Cloverleaf vs Pinwheel differences

[Kondor-FPV]

Hello guys, one of my customers has made an interesting video comparing a Cloverleaf + SPW 5.8 Ghz setup and a pinwheel+ pinwheel 5.8 Ghz setup by fpvlr.com.

The area is quite full of towers so the guy really has a TOUGH environment to fly in.

The CL offers more gain but has more dropouts due to the emission pattern being less

omogeneous, the emission pattern has 3 main lobes (just like the antenna itself) where gain is higher so it offers better picture when one of the lobes is facing the ground station but looses db very fast as you get further away from the ground station especially if you fly out of one of the 3 lobes coverage.

With a pinwheel on the plane, you have more confidence in reaching the limit , albeit with more snow effect , but you can rely on video being there all the way to the very edge.

The first 2.33 minutes is CL+SPW, the rest is Pinwheel+ Pinwheel by fpvlr.com .
NOte, same plane, same setup , same positioning , same location and flight pattern (circle) ,everything, just different antennas with their relative strengths and weaknesses.

Of course the test is not perfect because the user has a divesity system where he has a 11db patch together with the first setup and a 4 & 1/4 turn helical on the second tx but has no tracker, so I don't know if the diversity did switch at any point.

View this video on YouTube

[msev]

Kondor can you offer a tutorial on the pinwheel? A comprehensive one like from truerc or ibcrazy?

[IBCrazy]

@Kondor - When are you going to build the antenna you and I discussed? You know it'll beat both the SPW and the CL!

-Alex

[msev]

Alex are you gonna release a tutorial? I made a CL and SPW for 5.8ghz and I'm happy at the moment, but if something better comes I would like to test my skills at building it.

[Kondor-FPV]

@Kondor - When are you going to build the antenna you and I discussed? You know it'll beat both the SPW and the CL!

-Alex

Hehe, Alex...
the baby was born already!

[Derrick]

Any results on the newborn?

[Kondor-FPV]

Any results on the newborn?

ah, too fast to judge really. I usually make a 4.7km ground test, from my window to the hill in front of my house ( I drive there with a receiver, fatshark goggles and a 8turn helix) and video was good compared to some other tests I had made before, but on par with the best tuned pinwheels, so I have to go further to be able to really tell.
The antenna though is not perfectly tuned to the same channel as the rx antenna, so there is improvement to make there too.
So far so good! It's a good design, hands down, now it's a matter of figuring out exactly if it's worth the hassle, trouble and expense to build it.

[msev]

Kondor so now tell me how to build the pinwheel if this will be your new flagship

[Kondor-FPV]

Kondor so now tell me how to build the pinwheel if this will be your new flagship

sure msev, but I don't know yet if this will substitute the pinwheels or if it will be offered side by side, it's an expensive antenna to make. I can make 2 pinwheel in the time it takes me to make one of these.

for the pinwheel , all the info is here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...6#post17580874