DBSMODs antenna testing... 2.5miles so far!

DBS · May 4, 2015

Love the whole idea and concept to this little beauty... love the way it looks ... love the features ... love the attention to open source modding in the future ... the battery mount is just one hint at how well this thing is thought out... I can see battery upgrades coming down the pipe later on as size doesn't matter as much if it doesn't have to fit inside a battery bay...

This is the early Android to the DJI "Apple" like closed source lockdown... I believe this concept will do very well and I'm along for the ride 100% from the beginning.

I am a DJI Flyer with a P2V+ and a P3P and an Inspire 1... and i love my machines... but there is something in the air with this Solo that gets me hooked... Just can't stop looking at it... going over every detail and planning what I would do first as far as mods and changing little things to suit my taste.

Hopefully they knock this one out of the park with a stable release and let the rest of us turn it into the beast it was meant to be.

(I wonder how far I can make it go)

Jacob · May 4, 2015

DBS said:
Love the whole idea and concept to this little beauty... love the way it looks ... love the features ... love the attention to open source modding in the future ... the battery mount is just one hint at how well this thing is thought out... I can see battery upgrades coming down the pipe later on as size doesn't matter as much if it doesn't have to fit inside a battery bay...

This is the early Android to the DJI "Apple" like closed source lockdown... I believe this concept will do very well and I'm along for the ride 100% from the beginning.

I am a DJI Flyer with a P2V+ and a P3P and an Inspire 1... and i love my machines... but there is something in the air with this Solo that gets me hooked... Just can't stop looking at it... going over every detail and planning what I would do first as far as mods and changing little things to suit my taste.

Hopefully they knock this one out of the park with a stable release and let the rest of us turn it into the beast it was meant to be.

(I wonder how far I can make it go)

Yeah, same here. I think a company with nothing to loose makes a better product than a conservative company that has all the pressure.

rrmccabe · May 4, 2015

DBS said:
This is the early Android to the DJI "Apple" like closed source lockdown... I believe this concept will do very well and I'm along for the ride 100% from the beginning.

Chuck I have heard the DJI/Apple 3DR/Android analogy several times and some people get their feathers all ruffled but I personally think the comparison is spot on with DJI and 3DR

DBS · May 6, 2015

Can't find a better comparison Rich... and they both will have their strong points.

I like where this one is going because I'm a modder... just can't seem to leave well enough alone... and it looks like this platform will be much more receptive toward that consumer base

Ian [P13] · May 6, 2015

Just be aware if you do an internal mod you will impact the warranty, 3DR support are pragmatic and do bends the rules a bit in the customer's favour but I'm certain the 12 months and flyaway warranty will be made invalid and it would purely be at 3DR's discretion for any compromise they offered.

rrmccabe · May 6, 2015

I am sure this is true Ian and cant blame them. Lets see what sexy solution Iteltite comes up with for the controller. Nice thing about the 3DR you wont have to open up the controller to add antenna's.

Ian [P13] · May 6, 2015

That's correct, with the transmitter at least the antennas are external, so you should in theory be able to add higher gain ones, for more range without losing the warranty.

DBS · May 7, 2015

That's a big Plus... ease of upgrade without voiding warranty should attract a lot of us long range junkies for sure... and with 3DR working so closely with GoPro, I bet there's something in the works there as well.

Ghost_Quad · May 10, 2015

The itelite antenna coupled with the very generous amount of real estate available for larger (perhaps multiple) batteries should make this a standout platform....geterdone Chuck!

rrmccabe · May 10, 2015

I can't wait to see what it will do. I am sure its not going to fly anywhere near the distance the P3 will with lightbridge but if we can do something to get the range up to a solid mile I will be happy.

Ghost_Quad · May 11, 2015

rrmccabe said:
I can't wait to see what it will do. I am sure its not going to fly anywhere near the distance the P3 will with lightbridge but if we can do something to get the range up to a solid mile I will be happy.

Agree....5000ft would be sufficient, and more importantly extended battery life means extended production times...

rrmccabe · May 11, 2015

If I was not so turned off by DJI I would buy an advanced P3 just to fly for distance and cruising around. Something I am not too afraid to lose. My Vision plus works fine with modified antennas but the P3/ITELITE setup going out 3 miles sounds like fun

Hayabusadrew · May 11, 2015

rrmccabe said:
If I was not so turned off by DJI I would buy an advanced P3 just to fly for distance and cruising around. Something I am not too afraid to lose. My Vision plus works fine with modified antennas but the P3/ITELITE setup going out 3 miles sounds like fun

You are such a distance junkie. I guess distance matters

Please let us know how far you get the solo to go!

DBS · May 11, 2015

rrmccabe said:
I can't wait to see what it will do. I am sure its not going to fly anywhere near the distance the P3 will with lightbridge but if we can do something to get the range up to a solid mile I will be happy.

We've got it calculated out at just under 2 miles if 3DR has their specs accurate... won't really know until we get some testing done but one mile should be a piece of cake.

rrmccabe · May 12, 2015

Well looking forward to that as 1/2 mile wont cut it for me

Course for distance running the P3 is going to be the bird of choice.

DBS · Jun 5, 2015

Plan to do two flights in the morning ... one will be to max out the range on stock setup... and the next will be with one of 3 prototypes to see which polarity matches best.

Then again on Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday night to get things locked in solid.

rrmccabe · Jun 5, 2015

Cant wait. Anxious to see what stock range is on the aircraft as well as the modified range. I would like to get to 2 miles under ideal. Would like to retire the V+

David Weston · Jun 6, 2015

Mr. DBS, Reading your posts I am almost as excited as you and RR and cant wait to hear about your experience and results. I am very interested in your mods (and RR's) and would like some tech data when you have time. I know you are extremely busy and totally emersed in your projects but perhaps one day when you have time. Although I am not looking for extraordinary distance I am a firm believer in any application that improves wave propagation and receiver sensitivity, ie your Itelite design and set-up. I also believe in "altitude is life" and a strong signal and 400' sure sounds like an insurance plan to me. Best of luck and good flying.

Yourviewfromabove · Jun 6, 2015

Realy curious to see what range your getting

DBS · Jun 6, 2015

First tests are done... with stock setup I was able to reach out over 3500ft distance at around 400ft altitude...

Second run with the panel antenna got a mile and a half...