5.8 250mW Fatshark to ImmersionRC 600mW or 1.3?

[snoshoe62]

I recently bought a new Attitude SD , w/250mW VTX on 5.8 and the internal Vrx in the goggles, cloverleaf antennas for my F450. Im not pretending to be a FPV genius at all so this is what I have and what I am considering for an upgrade, your thoughts please based on your real time experience.
If I get 200meters of decent video with the Fatshark 250mW transmitter Id be lucky, after that video comes and goes. I am wondering if a ImmersionRC 600mW VTX will give me a noticeable difference in video clarity and range. Or option #2 I go with external 1.3 VRX and a 300mW VTX (only one in stock) setup from RMRC. If I don't gain much going to 1.3 then its not worth the investment. I don't have a lot of obstacles where I fly, however the penetrating ability of 1.3 would be nice to have but not the reason I would make a change. Looking for better range with less interference. Sorry if its a silly question, that being said any explanation of these choices are certainly welcome. Thanks

[kevinww]

Have a look at this thread regarding 5.8Ghz questions.

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=573543

As a rough rule of thumb you need to increase vTx power by a factor of 4 to double the distance.

[snoshoe62]

Originally Posted by kevinww

Have a look at this thread regarding 5.8Ghz questions.

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=573543

As a rough rule of thumb you need to increase vTx power by a factor of 4 to double the distance.

Thanks kevin, Just for knowledge sake...If on the same platform, in a wide open area, would you notice a difference in a 1.3 250mW vs a 5.8 250mW ? or is the only difference between the two the penetrating ability of the 1.3?

[kevinww]

I would expect no difference when used as you describe above in wide open conditions.

[snoshoe62]

Thanks for your input Kevin

[kevinww]

Forgot to mention if you are using 2.4ghz RC you may get range issues if you use 1.3ghz for video.

[snoshoe62]

Oh, also is 1300mhZ the same as 1.3ghZ?

[kevinww]

Yes

[nsscaver1]

Have you considered a helical directional? They're cheap and not difficult to build with the directions online. I was not happy with my spirals/cloverleaf reception with all the trees in my area. I was getting about 100 yards before reception started dropping in heavy foliage area. (Shooting thru willows) I built the 5 turn helical and now can go 400+ yards and no dropout. You do have a narrower reception cone from the receiver ~ 30-40 degrees so you will need an antenna mount that can be rotated or stay within the cone. Good luck..
Bill

[TheHeliDude]

What antennas are you using? If they are the stock antennas, consider getting the spironet CP antennas. They will reduce interference. I can go a mile with the 600mw immersion vtx and my attitude goggles before I get significant interference. I get a half mile or so with the 250mw vtx. This is with the spironet CP antennas. You can also use a directional antenna like a patch antenna or helical to go even farther but you will have to point it at the aircraft. It is possible to do this with goggles on but can be a little disorienting at times.
With the immersionrc spironet patch antenna, 600mw vtx and my goggles I exceed the range of the spektrum gear I use to control the aircraft. Video quality overall is better though but I get worried when exceeding 1 mile range. My record is 1.2 miles so far.

[snoshoe62]

I am now using a crosshair, I get a wider coverage then a helical, not quite the range but much better then it was with just the cloverleafs