FPV long-range RC options

[@thenar]

I've come to depend on your well presented, knowledgable reviews and thank you much.

[@MatthewSprigings]

As an Electrical engineering student I really enjoy these more technical videos. Good to see some of the things we learn in class in practice. Cheers Bruce.

[@CZorzellaYT]

Bruce, I simply love the way you turn complicated things into something quite easy to understand. Thanks!

[@Seniorpyronaut]

Hi Bruce, did you show a usual Wifi booster? Does the frequency band of a 2.4 GHz Wifi booster exactly fits to our 2.4 GHz RC output band with its 80 channels?

[@jrockett11]

Fantastic explanation of how to increase FPV range. Yes that would be five thumbs up in my book! Thanks Again! JR

[@LuisRussi750]

It's nice to have a steady flow of videos again, Thanks Bruce

[@kevinavis5080]

Ive got time for this guy , he knows what he's on about

[@CrackerMcGillicuddy]

I can't afford to buy any more RC stuff but I'll vicariously fly your new RC stuff Bruce. Thanks for the videos.

[@aussieaeromodeler]

concerning the 2.4ghz booster , can I use the same type of booster on my 2.4ghz fpv camera , the camera has a 2.4 ghz transmitter and I use my phone for the fpv video , I get plenty of range out of my RC transmitter but lose video signal . I was planning on using a 2.4Ghz Signal Booster Amplifier For DJI Phantom , it looks small enough to install in the camera housing , but if not I can mount it inside the drone , so would that be a go or no go , and if no , why not ? any thoughts on that one ?

[@whenpigsflyfpv]

Thrilled to have you back.

[@HensleysBluegrass]

Great kick off to 2013 Bruce! Here in the USA, 420-450MHz is the 70cm ham band. I've been hoping to use my license to get a UHF module for my 9X. So the future info you've eluded to in this video is very exciting to me. Thanks!

[@Soldier53flyer]

I would like to see how you bind the Rmilec and how to set up the 2.4g booster, It is great to have you back! thank you for all your videos. I did not know a thing till I found you on youtube.

[@Lithoushine]

Im soo glad you made this video. i started off wondering how to increase the range of my rc link and i got a u.fi to a sma adapter for my futaba 2.4 so i could put what ever antenna i want on it. using a 8db patchi i could fly out to 2miles no problems. to get even more i got a 500mw wifi booster with the 8dbi i got 10km easy. and i thought why doesn't every one do this it's so easy and so cheap but there is not much info on forms or in videos on this topics. so good job and keep it up

[@goriverman]

Thanks, you always make very knowledgable and informative and very interesting video's. We should call you professor rc.

[@herryswastika3708]

Its 2021 and nubie here and the video is still very very informative.. thank you sir

[@Left-Earth]

*"I always believed Santa Claus was into RC'S."* 🎅 🏎️💨

[@failsafedji1745]

Lol 😂

[@bodyboardingbum]

Thanks Bruce! Interesting going back and re-watching these, information is just as useful. You seem so much more relaxed here :P

[@beyondfossil]

I'm using an L-Com 2.4GHz 1-watt booster with an antenna on the roof of my SUV. Great solid reliable range! Now I'm looking for a 2W booster with a user selectable switch for 1W and 2W. Then fly most of the time at 1W. If at the edge of range and getting flaky link, I can temporarily boost to 2W to turn the aircraft around and return to 1W for normal flight. The switch would allow one to "feel" the range of the radio without necessarily RTL. In combination with RTL, it would be even better.

[@rpgeezus]

Great video. The biggest drawback with UHF, IMO, is that you need a UHF receiver in each of your planes. With boosting all of your planes will work without any upgrades.

[@Coachnickhawley1]

again a great explanation. very comprehensive and approachable. thanks again!!!

[@CurryKitten]

Looking forward to seeing what your findings are here Bruce, especially on the cheaper side of things.

[@pokies100]

World first - biggest sizzers for thinnest plastic bag. But also flying to see FPV footage into a volcano. Well done RC Dante. Rod:-)

[@MrGolden28473]

Great vid. Love to see reviews on the range and use of this, and other long range systems.

[@mincoffnz]

Hi Bruce Nice to see a new video of you! RMILEC its not very good, or at least I havent heard very good reviews about it. Here in Argentina we most use dragon link for the rc, and 1.2ghz 800mw video, with 6dbi antenas for close flights(up to 3 or 4 km), and jsut a patch antena to fly far away. I´ve seen they go up to 30km without anyproblem at all. In my city a guy went to 75km away(and back) without anyproblem with a thomas LRS. Big hug Bruce!!

[@glassdogangle]

How come at 10:45 you had to bleep out "Dragonlink" from the audio Bruce?

[@jrcampen]

Those scissors looks like they would give off a fair bit if dirty RF if you throw them I'm sure. Great video by the way. Thanks

[@disturbed730]

Hey Bruce, ibcrazy makes a brand new notch filter you can put in between the UHF module and antenna. Cheap too. The key to success with lrs is to shield wires, spacing components, as many do not get along well and understand what causes the harmonics so you may put in the proper filters. (high pass, low pass, saw, notch) btw Your going to love the penguin. Good luck trying to get her to land, she floats forever. The larger motor allows a 4s and has more than enough power to push her vertically.

[@devinduncan6922]

Might be useful (from Cisco data): 0 dBm = 1mW 1 dBm = 1.25 mW 2 dBm = 1.56 mW 3 dBm = 2 mW 4 dBm = 2.5 mW 5 dBm = 3.12 mW 6 dBm = 4 mW 7 dBm = 5 mW 8 dBm = 6.25 mW 9 dBm = 8 mW 10 dBm = 10 mW note that it is a log scale, not linear. ... BUT: if your transmitter does not put out the power, the larger antenna does not increase transmitter power as indicated... it will only increase output up to the limit of the power (mW) available. In other words, a system designed around a 3 dBm antenna most likely will not reach 3.12 mW simply by adding a 5 dBm antenna.

[@jbx907]

+Devin Duncan yes its log, 0 dBm is the base power, now 3 dBm is actually double power gain. a system that outputs 1watt @50ohm with a 0dB gain will create a radiation of 1 watt equivalent, if you increase your antenna gain by a factor of 3dB, your radiated power will be equivalent to twice or 2 watts.

[@000006rapture]

Interesting question. I bought this system 6 months ago but i was unable to use it seeing I was so busy at work. All the people I see on youtube using it says how good it is but in the forums persons that do not have it or have the more expensive system say that RIMLEC is the worse of the lot. So i look forward to a review from Bruce.

[@joellerue850]

thank you for explain this as simple as possible. very well done

[@brooksy2mike]

Thanks for your review. Tried a mod to my futaba t6j using a cheap rp-sma to (small pcb connector?) wire and a 7dBi antenna from ebay. Only got 150m before RTH kicked in. Did a range check on the ground with the antenna pointing straight up (not at plane) and only got about 15 paces away. Could this be a dodgy cable or antenna or am I missing something? Thanks

[@franciscourena5636]

Nice presentation Is it possible to rely on GPS GPS waypoints to travel farther distance than relying on the antenna???

[@ROBOTRIX_eu]

Hi! What about 72mhz transmitters? Almost nobody uses this frequency, right? There were some futaba 72mhz..

[@alexromanovskiey7439]

you have done reviews on all of the FPV equipment except for long range safety and GPS trackers. I lost my Bix 3 and later purchased a PinPointRC Black box, the next time I crashed my Skywalker I found it within minutes. you should ask them to do a review for them

[@eastcoast78]

yup me to,, so stoked...you get what you pay for..another good thing with DL, the support is 110% either it be from Mike himself, DL's testers, or the community!

[@johnnotts2]

You sir know your shit! I think you are single handedly persuading me to spend a lot of money on FPV...Great and technically informative videos.

[@BeefaloBart]

Can 433mhz UHF TX/RX be modified to run on 440 band so us Hams can run a brick or other amp to run 10-15 watts power and get extended range via a good Yagi antenna for the ground station and dipole for the plane?

[@Zodaz86]

Always love your videos. They are very informative.

[@bryg63]

Looking forward to your review on the rmilec unit. I've had pretty good luck with it with 5.8ghz video, but seems less on 1.3ghz video. When I say good luck, I fly an fpv quad, and have been out to just at, or slightly beyond 1 mile. Thanks for your videos!

[@tugrasarchive]

I want my car to have the best range (2.4 GHz). What can you recommend? The range should be very large, have FPV. Any 2.4 GHz boosts? which receiver and radio?

[@puretoronto]

Considering the Rmilec UHF system for my 9XR. Looking forward to your review!

[@steveUSMCpageNOTOLERANCE]

Of the 5,8---900 mgh systems ,witch on has the most range out of the box. Thanks steve

[@fpvrcstuff]

I've had an RMILEC for over a year with no problems , I got rid of that stupid long sectional antenna and bought a RH771 From ........... but the module got quite hot........I ended up buying a RMILEC SRC771 ,now it runs cool and is much better looking ....Good luck over the volcano !

[@hons5703]

Can i do on my Eachine E013?

[@slothFPV]

nice scissors

[@K3nseiii]

@Maximilian Brandon Is this some sort of meme or something? I've seen this same comment on like 2 other videos lol

[@puddingpimp]

1dB, dBm is a measure of power (0dBm = 1 milliWatt, 30dBm = 1 Watt). Other than that you are correct, 1dB loss for each connector in the system is typical at 5.8GHz. You can get much better connectors down to 0.05dB loss, but they are crazy expensive, and only really used for precision measurement (eg. calibration labs).

[@zostritch]

Thanks Bruce very informative and interesting cant wait to see the outcome of the volcanic flight

[@AlexanderOslanbg]

Good day, Thanks You very much for Your videos! I'm very new to RC hobby's and it all seems like something extremely complicated to understand for a person who never was involved with RC or radio world. May I ask You to be kind enough to advise me what should I purchase in order to increase my Dji Phantom Vision+'s RC range and FPV range. The RC is 5.4GHz, and the wifi range extender for FPV is 2.4GHz. Thanks You in advance, Sincerely Alex

[@robertwong2412]

I know this video is old, but I've recently got a turbowin RY-2.4 to boost my 2.4g signal not for range but for resistance against interference from wifi and 2.4g towers nearby. Model is going wonky and crashing at certain area in the sky. I wonder if these boosters would help eliminate or reduce risk of crashing?

[@MrBobinAZ]

Yet another excellent and informative video. Thanks!

[@jfan4reva]

Legal limit on power probably depends on the country. In the US, there is a 1 watt 'hard' limit that even people with amateur radio licenses can't exceed. The WiFi booster would get you in trouble here if you start crashing wireless routers and the owner notices that "it only happens when that guy shows up and flys his model airplanes."

[@RockandRollRC]

"The old money"... Love it!

[@ThePavelrg]

pretty good video. I should have seen it 4 days ago before buying the rmilec system.

[@imemyself2820]

I watched some videos of the TBS crossfire using their own protocol, CRSF or something. Range is easily up to 40 km, freq is 900mhz and latencies lower than 150ms. But it comes at a price, minimum 99 dollars. You could look into that.

[@jackthediscoverer]

I've got a question. What transmitter is possible for a 20km range for a RC Plane?

[@glassdogangle]

You won't regret it. I flew with 72mhz for 8 months, constantly dealing with RTL glitches at random distances (sometimes even 1km or less!). I have not had a single RTL glitch in about 30 flights or so, out as far as 7km. What is stopping me from going further? Battery capacity, and even moreso, video range! RC range is no longer my concern!

[@jocheluich]

Very interested in the RMILEC review :=) Great videos and reviews as always !

[@stevengrey1948]

Bruce, So glad your back. How about using amateur radio bands for control and video links? In the USA we can use 50MHz to control models and with license in theory we can output 1500 watts. We can also use 430Mhz ish for video. I always wondered if it was feasible to use such bands to gather further range. I am little rusty on my ham rules but i believe the technology is there to do it. Maybe the size is not...

[@MatthewJones-gi9kl]

Hi I added a cpl 2.4 ghz boosters and a booster pack to a mavic drone. As I understand one antenna is a transmitter and one antenna is a receiver? Should the booster be reversed on the receiving side? The boosters have a power led and an antenna led and the antenna led receiving side only comes on with the input coming from the antenna to the controller and does not lite up the opposite. The transmitter side does light up with the controller hooked up to the input side and the antenna hooked to the output side. Thanks for any input.

[@Y3ll0wSoda]

great video! i personally want more ads on your channel. i think this because we want you to be able to make more reviews with the money you make off the videos.

[@traviscozza7177]

Ive been flying rc for 25+ years and am just now getting into fpv. I bought the goggles, cameras etc over a year ago and have yet to use them. Im wanting long range. I live in Yosemite Ca. Im sure their is very VERY little interference here. Can you help me by letting me know wich is the best option for me here for long range?

[@gailbarwise7329]

viewing this from prince Edward Island Canada. Your smart as hell.. keep me educated. . want more. . btw my name is Peter

[@brandonwoodford579]

Hello. I have exactly booster as you. Do you think this is safe to do on a Taranis x9d SE with the sunhans mini booster?

[@kylejohnson779]

Have you tested the range with the 5dB antenna? My understanding (from my experience in audio) was that every 10 dB is equivalent to doubling the volume level. I'm not sure how that translates to radio so you may want to try and confirm that you can actually get 3-6km range with the bigger antenna

[@MichaelKGizzonimo]

One day I'll be learning along with one of Your videos and the Volcano down the street will cut it short! I'll be mad.

[@puddingpimp]

I would love to see one day electrically steerable phased array antennas for model aircraft. this is basically a high gain antenna that automatically points at the transmitter/receiver, but instead of mechanically turning, uses electronics in the antenna to change it's beam pattern. This would effectively make the range limited only by line of sight and flight time. Combining a 30dBi ESPA on the aircraft and transmitter would give you a 60dB gain to link budget.

[@samlee7420]

I know nothing about signals and thanks for the education. I was wondering would it work if i connect a huge fish bone tv antenna or maybe a small tv dish satellite? With the amp that. Comes with it? Wanted to test some range limit on a self build quad.

[@rcramosrc]

You Sir are a frequency mad scientist, very informative, thx!

[@BMSWEB]

It's interesting because RMILEC seems to have a bad reputation from people who have never used it. Anyone that's ever told me its no good, the first question I've asked is "Do you have first hand experience" and to this day the answer has been no. I've seen it used a number of time, even out to 25klms and its been rock solid. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on this one Bruce

[@stevefox3763]

whats the situation with the boosters if you use a transmitter like flysky that uses duel antennas? can you get away with using it on one antenna or do you need to buy two to cover both antennas?

[@priyabratasaha5385]

can a television with it's own antenna can receive signals from a fpv transmitter? Not a tv connected via AV cable with an fpv receiver module. But directly by TV's own antenna, despite of having loss of range. I want to know the signal type of fpv. If it is the same as local tv station or different. If the video receiver inside a television does the same work of a fpv receiver. Here I'm talking about the small TVs, probably 5" or 7" or 9", not a full size TV of course. I searched for this topic in RCModelReviews, some other channels, and on google also. But there is no stuff on this topic. If possible, give a review on those wireless signals with this topic. Else help me with a reply please.

[@jamesellis5445]

Priyabrata, I'm pretty sure you're going to need some form of external video receiver, either with a TV set or small monitor screen. The many frequencies that an FPV system can operate at, are not able to be picked up by the regular TV's Analog tuner (except possibly as noise), and definitely not by the TV's Digital tuner, which operates at a completely different band and frequency. If indeed you could transmit your signal on the TV's Analog tuner's frequency (would require a custom built VTx) the regulatory bodies controlling the Airwaves where you live, would probably have a few issues with it. Hope this helps clarify your question (sorry I'm not Bruce.)

[@percypongoable]

As a rule you lose 1dBm per connector and depending on what cable you use for the tail, there will be a data sheet stating what the losses are per meter of said cable. So on your quad, you will probably have minimal loses. If your really wanting to know that your Ae system is effecient you could try and sweep it for VSWR, but thats specialized kit unless you work in telecoms. In all as long your connectors and cable are good quality and terminated properly I would say don't worry about thelosses

[@crenn6977]

What spectrum analyser did you get? Also, just a warning for some, be careful and check your local laws about using RF boosters, some countries there are restrictions on using them.

[@MrCasehatter]

Bruce you need some heat in there where you can help year round. Thanks and keepem coming man we missed ya...

[@biscuitbassbroom7306]

i forgot to say thank you for yr vids they are proving very helpfull

[@puddingpimp]

Very difficult to get good coupling. It's possible but you might lose a lot of signal before it gets to the booster, if the booster has enough gain to make up the loss, it might be worth it. Also you want to start with a clean signal, any noise at the transmitter is noise at the receiver and reduces performance, and the cheap transmitter might not have as clean output as a good radio with a removable antenna.

[@cbluebeard]

Hey Bruce! Are you going to try out/review the TBS Crossfire?

[@babylonhobbiesandfpv4862]

My names Bruce too ! And am into fpv quads and fixed wing as well !

[@locouk]

Flying close to a volcano, would it be best to cover the model in a Mylar heat reflective survival blanket?

[@FPVav8tr]

Bruce, Thanks for your videos. Question. You mention by changing the stock antennas only, you can affectivly gain about 40% in range. But what is the approx gain in distance when using the 2 watt wifi booster vs the 60mw transmitter power? Assuming you are using the same gain antenna. Thanks.

[@CianLyford]

How can i customize a little Hubsan X4 FPV for a thing so i can plug an antenna into and also what shall i get just to increase the range a little bit looked on ebay but dont really understand this stuff as iam a begginer

[@JbotMischief]

Glad to see you back Bruce :-) Nice scissors mate.

[@floridacoder]

Really enjoy your videos! Makes me want to visit the land down under. Question about the booster... Would the antenna still provide some gain if the power was not applied to the booster (meaning booster connects to radio and antenna, but power is on a switch and the switch is off). What I have in mind is using the boost as an insurance policy (flip a switch and my range gets extended). Because it could cause problems for other people to have on all of the time, I would rather use high gain antennas and modest power most of the time, and the booster just when I need it. But I want the switch to the booster to be a simple toggle switch with no antennas to change. Do you know if there are any repercussions with this approach - either significant loss or possible damage to the transmitter module when the power to the booster is off?

[@ferp009]

i like to know too

[@ferp009]

thanks!!

[@davidmarkwood7314]

NO

[@BelperFlyer]

Interesting video as usual Bruce but perhaps you might have pointed out that operating RC model control on 2.4gHz in some countries means limited power. I think in the UK it's 100mW (not sure, it may be less) but it's certainly less than 2 watts!

[@jasonformosa8519]

In oz we have 2 major carriers 99% coverage and uptime or close to it.. Yes you would run into problems with the modem being assigned a different IP every instance it logs on or connects. An easy fix if diverted through a proxy VPN.. If connection is lost gps can still auto return to home..

[@padcom]

This is the craziest thing ever that's been bothering me for ages. Everyone says "put your RX on one wing and the VTx on the other one". Sure, that can't hurt, but how big of a difference it is when you have for example the RX on 2.4GHz and the VTx on 5.8GHz and you put them, let's say, 10cm apart and ~5cm from the rest of the electronics. How much shorter will the range be as opposed to let's say 1m separation between the two and ~50cm apart from the FC?

[@glassdogangle]

No. Got it cleared up. No copyright, just an audio glitch.

[@B0M0A0K]

Good video Bruce. Now, as to where you have been recently. You tell us that you have been reworking your workshop then you produce a pair of sheers. Truth be told the festive season has always been a busy one for you ... hasn't it Santa :-)

[@SjwNz08]

To cut the bag open you got the big tin snips instead of the scissors that was sitting right next to the tin snips which made me laugh.

[@francoishaha]

thanks Bruce for this video. I look foward to the Rmilec review

[@daggad02]

Big boys have big scissors ! ;) Yet another great video Bruce. I have learned a LOT from you. Thanks mate !

[@Luke-P]

would it be possible to modify the 9x to have a screw on antenna?

[@thomaslewis7883]

well done ,very informative ,cheers from the USA .So a 2.4 radio of one brand or more expensive model wont give you any more range ? I guess it would have to conform to regulations,around the world.

[@wdanielbonner]

What about the same thing equally, but for the camera sir?

[@carbonwhite1]

Hi there love all your vids and they have been very help full but I do have one thing and that is what would the range be for a spectrum DX8 plus how do I get better rang with my for long range FPV

[@spamemail2971]

I want to start out with fog on my Rv car and I want it to be able to go in a 1 mile radius so I visit my freinds also there's houses everywhere so do you recommend something also I'm new to rc

[@FredoCorleone]

Latency? Is that comparable to a Crossfire module?

[@TonyVon]

I HAVE A HUBSAN H109S AND A H501S THAT I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND THE VIDEO AND DRONE RANGE, ABOUT 3 KILOMETERS TOTAL. I NEED A KIT OR A SHOP TO DO IT FOR ME IN GUYTON GEORGIA USA - ANY IDEAS ( I need the range for the copter the most)

[@glassdogangle]

Great vid, Bruce! It's too bad that people can't fly UHF in their country because of fear of getting fined. I have lots of videos on my channel of my dragonlink, which gets the theoretical 30km range you have heard of. I have taken my skywalker out to 10km with not a single failsafe. The words "glitch", "failsafe", and "intereference" do not exist in my dragonlink's vocabulary. It just does not happen. Very reliable systems.

[@roblock9847]

From your experience, or maybe some chatter you think is reputable, who produces the longer range stock transmitter at 2.4Mhz, in your opinion? (Futaba FrSky Spektrum in particular.)

[@stefanbachrodt7072]

Rob Lock Unfortunately this gentlemen is very very busy and does not, ever, find the opportunity to respond to his viewers queries. Lets cross fingers and hope some other experienced pilots come along to answer that for you.