Which antenna for which device?

Kilby

Active Member
Ok, when dealing with RHCP ant, which do you use on the tx and which on the rx? I remember reading ages ago it was skew planner on the tx and cloverleaf on the rx, but then I just read the opposite somewhere else.

What do you do?
 

More lobes on the receiver side give better multi path rejection. So typically a cloverleaf is on the TX. You could also use identical antennas on both TX and RX.
 



Or go nuts with 8... :D

IMG_1076.jpg
 

kloner

Aerial DP
tried a couple of the turbine and windmill,,,,,,,,, wasn't as clean as the coverleaf but were alot easier to make. isn't that one suppose to be on the vrx?

You ever finish that 900?
 

I've had good success with the turbines. I'm using identical antennas on TX & RX. Solid video out to 2k' which is as much as I'll ever need. I've used the clover/SPW combo's but I'm having better results with these turbines for my FPV. It might be because I have two video links on these birds. One for FPV and one for the camera downlink. The FPV is LHCP turbines at 400mW and the cam link is RHCP CL/SPW at 200mW. The best thing I've done with the FPV link was to mount the TX up on a mast. Any issues of fringe reception from CF in the way are totally gone. Thanks again for that tip, Cedar.

The 900 is covered with dust... LOL One of these days I'll get cranking on it again.
 

Seattle and kloner - mind if I chime in with an antenna-location question? It's actually a package of questions I guess, since nothing here is simple, lol.... anyway, basically I am upgrading one of my quads to a Naza GPS, and I am uncertain as to how far the GPS antenna needs to be from the Vtx.

The quad is my own design, 750mm MTM with 15" props. Right now I'm using an 800mw, 1.3 Ghz rangevideo Vtx with a V antenna and band-pass filter on it. The Vtx was on the underside of the quad with the V pointing forward but this is turning into an entire rebuild, so I can move it. The 2 groundstation Vrx's use an 8db patch and stock whip with diversity for now, so I am seeing an opportunity to greatly improve my FPV video with a Bluebeam Omni set, and maybe scale back to a 300mw Vtx in the process. I am looking to get longer flight times and shed some power and weight with a smaller Vtx...

Note: I have several of the V antennas flying on quads and airplanes, and a side question is how do they compare (when matched to the 8db patch + stock whip diversity groundstation, or sometimes just a single stock whip groundstation) vs what I will gain by switching to a Bluebeam setup using only one Vrx on the groundstation? Or should I keep the diversity even with the Bluebeam?

Being a quad, the system doesn't need huge range (i.e. 1 km seems to be enough, as I'm using FrSky equipment on a JR radio), but right now I get occasional minor dropouts and am looking to clean it up somewhat. I know the V is somewhat directional and feel it is probably the source of the dropouts. If I go with a Bluebeam on the quad, 1) will it help? and 2) should I mount it high on the quad pointed up or can it go underneath in back, pointed down to give more distance from the GPS mast? The Naza instructions say to keep the GPS high obviously, but will the 1.3 Ghz Vtx interfere with the GPS signal if it is up high also? Most of my flying is high, looking down, and is sometimes over water. I don't do much low level at all, so that's why I am wondering about the Vtx at the rear and down placement. Thanks for all your help and your wealth of information here guys.

Big Duke Six
 
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kloner

Aerial DP
Mine and a couple others have experianced problems with 1.3 800mw vtx's and this dji gps. i was able to get the naza gps to work with a 300mw 16" away but it screwed with the video reception at 800-900 feet and i was pissed. Came home and ordered a 2.4 lawmate vtx and a immersion duo2400 to cure my problem. My theory is this dji stuff is designed around 2.4 controllers and has to be filtering it somehow within itself.

Some of these guys are having luck with 1.3 but honestly i haven't seen anything doing 2 miles and perfect reception with gps RTH working. I'd love to blame it on the CP antennas, but i know that aint it cause i just watched a 800mw with lawmate antenna dive in the dirt............

The whole dji thing is dirty video wise. need lots of filters everywhere. those ones for between the power and vtx along with clean regulators are a must. This satelite compared to my eagle tree is powerful. i think it's not looking straight up but all around it's sides and leaking alot of whatever. The tall gps mast seems important, but that's still gotta mess with the vid link quality somewhere
 

Interesting. I thought I saw that you had had good luck on 1.3 with the Naza. Maybe that was without the GPS?

In any case, do you think a taller GPS mast would help? Their stock 3" "mast" doesn't seem like it gives much separation at all. I was thinking 6, 9 or even 12" high on a wood dowel and mounting it forward, with the Vtx in the back, pointed down and underneath, maybe even with a foil shield (for whatever that would be worth) below the GPS mast in LOS with the Vtx. Does the orientation of the CP antenna matter? I can't find anything that talks about that.

One of these days, I would like to go to UHF RC but right now it will have to wait, so 2.4 video is out of the question. I could take the FrSky system off and go back to 72 mhz, but I think I'd lose a lot of advantages there.

And sorry, what was the satellite you referred to there? You meant the Naza GPS antenna?

Thanks again for your help!!
 


Kilby

Active Member
So no more 1.3 for you kloner? I thought I saw you talking about how good it was working for you, so much better than the 5.8. I almost bought an entire 1.3 set up at your recommendation. Glad I didn't follow through on that one. ;-)
 

kloner

Aerial DP
I still got it on zephyr and will still use it on anything i can for the penetration, but any naza with a gps needs to be aware of it not liking each other.

That 1258 with the saw filter is clear...... i got the digital and the tan one and the tan one is a bit cleaner. looks like immersion 5.8, lots of color, lots of detail, and goes behind anything

dunno what 2.4 is like, figured i'll get one of each, try em all out with the gps naza and decide what to use. I still got a full 5.8 immersion setup here, only thing i've tried and sold right away was 900, that wasn't so good

where the heck is azure at? is his 1.3 messing with his range? i can't remember if hes uhf,,,,, that's another thing, i got that 433 blaring too. everything was fine till i pluged in that dji gps last week
 
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