New to forum, new to "real" drones, looking to increase range.

Also, found this booster for FPV, any opinions? What should I expect for range?
www.ebay.com

5.8G 48CH Boscam TS832 5.8GHz 600mw Wireless Video Transmitter for Rc Drone | eBay

5.8G Boscam TS832 48 Channel 5.8GHz 600mw Wireless Video Transmitter. TS832 Video Transmitter Module. 1 x TS832 video transmitter. Transmitter Size(L W H):55 x 32 x 10 mm. Dual Independent video and audio signal outputs.
www.ebay.com

or, I found a 1w version, what could be the range on that one?
 
Yah goggles are definitely a personal choice on go with them or not and which kind fits what your going for. There are some standalone screen ones too (really any standalone screen can work so long as the video receiver has a video output that matches the screen video input). I have a video transmitter here I can plug into anything with mini HDMI or analog rca video output, know you can get the same kind of thing but just a standalone video receiver "ethix" is a brand that sells one but in general you're searching for a "ground station".
 
Regarding boosters I think the value is probably limited you can just get a video transmitter that has that amplification built in in the first place and eliminate the extra connector (a vtx just needs power and one wire with analog video fed into it). I'm not sure really on the exact range you can expect with higher power though, it will blast through some more amount of branches or other stuff that would otherwise "attenuate" or squash out part of the signal but I wouldn't expect a ton more range from just amplification it's going to be inverse square relationship in most cases with any Omni directional antenna.
 
Okay, thanks. I think I'll end up getting the JJRC X12 after all. I'll look into more directional stuff, as I'll be facing the drone most of the time.
 
I wanna learn a bit more. Why does the remote have 2 antennas?

Also, how do the connections work? I mean, there are those "range extenders" that focus the signal apperantly. How do people get better and further FPV? Isn't the drone what "radiates" the wifi and then the phone picks it up? Or does the remote pick it up and forward it to the phone?
 

Some flying from yesterday I still have no idea what my range actually is at this point but I can go plenty far and high :D

To break things down and hopefully make it a bit more clear, there are two different signals going on here basically completely independent (in 99% of cases)

There is a control link signal from your transmitter/controller (the thing you push sticks on) and the receiver for it on the quadcopter, this carries the inputs from the sticks moving up to the quadcopter, this is called the "control link" it is 2.4GHz typically and is being tranmistted from the thing you hold up to the quadcopter in the air.

Completely separately from that you have a video transmitter (on the quadcopter transmits video back down to you on the ground) so they are basically two one way transmit/receive things going on. This is usually 5.8GHz frequency or thereabouts.

One is Control-Link from hands/controller to quad other one is Video-Link from Quad down to you on the ground (with receivers).

Regarding dual antenna if they packaged the video receiver and the control link in one then you might have one 2.4GHz antenna and one 5.8GHz antenna sitting next to each other, the other reason you'll see two antenna like on my receiver is so if one antenna isn't getting a good signal but the other is then the receiver module can switch on the fly to the antenna getting the better signal and can amplify that. The "diversity" is on the receiver side of things (could be video-link or control-link receiver either could use diversity or an antenna array of some sort to capture the signal).

---

Also to try and clear up earlier discussion there is frequency and then there is amplitude when it comes to transmitted radio waves or electromagentic waves of any sort. Lower frequency has longer wavelength and typically "goes further" (think of AM radio or HAM radio that can be bounced across the ocean off the atmosphere at the right times :D), but we are limited to using certain bands/frequency ranges that the gov leaves open and doesn't use for emergency services or other critical infrastructure stuff, or license out to make some $$$ :)

The amplitude on the other hand is just the "loudness" of the wave or how much force is behind it rather than a change in the length of the wave, but both can effect what a wave will penetrate or how far it will travel (from my still rough understanding though the frequency can make a far bigger difference if going for much more range compared with just amplification at a given frequency).

A picture to go with my thousand words

IMG_20200509_123824_copy_1156x1884.jpg
 
Last edited:
Okay, so you basically told me what I know so far, lol.

I mean, the controller / transmitter has 2 antennas.


Also, you said "other one is Video-Link from Quad down to you on the ground (with receivers)."
I still don't understand. Does my phone pick it up, or does the controller (That i drive the quadcopter with) and then transmit it to my phone?


Also, i still don't understand how that "range extender" extends the FPV distance if it's the drone transmitting the video??? This is why I'm asking if its the controller recieving the signal and forwarding it to my phone
 
Sorry I have no idea how the phone app that came with your stuff works... when you build yourself you use a 5.8GH VTX board that is in the quadcopter it transmits the signal down to a receiver of some sort (as seen in my goggles)... how your phone is involved isn't clear to me some pics or something of what you are using?
 
Everything:
IMG_20200509_145518_copy_2016x1512.jpg

Video transmitter antenna emits video signal 5.8GHz

IMG_20200509_145532_copy_2016x1512.jpg

Goggles with video receiver module built in and diversity antenna uses best signal from pair, picks up signal sent by vtx 5.8GHz
IMG_20200509_145548_copy_2016x1512.jpg


Transmitter/controller emits control signals 2.4GHz
IMG_20200509_145557_copy_2016x1512.jpg


Radio control receiver
IMG_20200509_145544_copy_2016x1512.jpg

Has two dipole antenna in this case passes along control signals to the flight control board which makes all the decisions based on stick input and current levelling/gyro data to send control signals to escs to throttle the motors
 
Okay. Let's look at consumer drones, that you buy. For example: SJRC F11. You have an app on your phone, that you open. They are really generic, almost all of the drones I've seen use the same app, rebranded/renamed, per company. You go to a list and select your drone. To get the FPV video feed, you need to open Wifi, and connect to the drone's wifi network, that the drone apperantly transmits.

Now, theres these range extender thingies, that you slide onto your controller, and its a dish shape. They look like this: 1589054413382.png

Now, I'm not sure how, but people get better FPV video, and more FPV range with these things. For some guys it works. I don't know how. Shouldn't these only "boost" control range, if at all?
 
Yah that shaped thing is same as my little flat square one basically it "shapes" where a signal is transmitted or received usually you would use one of these on the receiving side since direction on the thing flying is always moving. Basically directional antenna create higher "gain" in the signal in one direction and block noise or signal from the other direction.
 
You could tack one of those on the quad but it would only emit well in one direction so image would go to garbage as soon as you turn around or yaw. You would typically use on the receiving side if you had a repeater or router they were both connected to it could work but I don't see why you wouldn't just ditch the app and get standalone vtx and receiver can still feed analog vid into it from existing cam if you wanted to keep using that but otherwise see it as straight replacement not using app then just standalone transmitter and receiver for video. Could still use whatever control link they provide assuming that isn't using the phone as well, if it does then would just custom build cause replacing everything but frame and motor at that point anyhow and can find those cheap if you want.
 
Nice pupper, i have 4, and all of them are OK with my quad, they just look at it weird when i fly around them. But if i fly over them they run from the wind!

You see, I don't wanna swap the drone's parts out, but maybe attach parts,
So, with your help so far, I think I'll get the 1w transmitter booster, and 2 cloverleaf or the mushroom antennas one for the transmitter one for the reciever. Thank you for everything.

Maybe, at our summer place, I can climb the tree, or put a pole, where I put the antenna up high, like 10 meters, and run a TV cable down to attach to the controller so I can fly above the trees from my chair! :D

Okay, just as I typed that. Does placing the transmitter higher help with distance? Just like how max distance can be achieved with the drone being 70m high. This is not connected with the signal going over trees and stuff, just in general, like a field.

(edit: your pupper looks like he is really mad at the quad, lol!)
 
Haha yah he isn't even happy if I put it down near him :D but yah having either transmitter or receiver higher up or both is generally good way to have the signal carry further since just less things for it to bounce off of will see lots of people into long range tend to hike up high first or drive to a mountain top if there is a hill between you and the quad there's almost no hope of the signal making it between the transmitter and receiver (for video or control link)
 
Also since you said interested in learning might as well use this chance to self promote :D


Made a quiz alexa skill that stores your progress and overall pass fail count (I don't actually look at the data myself but can ask it to , "open ham study" and it will give you I think 10 random questions then a score)
 
Nice, okay.
The JJRC X12 has a function, when you can connect your phone to the remote, which connects to the quad. Maybe, I can find the reciever part of it, make a connector, and when I wanna do high distance FPV, I can use the 1.8m parabolic dish I found laying on the side of the road in front of our summer place, and focus it to the reciever, LOL!
 
Hey! I have 2 questions. How does splitting work? I have a 2 way splitter, bascially 1 signal in, 2 out. If I connect a directional, and a cloverleaf antenna both at the ends of the splitter, what would happen? Would they share (half) the transmitting power? Or do I need 2 amplifiers after the split to get them back to power? Thanks!

My other question is the same, but other way around. If I have a cloverleaf and a directional antenna for recieving, and then combine the 2, what would happen? They would both be the same distance from the quad, maybe except a few millimeters .
 
Back
Top