny one used for crop duster planes, which I have not ever seen one taking off or landing. I usually go to this park with my brother-in-law, who also has a P3S, when we get a chance on weekends since it's close to home and pretty much wide open to the south and east. Let us know here how the Windsurfer works out for you.
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So I tried again yesterday at a different place. This time it went 2400 ft; 600 ft better than the last time after the mod. Again, the RC signal went from 4-5 bars to 2 bars and then lost. I could not get the signal back no matter how I tried to tilt the TX. FPV was still good with no degradation since I was able to see it on the iPad screen making the return when the RC signal was lost.
I removed the internal antenna panels last night and double-check the connections. Will see if this helps push it further and report back.
Thanks for the info Mandalay-makes sense it's just a crop dusting-type strip. I tried the Windsurfer cheapie DIY mod (makes a huge antenna BTW), and didn't work very well. Will probably need to re-test in a more open spot...but maybe a smaller version might work better-or will try one off Amazon or eBay.
dirkclod
Premium Pilot
Well that is better but look at this . I flew again in the same spot I got this
and only got this 
Long one was right before rain and was very cloudy and short flight was this morning about 35 degrees and very clear and sunny .
There are so many variables when doing this that affect your distance all I know to do is try them all and find an average and then go by that .
I was more than a mile shorter this morning and did try it twice to be sure I hadn't messed up with my aiming .It wasn't my antenna set up
but just the atmosphere . I don't understand the why's of this but is just what I see .
