I have been reading about aftermarket antennas and wanted to know if these are safe, what ones are safe, and what one of the best to get? I guess they are actually called range extenders.

I have read they extend ur distance greatly, I have also read they dont work... I am gonna assume they do a great job if done correctly, and the ones that dont work have either moding problems, or something interfearing with them... Understand that using/installing these will more then likely void your warrenty, and means moding your rc controller. Myself I have looked into these and think I am gonna buy another controller to mod, as to not void my warrenty, and still have the stock controller. Here is where I looked into it, these guys will also do the work on your controller, test it and return it, not saying to use them, but this is where I did my looking into them, any feed back appreciated

this is DBs Mod Maxxrange itelite antenna system

https://flyhighusa.com/product/d ... ite-antenna-system/

I'm waiting for my range extender to come in an argtek. I have a buddy that has the DBS mod and he's gotten 4000 feet out I've only got 1600 with a stock system. i chose the argtek cuz i feel it's easier to reverse the process no drilled holes

Wow that's the highest price I've seen on the DBS mod even from their website it's a 110 bucks

I beleive that price is installed and tested tho, maybe I am wrong

Try this first before dumping money into mods Bestmaple Parabolic Antenna Range Extended Signal Booster For DJI Phantom 4 Phantom 3 Pro/Advanced Inspire 1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EZ1 ... p_tai_oUMIxb2EX234D

for Phantom 4 I have this antenna reflector  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/14197 ... =STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
with out it on range 1km DJI start loosing picture quality . with this I pass 2km distance with no glitch. I was nicely surprised that it works . I don't know why to spend more money. My sytuation is everyware trees and hils . I have 2 km max distance on 1.2Ghz 1W  video link system home made drone

hmmm, worth a try for the price, thanx for the info

the one I was looking at they say they were 8miles plus, and had video showing as much, had no plans/needs of reaching that distance, but I am no where near the distance that said I cn get with the P4 either, a happy medium I think

thanx again

Aloha user410e081528,

     First off, what is your DJI product?  Second, the high powered extenders can blow your transmitter and void your warranty (note Heebus' comment).  Before you go out and break your piggy bank, try one of the most inexpensive extenders available.  Parabolic extenders work if you install and use them correctly.  

     Do you have one or two antennae?  Obviously, buying a composite two antennae set of parabolic extenders will not work if you have only one antennae.  If you have a single antennae, it will have a circular cross section (DJI products).  If you have a twin antennae set, they will have an extended oval cross section.  The attachment ports of the extender will be different for single and double antennae sets aside from having one or two parabolic extenders.

     Next, are you flying above you, out in front of you, or a combination of both?  If you have a twin parabolic set for P3A, P3P and Inspire DJI products, you have to discover if the extenders are connected or not.  If they are connected, your use options will be limited because you cannot separate them.  I often put one antennae out straight for overhead flights and the other up straight to handle flights out front.  Your antennae have to be perpendicular to the flight path of your DJI product (Note DJI Patrick's Video on antennae positions).

     For $10, you can buy the Kinghard Radar Antenna Range Booster For DJI Phantom 3 Inspire 1 TX Signal Extender Amplifier (Amazon).  This is $9 for twin parabolic reflectors (separated) and $1 for shipping.  The design is extremely simple and so precise (as in tight), I have a hard time putting them on and taking them off.  They are also disarticulated, so you can aim one up and the other out front.  The quality is as good as other products twice or three times the price.

     OK, so as it turns out, the easy solution for range issues is not so easy.  In fact, you need know and understand your system to get the most out of it.  But, you can throw money at any problem or you can solve your problem efficiently.  This thread is providing you with plenty of information so you can make an educated decision your range concern and on your purchase.

Aloha and Drone On!

Cetaman Posted at 2016-7-17 06:42
Aloha user410e081528,

     First off, what is your DJI product?  Second, the high powered extenders ...

thanx for the info, you seem to be well informed, this one good for the P4, and what kind of extra range are u getting with it?

thanx

Heebus Posted at 2016-7-17 21:37
thanx for the info, you seem to be well informed, this one good for the P4, and what kind of extra ...

Again, I have the basic question that has never been answered: IF it REALLY would be THAT easy to extend the range of your AC with a cheap plastic with some aluminium foil on it, don't you think DJI would have integrated something like that in their RC for a long time ?

I tested these parabolic extenders on my P3A and my two P4's and they did not work, quite the contrary, they diminished the range with 30 %. All circumstances were the same for all test flights and, yes, the antenna's were pointed right at the AC, which wasn't difficult because I used the same preprogrammed Litchi flight in all flights which was a straight line from the take-off point.

You make a good point, but with conflicting info, how are people to kno for sure, 1 person says they work, others say they  dont... as for DJI you could use the same arguement with there software, many say litchi is 10 times better, so why wouldnt they incorporate better software for there drones... maybe they dont have time/skills/will to make it go farther ( they have set ceiling limit, yes for a good reason), maybe they dont want you to go further so they dont get " I went out to my limit in range and lost my drone due to not enough battery life" threads... just saying, not like there hasnt been someone else improving on others work before...

Heebus Posted at 2016-7-18 01:39
You make a good point, but with conflicting info, how are people to kno for sure, 1 person says they ...

The only answer is double blind testing as used in every scientific question. That was what I tried to do with my little test. Of course the test on only three AC's even with exactly the same flight conditions is far from 'scientific' .
Still the healthydrones analysis showed for every flight with the extenders mounted 3 to 10 times as much 'minor communication errors'.
This was a disillusion for me as I had the feeling that they did indeed extend the range.
Since that mini-test however I never used them again and I must say that I don't see any diminishing of my range, quite the contrary.
So, when you happen to fly by Antwerp, Belgium, you can stop and pick up a pair of extenders for free :-)

I don't think you will see DJI do it because it makes it easier to degrade the signal if you don't stay right on top of antenna direction.     The way some folks flail around with the transmitter as it is, that could be a lot of lost signals..............at a great distance.

PhanFran Posted at 2016-7-17 07:21
Again, I have the basic question that has never been answered: IF it REALLY would be THAT easy to  ...

Aloha PhanFran,

     Have you seen the DJI video Ken put out?  



I point this out because you said, "yes, the antenna's were pointed right at the AC"

If you point the antennae at the drone, you will get a minimum of 30% reduction of range.

     The $10 range boosters I bought have as good a quality for parabolic extenders as you can buy and they offer all the flexibility I can imagine needing.  Ken's video is an excellent tutorial on how to use the antennae and imply how to properly use the parabolic extenders.

Aloha and Drone On!

Heebus Posted at 2016-7-17 03:37
thanx for the info, you seem to be well informed, this one good for the P4, and what kind of extra ...

Aloha Heebus,

     My need for the extenders is not for distance, but penetration of the jungle, especially after a rain.  The water on leaves after a rain, really scatter radio signals.  The boosters work extremely well so far and I have really not pushed them that much.  For some reason, my P4 live feed video is terrible (unless I custom set it on the lowest bitrate), but the extenders make the signal very strong and the video excellent (I can leave it on auto or even force a real high bitrate).  My P3P still amazes me with its performance in range, jungle penetration and distance.  Way better than my P4.

     My distance experiences have only gotten to around two miles.  But, I did have a funny experience.  I flew from my house back in the valley next to the mountain out to sea (well over a mile).  I was using Course Lock.  As I was flying over the ocean further and further, I decided, maybe I should return even though there was a very strong signal.  So, I turned around to face home and put the pedal to the metal!  Now, the view from 400 to 600 feet up takes a while before you can see what direction you are traveling from the parallax changes.  I kept wondering why the fishpond was not getting any closer.  Hmm.

     It turns out I forgot I was still in Course Lock and I was blazing backward further and further out to sea!  What a babooze!  I still crack up just thinking about it.  I had lots of battery left and I had wanted to explore some paving going on in the community.  I did that and a little more and still landed with 30% battery left.

Aloha and Drone On!

Are their boosters for other drones that are not DJI???

Rich Henry Posted at 2018-8-5 17:30
Are their boosters for other drones that are not DJI???

Aloha Rich,

     DJI is the best product out there and with a competitive price.  You can actually make your own parabolics to fit any antennae and they are real cheap - your own labor and materials.  I made my first parabolic and was so impressed, I bought a set when I bought my P3 Pro.

     Unfortunately, some people do not read manuals, watch videos and understand how our antennae work, so they report terrible results.  Almost any reflector you make, even a flat plate, will improve your signal enough to suggest that you get a proper design.  It is not worth the risk to buy a powered extender unless you are a technophile.  The unpowered ones are very inexpensive and work almost as well.

     Hope this helps!

Aloha and Drone On!

I use the parabolic extenders to improve signal strength and quality.
I dont use them to fly longer distances away from me because that would be admitting to breaking the law
But yes they do work very well.