Two 5.8GHz FPV helical antennas compared

So what's the difference between a $10 "made in China" helical FPV antenna and one that costs more than eight times that price?
Even a quick look shows that the cheap product is unlikely to perform to the claimed specifications and appears top lack proper matching and tuning to the frequencies we use for FPV on our RC planes.
I will be flight-testing and comparing both antennas in an upcoming video but in the meantime, I'd suggest you hold off spending your money on the cheap option.
LInks:
The Circular Wireless antenna:
hobbyking.com/h...
The Himodel antenna:
www.himodel.com...

[@RCFunTime]

No point concluding if you haven't tested yet. I I'm looking forward to see the results. Thanks!

[@analog56x]

awesome work Bruce! cant wait to see how this stuff compares! i like watching your 'cheap stuff vs name brand stuff' videos

[@Rcschim]

Circular wireless are great! They really know their business and how to build the best antennas!

[@MyYouTubeHandleLink]

thank you for taking the time to truly explain difference, most people assume they are the same. i look forward to seeing more about fpv in detail! Thanks!

[@gittarpikk]

agreed...I would love to see some serious comparisons of the good and bad clover CP antennas...You could very well become the consumer report of 5.8 antenna gear!! IB has done a great job of educating the FPV crowd ...but no one testing the supposedly 'best' and comparing them.

[@ampedupelectronics]

actually helicoils are less prone to problems with polarization... having any kind of material around the coil esp. inside the core other than air will degrade the Q factor. However, to improve durability they are wound on some kind of dielectric material. Teflon is one of the better ones as thin as possible. Also -- the number of turns dictates how much gain the antenna will have. It is best to use pure silver wire over copper. It is the best conductor but more expensive. Gold is actually a worse electrical conductor than copper and much more expensive. It is only used in electronics to prevent oxidation. I am in the process of building one out of silver to test against some popular designs. Great video.

[@Takeyourvideo]

you should make a video flying with both to see the difference i can promise the one i bought is very similar but closed on top and it really works

[@XHover]

You should do one with the cheap clover leaf antennas.

[@MK2EA]

+X Hover I dont know if its my set up opr what im still new to this i bought a cheapish one from ebay from china and i cant get even 10 meters range, anyone know why?

[@smoothvirus]

Glad to see I made the right decision by going with the Circular Wireless antenna. It matches quite well with the antenna I got from Alex which is on the plane.

[@cotomaznaczyc]

It would be really interesting to see a comparison of Aomway 11dbi 7 Turn 5.8GHz Helical Antenna. It is reasonably priced and readily available all over the place.

[@smedhighfield49]

I am learning so much from this gentleman! Thank you for your time!

[@RobB_VK6ES]

The interesting thing with these helical antennas is the feed point impedance of 150 ohms, which compared to the usual 50 ohm impedance of 316 coax and the reciever makes for a lousy match (SWR 3:1or 75% efficiency) regardless of construction quality. Without a quarterwave 85 ohm matching stub you are pretty much stuck with the mismatch.

[@xjet]

Fortunately the mismatch is far less important for receivers than for transmitters and the effect can be mitigated somewhat by using a tuned-length of coax :-)

[@sparkey044]

I was given one of these and a skpw from circular wireless. It out flew my power batteries. I had to turn around and come back with out a glitch static, drop out. ot any interference. They are very well made and they work like they are supposed to.. Great product and it you think anything about your equipment, well worth the money. I can't praise them enough.

[@bunker1213]

For part two I'd love to see a bench test of the band match and gain for reference before taking these antennas out flying. As a comparison it would also be great if you could do a numerical comparison with a regular skew planar as ground antenna as well, I really want to know what an upgrade would give me. Thanks!

[@pablominervino9178]

Great Analysis. Return loss and radio link against a Tx Pattern might complete the review. Thank You!

[@MrMatVids]

I don't mean to be disrespectful, please don't take what I am about to say badly. I think that this video is a little bit pointless. All we have is your opinion that the antenna from China will be crap and the other one will be good. You haven't actually tested it. I know that you understand how antennas are constructed and how they work and you are most likely correct, but what is the point in releasing the video when you don't really have a conclusion based on some actual real world tests. Please don't take what I'm saying as an insult, it's just some constructive criticism.

[@xjet]

The point was to make it obvious that some things can be determined simply by virtue of inspection. The Chinese antenna is poorly made -- lacks physical support for the helix, has no impedance matching and is too large in diameter. The other antenna has excellent physical support, proper matching, a proper feed-point and a decent sized base-plate. The testing will come -- but given the clear deficiencies of the Chinese-made product, I figured it might be a good idea to alert people before they spend money on what they may think is a bargain. I won't be able to do any testing until CAA follow-through on their promise so if I waited until then, some folk may have wasted their money buying something that looks to be decidedly suubstandard.

[@Rchacker]

***** Just do a ground test with one of those 10mw TX modules. Not 'real life' but at least it is repeatable.

[@MrSteeJans]

This is a preliminary overview, and did in fact indicate further testing would be completed to confirm or corroborate the initial assessment. This video serves as an introductory perspective for people who are new to the topic. It does a very good job at identifying what aspects to watch out for when you take your cursory look at any helical antenna, because there are always a larger number of cheap imitations than there are real quality offerings. The tips of this video help someone new to the topic to quickly filter out the obvious bad considerations in order to save as much time as possible for closer examination of candidates that are in fact worthy of closer scrutiny. The assessment is based on highlighting the specific design features as they pertain to the laws of physics.....this is why it is credible: You can break the rules, but you can't break the laws of physics. If this was at all subjective, then it would be up for scrutiny. But to argue any of the points made, would be akin to arguing that wavelength has nothing to with frequency......it's just an opinion, right ? According to your 'constructive criticism', if you were shopping for a new SUV, your logic would have you performing exhaustive quality testing on every vehicle under the sun just because they all have 4 wheels and are therefore theoretical possibilities. The point to this video is there is a sound argument for not having to test everything.....but he's going to do it anyways in the next video just to prove that to you.....because people like you do exist....people who fail to see the purpose and instead fast forward to fixate on picking flies out of horse shit.

[@MrMatVids]

Paul Mason LOL. Did you actually just write all of that out based on my comment to Bruce made months ago. Top work my man, you call me on it. I'll go and walk away with my tail between my legs having been scalded by you. Again...LOL

[@courierdude7250]

Paul Mason Well said and I fully agree.

[@monjon868]

The circular wireless one works great directly attached to the fatshark goggles.

[@vk2icj]

Keep up the good work Bruce. I am looking forward to the practical on these. Chris

[@hotcarp12]

I can't believe the cheap one is LHCP? I wouldn't have noticed before I used it :/ Good pickup Bruce.

[@Raptor50aus]

yes would be good to compare say the cheap $10 HK cloverleaf with the spironets and bluebeam set

[@mscir]

How about tuning the cheap one. What about inserting a bolt in the back plate that you can move up or down to optimize the SWR, and adjusting the wind then gluing it in place. Do you have a way to show us SWR and optimizing it? That would be interesting. And you could slip a plastic tube over the outside of the windings to force them to the right diameter, then adjust the spacing until it's optimal. Do you have a way to let us see the optimal spacing on a scope in real time? That would be interesting.

[@MohitDewan]

Awesome initial review Bruce. Looking forward to the real world review.

[@danielbryan5155]

I notice you have a link to Himodel. I learned my lesson on a pair of their "precision tuned CP antennas" after paying to send them off for testing. At least this time it was true, you get what you pay for.

[@Ibushi]

What about the ones with no baseplate? I know someone that bought a helical, not sure of the actual performance until I actually get a chance to test it, but it's a helical wire, inside an acrylic tube, with an acrylic baseplate. Makes me wonder where they put the ground wire.

[@000006rapture]

I just bought one of those from Himodel. I wonder if I should have waited.

[@gtoonstra]

hahaha... wow, that hi model one just forcing the end of the antenna at the end to go through the middle by bending it a bit more. Sometimes detuned antennas work really great. One example is the ibcrazy turnstile antenna. It uses reactive coupling where the dipoles meet and somehow its performance seems to be great. (basically tuning for 405 and 470 to end up somewhere @ 433 Mhz when coupled together. Some people report blackouts at distance though. Looking forward to the results.

[@Cess182sn]

Do I detect a new 'vigour' in your persona since the news of your exemption. Wonderful news and I sincerely hope it comes to fruition.

[@cuddles6938]

Great video Bruce, I am sure a lot of us newbies would have no idea we were getting a piece of crap. Having dealt with China in other aspects of electronics there are a lot of companies who are basically college students in dorms and will sell you anything to make some cash.

[@lesliewoodmobile]

That video has been very usful to me Bruce. Just got in to fpv around three months ago,and Im using 5.8 With the clover leaf antennas. Been looking at getting better gain to fly at a bit distance in front of my self. And these should be right way to go. Look forward to seeing them in action.

[@victorm316]

I use nothing but circular wireless. Great review. They just need to come out with cross hair antennas

[@daggad02]

These helical antennas are very easy to make. I have bought some expensive ones but in real life they do not do any better then my own. And if you make a 3-4 turn or so helical, it is awesome to use on googles and have quite good coverage behind as well. Alex Greve (IBCrazy) has made some great inventions for the FPV community, we should be very grateful for all he has shared with us !

[@FabrícioAeromodelismo]

I agree 100%.

[@vlupis1]

What inventions?

[@whitehedr]

Looking forward to seeing the test results!

[@hpcoolahan]

Juan, from Circular wireless makes some top notch gear Bruce, you'll love it. Cheers Patrick

[@zimmy1958]

good stuff Bruce. fingers crossed if you know what I mean ;) your friend in the deep snow and -5f temp

[@jake08742]

Will the plastic cover on the cheaper one, will that stop a lot of the signal going thought ? A lot I have seen on KZbin they are using 10awg wire, which they recomend.

[@circuit-breakermi3865]

Looking forward to the SWR tests.....

[@str1d3rst3v0]

Could you please share the dimensions of the circular wireless antenna in more detail on the next video? Would love to try and build it! Nice vid!

[@crimondbanger]

would be nice to compare them to a home made one ? I built my own based on internet plans a couple of years ago and it is virtually identical to the circular wireless one. Total cost of mine about $10 , but theres is $85 !! is it worth it , i'd like to know.

[@incues]

You can use the tube of the cheap one as a protection cover for the more expensive one. Should slip over just fine…

[@heiligcrt]

Thanks Bruce, i learn a lot from your videos.

[@daleyoung87]

Bending the coil to the center would really make a difference?

[@Migueldeservantes]

Make one wonder how to measure the real gain from one antenna from an other! I just hope that some one here take the time to answer, usually the host never answer any questions to any one.

[@deanovshak999]

I like your videos. My problem is I am retired and living in the Philippines. I can not seem to find the parts I need here for extending my Dji PV2's antennas. Could you please tell me where you buy from and the name or part number of the sma pigtail I need. Thanks!!

[@HSPalm]

So, I guess anyone here would want to know how much more antenna you get paying 8 times the price. Now we have seen there are major quality differences, and also you pointed out some flaws which will theoretically distort your reception signal. Thank you! But if I am willing to sacrifice quality and buy a cheap antenna will I, in practice, notice any difference? Until it breaks because of bad mechanical support, of course....

[@xjet]

That's what the practical tests will determine. I've used a home-made 5.8GHz helical with good results and if you're able to work to relatively good accuracy, building such things is not too difficult. However, without expensive test gear it becomes hard to extract *maximum* performance -- which is why those who want that last meter of range will buy $84 antennas :-)

[@LPFthings]

I don't think anything RF obeys the laws of physics, it's borderline magic :P

[@CAGreve1231]

Very good review! If you like, you can send them to me and I will put them on my Vector network analyzer. I am certain Circular Wireless will do well. They are awesome antennas!

[@DavidKaden369]

Ive built one of your helical antennas and its working sooo great Alex!! I got over 1km with a 4 turn helical and only 20mW power on 5.8G with good picture quality :)

[@ryanomoso7173]

What is the max range you have achieve with the heliaxial58 antenna?

[@cand42]

Very good review! I'm looking forward to the follow-up. How does a helical compares to a patch antenna like the ImmersionRC SpiroNET Patch?

[@zodrik81]

the best one are from truerc.....the quality is just amazing

[@TheFarleyGordon]

Interesting to see the test What happen to Pt 2 diversity?

[@g0jsm]

circular wireless SWR is good I wonder what the el cheapo is like

[@helemakaki]

Question to all !!! who can tell me where i can buy a male to male sma coax cable similar to the ImmersionRC 5.8GHz Circular Polarized SpiroNet Antenna Coax cable, so i can add it to my helical antenna and have the option to position it around. Any ideas ??

[@baycityhobbies3767]

Hi Andrew. I can probably make this for you (or have my guys do it). If you can't find what you're looking for then feel free to drop me a chat. JR BCH

[@christianwetzel2199]

do you have the black canon from readymadeRC to compare it ?

[@tattoosfromgrease]

GREAT video! What about 3 turns 5.8GHz Antenna? Are they any good? Can't wait to see your comparisions! thank you!

[@swingbladez8062]

Great info, thank you Bruce!

[@IvanLayton]

you always give good advice , i was wondering if you could advise me on a battery for a blade 350QX. when i bought it last month they old me the wrong mains charger and i flattened my battery. i have a new charger, i've been using for two days, as you can see it is very slow. it is charging but slowly. as you may gather i am new to this hobby, i tried it twenty years ago but gave up, now i'm back but green. could you please advise mean. would be much appreciated. thank you.

[@philliprporter]

we are still waiting for your test comparison of the cheap antenna compared to the expensive one.

[@MeshJedi]

Hmm why focus on the diameter of the loops? It's a long time since I did any studying on this, but as far as I know, the diameter wouldn't affect the frequency, its the stance from the base to the same point on each loop that determines the wavelength/frequency, and even that can be different depending on whether you quarter, half, full or any other fraction of the wavelength antenna. by your judgment of diameter alone, David windeståls huge helical would be useless.

[@lcbastero]

waiting for the field test, sometimes you get surprises.....Thanks anyway !

[@jimhudson2108]

Love your vids Bruce but a review of 2 antennae without even passing some signals through them???

[@hansaya]

Can you make a big video on just antenna's and whats best?

[@jackheartpersonal2072]

really enjoy the antenna reviews ~ thanks

[@_a.z]

Silver plated wire would help!

[@CADSchool]

a bit of a newbie question - do these types of antenna have to be pointed towards the model?

[@xjet]

Yes, they are directional.

[@4DBWW]

So has he put up a dated one on the comparison yet?

[@rogerramjuice2562]

Can this be used with 5.8 repeaters?

[@Yonex333]

Waiting for the second part...

[@elainegmorrison]

Can I get a helical (larger) for my OTA TV? I'm noticing the best antenna which works is a figure 8 Clearstream. But I need more signal coming in, and also clean. Directional and 8x bowtie multi didn't add anything. My signal is bouncing off the wrong direction from buildings (not its radial of origin) so the multi does a good job of SNR. I want more of the same. I was thinking exactly of a copper helical multiple multi and directional combined like the tiny ones you've demonstrated. I need it 8" diameter though. I might have to make it myself.

[@obese1konobe]

Hi Bruce, Would the harmonic rule still apply to circular antenna's? I.E. Could the antenna be half as long (or indeed twice as long?) and would performance vary much? Looking forward to the results from your trial. cheers.

[@PinkeySuavo]

where is the comparison of flight?

[@MartinVenter371]

Hi Bruce, how do you know if a antenna is right or left hand polarized for cloverleaf and helical antennas?

[@cruzy1969]

Hi, thanks for the review and pointing out that bad one. Fusuno FPV Antenna Helical Axial Mode 5.8 GHz fpv would you recommend it?

[@winstonbanks1057]

Hello mate I have a phantom fc4o now I've already change the the TX antenna to a 5dbi 5.8 I get 1/2 mile range I want to go further which aerial to recommend for the TX any links be great help look forward to a reply

[@foxface101]

do you know what modes each one is? I'm looking for an axial mode helical 5.8GHz antenna, the cheap ones never say what mode they are.

[@dpartridge2325]

Nice video !

[@MrTaz0079]

What gauge wire on both??

[@shannonnewman3091]

Thanks for the info , You Rock !

[@Helimadness100]

Nice topic I have recently just got a cheap one like that except it only has a plastic backing plate. I have a 200 mw VTX and clover on the plane and got 1km in fog and totally lost video. On a clear day got 1.5km easily and thats on a cheap one. Going to make a better one as per what I have learnt. Read about 17.5mm inside for the coil? Also how do you tell if your clover is left or right hand polarized ?? I am using 11AWG wire as understood you dont need a signal block ?? at the end. Seems to be some varying ideas....

[@xjet]

You can easily get 2Km from a set of well-made cloverleaf antennas so 1.5Km isn't very impressive. A decent helical should extend your 200mW video system to at least 5-8Km (depending on the noise floor, humidity and other factors). As you found, humidity or (even worse) fog/cloud really hammer a 5.8GHz signal and can dramatically reduce the range. If you hold your cloverleaf (or helical) antenna so that the cable is facing directly towards the ground, the angle of the wire closest to you will go "uphill" (from low-left to high-right) for a right-hand polarized antenna and "downhill" (from high-left to low-right) for left-hand polarized antennas.

[@Rchacker]

Nice Bruce looking forward to some tests. My money is on the Chinese one definitely being crap, and I would not be surprised if the circular wireless one is average too. Do they test each one? I'd pay good money for one that came with a network analyser printout. Otherwise I think that at 5.8G what you get is a gamble. My reasoning: I've been playing around with computer simulations of the helical and that distance of the first quarter turn to the reflector is critical for good performance. Even a half a millimeter difference can ruin the SWR. After seeing that I have decided that it is all but impossible to reliably hand build a 5.8GHz, (my attempts have so far have failed). So I'm sticking with the cloverleafs and skewplanars, they are bullet proof and very tolerant to manufacture variation. I've built several on Bruces design and they work great. Was it fpvtests that made the potted 5.8G helical? Thats the best bet I reckon.

[@Rchacker]

Mine 'worked' but I could still get similar range with the skew planars.

[@interman7715]

Is the orientation of the spiral viewed from the back?

[@JohnFT3414]

I wish I had a network analyzer so I could measure just how well the match is! Expensive at 5.8Ghz.

[@vlupis1]

J Trager proper matching of helixes by a quarter wave strip transformer. I guess the imp. match is not good for these toy antennas.

[@traxialrc7369]

Hey Bruce - the better one is 8 times more expensive! sure there are better ones from the bad ones available too .Also - hobbyking charging 84 bucks for this thing - are you serious,how that compares by value to 6000mah 6s battery - it is a piece of wire winded on the stick!!!!! hobbyking is going bonkers,big time!!!!!!

[@xjet]

I did say they were from opposite ends of the spectrum :-)

[@iandavidson99]

Circular Wireless are awesome! Quality costs.

[@NormanHirsch]

It will be convincing only after the test is done.

[@superjon78]

This is good stuff!

[@kayakdale]

I love your videos!

[@vlupis1]

I doubt either antennas have proper imp. matching!

[@TOPHAT1966GS]

You are too cool most people would have no idea what you're talking about, but if they have a good electronics background they will understand how all of the different dimensions that go into making an antenna for receiving and transmitting data/video.

[@helicam2012]

YOU! Are my Yoda!

[@GeorgeStephen1959]

Very good review *****

[@Gavs_rc_hobbies]

Just goes to show that you get what you pay for.

[@chowmonkey2002]

Bad review. You never tested it.

[@gruuthuse]

DUH, didn't he say he was going to test them ? and DUH that you might be surprised that even when it isn't build the right way the law of physics work in mysterious ways.... I know you're Dutch but learn English first before you comment....

[@chowmonkey2002]

***** You don't tell me when to comment or not. Furthermore my English is better than your Dutch. So don't act like you own the Internet.

[@chowmonkey2002]

***** Hey een domme Belg. En nog een met praatjes ook..

[@berserkdark]

да есть зерно истины.

[@cuddles6938]

I bet you could make these on a 3D printer and make some extra cash.

[@petervandenthillart8354]

China strikes again! I ordered some parts from Hobbyking, and after a month, they still aren't in stock.

[@fpvFlyingMonkey]

LOL @ 5:21

[@byroboy]

He isn't talking about you, there was no laser cut bamboo!

[@fpvFlyingMonkey]

Byro LOL! D'oh!

[@GreyhatInfiltrator]

That's the problem with Chinese made stuff, you can't expect to get quality assurance from them. It's just a copy cat with the whole intention of making money.

[@MrSteeJans]

Did someone accuse evil communists of just wanting to make money ? If you're a flag waving American capitalist, that's even more hilarious. Bob Dylan was right......oh the times, they are a changin'

[@brothertyler]

Bad review. You didn't even mention that one antenna is left hand circularly polarized, and the the other is right hand. Of course one is going to work horribly when matched with an antenna of opposite polarization. Also, you don't test them in any way.

[@kain0m]

You clearly did not watch the video. 4:10 and 4:20 adresses BOTH your statements.

[@linkingaj]

Stop bashing chinese tech. Jade Rabbit is turning over in it's grave. Anyway it will be a slinky after it's first crash.

[@virginia8beach8man]

Difficult to understand because of heavy accent.