Best antenna for distance over water

[Medboss]

I will be flying from shore out to sea this summer and want the best possible antenna. Can someone help me with what that might be.

 

[Turbomania]

How far out are you looking to go out ? You should be able to go well over 10K ft stock over water.

 

[wa5tef]

There should be no difference in antennas for over water flying vs over land flying. You should get less loss over water assuming you are not right at the surface which would yield greater range over water. Let us know what you use and the range you get.
Thanks
Jim
WA5TEF

 

[Medboss]

I am going to chase a cruise ship approx 3 miles in Jamaica with a Phantom 4 and it is stock as of now

 

[Jeff]

Practice and you'll be fine. Shoot us a vid. when your done.
Good luck,
J.

 

[Medboss]

Do you believe that I should go with better antenna to guarantee a safe flight distance

 

[John Locke]

I am going to chase a cruise ship approx 3 miles in Jamaica with a Phantom 4 and it is stock as of now

Be aware, cruise ships can have strong Wi-Fi signals emitting to cover the whole ship for their passengers. You may see sudden interruptions as you get out past a mile away and close to the ship. Worst case is RTH is enabled. Just don't fly in front of a moving ship unless you are above the highest point of the ship.

 

[N017RW]

Do you believe that I should go with better antenna to guarantee a safe flight distance

Antenna Gain is derived by beam-shaping or directing the energy is a specific pattern or direction(s).
Some refer to this Gain as 'better'.

In so doing it can make alignment more difficult or sensitive.

Rather than chasing antenna types, often based on dubious Gain claims by manufacturers, your best bet is to use parabolic reflector(s) to capture the energy radiated to the sides and rear and direct it forward towards your a/c. These can be easily removed when not necessary or for packing for travel, storage, etc. They require no modification to the internal cabling and won't effect warranty validity (if you're concerned with that).

 

[$nowman]

MaxxUAV.com

 

[Biblekan]

^^^Agreed, I have been using the Maxx(DBS) antennae from MaxxUAV.com going 1800+ feet over water with NO signal lost during my last 2 trips to Southeast Asia and Mexico. Highly recommend it.

 

[Brockrock]

Antenna Gain is derived by beam-shaping or directing the energy is a specific pattern or direction(s).
Some refer to this Gain as 'better'.

In so doing it can make alignment more difficult or sensitive.

Rather than chasing antenna types, often based on dubious Gain claims by manufacturers, your best bet is to use parabolic reflector(s) to capture the energy radiated to the sides and rear and direct it forward towards your a/c. These can be easily removed when not necessary or for packing for travel, storage, etc. They require no modification to the internal cabling and won't effect warranty validity (if you're concerned with that).

Yes. This! At least try this first before making modifications to your remote. It's only logical to start with the least expensive option and go from there.

 

[rge]

It would be interesting to see what you can do stock and then as mentioned go with the EvoLite Plus from maxxuav.com. With the amps and antenna, I go as far as the battery will take me

 

[Medboss]

Well I have finally decided and now I have received and installed the Titan Conquest. I have no idea how far I can go but I have not had any signal loss the first couple of times that I flew it over 1.5 miles. I am going to practice with it and see how it goes.

 

[Erised]

Like NO17RW says parabolic would work fine and the most bang for the buck and DBS2 un-boosted will take you as far out as the battery can bring you back.

 

[Meta4]

Well I have finally decided and now I have received and installed the Titan Conquest. I have no idea how far I can go but I have not had any signal loss the first couple of times that I flew it over 1.5 miles. I am going to practice with it and see how it goes.

Probably unnecessary for flying at sea where the battery is what limits your range, even with a completely unmodified antenna.

 

[r62ewa]

I used just windsurfers over water with a stock P4 and did a 45,000+ return trip, as stated, battery is the limiting factor if you are in a clean signal flying area.

 

[Sprtbkryder]

Like NO17RW says parabolic would work fine and the most bang for the buck and DBS2 un-boosted will take you as far out as the battery can bring you back.

Good choice of antenna. I love mine. Let us know how it goes for ya and have fun!

 

[FlashBuddy]

I used just windsurfers over water with a stock P4 and did a 45,000+ return trip, as stated, battery is the limiting factor if you are in a clean signal flying area.

OMG Isn't that over 8 miles?!

 

[r62ewa]

OMG Isn't that over 8 miles?!

It was nearly 7.5km one way, over 14km round trip.

 

[FlashBuddy]

For those math challenged pilots more familiar with imperial units, the OP traveled 9.32 miles!