windsurfers parabolic copper difference in antennas?

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Do the name brand/generic/3d printed copper parabolic antennas/windsurfers differ from each other? I imagine the material is different for some, but by your guys' experience, are those $20 windsurfers any different in performance than the $5 ones?

Edit: 12/4:
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apparently the store bought ones are better than most DIY
 
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Do the name brand/generic/3d printed copper parabolic antennas/windsurfers differ from each other? I imagine the material is different for some, but by your guys' experience, are those $20 windsurfers any different in performance than the $5 ones?

Any takers on this as I would like some more info on this too. Happy flying


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Mine are aluminum and work great. You don't need to spend 20 bucks on these. 5 dollar ones will work just as well. It's about focusing the signal in the direction your bird is flying, not the material itself. People have used blank cds and aluminum cans cut in half....they all work the same.

S5 tap'n
 
I have the aerialtek copper boosters and they push it out to about 2,000ft before I lose line of sight, and I bring it back. Signal is always strong in that range but any 5 buck booster will do the same. Fly safe[emoji106][emoji51]


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Most important factor is the shape of the reflecting surface and not the metal. Aluminum or copper, both will do the same job.


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Do the name brand/generic/3d printed copper parabolic antennas/windsurfers differ from each other? I imagine the material is different for some, but by your guys' experience, are those $20 windsurfers any different in performance than the $5 ones?

Edit: 12/4:
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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

apparently the store bought ones are better than most DIY

Nice clear results, thanks


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Is it normal for a phantom 3 standard to go 2k ft with out one of the range extenders. Everything stock.

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I pushed my standard to the limit doing a range test to satisfy my curiosity lol I got 5284 feet before signal loss triggered rth. So slightly over a mile distance with a stock p3s. I only did it once as a test I usually keep it around a quarter mile distance to maintain a good los. So yes 2k feet on a stock p3s is no problem at all and with a windsurfer you can get even more
 
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I pushed my standard to the limit doing a range test to satisfy my curiosity lol I got 5284 feet before signal loss triggered rth. So slightly over a mile distance with a stock p3s. I only did it once as a test I usually keep it around a quarter mile distance to maintain a good los. So yes 2k feet on a stock p3s is no problem at all and with a windsurfer you can get even more
Sometimes it loses signal and says it can't return to home. Do I need to load the maps before hand. I was watching something about that. But haven't mastered that yet. Definitely don't want to go a mile away and lose it.

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Sometimes it loses signal and says it can't return to home. Do I need to load the maps before hand. I was watching something about that. But haven't mastered that yet. Definitely don't want to go a mile away and lose it.

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Hmm good question, I've never had it lose signal and say it can't return to home that's definitely something to look into. I rarely lose signal I just wanted to test what my max range would be in my normal flyin location. When I did that test I didn't have a map cached into the app so it was that white box it shows when no map is cached, it showed the home point bird location and the flight path overlayed on the white box rather than overlayed over the google map. I may do another test with a windsurfer cuz I picked one up but I'm not a big distance person lol quarter to half mile out is plenty for everything I do with the phantom. I also did the test at night, not sure if it makes a difference I know radio signals come in on the radio in my car better at night but I don't know if this is the same type of radio signal the ac and rc use. But it helps to see the bird better lmao cuz after signal is lost and it's way out there it's pretty nerve racking waiting to hear or see the lights appear in the distance and it's actually coming back [emoji26] lol

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Even $5 is a high price these days. I just ordered one for a little over $3 with free shipping from Hong Kong. Of course it'll take a month to get to me, but I'm not going to have much good flying weather in the dead of winter anyway, so I can wait.

This will tide me over until I get more flight experience. Then I'll upgrade to an ARGTek booster.
 

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