Which works best--  Copper or Aluminum coated Windsurfer ?

I purchased the copper ones.  They work great.  I'd estimate almost doubling range.  A lot of reviews on the aluminum ones say they don't work as well.  I wouldn't know though because I only bought the copper version.

thrown money ! I bought with copper, without windsurfer flying 4,800 m in the city ,same with windsurfer with me no difference
I fly over six months and I have about 100 flights !

I tried both the home-made windsurfer ones and also purchased the copper ones. To me, they both worked the same. No indication which was better. The windsurfers are free to print and make but the copper ones do look better. One thing I noticed was the copper ones were a little heavy and I had to use some tape to keep them from falling down to the side. I think they do make some copper ones that are connected by a hinge, holding them together. Both greatly extended my range and I was very satisfied. I did finally purchase the Argtek boosters and they are the way to go as far as I am concerned. Easy installation...you do have to take the RC apart, but if you are somewhat of a handy person and take you time it is not hard. These gave me even better range and they fold down and fit in the case perfectly. No taking them off every time is a plus for me. The signal is great whether I'm straight up in the air or long distance.

As already mentioned, there is no real difference in the result. Choose the one you think looks better

firefox13 Posted at 2016-4-28 05:35
thrown money ! I bought with copper, without windsurfer flying 4,800 m in the city ,same with windsu ...

If you were to remove the plastic shell from the stock antenna, what you would see would be a piece of coax cable that had the insulator and shield removed very close to the end,  leaving a tiny bit of the center conductor exposed.  That is what radiates the signal from the r/c.  Parabolic type range boosters work by taking this omnidirectional signal and reflecting it in more or less one direction.  The copper used in the reflectors shown here is mostly a gimmick.  In this application,  aluminum foil,  aluminumized mylar or similar would do just as well so long as it was wrinkle free.  The reflective qualities of aluminum and copper are quite similar in this respect.   Also,  there is no need to put the reflective surface on the face of the range booster.  It will work just as well if you attach it to the back,  or even embed it into the plastic.  The rf produced by the Phantoms r/c goes right through the plastic.  Otherwise,  the stock antennas plastic housing would prevent any signal from getting out.  For anyone interested in getting the maximum performance from any antenna system,  I recommend the ARRL antenna handbook.  It is THE definitive source of antenna theory,  design and information

That was informative. Thanks!

Ricardo Posted at 2016-4-28 07:41
I tried both the home-made windsurfer ones and also purchased the copper ones. To me, they both work ...

Same hear when it comes to the homemade windsurfers, great range!! I looked at those argtek boosters and it looks super tough to put in. Also I saw only 1 on Amazon with 1 or 2 star rating with only 3 reviews. Where could I get some with proper instructions?

*here                           

I have been experimenting with copper and aluminum... With aluminum my standard is getting 1400ft in the city.

The more important factor is not whether Copper or Aluminium .... but whether the actual parabola and distance of it is correct to the antenna. A small incorrect fitting or distance can alter the focus of the RF and produce different results.

I have two parabolic reflectors for my P3S ... from SAME dealer, same brand name on them ... but they are not same ... one is slightly smaller than the other in distance across the arc.  This means that  one is technically less correct than  the other ..

Nigel

solentlife Posted at 2017-7-23 10:03
The more important factor is not whether Copper or Aluminium .... but whether the actual parabola and distance of it is correct to the antenna. A small incorrect fitting or distance can alter the focus of the RF and produce different results.

I have two parabolic reflectors for my P3S ... from SAME dealer, same brand name on them ... but they are not same ... one is slightly smaller than the other in distance across the arc.  This means that  one is technically less correct than  the other ..

You're talking about the distance from the left edge to the right edge, correct?  Do you understand why one is technically less correct than the other?  

https://www.amazon.com/Parabolic-Advanced-Controller-Transmitter-Extender/dp/B017IP2P98/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501356581&sr=8-1&keywords=p4+range+extender I love this one.