Stock birdside antenna replacement

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So I crashed my bird last week and ripped the gimbal off. I've since replaced the mounting bracket and I am back in the air, but the crash also ripped both Wi-Fi antenna wires. New antennas are on order and in the meantime I've had the bird apart and it looks like it will be a major pain to replace these. It looks like the antennas are below the main board and I'll have to remove at least two motors and LEDs to get under there. Is there an easier way that I'm missing?
I've also been reading on here and it seems these stock antennas are a weak link for losing fpv at long ranges. I am thinking of replacing the stocks with a couple omni directional dipoles. That way if this happens again all I have to replace is a couple cheap ufl to rp-sma cables. Watcha think?
 
Hi Dipole sounds like a good idea, but if you do carefully try and disassemble you bird you will learn a lot about it.

Keep your mobile phone handy take a picture of each step you take, then when it comes to reassembly it will be easy, also you can post the pictures on this site if you get stuck with something, and I'm sure someone will be able to help.
;):)
Waylander
 
PP I have removed those panels and really isn't necessary if your not gonna put them back .
All I did was unscrew the main board and pick it up very little to get needle nose pliers in there
and wiggle them out . If you are gonna replace them it will take a little time but you don't have to
remove the motors to do it .
I use a Panel on my TX and use dipoles that match and have both 2.4 and 5.8 .
After all the testing I have done I would have just left the 5.8's stock and went with the birdside 2.4's .
Got a little carried away there sorry but that's what I know on it .
Your biggest concern is if the antenna cables in your gimbal came off clean and didn't mess up those connecters .
 
PP I have removed those panels and really isn't necessary if your not gonna put them back .
All I did was unscrew the main board and pick it up very little to get needle nose pliers in there
and wiggle them out . If you are gonna replace them it will take a little time but you don't have to
remove the motors to do it .
I use a Panel on my TX and use dipoles that match and have both 2.4 and 5.8 .
After all the testing I have done I would have just left the 5.8's stock and went with the birdside 2.4's .
Got a little carried away there sorry but that's what I know on it .
Your biggest concern is if the antenna cables in your gimbal came off clean and didn't mess up those connecters .

Appreciate the reply. Good to know I don't have to remove the motors. I did manage to get the black wired one out through the battery compartment. What you've said about the 5.8's matches what I've read. I am thinking about the dbs mod for the Tx and leaving the birdside 5.8's stock. Both connectors were still on the gimbal board...the grey wire came loose at the connector and the black wire broke in the middle. So fingers crossed on that!
 
Well just do as Waylander said and take pictures ..I'm big on that...and if you run into any snags just ask .
About all I do is make long runs and with the set up on my standard in a no noise area this was my best .
IMG_7180.PNG
 
Ok, so the dipoles came Friday and so did the snow. First priority was to slap something together...duct tape to the rescue. I simply taped the antennae to the landing gear and plugged them into the gimbal. This actually worked. I got 2250 ft before the video cut out completely and then disconnected and did RTH a few seconds later. I've since mounted these more properly and I'll post pics for that soon. Just tickled that this worked so well!
20170107_100030.jpg
 
So here's the mod. I'm posting this primarily for feedback and to pay it forward to anyone else who may want to attempt this. It is an easy mod. The hardest part was removing the gimbal and connecting the uf.l. connectors and that was more tedious than it was difficult.

My motivation here was threefold:
1) replace the stock directional plate 2.4 GHz antennae with something better (hopefully).
2) allow easy replacement of various rp-sma antennae to experiment with different types.
3) in the undesired event of blunt trauma causing the gimbal to once again separate from the mother ship, the repairs should be limited to an inexpensive replacement of uf.l. to rp-sma cables (I have a spare set).

Right, so here are the steps.
1) Remove the gimbal from the bird. I didn't get any pics of this, but it is well documented and you can see videos on you toob. To get to the uf.l. connectors it will be necessary to remove those two little plates. There are two screws holding each one on as in this photo:
gimbal-plates.jpg


2) once the uf.l. to rp-sma cables are connected to the gimbal we can focus on drilling a couple holes in the legs. I chose to use the legs which do not have the 5.8G antennae in them. One leg is empty and the other has the compass cable in it. Be sure this cable is out of the way before you drill! In the pic below you can see the location I've used. It's about 1/2" down and about 3/8" from the left side. Make sure you drill low enough that you do not drill into the top 1/8" which is used to hold the legs to the body. Also in the photo you can see the bits I am using here. These are brad points and are ideal for drilling into plastic. The tip will keep you centered on your mark and it will tend to cut the hole clean.
pilot-hole2.jpg


3) I drilled a 1/8" pilot hole first and then finished with a 1/4" bit.
pilot-hole.jpg

Notice how I've kept the compass wire out of the way!
final-hole.jpg

4) Now just insert the rp-sma connector with the washers and tighten her up.
rp-sma-mounted.jpg


5) A view from behind showing that the compass wire is safe and sound.
compass-wire.jpg


6) Attach the antenna. For now I have left the wires outside. I may look at routing these through the shell for better protection, but for now I like the clean look.
dipole-mounted.jpg


7) These are 6dbi antennae and are 6" long so they can't hang straight down. Here is how I orient them for flight. I would appreciate hearing from anyone with RF experience if there is a better orientation.
top-view.jpg


Next will be the DBS mod. If that is half as successful as what I have read on here I may try smaller 3dbi antennae. Feedback appreciated in advance.
 

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So here's the mod. I'm posting this primarily for feedback and to pay it forward to anyone else who may want to attempt this. It is an easy mod. The hardest part was removing the gimbal and connecting the uf.l. connectors and that was more tedious than it was difficult.

My motivation here was threefold:
1) replace the stock directional plate 2.4 GHz antennae with something better (hopefully).
2) allow easy replacement of various rp-sma antennae to experiment with different types.
3) in the undesired event of blunt trauma causing the gimbal to once again separate from the mother ship, the repairs should be limited to an inexpensive replacement of uf.l. to rp-sma cables (I have a spare set).

Right, so here are the steps.
1) Remove the gimbal from the bird. I didn't get any pics of this, but it is well documented and you can see videos on you toob. To get to the uf.l. connectors it will be necessary to remove those two little plates. There are two screws holding each one on as in this photo:View attachment 72926

2) once the uf.l. to rp-sma cables are connected to the gimbal we can focus on drilling a couple holes in the legs. I chose to use the legs which do not have the 5.8G antennae in them. One leg is empty and the other has the compass cable in it. Be sure this cable is out of the way before you drill! In the pic below you can see the location I've used. It's about 1/2" down and about 3/8" from the left side. Make sure you drill low enough that you do not drill into the top 1/8" which is used to hold the legs to the body. Also in the photo you can see the bits I am using here. These are brad points and are ideal for drilling into plastic. The tip will keep you centered on your mark and it will tend to cut the hole clean.
View attachment 72927

3) I drilled a 1/8" pilot hole first and then finished with a 1/4" bit.
View attachment 72928
Notice how I've kept the compass wire out of the way!
View attachment 72930
4) Now just insert the rp-sma connector with the washers and tighten her up.
View attachment 72931

5) A view from behind showing that the compass wire is safe and sound.
View attachment 72932

6) Attach the antenna. For now I have left the wires outside. I may look at routing these through the shell for better protection, but for now I like the clean look.
View attachment 72933

7) These are 6dbi antennae and are 6" long so they can't hang straight down. Here is how I orient them for flight. I would appreciate hearing from anyone with RF experience if there is a better orientation.
View attachment 72934

Next will be the DBS mod. If that is half as successful as what I have read on here I may try smaller 3dbi antennae. Feedback appreciated in advance.
I thought if and when you get a DBS for your remote you needed a directional dipole antenna for the drone, not a omnidirectional one. Like these:
24Bazooka-1_1024x1024.jpg
 
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Ok, so the dipoles came Friday and so did the snow. First priority was to slap something together...duct tape to the rescue. I simply taped the antennae to the landing gear and plugged them into the gimbal. This actually worked. I got 2250 ft before the video cut out completely and then disconnected and did RTH a few seconds later. I've since mounted these more properly and I'll post pics for that soon. Just tickled that this worked so well! View attachment 72925
You do know those are 6dBi omni antennas, not true directional dipoles. Now though I'd like to see how you did your cabling to the gimbal for the 2.4 GHZ antenna. I'm thinking of doing this myself very soon with dipoles, as I have a DBS installed already.
 
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I thought if and when you get a DBS for your remote you need a dipole antenna for the drone, not a omnidirectional. Like these:
24Bazooka-1_1024x1024.jpg
I'm interested in the OP's mod. I looked these up and they're $50.00. Wow that's expensive. Also, why must it be a dipole if you're replacing those little ceramic patch panels? Last, I saw many antenna that look like regular omni but are labelled dipoles. A little confusing to say the least.
 
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I'm interested in the OP's mod. I looked these up and they're $50.00. Wow that's expensive. Also, why must it be a dipole if you're replacing those little ceramic patch panels? Last, I saw many antenna that look like regular omni but are labelled dipoles. A little confusing to say the least.
Yes the price is too high, can't disagree with that. I've looked into this a good bit, and if replacing the patch antenna (2.4 GHz) and you have a DBS mod on the RC side it needs to be a directional dipole for best results. If your RC is stock, I'm not 100% on the omni choice birdside. But in my view the RC should be your first antenna mod anyway. The guys pulling great ranges you might read about all have the RC mods only, nothing birdside. And on your dipole question, a true dipole is shaped in a "T" form. What your talking about is a vertical omnidirectional dipole.
 
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Thanks for the clarification guys! Like Vega said, I started this journey by searching dipole on Amazon. None of the ones I looked at were T shaped so in my ignorance started thinking all these router antennae were dipole. Are they dipole in the sense that they are usually used in pairs?

As I said, my first priority was to get my bird up in the air to capture some snow scapes. I'm getting 700m with this set up which exceeded my expectations.

As far as needing a true dipole for the DBS, I would rather spend another $50 than put those cheap patch antennae back in.
 
Yes the price is too high, can't disagree with that. I've looked into this a good bit, and if replacing the patch antenna (2.4 GHz) and you have a DBS mod on the RC side it needs to be a true dipole for best results. If your RC is stock, I'm not 100% on the omni choice birdside. But in my view the RC should be your first antenna mod anyway. The guys pulling great ranges you might read about all have the RC mods only, nothing birdside. And on your dipole question, a true dipole is shaped in a "T" form. What your talking about is a vertical dipole.
Thanks for the information WilliamM! I have the DBS mod and never knew the need for birdside dipole. Learn things all the time here. Thanks again, as well as the information provided by the OP. Thanks all.
 
Hi PhantomPhrank,
Great Repair, and thanks for sharing the details
Im not an RF expert, but just because they are 'omni directional' doesn't mean they aren't dipole antennas.
dipole means that it has 1/2 or 1/4 wavelength elements that face in opposite directions inside the antenna, while 'omni directional' refers to the toroidal radiation pattern of the antenna (which to me seems a fair choice for this application, even more so considering the price :) )

@WilliamM Do you have much of a background in RF, I understand there are a few types of dipoles, Do you have some more information to explain why Phrank's antennas aren't suitable

thanks
 
I thought if and when you get a DBS for your remote you need a dipole antenna for the drone, not a omnidirectional. Like these:
24Bazooka-1_1024x1024.jpg

I said it in another thread.... but you could easily make these yourself, for about $2.00. Blows my mind that people are paying $50 for this.


EDIT: Here's my post in the other thread....

Jeez. Someone is making an absolute fortune off of the "soldering gun challenged". Those dipoles cost about $1.00 to make by yourself at home. The dimensions are no secret. Heck, I have one in my junk drawer that I made for my Syma X5c. I'm in the wrong business if people are paying $50 for those.

Buy this: 12" RP-SMA Male to RP SMA Male Plug RF Pigtail Cable RG316 LW SZUS | eBay

Cut it in half.

Then make 2 of these: RC Groups - View Single Post - Dipoles for 2,4Ghz Receivers
 
Thanks for the clarification guys! Like Vega said, I started this journey by searching dipole on Amazon. None of the ones I looked at were T shaped so in my ignorance started thinking all these router antennae were dipole. Are they dipole in the sense that they are usually used in pairs?

As I said, my first priority was to get my bird up in the air to capture some snow scapes. I'm getting 700m with this set up which exceeded my expectations.

As far as needing a true dipole for the DBS, I would rather spend another $50 than put those cheap patch antennae back in.
Let me clarify, I said "directional dipole for best results". These ones you have might work better the the stock patch antennae, especially if there dipoles and not just a plain omnidirectional. Adding a DBS can only help no matter I would think. Now that you have the connectors on the legs you can experiment with different antenna. Would still like to see how you ran your wires from the gimbal to the legs. Did you take any pics of the gimbal opened when you did the mod?
 
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Thanks for the information WilliamM! I have the DBS mod and never knew the need for birdside dipole. Learn things all the time here. Thanks again, as well as the information provided by the OP. Thanks all.
Birdside antenna mod is not needed, and most don't when using the DBS mod. It's just an option for us that don't like anything the way it was, and like doing mods. A DBS with the stock patch antennae is just fine, their also a good match.
 
Hi PhantomPhrank,
Great Repair, and thanks for sharing the details
Im not an RF expert, but just because they are 'omni directional' doesn't mean they aren't dipole antennas.
dipole means that it has 1/2 or 1/4 wavelength elements that face in opposite directions inside the antenna, while 'omni directional' refers to the toroidal radiation pattern of the antenna (which to me seems a fair choice for this application, even more so considering the price :) )

@WilliamM Do you have much of a background in RF, I understand there are a few types of dipoles, Do you have some more information to explain why Phrank's antennas aren't suitable

thanks
Yes to both. If you read the OP's post #12 he states he was confused about what a dipoles was. He was thinking was ALL router antenna were dipoles (some are), just because some of the omni-directional ones he saw online where labeled as dipoles, and was thinking the word "dipole" meant two. So I kind of thought that from the beginning that he bought plain omni-directional antennas and not dipoles. So in the end I'm not sure now which ones he ordered. But anyway, he was wanting to do a DBS mod to his RC down the road and that was my main reason I brought up the issue of directional dipoles being a good match, but I'm sure those would work better than stock too.
 
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dipole means that it has 1/2 or 1/4 wavelength elements that face in opposite directions inside the antenna, while 'omni directional' refers to the toroidal radiation pattern of the antenna
That's good info. Makes sense that it can be dipole without the T shape. In the end the antennae I ended up ordering are not dipoles based on the description, but as has been mentioned, now that I have the connectors mounted, it is easy to switch out.
 
Would still like to see how you ran your wires from the gimbal to the legs. Did you take any pics of the gimbal opened when you did the mod?
No, the wires are just hanging there naked for now. Not the way I want it, but just too lazy to open up the shell and route them properly. They should go up into the bird like the stock wires are and then routed over and passed through the opening at the top of the legs. When I do this I'll take some pics.

Thanks to all who have contributed to the thread. It has been educational.
 

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