RANGE? Immersion 600mw tx, with Spironets

[goldfishrock]

OK, I fitted the Fatshark 250mw earlier and took it for a 15 minute spin. I am pretty sure that it was better than the 600mw. The picture seemed more stable and clearer for longer. I flew it out to about 550m without any significant breakup in signal. It was a little sketchy when I turned it around but quality improved pretty quickly on the return journey.

What I plan on doing this weekend, weather permitting, is I will do a full test on the 600 and the 250, video the results and then you guys can assess for yourself. I've also got a helical antenna arriving in the next day or so I will also do a comparison with that as well.

Does anyone know what sort of range is possible with the 250mw?

 

[freyjoel]

Just in case this helps anyone out...Using Fatshark Attitudes (plus Spironets) with an Immersion 250mw tx I have gone out to 1200 meters without the video signal breaking up significantly. Gets a little sketchy when I turn around but still pretty good. Just for the heck of it I bought and attached an Immersion 600mw tx and so far have taken that out to 1000 meters and the signal is crystal clear no matter what direction I rotate the P2. Will try going out farther in the next few days.

Same here. I have same setup and just tested 600mw yesterday hitting 1600m before hitting static. I replaced the spironet on the goggles with a crosshair antenna and easily reached 2000m no static. I chickened out and turned back. It seems the 600mw tx is less affected by orientation of the phantom and gimbal than the 250mw tx.


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Hey Ozon8r,
Are you using a stock P2 transmitter or a Futaba? Just wondering as I'm using the stock transmitter so I've been chickening out at the 1200 meter mark.

 

[2trickpony]

Judging by what a lot of guys are using here it would appear that its the Black Pearl monitor that is the problem.
Those using Fatshark goggles appear to be getting great range.
Going to keep an eye on this thread, thats for sure

 

[Ozon8r]

Just in case this helps anyone out...Using Fatshark Attitudes (plus Spironets) with an Immersion 250mw tx I have gone out to 1200 meters without the video signal breaking up significantly. Gets a little sketchy when I turn around but still pretty good. Just for the heck of it I bought and attached an Immersion 600mw tx and so far have taken that out to 1000 meters and the signal is crystal clear no matter what direction I rotate the P2. Will try going out farther in the next few days.

Same here. I have same setup and just tested 600mw yesterday hitting 1600m before hitting static. I replaced the spironet on the goggles with a crosshair antenna and easily reached 2000m no static. I chickened out and turned back. It seems the 600mw tx is less affected by orientation of the phantom and gimbal than the 250mw tx.


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Hey Ozon8r,
Are you using a stock P2 transmitter or a Futaba? Just wondering as I'm using the stock transmitter so I've been chickening out at the 1200 meter mark.

I'm using the stock phantom rc. I am upgrading to futaba 14sgh this Friday primarily for functionality and precision control over the h3-2d gimbal. I would say the upgrade was also for range as well. But yesterday's performance out to 2000m makes that a moot point.


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[Ozon8r]

OK, I fitted the Fatshark 250mw earlier and took it for a 15 minute spin. I am pretty sure that it was better than the 600mw. The picture seemed more stable and clearer for longer. I flew it out to about 550m without any significant breakup in signal. It was a little sketchy when I turned it around but quality improved pretty quickly on the return journey.

What I plan on doing this weekend, weather permitting, is I will do a full test on the 600 and the 250, video the results and then you guys can assess for yourself. I've also got a helical antenna arriving in the next day or so I will also do a comparison with that as well.

Does anyone know what sort of range is possible with the 250mw?

I started with the 250mw tx and the first upgrade was the irc spironet antennas on both tx and rx. I have reached 1600m with static going out and complete signal loss when turned 180 degrees with the 250mw tx.

I ran the 600mw for the first time yesterday Monday 2/17/14 and easily hit 1600m at same location with zero signal loss out and back regardless of orientation and with the spironet in exact same location on the the p2. When I switched out to a crosshair antenna on the FS attitude goggles, I pushed out to 2000m with clear video out and back. I turned around bc I wasn't sure I could access the quad if it went down in the terrain and was way outside my comfort zone. I probably could have reached 2000m with the spironets as well given how clear the signal was to 1600m.



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[freyjoel]

Ozon8r...cool. Thanks for letting me know that the stock DJI transmitter is getting you out to 2000m. Did you notice any loss of control at all that far out?

 

[Ozon8r]

Ozon8r...cool. Thanks for letting me know that the stock DJI transmitter is getting you out to 2000m. Did you notice any loss of control at all that far out?

No noticeable loss of control on the flight mentioned above. I have experienced loss of control in other flights caused by objects interfering with line of sight signal while maintaining video tx. FS immediately kicked in and the p2 started flying back to Home and I regained control by switching to atti mode from GPS mode. While pretty scary at first, it was interesting to see FS in action while using fpv. The p2 hovered in place for a few moments, rotated orientation back to home, and started flying back.


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[Maxxborg]

I am shocked you guys are flying that far away. I flew out to 550 meters away and I was shocked how far that is. I have the black pearl and seems to be pretty good, But I do think the fatshark goggle would go further. 2000 meters Wow!!! With stock Transmitter? Wow! I thought that thing was supposed to have a max range of 1000 meters which is forever out there.

What is the best antenna set-up for this long range?

 

[ianwood]

Judging by what a lot of guys are using here it would appear that its the Black Pearl monitor that is the problem.
Those using Fatshark goggles appear to be getting great range.
Going to keep an eye on this thread, thats for sure

I highly doubt it is the Black Pearl monitor. My Lilliput monitor is even worse with the ImmersionRC 600mW. I've heard other monitors have problems with it too. With the FatShark 250mW, my monitor is just fine. Bottom line, it appears the ImmersionRC 600mW only works with certain monitors and FatShark goggles. Buyer beware.

 

[thongbong]

Judging by what a lot of guys are using here it would appear that its the Black Pearl monitor that is the problem.
Those using Fatshark goggles appear to be getting great range.
Going to keep an eye on this thread, thats for sure

I highly doubt it is the Black Pearl monitor. My Lilliput monitor is even worse with the ImmersionRC 600mW. I've heard other monitors have problems with it too. With the FatShark 250mW, my monitor is just fine. Bottom line, it appears the ImmersionRC 600mW only works with certain monitors and FatShark goggles. Buyer beware.

Maybe the 600mW only works well with ImmersionRC VRx. I have an Uno and get great reception with the 600mw and Uno 5800 v2. I hope its just the 600mW. That means I might still the get the black pearl =D

 

[goldfishrock]

The boscam lcd5802 beats the black pearl hands down in brightness and in reliable fpv signal. Checkout the reviews, the YouTube comparisons etc. it's a smack down, not even close. The only think the black pearl has going for it is it's snazzier name.

I am beginning to think that Mav456 has shares in Boscam! Every post slates the BP in favour of the Boscam :lol:

 

[Ozon8r]

I am shocked you guys are flying that far away. I flew out to 550 meters away and I was shocked how far that is. I have the black pearl and seems to be pretty good, But I do think the fatshark goggle would go further. 2000 meters Wow!!! With stock Transmitter? Wow! I thought that thing was supposed to have a max range of 1000 meters which is forever out there.

What is the best antenna set-up for this long range?

Here is the antenna I used on the fatshark attitude goggles, a crosshair antenna:

http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index. ... ts_id=1132

Here is the spironet antenna I attached to the irc 600mw tx positioned at 9 o'clock position (left side behind bus port)and bent 90 degrees under bottom of p2:

http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index. ... ts_id=1058

I ditched the low pass filter provided in the fatshark fpv package. It doesn't seem to improve performance.

Regarding radio rc range, I am sure DJI advertise a very conservative range for legal reasons.



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[Shrimpfarmer]

My quest is not distance but clarity and stability. Having read all the legal requirements for flying these craft in the UK I understand that the law requires me to keep it within my unaided visual line of sight at all times or my spotters line of sight if I am flying FPV. Anyone who has flown at distance knows just how quickly you can step outside this legal requirement and thus be breaking the law. I am staying legal out of respect to other people who might be using the airspace.

I need a perfect distortion free video so that I can rely on the FPV to judge distance from my target subject. You can't film an object up close if the picture is going to break.

I am hoping that there are better antennas I can screw to my setup to enable me to achieve this. I am reluctant to go to using goggles as I don't like not being able to see who is around me or trip hazards. This would not be so bad though if I have a spotter with me. Are their any users of goggles who also have to wear glasses to read? How does it work, can you just adjust the focus of the goggles like binoculars or do you still need your glasses as well?

 

[goldfishrock]

I ran the 600mw for the first time yesterday Monday 2/17/14 and easily hit 1600m at same location with zero signal loss out and back regardless of orientation and with the spironet in exact same location on the the p2.

What sort of altitude are you fly at Ozon8r when you are going out to 1600m+ ? I'm aware that we are discussing the possible failings of some of these bits of kit but one of the ciritical factors has to be the altitude that we are flying at.

 

[Shrimpfarmer]

I ran the 600mw for the first time yesterday Monday 2/17/14 and easily hit 1600m at same location with zero signal loss out and back regardless of orientation and with the spironet in exact same location on the the p2.

What sort of altitude are you fly at Ozon8r when you are going out to 1600m+ ? I'm aware that we are discussing the possible failings of some of these bits of kit but one of the ciritical factors has to be the altitude that we are flying at.

I agree this is important. These systems are line of sight so any break up caused by trees etc needs to be discounted. My tests have been with clean line of sight and 120 meter altitude. I will conduct further tests when possible to clarify the results. If we can agree to publishing results obtained with clear line of sight at 10m, 50m, 100m and 120m if possible that would help to plot performance over distance and altitude. Higher altitudes at pilot discretion.

 

[Seahorse]

There is a relationship with altitude and control range as far as I can tell, essentially low altitude equals low range. Obviously this is complicated when obstacles and interference are taken into account. Eyesight is another factor! My son can see it further away than I can [FEARFUL FACE]. As Shrimpfarmer points out, it is not hard to put a lot of distance between you and your Phantom in very little time.

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[Shrimpfarmer]

There is a relationship with altitude and control range as far as I can tell, essentially low altitude equals low range. Obviously this is complicated when obstacles and interference are taken into account. Eyesight is another factor! My son can see it further away than I can [FEARFUL FACE]. As Shrimpfarmer points out, it is not hard to put a lot of distance between you and your Phantom in very little time.

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Mmmm I need to enlist the help of my young nephew to get more legal range. But can I trust him to not look at his mobile all the time

 

[thongbong]

Either way this is all great news! Back in the day when I was a kid and flying the original Phantom 1, we would all be discussing how to recover a flyaway because someone flew too far and it never came back. :lol:

 

[tupes]

Are their any users of goggles who also have to wear glasses to read? How does it work, can you just adjust the focus of the goggles like binoculars or do you still need your glasses as well?

Fat shark sells diopters to put in the lens so you won't need to your glasses. http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index. ... cts_id=157

 

[ianwood]

There is a relationship with altitude and control range as far as I can tell, essentially low altitude equals low range. Obviously this is complicated when obstacles and interference are taken into account. Eyesight is another factor! My son can see it further away than I can [FEARFUL FACE]. As Shrimpfarmer points out, it is not hard to put a lot of distance between you and your Phantom in very little time.

This is an important point. You need more than just an unobstructed straight line to your P2 to get good range on your FPV. You need a clean fresnel zone which means you need space above a below your LOS. If you're American, think of a giant football. If you're not, think of a giant rugby ball. This is why more altitude is needed the further you fly horizontally.