Basic Guide to Solo Antennas (Stock, Alfa, FPVLR)

There are two antennas on the controller. I am aiming to combine two antennas into one
 
For the noobs who need a video to better understand what's happening when you increase the db with antenna only (and can't decipher pebbles post which was a great explanation btw), here:

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Why would my solo flying behind me be an issue? Is this for pilots who have mounted controllers? Seems like even with a narrow beam as long as I follow the solo even if I have to spin in a circle the beam won't be an issue. Just curious.
 
Hi, thought this might be of some interest. I was at a friends property in east TX out in the country this past weekend. The only mod on my solo is the mrobotics gps module. There was only one other wifi signal out there. I flew mine out to 4900ft out of eyesight blocked by trees. Was at 390ft altitude. Never lost connection or video. Felt like I could go farther, but was at the border of the property. Stock cards, and antennas. Wonder if the main inhibitor to range is other strong wifi signals?
 
I was at the beach at the weekend and only got just over 1000 feet before RTH kicked in. I also have the mro mod.

At the end of the pier when it starts to climb is RTH kicking in

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ok, what about the antennas on the bird ? is it worth to change them ? what antennas to use ?
 
Are there any aftermarket omni antennas that will work with the Solo controller & outperform the stock antennas?
How about these?
Yes, there are. I looked at the upgrade suggestions and in my state of PA there are lots of trees and power lines, so I too wanted an omni-directional antenna to use for my controller and I found the Alfa ARS-N19 they are the same style as the stock antenna, however instead of being 3.5" overall, these are 15.5" overall and 9dBi, they are designed for 2.4GHz wifi network extenders, so they should work nicely and get you at least 1.5 miles, instead of .5 miles.
 
I'm hoping this post can be stickied to the top. Lots of newbs, and apparently everyone wants to know about antenna options. So rather than answering the same question 57 times per week, perhaps this will be a good place for those answers to be found. I put together these infographics to explain the difference between the stock antennas, the popular alfa paddles, and the popular FPVLR type system. Some of images in these graphics are my own. Some of them I stole from the internet. Sue me later. Some of my spelling may be wrong too. I generally don't care :)

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P2P: Very well done! (
 
I tried the mushroom antennas on my X380 and they were kinda-so-so. The Spherical 14 db gain antenna blew them away on the diversity receiver which
uses 5.8 ghz. The X380 had a 600 mw Eachine transmitter on it and a cloverleaf antenna. The downside on this antenna and the frequency used is that they
are highly directional. On the YouTube channel, several fellas recommend 1 Alpha and 1 stock dipole antenna for range and this night be worth a try? The
polarization of the antennas is a big problem unless you are burning up the air with 600 mw or more.
 
For the noobs who need a video to better understand what's happening when you increase the db with antenna only (and can't decipher pebbles post which was a great explanation btw), here:

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Notice the size of the cloverleaf and spherical antennas, they are small so he demonstrating in the video the 5.8 ghz and not 2.4 ghz. Usually 2.4 ghz is used
for the controller and control of the quad. The 5.8 ghz is used for video/sound feed from the quad and usually a separate transmitter. Vegetation and objects
can affect both frequencies but more so at the higher frequencies. Range is dependent on frequency, antenna gain, polarization, and rf power and a fella can
go on and on. Fly behind a concrete elevator and your signal will drop out on both bands. I flew behind a metal building at 50 ft. and FPV dropped out I knew
that the controller had signal so I turned and went full throttle up for altitude to be sure I was clear of the building and flying away from it. FPV video came back
and after that you never want to fly behind anything. After viewing the video I was getting closet the the metal roof on the building than I thought I was and
by turning and going for altitude I had video feed. This all happened out at a little over 1 km.
 
Is it worth to change stock antenna to this one :
Alfa ARS-N19 Black | Antennas | Alfa | EuroDK

pater, I have seen tests on the Alpha and stock antennas and what the fellas have said was that the Alphas would double the range. I have seen
fellas use just one Alpha and a stock one and get decent range but two of these if positioned correctly, "Alpha logo side pointed at the quad" should
get you good range. I tested the two stock antennas and also one stock plus a Alpha the range was better than just the two stock antennas.
I went ahead and used both Alphas and there was a increase in range over using one stock plus one Alpha. A 1 km. range was easily made using
the two Alphas. The Alpha antennas are directional so they have to be pointed at the quad when flying. My testing was done over flat ground and
away from WiFi signals. The FPVLR antennas tests from what I have seen on YouTube seemed to outperform the Alpha antennas but the FPVLR's
should, they are four times the cost versus the Alpha's.
 
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pater, I have seen tests on the Alpha and stock antennas and what the fellas have said was that the Alphas would double the range. I have seen
fellas use just one Alpha and a stock one and get decent range but two of these if positioned correctly, "Alpha logo side pointed at the quad" should
get you good range. I tested the two stock antennas and also one stock plus a Alpha the range was better than just the two stock antennas.
I went ahead and used both Alphas and there was a increase in range over using one stock plus one Alpha. A 1 km. range was easily made using
the two Alphas. The Alpha antennas are directional so they have to be pointed at the quad when flying. My testing was done over flat ground and
away from WiFi signals. The FPVLR antennas tests from what I have seen on YouTube seemed to outperform the Alpha antennas but the FPVLR's
should, they are four times the cost versus the Alpha's.

EZL, thanks for tips. So in this case i will order two alpha antennas. Now with stock antennas my connection is broken at 40 meters agl so it is so baaaad.
 
EZL, thanks for tips. So in this case i will order two alpha antennas. Now with stock antennas my connection is broken at 40 meters agl so it is so baaaad.
Buying off of Amazon, you get a pair of the antennas so don't order two you will end up with 4! Happy Flying!
 

That's called "Co-Phasing" two antennas I don't advise it since the coax has some loss at that frequency, coax lengths get more critical in length and
can cause the transmission/receive pattern to change and worse they can degrade receive gain and add a high SWR to your controller. A high SWR
could burn out the controller's transmitter! Go with the FPVLR antennas if you want range.
 
I was at the beach at the weekend and only got just over 1000 feet before RTH kicked in. I also have the mro mod.

At the end of the pier when it starts to climb is RTH kicking in

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Looks like you might be behind a building on the pier when RTH kicked in. If you ever lose signal throttle up to a higher altitude to let the quad
reestablish connection and also WiFI interference can cause all kinds of problems with the quad.
 

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