FPV tx power draw question

[JustinP2]

Hello,

I am about to purchase an fpv setup for my P2 . I only need it to frame up my shots for video and photos so range will be relatively short. I would prefer a lightweight 5.8 ghz video tx because I am trying to keep my Phantom weight down for handling and flight time. I am considering a fat shark 250 mw (lightweight) but also have seen that the Immersion RC 600mw is a popular choice(also lightweight). My main question is....does the higher mw transmitters (like 600mw) draw considerably more power over a 250mw tx to make a difference on flight time? 250mw is probably more range than I would even need but having a safety buffer wouldn't be a bad thing either. Thoughts?

PS: this forum has been invaluable in my experience with my Phantom and transitioning to aerial photography so thank you to all who contribute to the forum.

-Justin

 

[nwillitts]

what kind of range can you get with the fatshark 250?

 

[Ravecreative]

Don't know if this helps, but I did a soak test on the phantom a while back

I was running this:
Phantom switched on fully charged battery but no throttle ie: just with lights flashing
Avl58 tx - 600ma
Iosd mini

After 2hours it was down to 55% charge!

So yes, I would guess a 200ma tx would make a large difference.

I have read that a 200mw with cloverleaf antennas achieves more range than a 600mw with standard antennas.
Not sure how accurate this is, but if you can get away with lower mw-idge (is that even a word LOL) you'll defo get more flight time.

 

[Gizmo3000]

well, it's safe to conclude that a 600mw eats up nearly 2.5x the amount of energy that a 250mw uses.

I haven't run a test comparing my 600mw to my 250mw,. but I might sometime soon.

I did run a test with my Phantom with 250mw and tarot running, and concluded that both running at the same time use up somewhere around 30mah per minute.

 

[Ravecreative]

Yeh

And obviously the gimbal wasn't moving, so that's gonna eat into the fly time too.

 

[ianwood]

I swapped out the Immersion 600mW for a 250mW and got on average 1-2 more minutes of flight time. So far haven't had the cajones to fly far enough to test the 250mW range. I've managed about 500m so far with no issue.

 

[Ravecreative]

Yeh, I might have a try with something like that too. Cheaper than another battery -LOL