The Argtek Antenna system and todays installation

[solentlife]

I am a little concerned about the posts that say Argtek is not good ... and that it is not worth the money etc. This is despite many contrary posts that state excellent results with Argtek.

Friend in our club has a P3S ....... he had trouble with it and sent back to DJI. They replaced it and he came to flighty site with his shiny new P3S.
He'd seen my P3S and was amazed at the range I was getting ... at that time I had reverted back to Argtek and just Icarus - range averaging 2000m.

He ordered the Argtek kit and couple of days ago asked if I would help him install as he 'trusted me' to do it having already done mine !

TODAY : Actually ON THE FLYING FIELD, semi rural ... using the tailgate of his car - I swapped his stock antenna to the Argtek. I have a 12v Hot Glue gun in my Hobby Van ... so once connected - I zapped the connections. I didn't remove his old antenna but taped back the leads to avoid any shorts / problems to the inside top of the case.
Aigars elected to use the three Stick Omni antenna on the Argtek.

Fired it all up ... I gave it a quick round the field close in flight test .. made sure limits were off ... multi flight mode engaged ... and then out she went.

Aigars I know had achieved 480m with stock system and no modifications at all.
Without any messing around - just a straight out flight increasing altitude to about 80m max - it hit 1249m before RTH kicked in.
Note - the Controller is still CE power limit ... he has not installed Icarus or Magic Power yet. So video was weak out at 1000m ....

I am sure once Aigars gets a bit more confident, fits the flat panels for 2.4 ... learns to orientate Controller well - he will see more range.

As I have said many times ... there is no rocket science to this. Just careful fitting and making sure connections are solid. To those who rattle on about original and copy Argtek ... mine came in an unmarked unlabeled box and was the short kit of only panels and one stick antenna / mount etc. So most likely even though I have their website address on the panels etc. - probably a copy. No matter - still gives excellent range.

When I left the field - Aigars had a big beaming smile on his face - that was worth the trip ....

Nigel

 

[solentlife]

I find it interesting that it has a number of views but no replies ... particularly from the anti-Argtek people.

Nigel

 

[solentlife]

Here's the Flight log for any who doubt ...



Nigel

 

[dchao]

What is there to comment? Are you just looking for arugument?

I find it interesting that it has a number of views but no replies ... particularly from the anti-Argtek people.

Ok, if this one pleases you, good for you.

 

[ifly2high]

I think most anti-ARGtek posts come from people who have had bad ARGtek experiences. I started with 1000ft stock, moved up to ARGtek and got 1500ft. All connections were done solidly and correctly. For $40 more than the price of the ARGtek I got the ITElite setup and regularly hit over 6000ft, and quite happy about it. Doing the math makes the dbs system a much better buy in my book. Really just my honest experience. If I would have gotten 5000ft out of the ARGtek I would have never moved on to dbs, and would probably be agreeing with you!

 

[solentlife]

What is there to comment? Are you just looking for arugument?

Ok, if this one pleases you, good for you.

No .... constructive discussion.

But given your response as an example - unlikely.

Argtek themselves identified poor installations and specifically warn about it.

I have noted differences in SAME controllers due to weather, time of day, and reasons unexplained. It brings mt to a theory that maybe the Controllers themselves my be part of the problem.

RF range is not a simple always same every time. Also because of harmonics you don't even need another signal on same frequency to affect you. We can ignore coded ID signals and Frequency hopping ...

I am illustrating that I performed an installation which took about 30mins (about half was dialogue explaining to my pal what was being done and also letting him do part of the work), in a location that most would consider inappropriate. Why there ? To prove a point.

Nigel.

 

[solentlife]

"ifly2high" ... fair comment. And not alone either.

My postings are made because I found different results. 2000m with out of box Argtek. 4500m with twin Windsurfer on the 5.8 Argtek Omni antenna.

There are two sides to a coin. I do not dispute others poor results, but given that posts are usually made when things are bad ... leaves the question as to how many GOOD results there are.

As I said before - I consider that majority of Argtek installs have performed well and most of those have gone unreported. But when an install results in poor performance - it will be headline news on forums. A definite and well known inbalance whatever the product or subject.

I wish that more successful people would post up ... and I was trying to prompt that.

Nigel

 

[solentlife]

One of the questionable areas - are the connectors themselves on the RF box.

They are tiny, with the leads very weak pin in the centre. My guy was worried when he saw how much pressure I put on when connecting. First - careful to have the plug going on DEAD VERTICAL and then when it clicked - that is NOT enough. It needs to be firmly pressed home to make sure it is all the way.
Because DJI use 'gloop' around the stock connectors, you only need a tiny speck to upset that connection. You think it home but that speck can be preventing.
If that centre pin is not fully home straight ... again not good.

OK - the mounting rail for the antenna. The screw threads that sit above the securing nut are only just enough .... If the antenna has a bit of plastic flashing or the threaded insert is a touch further in - then even though the antenna feels secure - it may not have 'bottomed' out properly. I found this out when I screwed on extension leads for my powered boosters. I had to grind back my extension lead caps to allow the pins to bottom out properly.

So what appears / feels like good install ... can in fact not be.

Nigel

 

[dchao]

One of the questionable areas - are the connectors themselves on the RF box.

In my case, I've never installed the Argtek antenna bracket (I couldn't bear the extra size). And I installed the RP-SMA to U.FL pigtails myself. So the installation shouldn't be a problem.
If you want results, here are mine (before the power hack, AC has the P3P antennas installed):
Urban (Heavy Wi-Fi congestion):
Stock Ceramic: 500m
Argtek 7dBi Panel: 500m
Alfa M04: 700m
Argtek advertises up to 4 times the stock distance.
Outdoor CPE, Wlan USB Adapter Manufacturer - ARGtek Communication Inc. Limited
IMO, that's false advertising.
Just in case you question my U.FL connections, with the same setup, Alfa panels, MagicPower, I could go up to 800m.

 

[solentlife]

dchao ... you really have a 'chip' ....

I am not questioning your results. I am posting findings in response to posts that appear at times regarding poor results of Argtek installations.

I know that myself and others have achieved up to and even over 4x distance .. and if you read Argtek site - there is no g'tee of 4x ... they accept that it could be up to 4x.

I prefer to read and understand what is written - not put my own interpretation or slant on it.

Nigel

 

[Clench M'cheeks]

What draws me to the ARGtek is the bracket and the ability to swap antennas quickly depending on the situation. Look at this $34 knock off...

Signal Booster Increase Control Distance for DJI Phantom 3 Standard RC FPV Drone | eBay

I know the newer ARGtek comes with more/multiple antennas, but are their antennas that much better? For the most part a 6dBi antenna is a 6dBi antenna. On amazon and eBay you can get all kinds of antennas/dBi's for really cheap. What makes ARGtek better? (Mind you, looking at the eBay listing I didn't see any dBi numbers listed...)

Search amazon for an anemometer and you'll see this yellow one come up multiple times.. same body, LCD etc...but different company names printed on it.. it's the same device made by one factory in China and companies are buying heaps and just slapping their names on it. I feel like most antennas are probably made in a similar fashion.

Don't know what my point is, but I bet a clever person could save themselves a few bucks.. at the minimum two dollars at least right?

 

[Matts175]

I'm really late to this party... but I too had poor results from an Argtek. No better than stock. I'm 1,000,000% sure it was installed properly. Been working on electronics since I was 12. I'm 47. This was NOT my first time, or last, dealing with u.fl connectors. I've modded a few wifi routers in my day as well, way before the Phantom 3, or any other consumer drone for that matter, were invented. In other words.... I'm not just some dummy who opened up his remote and was confused and dumbfounded by what he saw. LOL

I also feel like this post was started just for the purpose of starting an argument. As if to say "If the Argtek didn't work for you.... you MUST have done something wrong." Well, Nigel.... It's great that you have never received an Argtek that was perhaps defective, or even worse, a possible counterfeit. But some of us MAY have. Given the amount of posts that complain about them..... their defect rate seems pretty high. It's also a highly counterfeited item. Not the buyer's fault if he/she buys from a reputable dealer. I received fake props from Amazon of all places. I thought I was 100% safe shopping there. This was not filled by a 3rd party.

Also, ask yourself this.... If so many people are completely incapable of properly installing these..... why did they get good results after ditching the ARGtek and going with a DBS? (me) Or if they skipped the ARGtek right from the get go and went straight to DBS as a first mod, why aren't there a bunch of posts on here complaining about poor results from DBS? (There are a few.... but nothing compared to the ARGtek complaints).

 

[epicdoom]

I haven't had any bad issues with the argtek myself and I in fact like it quite a bit. I have installed three for friends and family in addition to my own all working nicely with my personal distance of 7K and still a good connection. I think many of the issues can be traced back to installation. some to faulty components in the kit which can happen with anything you buy, but IMO the number one factor is folks who thing its gonna be a magic bullet in a high wifi area when that's just not gonna happen in all cases. sure some will see an increase, but some will not. its not the products fault at that point as under the right circumstances it will probably work as advertised. The DBS is no exception if I fly it in heavy wifi I get 3-4K out over the ocean where no wifi exists I've been out to 12K before my butt cheek ate my shorts up and I turned back but I assure you I could have gone Much further. testing both systems in the city under heavy wifi I get no more distance from the DBS then I do the Argtek

 

[Sputnikxws]

The Argtek was the first mod I made on my P3S and I am satisfied with the results. Flying from my backyard (residential), I can now venture to the next block and more without any loss signal warnings. But the big difference is when I take my drone to the open fields (parks, beach,mountain, etc) where I can fly the drone way beyond LOS. Not sure about the 4X distance though, I'm still a newbie and too chicken to venture out too far from the nest.

 

[Mark The Droner]

Swapping out antennas seems like a good idea, but what you'll likely find is once you're happy with an antenna, you won't be swapping it out for another one. The other eBay antennas will sit in a box somewhere and be forgotten. That's why I re-modded my controller so that the ufl cable comes straight out of the controller and connects directly to the amp. The fact that I minimize signal loss between the transmitter and the amp is just a bonus.

 

[Clench M'cheeks]

Yea, I can believe it about extra antennas sitting in a box..

...The fact that I minimize signal loss between the transmitter and the amp is just a bonus.

Is this because of the shorter distance, fewer connections etc... from TX to antenna?

This leads me to the question of antenna cable length... we've seen the ARGtek car kit... I'm guessing it's 5-6' of extra wire leading to the antennas..what is the maximum length before the signal just get lost in the copper or whatever? If someone ran 30'+ up to a couple omni's on their roof they would definitely need boosters yes? Would the boosters be better near the end of the antennas or closer to the TX side?

Or does signal transmission even work that way?... y'know im thinking like when you use a long wimpy extension cord to power a circular saw or something... you don't have the same power as when you plug it directly in the wall/

 

[Mark The Droner]

RF is not like electricty - everything matters when you want to retain that precious signal strength. So to maximize signal strength and AC distance, you want to use high quality cable and also minimize length, connections, and adapters wherever possible.

The gold braided RG 316 cable seems to be the favored cable for general mods. It is shielded which protects it from device interference.

The blue RG405 cable is good too, and it's stiff so you can shape it, but you have to be careful that the connections are not stressed since the blue cable is stiff. A stressed connection could lead to weakness.

If you must have a long cable, you need to move up to a better cable. I use CA400 for my antenna mast.

I suppose you could amp a signal before it enters a long cable and then amp it again on the other end before it goes to the antenna but I've never tried that or heard of anybody trying it either.

 

[Sputnikxws]

Good Points Mark and Clench. I'll probably do that eventually. Winter is coming here in Jersey so I should have a lot of down time with the drone. Right now, I'm reading on the Bird side Antenna Mod. Will probably start ordering the parts tonight or tomorrow.