Multiple antenna on video downlink Tx ... Practical?

[ZAxis]

Our 5.8GHz video downlink works well 95% of the time but there are times when the cloverleaf antenna is blanked by the frame or camera, etc. Is it practical to have two antenna in separate locations connected by a tee adaptor to the Tx to give better coverage ?

andy

 

[RCNut]

Not really. While it can be done in theory using additional hardware it's not practical on a quad especially at the low levels of power we use.

Your best bet is to do what kloner and I have done. Mount your cloverleaf on a short mast so that it's above the frame. My mast is about 10cm long. The longer mast should keep the antenna above the frame for most manouvers up to about 60 degrees of bank especially if the antenna is mounted along the centerline of the frame.

 

[Malcr001]

5.8ghz is a LOS frequency. Most mount their antennas above their quad body which has never really made sense to me. Mount it under the quad because the quad is likely to be above your GS antenna and not below it. Hopefully that way you can maintain LOS.
Also avoid any carbon fibre in close proximity to the antenna as that is likely to block a lot of the signal.

 

[seattle_helo]

Andy, the signal line loss from adding additional coax and the T coupler would negate any possible benefit. At those high microwave frequencies it's best to keep cable runs as short as possible.

nick

 

[ZAxis]

Thanks for the responses guys.
Pretty much confirmed what I suspected. I'll just try changing the antenna location.

andy