I have installed an ARGtek antenna on my RC. Went to a valley to test some distance.
As this was a test flight I wanted to see how far I could get without trying to re-acquire the signal by adjusting the antenna.
Having the drone allows me to check out some farmland and also the roads after earthqakes and typhoons.

Flew into a head wind so return was easy. No way to physically see the drone at distance. Flight details Plane Name BLACKCRUSADER / Flight Air Time 06m 51s / Takeoff Battery 69% Landing Battery  40% / P3S/ Android DJI 3.1.3 /Total Mileage 12,284 ft / Max Distance 6,037 ft Max Altitude 264.8 ft / Max Speed 32.32 mph /Max Bat Temp 89.5°f

You are tempting fate taking off with less than a fully charged battery.  

Mark The Droner Posted at 2017-2-12 04:12
You are tempting fate taking off with less than a fully charged battery.

You are tempting fate every time you fly.   Thanks for your concern.

Yes I knew how much power I had.  69% is hardly near a danger for a short 7 minute flight into a slight headwind.  Hope your enjoyed my video nonetheless.
Any good pilot monitors his onscreen instruments. After I finished this flight I went to my friends place to take some pictures of his coffee plantations and did a short flight
and used from 40% to 20% then did an RTH and finished with 18%.  Still within safe limits as a very low level short distance flight and also if needed could have landed
in other places if need be.

Yes, nice video.

I'm just trying to give you a heads up so that you don't lose your aircraft.  If you're launching with less than a fully charged battery, there is a risk your battery will turn itself off and your AC, while having showed plenty plenty of charge a moment earlier, will fall from the sky.  There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands of cases of this.  The victims are always very angry and upset and blame DJI.  But DJI warned in the manual to always launch with a fully charged battery.  Veteran pilots never launch on a partially charged battery.

Mark The Droner Posted at 2017-2-12 04:27
Yes, nice video.

I'm just trying to give you a heads up so that you don't lose your aircraft.  If you're launching with less than a fully charged battery, there is a risk your battery will turn itself off and your AC, while having showed plenty plenty of charge a moment earlier, will fall from the sky.  There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands of cases of this.  The victims are always very angry and upset and blame DJI.  But DJI warned in the manual to always launch with a fully charged battery.  Veteran pilots never launch on a partially charged battery.

Yes I am aware. But the battery can be checked for voltage as you fly.
Batteries especially new ones that have followed the under 20 charge protocols don't just fail.
Not saying they can't but in any case I wont be crying. I'll just buy another drone.

It's been posted that one of the reasons the battery shuts off may be that the pilot is getting a false reading to start (e.g. battery shows 68% when it's actually 38%.)

Good luck sir

Mark The Droner Posted at 2017-2-12 05:07
It's been posted that one of the reasons the battery shuts off may be that the pilot is getting a false reading to start (e.g. battery shows 68% when it's actually 38%.)

Good luck sir

That's why you can test your volts and amps before flying
Even during flight if you must.

Your distance should be double that with an antenna mod. It's really not that great.

Makokiller Posted at 2017-2-12 05:13
Your distance should be double that with an antenna mod. It's really not that great.

I did not try to max it out. This was my first long flight with the antenna. DJ Soul did about 600m more with his which is about 2.4km.
When I start a flight with a full battery I will see what I can do. Argtek only claim 2 to 4 times normal max distance.  I certainly am doing that.
4 times would be in perfect conditions.  Today I was flying in low cloud and bad weather.

http://www.argtek.com/en/2-1718- ... turer-id496186.html

Good luck, must be fun flying around those mountains.

Makokiller Posted at 2017-2-12 05:17
Good luck, must be fun flying around those mountains.

I have a place I will be flying soon, will be at 3000m plus looking down to the coast.

Now if I even fly 1km away from launch site bound to get some good views.

Nice. Almost 2km total distance. That's pretty far.

Very nice !

DroneSmeg Posted at 2017-2-12 06:22
Nice. Almost 2km total distance. That's pretty far.

It's around 1400 further than my previous best distance.
But as you know never really tried to max out the distance on standard antenna.

Flew a little over 5500ft in distance with original antennas. So when you do fly with a fully charged battery, you should get a lot more distance? If its legal to do so where you are? Please post when you do. I am curious to see how the antenna works.

TSAT Posted at 2017-2-12 16:22
Flew a little over 5500ft in distance with original antennas. So when you do fly with a fully charged battery, you should get a lot more distance? If its legal to do so where you are? Please post when you do. I am curious to see how the antenna works.

Distance relies on lots of things such as terrestrial interference, winds and wind gusts, weather and some common sense to your flying.  I'm not looking to set distance records.  In some places I have been to there is interference and the antenna gives you that extra signal strength that is an added safety factor.

My max so far has been 4500 feet but usually lose signal at 1500 or so feet, especially around my house.
I was hoping I could fly frim the park over to my dad's house about 1 mile away.  Missed it by 1/4 mile.
White knuckles when you lose complete signal and no response for 15 seconds or more when it time delays failsafe RTH, then has to get back in range.

As for getting misleading readings, that can happen but really shouldn't.  However I can say I had my AC in flight data mode to grab the DAT files which took 45 minutes.  The whole time the app showed 77% and the battery LEDs didn't change.  That I thought was strange that at least the LEDs on the battery wouldn't change level status after 45 minutes.
I rebooted the AC and sure enough it then showed 55%.

DanMan32 Posted at 2017-2-12 20:08
My max so far has been 4500 feet but usually lose signal at 1500 or so feet, especially around my house.
I was hoping I could fly frim the park over to my dad's house about 1 mile away.  Missed it by 1/4 mile.
White knuckles when you lose complete signal and no response for 15 seconds or more when it time delays failsafe RTH, then has to get back in range.

Flying from ground level in suburban neighborhoods may result in lots of signal interference from other houses, trees and other things higher than you blocking signal. Try getting up on the roof of your house and see if that gets you a bit more distance.

DroneSmeg Posted at 2017-2-12 21:02
Flying from ground level in suburban neighborhoods may result in lots of signal interference from other houses, trees and other things higher than you blocking signal. Try getting up on the roof of your house and see if that gets you a bit more distance.

Be interesting to compare your P3S with mine after I fit the Argtek to your drone tomorrow.