Phantom 3 STANDARD antenna upgrade

[mandalay]

Am not really sure what this issue is but it looks like you are going towards the most interference out there . Can't you go towards the fields .

I did but somehow that path gave me the longest distance. Go figure [emoji2] I had flown so many times towards those open fields hoping for longer distance but the best I got was 3000 ft max 2-3 times.

 

[dirkclod]

I wish I knew about that diode . I have 3.

 

[mandalay]

I wish I knew about that diode . I have 3.

@hunch has not responded to that question you asked about the 3rd diode. I hope he'll soon.

 

[dirkclod]

@hunch has not responded to that question you asked about the 3rd diode. I hope he'll soon.

Me too buddy

 

[dirkclod]

@hunch has not responded to that question you asked about the 3rd diode. I hope he'll soon.

Are you losing the 5.8 first or the 2.4 ? Looking again at those diodes they seem to be on the 2.4 board .

 

[mandalay]

Are you losing the 5.8 first or the 2.4 ? Looking again at those diodes they seem to be on the 2.4 board .

I always lose RC signal first. The video signal was near full bars when RC signal was lost and RTH was initiated. So I did see the drone making a u-turn to return home most of the time.

 

[dirkclod]

Thinking about this and have been changing out cables for over a year I have found not all cables are the same .
These blue cables are cheap and maybe some are just not as good as others from the same batch if ya get me .
Maybe checking them with a Ohm meter which I have never done would tell us which cables where good .
5.8 is always what I lose first also .
Something other than the cables has to be involved in this too.
I got over 8000' with just the TX mod .This has just got me stumped big time .
Now tonite I went ahead and updated my app and also the firmware on the bird. I might have messed up and never get any distance again .
Will see what it does tomorrow .

 

[mandalay]

Thinking about this and have been changing out cables for over a year I have found not all cables are the same .
These blue cables are cheap and maybe some are just not as good as others from the same batch if ya get me .
Maybe checking them with a Ohm meter which I have never done would tell us which cables where good .
5.8 is always what I lose first also .
Something other than the cables has to be involved in this too.
I got over 8000' with just the TX mod .This has just got me stumped big time .
Now tonite I went ahead and updated my app and also the firmware on the bird. I might have messed up and never get any distance again .
Will see what it does tomorrow .

Using the Ohm meter to check for continuity? Hopefully the updates do not mess up your long distance.

 

[dirkclod]

Using the Ohm meter to check for continuity? Hopefully the updates do not mess up your long distance.

Yea just to see if all the cables are the same. And yea I hope the upgrade don't mess anything up too
As far as the making long runs I did pretty much what I set out to do just seeing if I could make it do it.
The 3 mile run was pushing my battery limit and you could do amps and battery mods and really get out there but I'm just into that .
We will figure yours out though at some point
Will let ya know what I destroyed with this new firmware later

 

[jrsweger]

I've been following this discussion with interest. I'm thinking of doing the mod sometime in the near future but only have 3 flights under my belt. Furthest distance is 2000' with only a couple of instances of low signal. I want to comment on both the RF cables and the tightness of the connections. I work RF every day. As commented on previously, not all RF cables are created equal. I'd recommend buying the best cable you can afford. Thickness is not an indicator. The thick blue ones look a lot like Pasternack cables. While they are good cables, they are by far not the best. The connections tend to be a bit on the brittle side and don't stand up to bending. Typically the shield (ground) connections fracture and is hidden under the shrink sleeve so you can't see it. As far as tightening SMA connections, it is typical to use about 8" lbs of torque when installing the cables. Anything more can tend to deform the phenolic in both the connections which can ultimately affect the VSWR which only causes degradation of the signal. Really, "snug" is probably the best tightness. Probably when I go forth with this mod I'll probably do a test on the cables to see the type of loss there is on the cable at frequency (measuring with an ohm meter is fruitless unless you are looking for an open or short at DC). Just my 2 cents.

 

[dirkclod]

Yea just to see if all the cables are the same. And yea I hope the upgrade don't mess anything up too
As far as the making long runs I did pretty much what I set out to do just seeing if I could make it do it.
The 3 mile run was pushing my battery limit and you could do amps and battery mods and really get out there but I'm just into that .
We will figure yours out though at some point
Will let ya know what I destroyed with this new firmware later

Update on my update / Had no issues and flew 2 times yesterday . Did get the 1080/fps
NOW ..Welcome to the forum Jrs .
When the itelite came out it was for the P2V+ .DBS did state finger tight was not enough and to snug them up with a wrench .
Now I don't know what brand the blue thicker cables are just they came from China and are thicker .
I did do test using all the different cables and did find For Me I got greater distance using them .
Using an ohm meter to check your cables is a good idea before you install them and not just the blue ones but any of them just to be sure as you stated that they are good cables .My 2 cents on that is I had rather know I used a good cable before I closed up my TX then have an issue and not know where it is .
You say you work with RF everyday and I do not doubt what you say so please don't take me wrong but I have tried all the different
cables and I know what I got .

 

[jrsweger]

Update on my update / Had no issues and flew 2 times yesterday . Did get the 1080/fps
NOW ..Welcome to the forum Jrs .
When the itelite came out it was for the P2V+ .DBS did state finger tight was not enough and to snug them up with a wrench .
Now I don't know what brand the blue thicker cables are just they came from China and are thicker .
I did do test using all the different cables and did find For Me I got greater distance using them .
Using an ohm meter to check your cables is a good idea before you install them and not just the blue ones but any of them just to be sure as you stated that they are good cables .My 2 cents on that is I had rather know I used a good cable before I closed up my TX then have an issue and not know where it is .
You say you work with RF everyday and I do not doubt what you say so please don't take me wrong but I have tried all the different
cables and I know what I got .

You'll get no argument from me! I'm not claiming to be an expert, I just know from what I do as a regular 9 to 5 job how things are here. You are right, finger tight isn't going to cut it but we aren't installing lug nuts. "Snug" is just that, finger tight then a little bit more with a wrench. 8" lbs isn't all that much torque. Like I said, checking with an ohm meter is only going to find you direct shorts or opens at DC. When you are talking 2.4 Ghz and 5.8 Ghz, well that's a whole different ball of wax. It will be interesting to see once I get the kit to see how things look. I may even characterize the antennas to see how they look at frequency.

 

[dirkclod]

Well you are an expert if ya work in it everyday bro I just experiment with these and see what I do get .
Now why DBS stated what he did I don't know as I was just getting my first one for my P2 and did as he suggested and I know they
are not lug nuts .
Looking back now I wish I had bought one of those signal strength meters to check in front of the antennas I have tried just to see what
changed what . Might not have knowed what I was looking at but ya never know
I have always just been trial and error to figure out what worked for me and what I have in a box that I have used if I had the money
I spent I could have another P3S lol

 

[mcphipps]

I got a Standard as well. I am happy with the purchase. Could have spent the money for an advanced or pro but heck I didn't even know if I was going to like flying the thing. Of course I do. Maybe later on if this is not just a passing fad for me I will purchase a better model. But it really makes no difference to me if I go 1/2 mile or 5 miles away. I really would rather fly by line of sight than rely on a video feed that may or may not be stable enough. As for altitude, 400 feet is just fine for me. I am thinking that if I really want to get into this thing I would like to fly using the VR glasses and fly a course intended to utilize them. Seems like it would be fun and something that you would need to practice much more. I just like to fly it around and take the pictures. I am still learning all the things that I can do as well as learning to control the thing better. I like mine. If I mod mine, my mod is gonna be buying the next model up. LOL. I can always sell the one I got, or just keep it to "test" different things. Its just hobby fun for me. I am almost retired so this gives me something to do instead of my wife giving me something to do. And all you guys out there that have them (wife), you know what I mean.

 

[dirkclod]

I'm so sorry ya Mike
I'm almost retired also and thought as you do about the wife thing but it don't work that way .
Mine has decided since I got time for this I have to much time and finds more stuff for me to do .

 

[mcphipps]

****, don't let your wife talk to mine.....she ain't caught on yet...lol

 

[Cruizer]

Factory Phantom 3 standard
With no mods I made it just over 5000'

I did the dbs mod to it this evening. I'll test it out tomorrow and see what kind of improvements it makes

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your new install .

 

[Cruizer]

I'm sure I could have made it farther but was a little nervous with the low signal

 

[dirkclod]

I'm sure I could have made it farther but was a little nervous with the low signal

Learn to trust RTH .I use it all the time .