Parabolic Antenna Extender For Spark?? Any Good?

[Mr. Eggbeater Jr.]

I was looking at some parabolic antenna extender for sparks and mavics, and was wondering if they are any good? Some videos say they help and some say they don't at all. Just thought I would get some more input. They are not expensive but I thought if their a joke there is no point in getting them.

BTW it seems like a friendly group of ppl here!!

 

[cartoonfanboy]

I tried them and I can't say I see much difference.

 

[steve.r]

Not used them but also seen the YouTube videos, will be interesting to get more views on this.

 

[Heckmaniac]

Without a doubt they definitely extend the range if you use them right. In my case they close to double the normal range. You have to point the dish directly at the drone location and not move all around, as the dishes direct all the signal to the direction they are pointing. Other factors such as competing wifi interference, buildings, trees, and wind will all play a role in how far the signal will go as you need to have clear line of site the entire time between the remote and the drone. The furthest I've gone was 15,134 ft. out, but don't really go for distance too much any longer, as that last flight I mentioned I came up short on the return trip and the battery ran out. Don't wan't to lose your drone.

 

[DameEdnaBrown]

Worked for me. Buy some and test for yourself, they won't damage anything or void your warranty

 

[Mark M]

I've achieved 10,700ft distance out with the parabolic dishes on my Spark

 

[RoarRoar]

Great accessory. Very much worth having in your bag.

 

[Mr. Eggbeater Jr.]

Great, I'll have to try them out and see how they work for me!!

 

[Roy Talangbayan]

I was looking at some parabolic antenna extender for sparks and mavics, and was wondering if they are any good? Some videos say they help and some say they don't at all. Just thought I would get some more input. They are not expensive but I thought if their a joke there is no point in getting them.

BTW it seems like a friendly group of ppl here!!

It helps a lot as long as you’re pointing it right but the Spark was not really made for distance flying. The battery can run out of juice fast specially fighting the wind on the way back.

 

[Texas Gonzo]

Made a difference for mine. Without, it was good for a solid half mile or so... i could easily push it to a mile with the parabolic extenders attached without dropping signal. As others have said, you need to be pointing straight at the Spark. Also helps to be up around 300-350 ft to avoid interference from trees, local wifi, etc.
Bottom line, the theory behind them is sound, or they wouldn't be in use in every form communications around. (A sat dish is using the same theory for instance)

 

[Mr. Eggbeater Jr.]

Made a difference for mine. Without, it was good for a solid half mile or so... i could easily push it to a mile with the parabolic extenders attached without dropping signal. As others have said, you need to be pointing straight at the Spark. Also helps to be up around 300-350 ft to avoid interference from trees, local wifi, etc.
Bottom line, the theory behind them is sound, or they wouldn't be in use in every form communications around. (A sat dish is using the same theory for instance)

Thanks for the info, I had been wondering if you had to be high so your signal could clear the trees, so thanks for clarifying that.

 

[Mr. Eggbeater Jr.]

I've achieved 10,700ft distance out with the parabolic dishes on my Spark

Was 10,700 ft round trip, or one way? How much battery life do you have left after a flight like that? ( I know it depends on the wind ect. but I was just curious what you achieved?

 

[vangelis]

4hawks rs

 

[Heckmaniac]

I've done 14,588 feet out (29K+ ft. round trip) into a 7mph headwind and landed with 2% battery remaining (have unlisted on YouTube screen recorded flight). No mods with stock Spark, remote, battery, OTG cable, and passive parabolic range extender dish over antenna's.

 

[shuggins]

What he said! Be careful....I got my Spark out 5,214 feet and I *barely* made it back with 6% left on battery. I think I lost 2 years of my life sweating and shaking trying to get it back home before it could fall to it's death.

But to answer original question, if you try to remember to keep the parabolic ant pointed directly at the drone...yes, they do work. Send it out 1000 feet, then take the the antennas off and put them away. Now look at the signal strength in the Go 4 App. See any difference? You should go from 4 bars down to 2 (or less).

It helps a lot as long as you’re pointing it right but the Spark was not really made for distance flying. The battery can run out of juice fast specially fighting the wind on the way back.

 

[chascoadmin]

I purchased the same one as the OP shared and it greatly increased my video stability. I have been using them for years on everything from a Phantom 3 Pro, Yuneec H520 to my P4 Pros. Pretty big deal for $10 if you ask me.

 

[xtro83]

great working on 5.8ghz , but nothing on 2.4ghz
performance measured with a spectrum analyzer: +0db at 2.4ghz, + 4db at 5.8ghz

 

[BobD]

As an Electronics Engineer I can tell you that they would concentrate your transmission and reception into a narrow beam. This means you have to keep them very accurately directed at your Spark. They might reduce WiFi interference received by your controller or phone, but no reduction at the drone end.

 

[Virtual1]

(I'm not an EE but I am an Extra grade ham radio operator with lots of directional antenna experience)

There is a benefit to the drone as well - directional antennas work both ways, and while it wouldn't lower interference the drone was receiving, it WOULD increase the signal strength from your transmitter. ERP goes way up with a parabolic. But yes, keeping it aimed right is key. Fortunately, you've got a live video stream to watch, and you can keep tweaking your aim as you fly, trying to keep the video as clear as possible. Optimizing your reception should also optimize your transmission direction to provide maximum signal back to the drone. You'll get the best bang-for-the-buck out of that extender by flying somewhere that the drone won't be exposed to other competing wifi signals. IE you could realize a much bigger improvement in range in a park than in a city.

RF can be a funny thing - you'd think a bit of cheap plastic and some metallic foil would be a trashy, possibly completely useless accessory, but in this case that $8 mail-order-catalog-crap really does help. Though it opens up that other can of worms about staying within visual range of your drone...

 

[Driverman930]

I live in a crowded subdivision lot's of wifi interfince I use the extenders and never have a problem