Newbie Intro Needs advice

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dealer374

New Member
Hello, I've been doing research this past week and have a couple questions as I am ready to make my first purchase within the next week. I'm looking to buy used, probably a DJI Phantom 3, there is few for sale local on CL and those seem to fit the budget of around $500.

Range is more important than video quality to me but I still do need to see video at operating range. I will be operating in a residential neighborhood that has some hills, trees, above ground power lines etc. I'll be using a iPhone 6s or iPad Air (non-cellular) as a monitor.
I need to be able to get out a minimum of 1000'/300m to about 2000'/600m in this terrain regularly. 4000'/1200m is the Max I would ever need to go if I even need to go that far.

With a DJI P3 Standard model operating at a range of 300-600m in this type of terrain. What range extenders of would recommend I am concerned about signal loss. Thank you
 
mozquito1

mozquito1

Well-Known Member
You will get that 600m, line of sight though. What rx have you got.
The taranis supposedly gets 1.5k los.
You would have to be in an elevated position to fly in the neighbourhood to them distances. The range is diminished by walls roofs not to mention all the clutter from people's WiFi & whatnot.
You could try UHF long range, this has better penetrative effect through walls over 2.4ghz. But 5.8ghz video doesn't go as far so you would need something like a 7-12 turn helical antenna. & that won't fit on your fatsharks. We'll it could but it's meant for groundstations. Ideally tracking stations.
Or you could try 1.3ghz vtx
 
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dealer374

New Member
lol I'm sorry I didn't understand a lot of what you said. How do I know what RX, los and vex mean. I really don't know much about these things but I need one quickly to operate in those conditions.

The operating position/launch point will be down hill from where the aircraft would be flying at the 600m range. I could launch from and be on a more level plain but operating distance would increase to 1200-1500m. I will most likely lose sight of the aircraft from either site. With a DJI Phantom 3 Standard is it possible to meet these guidelines? If so what upgrades do I need to do?
 
mozquito1

mozquito1

Well-Known Member
You sound like the guy on another post, who wants the same spec for picking up & dropping off stuff. o_O new member eho_O
 
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dealer374

New Member
I don't need to carry any type of load this is just for surveillance purposes. Need to make periodic checks on a site with restricted access.
 
mozquito1

mozquito1

Well-Known Member
From a vantage point you should be OK.
You may struggle without a helical antenna. Of atleast 7 turns for fpv.
RX means receiver, Tx means transmitter.
Vtx is video Tx. Fcb flight control board,
Pdb is power distribution board. Esc is electronic speed controller.
Depending in what vrx you have range will be different. A GS groundstation will have more range than fatshark goggles.
Some will say no. But my immersionRC duo has more range than my friends la forge. Then pair that with a tracker.:D
I haven't got to worry about where I turn my head. I can just chill in my chair.
 
Rick M

Rick M

Absent-minded professor
Moz, he's talking about a stock Phantom 3 standard, not building something.
 
mozquito1

mozquito1

Well-Known Member
Rick M said:
Moz, he's talking about a stock Phantom 3 standard, not building something.
Click to expand...
He asked what they meant & if he needed anything extra to make it work in such a way. Well he ain't gonna get that range on cloverleaf Antennas, if he wants fpv @that range. So does stock fpv equipment for phantom 3, oh wait it it doesn't have any does it. So I wasn't wasting my time. I think ha aims to use his phone, but WiFi signal is about 50m at best. So he will have to use fpv gear. Vtx, vrx 1.3g,2.4g or 5.8g
 
mozquito1

mozquito1

Well-Known Member
Many apologies for my ignorance.:)
If not from an elevated point, he would have struggled with signal. I was just giving him options. How good is the fpv on a phantom.? It's no acro frame,
(unless you're Mr steele) so the lag shouldn't be an issue with its speed.
He plans on using an iPad.
Is he going to get the range he wants with WiFi/Bluetooth . I'm sorry but I think not without a groundstation with helicals or a yagi antenna with conventional vtx/rx equipment. Again I could be wrong but shiiitt develops so fast I'm years behind.
I used to have a zx spectrum as a kid & made my own programs. Then by the time the 128k+ came out I had made a game, it was a cross between space invaders & pong. It was:p pants.
Then a friendo_O @school, introduced me to the old maryjane:oops: then Eben'E'zer good came on the scene & it was game over.fast forward 30 years I'm surprised I can figure all this out. I learned alot over the last 2 years. So if I can do this, don't give up folks. G:eek:o_Ogle is your enemy but it's useful.
 
Gyro Doctor

Gyro Doctor

Electronics Tech for over 45 years
The "Standard" has a range of 1000 meters. The "4K" has 1200 meters. These are the two with (direct) Wi-Fi modes.
The ones touting 5 KM ranges are using the "Lightbridge" video link system which is a rather large 2.4 GHz
system that is intermediary equipment relaying video to a phone, pad, etc. (think of it like a ground station) ;)
 
Rick M

Rick M

Absent-minded professor
I'm pretty conservative with distance on my Phantom 4, but I had it close to 1,000 meters away this morning with no video issue whatsoever and still showing full HD signal bars in my very signal-cluttered local environment. The P4 does have the Sony Lightbridge system, though. The P3 series has Lightbridge on the Advanced and Pro versions, but not the Standard.
 
Elapid

Elapid

New Member
Kinda new to video from a drone platform and want to mount a Gopro camera on a bugs 2 C Having a hard time finding out what I need. Any advice or preferably a link would be appreciated. Thank in advance doe all the information I will get, I will go to the new member and see if I have posted there,
 
mozquito1

mozquito1

Well-Known Member
Rick M said:
Oh, and is anyone else wondering about "dealer374's" intended use?
Click to expand...
I said that. There was a new member who was pretty open about what he was doing. But I refused to help. And now Another newb wanting same spec, same type of area.
Just without the picking up & dropping off bit. I maybe wrong. Only he knows.
 
mozquito1

mozquito1

Well-Known Member
dealer374 said:
I don't need to carry any type of load this is just for surveillance purposes. Need to make periodic checks on a site with restricted access.
Click to expand...
Restricted area in a residential area, but you need to be on a hill 600m or
1.2k away. o_O
 
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