Distance Vs. Weather

[Unit505]

So.........I ordered an ARGtek setup and have been flying around the house quite a bit and not done much of a distance test with it. In the wooded area around me, I can get out to about 3,000 ft before RTH kicks in. I read an article about fake ARGtek devices. So after some close examination, I realized that I had purchased one of the "Fakes". So anyway, I thought that I had purchased the standard ARGtek with the two 7db panels and the 6db omni so I went to ARGtek and ordered the 10db omni for $20. Received it this morning and the two omnis were nearly identical. The new omni had very slightly different markings and using a flashlight to get an idea about the omni's internals, it appears to have less internals than the original. That's where the comparison stops. I went out and flew the original until I hit RTH at about 3k ft. I canceled RTH and swapped to the new omni and took it out to 4,076ft, another 300+ meters, but with choppy video. Tested both again with nearly identical results.

Now to the question. The two distance tests that I've done have both been in cold weather, between 35F and 40F. One was over open farmland and I hit 5,333ft with the stock antenna and parabolic reflector with the unmodified controller. The second was this morning's test over wooded terrain with the so called "ARGtek". I'm more than pleased with the distance but I'm wondering what I can expect as temperatures start to warm up? I have the Alpha APA-M25 10db flat panel ordered and I'm hoping to gain better distances with it, weather permitting next weekend when it arrives. I'm heading out this afternoon to test the new 10db omni and the two 7db flat panels over the same farmland that got me a mile. Hoping to break the mile and a half to two mile range. If I can sweet talk my wife, I think I'm going to order the Alpha 2.4 7db flat panels and see where this setup gets me.
Should I expect longer distances with warmer weather as far as radio signals are concerned or is cold weather the key to distance?

 

[Richard R]

To first order, the strength of radio signals is independent of air temperature. Some conditions such s humidity may have a minimal effect, but nothing on the scale we work with.

 

[solentlife]

Temp, humidity especially if air is near saturated have direct effect on RF propagation.
Time of day / night also but that is more for long range communications where the E and F layers change night / day.
For our units - you need significant changes to create effects of range.

Nigel

 

[HarleyKen]

Temp, humidity especially if air is near saturated have direct effect on RF propagation.
Time of day / night also but that is more for long range communications where the E and F layers change night / day.
For our units - you need significant changes to create effects of range.

Nigel

I noticed that when I flew while there was dense coastal marine layer (fog) I noticed that my range was cut in half.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[Unit505]

Thanks for the responses! I just got home from an attempted flight. The wind picked up to 15-17mph and I could not keep the P3S on track. I had a heck of a time bringing her back from 2000ft. Looking at my flight record, the bird is pointed 180 degrees from where the wind was taking it. I got it back and called it a day. The wind is supposed to get worse this afternoon with rain all weekend. Guess I'll be waiting on next weekend! This sucks!

 

[Unit505]

 

[Dazzauk]

Nice video.

Liked the follow me on way back was it? Looked good.

Why was the wind moving it? If it was In gps mode 15-17mph would be OK. I wouldn't wanna fly in much more but that amount the phantom should be fairly strong and steady.

 

[Unit505]

Nice video.

Liked the follow me on way back was it? Looked good.

Why was the wind moving it? If it was In gps mode 15-17mph would be OK. I wouldn't wanna fly in much more but that amount the phantom should be fairly strong and steady.

Thank you! I love making nature vids. 15-17mph was according to my weather app. I figure the updraft off the face of the dam probably kicked it up allot higher. I was standing on the opposite end on top of the dam and the wind was blowing all 230lbs of me around. That wasn't follow me mode. That was just me playing around manually. When I had it in POI mode, the wind caught it at the end of the loop and drug the bird off towards the woods. I wasn't going back into intelligent flight mode after that. My first flight at that dam was perfect. Zero wind with the stock controller and I went 5333ft! I could feel the wind rotating today. The wind was blowing south out of the spillway and would shift 180 to the north on either side. One side of the dam is a flat wall and the other side is a ramp. Made for some very weird control issues. I guess it was like a cessna flying through the mountains at low altitude. All I could picture was the P3S dropping off the lakeside of the dam and being gone forever. Bad thing is, the lake is abandoned. Giant Salvinia has engulfed the lake permanently. The only possible travel on the water is in an airboat.