Battery life 200mw vs 400mw vs 600mw tx

[Spudboy]

Hi folks, brand new Phantom 2 owner here. I'll be learning to fly it for some time while I gather data on my FPV components. One question I haven't seen too much written about is the impact on battery life for the higher power transmitters. I don't expect to need massive range, so am leaning towards 200mw, with good antennas for both air and ground. Is there a chart, or posting you can point me towards that shows the impact on battery life?

Many thanks

 

[nwillitts]

i am using the 600mw-does not effect my flight time.

 

[noiseboy72]

It comes down to the efficiency of the TX. I had a 2W "Thunderbolt" and this required nearly 1.5A. This shortened flight time quite noticeably and also made the battery run hotter.

My current Immersion 600mW consumes less than 400mA and this keeps everything much happier. The difference between this and the 200mW & 400mW will be minimal, but as you rightly suggest, good antennae matching will improve range and decrease wasted power.

 

[Spudboy]

Thanks noiseboy!

It comes down to the efficiency of the TX. I had a 2W "Thunderbolt" and this required nearly 1.5A. This shortened flight time quite noticeably and also made the battery run hotter.

My current Immersion 600mW consumes less than 400mA and this keeps everything much happier. The difference between this and the 200mW & 400mW will be minimal, but as you rightly suggest, good antennae matching will improve range and decrease wasted power.

 

[phenom3030]

Great thread! I'm also interested to see what effect different Tx's have on battery life.