I left the original antenna in place on the Radio as i didnt want to go through the hassle of cutting and trying to get a fitting to work where the antenna is so I placed it off to side.

jtrjr@yahoo.com Posted at 2015-4-16 09:40
Thanks David! A picture's worth a thousand words and I can't send one!

Jerry

Well, you can always send to my Hotmail and I can post it in your name.

gary.ok@hotmail Posted at 2015-4-16 08:57
I actually like the way that looks.  I was not a big fan of the way those were released and some of  ...

2200 Really?? I only got about 500-800 ft with stock.. As I dont have a open area except when out on the boat. I would be happy to get your range.. lol.

Thinking of putting a decal of Marvin the Martian on the face of the antenna....

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-4-16 07:55
You have to give us a revue on this after you fly.  We're all looking forward to that.

will do.. were having allot of rain this week. may be the weekend before I get my next flight. Im also testing out another app. vision plus.

Well, mine is off in the post to another user in another country.  Enjoy!

davidw63@comcas Posted at 2015-4-16 09:50
will do.. were having allot of rain this week. may be the weekend before I get my next flight. Im  ...

David,

I'm sure you've already looked at it but I like the look of the Vision Plus. Camera View is real clean and it fills the whole screen. Lot's of menu options too. I didn't really get to work it out real well, that's the first one I used with the "banked turns". I used it a few times and was having screen freezes and app crashes. Not sure now whether it's the apps or my Asus Nexus 7. Turns out my brand new, Amazon bought, Nexus is an older Gen1 rather than the newer Gen2. I'm hoping it was the Nexus and not the app. I've got a Galaxy Tab 4 (7") on the way, should be here tomorrow that I'm hoping will work better. Let me know how things go for you with both the app and the panel. I'd be real interested in your thoughts. Thanks in advance,

Jerry

you can flip the antenna around to mount it where it sets farthur back to not get in way of phone bracket.

nrgwise Posted at 2015-4-16 00:58
I know the difference in the connectors.  I just don't like these at all.  I am sure you can take  ...

You cant mess them up unless your real clumbsy.. lol. They only need to be finger tight. No tools required to install and remove them for storage.

davidw63@comcas Posted at 2015-4-16 10:04
you can flip the antenna around to mount it where it sets farthur back to not get in way of phone br ...

So does it charge off of the extender? Are any of the guts in the extender still being used or is it now just the power source for the new panel?

Jerry

jtrjr@yahoo.com Posted at 2015-4-16 10:12
So does it charge off of the extender? Are any of the guts in the extender still being used or is  ...

You take apart the extender, remove the circut board from the housing (4 tiny philips screws).Once removed, you will see a medal shield, remove it. The original antennas are behind that. You can leave them in place and just tuck the antenna wires from those antennas behind the medal shield and put back in place so the wires and plugs dont make contact with circut board. While its dissasembled, you need to put 2 holes in side where you want the pigtail plugs to go. Just be sure to make them where they will clear the circut board as that goes is first before the wiring. I found it easyer to put the new cables to the board while it is out of the housing. The extender battery powers everything. Only thing that is differnt is the original antennas are bypassed and or removed as they are not used. There is NOT any glue holding the plugs to the extender board, unlike the one in the radio. Have to be careful scraping the glue off the plug connector on the radio. Or you can leave the radio "stock" which should work fine, only that your not using the one connector on the panel for the radio.

jtrjr@yahoo.com Posted at 2015-4-16 10:02
David,

I'm sure you've already looked at it but I like the look of the Vision Plus. Camera View i ...

Yea, i looked at it and downloaded it, cost around 10.00. I did a "bench" test last night and everything seems to work. I like that I can set the waypoints to a lower altitude (10-15 ft) and and it has "MPH" settings instead of "FPS" that way I can set it to cruising speed of my boat when I want it to "follow" me around the lake. Now the last waypoint in my route I havent tested yet to make sure it stops there instead of going back to "home" or place where it started. (guess I can always flip the switch).  Ultimate Flight app, it will go to the last waypoint and stay there until I take over to land.

davidw63@comcas Posted at 2015-4-16 09:44
2200 Really?? I only got about 500-800 ft with stock.. As I dont have a open area except when out  ...

2200 is not anywhere the stated distance as advertised.  I can get about 2400 feet and another has been to 2900 feet with stock Phantom equipment.

Just remember guys, Im "New" to this hobby and never flew anything else before this. Im no expert. Only been doing it for less then 2 months.

davidw1963@att. Posted at 2015-4-16 19:03
Just remember guys, Im "New" to this hobby and never flew anything else before this. Im no expert. O ...

David,

Thanks for all of the great info! Many of us here are pretty new to this, including myself. That's one of the positive aspects, we're all learning together. I'm hoping to do a lot of flying today (give everyone a break from all my ramblings!). Good luck with the Vision Plus stuff and please let me know your thoughts when you get a chance to Play around with it a bit.

Jerry

Other install thoughts ( I posed them on the other thread as well). BE SURE you have the 1.5mm hex.  The installation video is not kidding when they say the small hex screws in the wifi extender are cheap.  I have extra gouges in mine now after thinking I had the right size hex.  It was  It was a little too big- I'm getting the right size today.  Also, be sure to tighten down the "coax" connectors tight to the TX and the extender to avoid the "twisting" of the internal cables.  So far the most difficult part was getting the new antennae cable attached to the board.  The connection is teeny tiny, and any left over silicone could get in the way of seating is tightly!    I'll post more tonight after my wifi extender conversion.

davidw63@comcas Posted at 2015-4-16 09:44
2200 Really?? I only got about 500-800 ft with stock.. As I dont have a open area except when out  ...

David;  The 2200' I was talking about is with the Stage 2 FPVLR.  I was getting about the same as you with the stock where I fly.  Lots of trees.  I was hoping for more on the Stage 2, but I guess what I am getting is all I am going to get.  It's more than enough for me to get to what I need to see.  I got feeder I can't reach, but that's OK hiking is good for me.

bahamasboy@aol. Posted at 2015-4-16 21:17
Other install thoughts ( I posed them on the other thread as well). BE SURE you have the 1.5mm hex.  ...

i have all tools including precision screwdrivers. i fix cars for a living.. lol.

I got mine on Wednesday.  Since I had modified one of my 2 controllers it was a snap to install.  I will take it out today and test it.  The only 2 small rub are :
1. The 3 bulkheads on the antenna are not marked 5.8 and 2.4.  Instead they are port 1, 2, and 3.  Not sure why since there why and since there are no instruction I need to go to the DBM site to see how to hook up.
2. The bulkhead is SMA and not RP-SMA.  again not sure but there were adapters in the box.  After I test this I will make my own cables to reach my AMPs.

FYI, there is another thread dedicated to the Itelite panel on phantompilots.com.   The DBS Mod guy is posting over there now as he is probably not censored there like he is here.

Itelite Thread

nrgwise Posted at 2015-4-16 09:50
Well, mine is off in the post to another user in another country.  Enjoy!

l surely will, thank you
l'm looking forward to it and have "booked" my son to install it for me.

Install finished.  Pretty straightforward (see previous notes above about having the right size tools!).  Did the wifi extender today... my only advice on this part is drill your holes closer to the front (flat side which normally faces away from your phantom) of the extender.  Mine were a little too far toward the back and I had problems getting the back cover to "snap" into place.  The new cables need to rest between the battery and the circuit board.   I've also altered my backpack case to accommodate the panel.  The aluminum bracket rests below the battery and above the bottom of the landing gear.  It's far enough away from the gimbal that it will not be banging into it.  See photos.

bahamasboy@aol. Posted at 2015-4-17 07:43
Install finished.  Pretty straightforward (see previous notes above about having the right size tool ...

Install complete!..o.k, but how does the Poppins fly?

North... the Ms. Mary Poppins doesn't take well to torrential downpours with potential flash flooding   I have considered figuring out a way to strap an umbrella hat (red and white of course) to her head and seeing if she'll do a nice hover or pirouette but my gonads aint that big!  I will say that I rev'ed her up w/o props and walked downstairs to check FPV with no LOS.   While pointing the new panel toward her, I was able to control and see the gimbal movement.  BUT when I turned it away...immediate loss of communication.  After turning around again, I had signal in less than two seconds.  This was promising to me in that it appears that everything is connected properly.  She will be traveling with me tomorrow so any break in weather can provide a short, close flight. Distance will be incremental because I'm just that cautious!

You guys that have installed these things, how far down from the edge of the extender box did you drill the holes for the antenna leads? Seems like you wouldn't have to be off much to have the cables interfere with the board, if too low, and the battery if too high.

Im going to do the "walking test" with mine tonight. I place the Phantom on the side porch which is covered sitting on top of the smoker which puts it about 8 ft off ground, turn everything on, and then walk down street untill I loose the feed. It does have to TX through a few trees between my house and where im walking. But that is part of the test. I got about 400 ft last time, and that was with the last Mod i did before I found out that antenna wasnt making connection.. So I should expect allot more range this time. Its been raining here almost every day, so I havent got a chance to fly yet.

smatchet42@hotm Posted at 2015-4-17 11:34
You guys that have installed these things, how far down from the edge of the extender box did you dr ...

I pretty much made the holes just above center, see pic of fitting in relation to indicator lights,  and slightly enlarged to allow slight adjustment to fitting as it goes in at angle past circut board. Once tight the hole is completly covered by nut and washer.

Installed mine last night and tested it today. I'm a little disappointed as I'm only getting out to about 2500' before RTH kicks in. The most I ever got from stock in the same location was around 1800'. So it is an improvement, but not as much as I had hoped for. Maybe I did something incorrect during the install. Is there anything I should check? I followed the instructions to the letter. I'll hopefully test again in a different location later this weekend to see if it's just interference limiting the range.

jmtw000 Posted at 2015-4-18 06:55
Installed mine last night and tested it today. I'm a little disappointed as I'm only getting out to  ...

That is a directional antenna so it needs to be pointed straight at the Phantom.  I'm kind of glad I held off until some revues came in.  With stock v2 equipment, I have gotten 2400 feet and North has gone 2900 feet with stock.

I was considering getting this antenna myself but now I think I will start saving towards getting the Phantom 3 Pro that I really want. It supposedly goes 1.25 miles with the stock antennas but I am waiting for third party reviews to know for sure.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-4-18 07:02
That is a directional antenna so it needs to be pointed straight at the Phantom.  I'm kind of glad ...

Yeah, I have the antenna pointed directly at the bird. Even tried at different altitudes and orientations, but it still cuts out around 2500'. 700' more than I was getting with stock in this location is an improvement, but I was hoping to get to at least 4000'.

jmtw000 Posted at 2015-4-18 07:06
Yeah, I have the antenna pointed directly at the bird. Even tried at different altitudes and orien ...

That's a BIG disappointment that it isn't holding to the sales pitch.

The person selling it was flying over the flat lands of fla out in open. If it ever stops raining here where I live, Im going to test mine out over water at the lake I go boating at down road from my house. There is a straight stretch of open water that goes almost a mile. Im not a picky person, I was only getting 500-800 ft with mine, Even if I only get around 22-2500 that would be a differance for me. I still have those 2 14 inch antennas that I can use also since now I have the proper connectors to make them work.... I can compare with those.

It has been raining here all week as well. I was going to Blood Mountain Sunday but rain is still here. :@

Everyone needs to remember that when your flying around other wifi signals you will loose strength. and need to remember each house in a neighborhood most likely is a wifi signal that is interfering with you.
When im around neighborhoods I can only get about 2 miles out on boosted signals with LH polarized antennas and when I go up into the mountains I have to turn back at <3 miles so I will have enough battery power to get back.

I have tested many panel antennas and my test was only getting about 2400' to 2700'(around neighborhoods) on unboosted signals

TEST FLIGHT COMPLETED!!  Weather conditions: Calm,  almost complete cloud cover and VERY humid, we have had torrential downpours, including last night.  There is still a lot of electricity in the air due to the 14000 lightening strikes per 15 minutes less than 8 hours ago.  I'm also standing between two power lines and flying over others (welcome to my neighborhood).  Signal was UNBOOSTED!!!   I got 2000 ft before my first drop out. It lasted about 5 seconds.  Rotated Mary Poppins to see if quad orientation made any difference- not really.  Regained FPV and pushed a little farther- dropped out again at 2100.  This is an improvement over my previously boosted signal.  Next flight I'll fly with FPV booster and see what I get.  ....video is really boring so not going to post it here.  STAY TUNED!
Phil

bahamasboy@aol. Posted at 2015-4-18 22:25
TEST FLIGHT COMPLETED!!  Weather conditions: Calm,  almost complete cloud cover and VERY humid, we h ...

Seems like you're in the same boat as me. I wonder if we got bad antennas.

jmtw000 Posted at 2015-4-19 00:08
Seems like you're in the same boat as me. I wonder if we got bad antennas.

It seems that all the revues so far are putting in distances between 2000 to 2400 feet.  a far cry from the 8400 feet.

jmtw000 Posted at 2015-4-19 00:08
Seems like you're in the same boat as me. I wonder if we got bad antennas.

Don't know. I JUST completed test flight #2 WITH FPV booster.  Got 2300'.  Same weather conditions, same location.  I guess we'll have to keep tracking our distance in different conditions to see how much of a difference that makes.

Maybe DBS is watching and can chime in and offer some assistance/guidance, i have not been down to pick mine up yet as it is a bit of a jaunt for me and i came home last night from a week on the road so not sure if i will pick it up this weekend or next week some time.
Either way, would be nice if he would chime in! I would love to see something positive posted and by that i mean someone getting well past 4,000'+ with a good LOS and without any electrical interference, fortunately for where i live that will not be too much of an issue but i would hate to get no further than i can go now...That would suck big time!!...thanks everyone for sharing your experiences so far...

UPDATE.... Flight #3... maxed out at 2300' again. This time was on a golf course, no power lines and maintained clear LOS between me and Mary Poppins at all times.  Something just doesn't seem right when I'm only getting 1/4 of the advertised distance even with the possibility of some interference.    I'll be really interested to see what you all get when you start testing.  So far yes, I'm getting additional distance, but NOT even close to what I would expect based on claims.  My next test will be in one of the two flying locations I used today and switching the connections from the wifi repeater to the panel i.e. left wifi connection to right panel connect and visa versa.  I know for sure the TX connection is working okay as I've never gotten RTH messages.