5.8 in the city

[flyboy321]

Not really sure if this belongs here, if not, feel free to move it

Basically I want to switch to a different frequency. I'm currently on 1.2, and love how I can fly all day with no interference in the city, but these antennas are becoming such a pain!!!

900 is not an option for me because of the antenna size, and neither is 2.4 because of all the wifi I fly by. That leaves me with 5.8.


I really want to buy some 5.8 dominators, get a CP Combo, and just fly on 5.8.

I usually fly within 2 miles, so what type of range am I expecting with 5.8 CP antennas in an urban environment?

City flying is almost all I do, so if 5.8 won't work for me let me know please!

Thanks a bunch guys! -Tyler

[ssassen]

With a 600mW IRC Vtx and some clovers on the Vtx/Vrx you can certainly do that. That configuration (Dominator 5G8 and 600mW) is what I use on my 'fly anywhere foamies'.

[Vitamin J]

I don't experience any 5.8 interference at all no matter where I fly. I seem to get about the same performance in the boonies as well as in the city, it's just my rc link that gets hit. I've never gone back to my CP omni after getting a helical, I don't use a tracker but it gives me a pretty good sized area to fly in and it rules for flying behind objects and hills.

[jimmaplesong]

I think Vitamin J is kidding about flying behind hills with 5.8. What kind of hills VJ?.

I gave 5.8 a try for several months, but despite buying a half dozen antennas, never had it tuned well enough to make it past about 1.3km. Your mileage will probably be better than mine. It also can't penetrate through obstacles like trees very well. I did have some great <1km flights with exactly what you describe though. 5.8GHz blubeams, and little else.

[Vitamin J]

Not big hills but I've dipped a few feet behind crests and ridges where other people had thought I went down with perfect video. Not at long range but probably 500m to 1km. I also can fly behind trees with just a bit of distortion as long as they are not too densely packed. A helical really helps out, improves the performance of 5.8 by a ton.

[flyboy321]

What kind of distance do you usually get on your 5.8 dominator setup sander?

I usually don't go further than 2 miles, is this even plausible with this 5.8 setup? -Tyler

[ttucker]

I use a 200mw 5.8 system with IBCrazy clover leaf and 6-turn helical. I've been out to 1 mile with the 6-turn no problem, but line of site and at least 400 to 600 ft altitude. I've found a good deal of multi-path interference if you fly any great distance too close to the ground. I'm probably approaching limit of my RC system anyway so I'm happy with it for now.

[ssassen]

What kind of distance do you usually get on your 5.8 dominator setup sander?

I usually don't go further than 2 miles, is this even plausible with this 5.8 setup? -Tyler

You won't get that far with just two clovers, however when you put a higher gain flat patch antenna on the Rx the world is your oyster I guess, looks a bit funny though.

[ttucker]

Yea, clover leafs on both transmitter and receiver are good for closer in, lower altitude flying to reduce multipath. I am amazed how well they work compared to the standard whips that come with these systems. However, I get up to a mile, with still clear video, with a clover leaf on transmitter and 6-turn helical on receiver. I have the receiver on a 12 ft pool connected to my base station, I use a 10" portable DVD player with AV in and viewing hood, and can quickly and easily turn the pole to align the receiver if ever needed. When flying distance I usually try remaining out in front of the helical reception "cone" anyway.

[Vitamin J]

I've gone 2.5 miles on my 200mw set up with a CL on the vtx and helical on the rx. Picture was still pretty good but I was at the end of my 72mhz range. Whakahere went 8km with the 200mw and an 8 turn helical and someone else did 10km on an 8 turn too I think.