A Question for FPVLR Amplified Antenna Users

[dedstik]

Guys,

I'm having very good success with my new FPVLR Advanced Antenna mod kit with the new V2 RHCP / LHCP antenna. Today I flew a personal best of 10,718', so the rig is working well.

This being said I am noticing that when the amps are on I get a "poor" radio quality message from my GO app (iOS). Checking the channel spectrum I do see a great many red bars on many freqs. (I have the 32 channel hack installed).

The in flight performance of my P3P does not seem in any way impaired by the strong adjacent channel signals which I am guessing is an artifact of the amps.

Anyone else who is flying this antenna / booster kit experiencing the same thing?

Just wondering.

 

[Bret Lucas]

Interesting dedstik. I'm running the same setup and was running with the boosted V1 kit for a long while before rejigging my V2 kit without boosters. I don't have an answer but am interested in following your post. I also run 32 channels. In future I will run boosters only when penetration through obstacles such as trees is required.

 

[Rocket_Aus]

I wonder if your getting cross channel talk as I discovered...your cables wouldn't have to be crossed with the extra db your generating it could still be an issue.

Firmware 1.4,Signal Errors,Cross talk,DBS,Healthy Drones Solved | DJI Phantom Forum

 

[dedstik]

Guys,

Thanks for the responses. I should have also mentioned that I am also have the HDMI board installed and there has been some discussion that there may be some RFI contribution from that board.

I am also using the upgraded radio to amp coax cables sold by FPVLR. The transmitter output is very low (100mw +/-) so I think that any cross talk is occurring from the amps. The new V2 antennas claim 10db gain which is an enormous amount of additional signal strength on top of what the amps are providing. (Each additional 3db of gain is an effective doubling of ERP -effective radiated power).

I hold an Extra Class Ham Radio license and have extensive experience in UHF / VHF activities such as satellite and moon-bounce communications. I doubt this is an SWR issue. Maybe just a lot of RF in close proximity. I plan on more testing this week. I'll report anything definitive that I find.

:harry, W6DXO

 

[wotblake]

One question I haven't been able to figure out - is the "poor radio" quality message based on your current channel or just based on the general interference in the area? Or is it based on the interference on the stock DJI channels (without the hack).

I get the message all the time where I fly but it seems to have zero impact if I'm flying on channel 31, 32, etc.

 

[dedstik]

I think the message is generated based on the number of "red bar" channels that the app is seeing.

Next time you get the message check the channel spectrum and see how many channels are red bars.

:harry

 

[Skipholiday]

Guys,

Thanks for the responses. I should have also mentioned that I am also have the HDMI board installed and there has been some discussion that there may be some RFI contribution from that board.

I am also using the upgraded radio to amp coax cables sold by FPVLR. The transmitter output is very low (100mw +/-) so I think that any cross talk is occurring from the amps. The new V2 antennas claim 10db gain which is an enormous amount of additional signal strength on top of what the amps are providing. (Each additional 3db of gain is an effective doubling of ERP -effective radiated power).

I hold an Extra Class Ham Radio license and have extensive experience in UHF / VHF activities such as satellite and moon-bounce communications. I doubt this is an SWR issue. Maybe just a lot of RF in close proximity. I plan on more testing this week. I'll report anything definitive that I find.

:harry, W6DXO

I havnt heard of the hdmi board causing issues. Could you link me to information about this? Thanks

 

[Shammyh]

I have the itelite antenna and a pair of 3W sunhans amps, and do not observe the same issue.

I was very careful however to keep each radio channel as isolated as possible from the board, to boosters, to the antenna.

Also, on my setup, I don't see any rf activity in dji go until the boosters are powered on. I do have the so called "bi directional" boosters if that makes any difference (black sunhans model).

 

[Silverwingflinx]

I have the v1 boosted one of my boosters has no blue light.just stopped working I then replaced the booster it worked for a while then stopped again.i replaced the cables and also inside the RC same dam thing.i use the same booster that stopped working no blue light on my itelite both boosters work fine even the third booster!!!!any one else having this problem.....

 

[dedstik]

Don't think you have a problem. The "amps" are really transceivers (the signal moves both ways). The blue light is not reacting because there is no data traffic.

Go for a short range flight and observe the amps...you should see both lights active.

:harry

 

[Silverwingflinx]

Don't think you have a problem. The "amps" are really transceivers (the signal moves both ways). The blue light is not reacting because there is no data traffic.

Go for a short range flight and observe the amps...you should see both lights active.

:harry

Don't think you have a problem. The "amps" are really transceivers (the signal moves both ways). The blue light is not reacting because there is no data traffic.

Go for a short range flight and observe the amps...you should see both lights active.

:harry

Yes but explain to me why when I first hooked them up they where both on then now one has stopped but I have done this the signal will crap out at 5 km!!! I will try it one more time and see thax

 

[phantom13flyer]

The poor signal message on the go app is because of the amps . Basically its like using a megaphone to talk to someone sitting right next to you. But as soon as you get a little distance between your phantom and your controller the signal will get stronger. Its no big deal its just because the controller is right next to your phantom.

 

[LarsR]

Guys,

I'm having very good success with my new FPVLR Advanced Antenna mod kit with the new V2 RHCP / LHCP antenna. Today I flew a personal best of 10,718', so the rig is working well.

This being said I am noticing that when the amps are on I get a "poor" radio quality message from my GO app (iOS). Checking the channel spectrum I do see a great many red bars on many freqs. (I have the 32 channel hack installed).

The in flight performance of my P3P does not seem in any way impaired by the strong adjacent channel signals which I am guessing is an artifact of the amps.

Anyone else who is flying this antenna / booster kit experiencing the same thing?

Just wondering.

If you cover the antenna that comes from the booster with constant blue light with your hand you will se the flashing light on the other booster stops. The "poor signal" message disapears to. I think this is crosstalk between transmitter and receiver antenna on the rc.

 

[LarsR]

If you cover the antenna that comes from the booster with constant blue light with your hand you will se the flashing light on the other booster stops. The "poor signal" mesage disapears to. I think this is crosstalk between transmitter and receiver antenna on the rc.

And if you then lay the receiving antenna next to the transmitting antennas in the left side legs on the phantom it will start blinking again

 

[rigor]

i get the same weak signal message on mine all the time but soon as i take off it goes away and i have had no problems at all with it

 

[Silverwingflinx]

Hello again the problem still persists hooked the booster to the right blue light to the left nothing.flew about 8km out signal dropping on and off.came back hooked up to the other side it has no blue light flew out 9 km signal was good.i have flown the same distance with out boosters.when I did test today I only used 1 booster.but yet when I use the itelite antenna I have 2 blue lights.the Fpvlr I am using is the V1 but I also purchased a right turn dubble helix from Fpvlr and mounted it,that was just b4 the new V2..but like I said when I first got the boosters turned it on I had 2 blue lights for about 7/8/9 flights the one booster the blue light just stops..any ways hope someone might have some feed back..spoke to tony he says the antenna might be burnt out or one of the cables is no good well I replaced all of them and still the same problem...

 

[Shammyh]

Interestingly enough... I've had exactly the same issue.

I don't get a "low signal" warning at close range... but one of my boosters is solid blue (or blinking VERY fast) and the other is a faint blinking blue.

If I swap the channels, I get the same behavior from the opposite amp.

Pretty sure this didn't happen when I first installed it... and I double checked my connections, and even replaced the RP-SMA to UFL cables, all to no effect.

Wonder if the amps have over-driven the controller circuitry somehow? I'm grounded at the moment for unrelated reasons, but I do still get fairly good range.
Then again, I'm in an urban environment, so I rarely get more than a mile out without some sort of interference.

 

[Silverwingflinx]

Hi so you have the same thing happening.hhhhmmmm I know if I take the one booster which has never been hooked up to the the other side it will be solid blue light.but I am not doing that again!!!!! When I first got this set up they where both on solid green and blue no flickering.as time went buy 7/8/9 flights no blue light again.with that same booster if I hook it up to the itelite blue light is on....

 

[Shammyh]

Yea... clearly there is something happening here which is beyond my pay grade. Maybe @FPVLR (Tony) could chime in here with some thoughts?

I'm also using the v2 of the FPVLR antenna. And I also have an Itelite panel.

The scary part is the behavior changing over time... That would indicate to me that something is dying/being blown out by the current setup.

 

[Silverwingflinx]

Do you have blue lights with the itelite,mine have been solid blue for over 30 flights now!! That itelite boosted is awesome clear signal all the way out 10 km and back and rock solid signal no dropping off.its my first choice now for flying.funny the Fpvlr unboosted I have done 9 km out and back seems to work better unboosted...And yes I did my own battery mod this is a hobby some of us like to play and mod....hehe!,,,