I’ve been using the cheap parabolic slip on antenna signal “boosters” for a while now and would like to upgrade to something a bit more solid. Although I’d be losing the benefit of the omnidirectional antenna (something I’m already used to), I’d like to try a flat panel antenna. Looking at the alientech stuff and especially the 4hawks stuff. I really want to push the distance as far as possible. That’s the main goal. Has anyone messed with the above offerings (or anything else) with stunning success? Is it worth going “boosted” with the extra battery pack or is that a waste of, say, another 200 bucks tacked on to the price tag? Many thanks!
Flat panel antenna for P4P v.1?
- Thread starter Pblacklock
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How far do I wish to go? As far as my p4p battery will carry me in sport mode with adequate juice for the return journey. I’ve been looking at a variety of aftermarket antennas and the price seems to vary wildly. I wonder if a battery powered/boosted flat panel would really go the extra distance for the considerable extra cost over a non boosted flat panel. If I pay an extra $200 for a boosted and only get a little extra over a non boosted, it won’t be worth it. Would be nice for the antenna to be removable so I can attach some regular omnidirectional antennas when just flying behind and overhead.
Sure, I gotcha. Already familiar. More curious as to what antenna is really going to let me reach out.
I’m only limited by my battery and wind conditions after adding a boosted 4hawks ( XR raptor) panel , my furthest flight to date is almost 5 miles(26,300ft) straight out and back and I flew the last 500-1000 ft with 0% battery,
Wind is a big factor to be considered for long flightsView attachment 114545
Wind is a big factor to be considered for long flightsView attachment 114545
Thanks for the advice and suggestion. Yes, winds are something I consider, especially since most of my long distance stuff is over the ocean.
Yes I was puzzled too , I was expecting it. To just drop in the river but it didn’t ,my estimate is it flew for about a minute on 0% and I believe I didn’t even have to hold the sticks down for the 2-3 seconds needed to shut the motors,
I could dig out the flight records if interested
Shouldn't we also be discussing how directionally sensitive a high gain antenna is? I have the same situation/interest as the OP, and I'm also concerned that if the higher gain antenna is highly directional, I'll have to be exactly lined up with the bird or risk losing connection. But if it's just a matter of being generally pointed in the right direction, I can do that.
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For me it's less about the distance and more about maintaining a robust connection. I modified the P4 Pro controller with a kit from ARGtek that lets you install any antenna you'd like. I find the large/tall omnidirectional antenna that come with the kit work best for my application. The flat panel directional antenna are too... directional.
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I don't upgrade the antennas on my remote because if I upgrade it wouldn't fit in my backpack. my backpack is made specifically for the Phantom 4, the Phantom and the remote fit with absolutely no extra room.
Sounds like an interesting and more economical idea. Do they provide a better connection while flying in town on 2.4 with all the WiFi interference?
GadgetGuy
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I have found the stock P4P setup to already exceed the stock battery capacity. Use Auto 5.8Ghz. and a fully charged new P4P battery to get 25 minutes of flight time at 34mph to well over 4 miles away. Sport mode will reduce that flight time. Anything farther than 4.3 miles, and you will need to add external batteries to support the increased range, for flights other than flying straight out and straight back, which leaves no time to linger at your destination.
I would buy external batteries first, to fully test the full range of the stock antennas, before increasing the range beyond that, which will absolutely require external batteries to support it. I have never had a signal loss on the P4P within the capabilities of the stock battery, so I am sure it would easily support 5+ miles with just a $15 windsurfer, as long as you had external batteries to support the increased range. Try a one way planned flight over dry land in a safe area to test the distance, and reset the Home Point to the aircraft location when you get close to the end of the signal range with less than 55% remaining battery. BTW, 0% is not truly 0. It is DJI's safety margin, which still leaves gas in the tank to fly on, under Autoland, if you fight the descent with full left stick. Good luck and keep us posted!
I have a set of the range extenders. I never use them though. I have a fear of getting beyond VLOS. If something goes wrong, I don't want to jeopardize my license.
I’ve never had a problem with being “exactly lined-up” and losing contact , when distance flying you know in which direction you’re flying at all times , it’s not like if you move the controller a few inches in the wrong direction you suddenly drop signal, the little icons on top of the screen in the app are your friends[emoji106]
I see a lot of talk about the added weight of external batteries putting a damper on getting more distance , have you modded a Phantom with xtra batteries and did it allow you to fly further, more flight time ? If so how much was the difference
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