External Antenna Mod On The H. A Bit Differently

Tom C · Nov 19, 2016

Hi so as I've been preparing to do the H external antenna mod on mine ie getting all that I need, making sure I don't need to or want to anything else while I have it all broken down etc. but as I've seen so many with the H do the Mod where they only put a very small antenna on each side, I have also recently seen a T shaped "super" diople antenna on one of the sites that builds the various long range antenna kits I believe it was rexuav.com but cannot seem to find it listed anywhere anymore. Those various items that I've seen have made me curious as to whether or not I can bring my antenna cable out of my H then down just a bit on each landing gear leg about 2-3" then either install one of those T Shaped Super Diople Antennas that I mentioned above or I was also thinking that instead of doing that because the T Diople antennas were a bit expensive when I last saw them, I was thinking after bringing the cable down the leg a bit to a T antenna connector & after that point connect a 7dBi Gain antenna onto each side of the T connector & so after I finish my H would have 4 total external antennas being that 2 are on each leg one point forward & the other pointing towards the rear. Or one more scenario I could try if it may be more beneficial to me for better range from the antennas if I instead of connecting the antennas directly to the T adapter making them point straight forward & straight backward perfectly level horizontally, thinking of adding 45 Degree angled adapter to each side of the T adapter making so that the forward facing antennas on each side/leg would be facing down at a 45 degree angle & the rear antennas on each side/leg would then be facing downward on a 45 degree angle toward the ground. Then in a either of the scenarios that i choose to go with for my antennas, when I retract my landing gear the antennas would almost make an X shape if the antennas where connected with the 45 degree angle adapters.

My biggest question/concern with doing my external antenna mod on my H is whether I'd be gaining anything more by extending my antenna cable down the legs to connect to two antennas on each side then, or would I experience basically the same signal boost/amplification if I only stayed with doing the normal external antenna mod on my H that most others do where the antenna is just relocated to the outside of the body and then small antennas connected to each external antenna adapter?

BobW55 · Nov 19, 2016

Tom,
What you are proposing may work, or make things worse. An antenna can NOT amplify a signal. It can direct or concentrate the signal more in one direction and less in others. Think of a flashlight, if you remove the reflector, the light is emitted in all directions and will appear dimmer in a room. Put the reflector back on and you have a nice bright beam in one direction. You have not changed the light output, just concentrated it in one direction.
That being said, make sure that the antenna on the aircraft match the polarization of the antenna on the ST-16. Antenna manufactures always inflate the gain factor of their antennas so be careful when choosing. The dipole you're looking at should provide better performance, and still remain pretty omni directional but have some null when the tips face right at you. Watch your weight, could cost you more than you want in flight time. If you are looking at "PHASING" or stacking two antennas together on the same output, you need to build a phasing harness of exacting lengths or it will not work well at all.

I am NOT pushing for the American Radio Relay League "ARRL" but they publish a very good antenna book. While it covers all the Amature radio bands, it also gets into Ghz antennas.
I applaud you willingness to experiment. I currently use an HF antenna at home, that should not work at all, but performs better than anything else I have ever made and put up. And it was made on a what if idea.

Tom C · Nov 20, 2016

Thank you so much for that information Bob especially informing me of the ARRL American Radio League which I will definitely be buying at least a copy if not subscribing to them because I'd like to learn as much as possible about antenna's for improving my H signal as well as improving my home wifi signal which I've always had trouble with. Yes I know what you are saying about the fact that an antenna cannot "Amplify" the signal of any wireless setup which I'm not trying to do I was only mentioning I guess the rating of which they rate the antennas gain ability. When you say make sure the antenna's on the H match the polarization of my ST16, Does that still apply or matter when for ST16 I'm now using the Brand New Itelite DBS05.6B antenna ie the triple antenna version they just released & then on the H the antennas I've always been planning on using are omni directional, I know what polarization means cuz I have a few 5.8gHz LHCP 6 turn Helical antennas that I was going to use before I found out that Itelite was redesigning their antennas to work with the triple antenna output ST16 just not whether it applies to my setup or not?

Yes I really know what you are talking about when you talk about watching my weight because I own 2 LumeCubes with the H 3D printed mount & just when I put that relatively small & light weight setup & then fly with it I really feel the difference in how it flies & see how it impacts flight time. Ok now where you mention about "PHASING" or stacking two antenna's together on the same output & you mention that I would need to build a PHASING Harness of exacting length or else my results will be the same or worse than when I started, But what I had in mind when talking about connecting 2 antenna's onto the same output I was thinking of routing a single wire down the leg just a bit to a Brass Threaded T antenna adapter that would then either split the single antenna connection end into two connections or after the T adapter I was possibly thinking of connecting a 45 degree adapter to each side of the T so that rather than having the 2 antennas point horizontally level towards the front & the rear either when the landing gear is down or retracted, with adding on the 45pdegree angle adapter it would then make the antennas (when landing gear is down) facing the front & back at a 45 degree angle toward the ground sort of like this: / \ rather than flat like this --- ---, (then when landing gear is retracted) the antennas would be flat & level horizontally but if you were to look down at the H you'd see the antennas make an X shape because each antenna would be pointing towards each corner if the H was a square box. So do you think I'd get any better results as far as signal if I were to install the 2 antennas on each side of the H in either one of those above scenarios that i explained or would i be just as good or better off if I were to just bring the antennas to the outside of the body on the H & then connect a single antenna to each side either right at the body connection or would I run it down the leg a bit first then attach an antenna? In any of these situations I'd most likely be using the same omnidirectional antennas that are about 8" long & they have a joint on them so that I'd be able to adjust them to any angle. So with that said if I were only to use a single antenna on each side of the H should I point them directly vertically straight down or should I face them straight horizontally backward or at 45-degree angles? I'm also planning on possibly adding in a micro sized antenna signal booster that I believe will be 2Watts unless I can find any higher powered ones that are extremely small & lightweight plus in addition to that on each side I was thinking about also adding a filter so that I don't end up gaining ton of wireless noise by adding the signal boosters.

One last question for you, I've been wanting to learn a whole lot more about every aspect of our drones, so I've been contemplating getting some magazines & subscriptions but don't know what ones are even worth it that will tell me about what I'm particularly interested in & not tell me all about all the small drones or drones that are way astronomically high priced that they should be commercial drones. I just want some magazines that tell me one about the antennas like you already suggested then one or multiples that cover a bit about batteries, news & info about our size or our category of drones & possibly about hobby tools that relate to our H & about accessories that could fit on our H's etc. Im hoping to find as few magazines as possible ie like hope that I'm able to find a magazine that touches all or most of my wanted subjects categories.. Thank You So Much Again for your info
Tom C

PatR · Nov 20, 2016

If you are planning on altering the C2 system the first thing you need to do is obtain a HAM operator's license. After that peruse sites where DIY drone design is prevalent.

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Tom C · Nov 21, 2016

Um PATR I have no clue what your talking about but from the sounds of what you wrote & seeing a few others around this forum it's sounding like instead of helping me or giving good advice that your instead trying to Police everyone to make sure that they are in fact in full compliance with whatever rule that the thread topic is. Because I keep seeing many people answering question with things like Oh do you have your 107 license cuz if your going to do anything like ** then you need to first get your license, or rather the more prevalent ones that are always policing people on here that talk about antenna signal improvement or similar & always having to make sure to tell them that they need to stay withing VLOS or saying off crack comments like oh wow are you sure that is still following the LOS rules. Im sorry but im getting fed up with that kind of policing type crap because the reality is that its our own lives & if we want to go out & Speed above the speed limit on the freeway then that is our business & whenever doing that activity you are always bound to get slowed down & blocked by these people that want to make sure that everyone's following the rules & not going above the speed limit so even though the far left lane is always & only designated for passing & Not just staying in that lane.

What I'm trying to do with my drone is fully militarize it with 9mm ammo & the works!!! What's the comment I get for typing that?? Anyway what Im really trying to do is just do the normal external antenna mod on my H but instead of just leaving the antenna connection right at the body of the H Im bringing it down into a T splitter then connect 2 antennas on to each side & if your suggesting that I need a HAM radio license just so that I can install small 2 Watt antenna boosters onto my antenna setup that is insanely ludicrous of a suggestion because the resulting end output power from the antennas is so small that it again is insane. To need a HAM License one would need to be wanting to be able to communicate over an entire state its called a 2 Meter license which is actually on reference to the power output of their antennas which based on the fact that the antennas they use are about 20 feet long or more I'm pretty much guaranteed never to come close to that kind of signal strength. The only answers I was after where whether I'd be improving my signal by using 2 antennas instead of just a single on each side. Thanks Tom C

BobW55 · Nov 21, 2016

Tom,
Pat is only trying to point out that if you make any changes to the transmitted output power, you have to obtain an FCC license to do so. A HAM radio license would allow you to use a higher output on the 2.4 and 5.8 bands.
Yes many people on here will jump on anyone that wants to be unsafe. It will only take one careless person to ruin the hobby for all of us.
And yes I hold a General class Ham radio license.

PatR · Nov 21, 2016

It's a point many don't understand. The H is delivered in a form that is certified compliant with FCC regulations and to alter the configuration requires the work to be performed by an individual licensed to make such alterations and must remain compliant with FCC regulations. It's why they are range limited. If you don't have the equipment to test the end result you don't know what the effects were, and if the change generates interference for someone else you just created a problem. Attempts to extend the range by altering power output or changing antennas violates several published regulations with both the FCC and FAA.

I'm not part of the multirotor enforcement society but I do think people should be cognizant of things before initiating an action that might back up on them later. This is especially true for anyone that might hold a 107.

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mike presley · Nov 26, 2016

Don't the last model of the h have external antennas? Mine has two peaces that run inside of landing gear that I never see on other pics and they have wires running in them.

Michael Brown · Nov 26, 2016

Tom C said:
Hi so as I've been preparing to do the H external antenna mod on mine ie getting all that I need, making sure I don't need to or want to anything else while I have it all broken down etc. but as I've seen so many with the H do the Mod where they only put a very small antenna on each side, I have also recently seen a T shaped "super" diople antenna on one of the sites that builds the various long range antenna kits I believe it was rexuav.com but cannot seem to find it listed anywhere anymore. Those various items that I've seen have made me curious as to whether or not I can bring my antenna cable out of my H then down just a bit on each landing gear leg about 2-3" then either install one of those T Shaped Super Diople Antennas that I mentioned above or I was also thinking that instead of doing that because the T Diople antennas were a bit expensive when I last saw them, I was thinking after bringing the cable down the leg a bit to a T antenna connector & after that point connect a 7dBi Gain antenna onto each side of the T connector & so after I finish my H would have 4 total external antennas being that 2 are on each leg one point forward & the other pointing towards the rear. Or one more scenario I could try if it may be more beneficial to me for better range from the antennas if I instead of connecting the antennas directly to the T adapter making them point straight forward & straight backward perfectly level horizontally, thinking of adding 45 Degree angled adapter to each side of the T adapter making so that the forward facing antennas on each side/leg would be facing down at a 45 degree angle & the rear antennas on each side/leg would then be facing downward on a 45 degree angle toward the ground. Then in a either of the scenarios that i choose to go with for my antennas, when I retract my landing gear the antennas would almost make an X shape if the antennas where connected with the 45 degree angle adapters.

My biggest question/concern with doing my external antenna mod on my H is whether I'd be gaining anything more by extending my antenna cable down the legs to connect to two antennas on each side then, or would I experience basically the same signal boost/amplification if I only stayed with doing the normal external antenna mod on my H that most others do where the antenna is just relocated to the outside of the body and then small antennas connected to each external antenna adapter?

I have always used the stock antennas mainly because it fits into the travel case perfectly, any other modification and I have an extra step before I can put the ST-16 away. But I keep the drone fairly close, seldom does it get out of sight.