Am I getting reasonable range out of my DX5e??

[theWolfPack]

I am currently flying the e-flite Apprentice S15e RTF which comes with a DX5e. Within the last month or so I decided to convert it so I can fly FPV and that has been going great. I made a range test video (as seen below)... and according to my OSD flew a max distance of 868meters before getting slight glitching. I flew just the other day to exactly 1Km before heading back. Does 1KM seem like reasonable distance for the dx5e with the stock receiver in the apprentice?? should I be expecting more or less? I'm looking into getting a DX8 and was wondering too if that would improve the range on the apprentice or would upgrading receivers play a larger role? I was just licensed literally two days ago with my HAM radio license so I can upgrade to a UHF LRS system though that may have to wait as I need to acquire the funds for the LRS. Any help would be great! thanks!

thanks for watching and here is my setup below in case anyone was wondering..
My Setup:
-E-Flite Apprentice S 15e RTF
-Readymade RC 4200mah 3 cell lipo
-ReadymadeRC FPV starter package (great deal and gives you everything you need)
-Immersion RC 600mw TX 5.8ghz
-Immersion RC Uno Receiver
-Spironet Omni Circular Polarized Antenna Set
-7" monitor (will definitely upgrade to video goggles but the monitor works great as well)
-Immersion RC EZosd
-GoPro Hero 3 silver Edition
lots of duct tape and velcro...

-theWolfPack

 

[Craftydan]

Wolf,

The DX5E is a full range transmitter, meaning it's using Spektrum's "full power" transmitter module inside. There is a big step up on the innards of a DX8, but the TX module may only be a marginally updated circuit board -- if that. I expect they should be pretty much the same. More channels, more switches, more mixes, but I wouldn't expect the radio link to be any better.

Now one advantage of the DX8 is the inclusion of telmetry in the radio (the DX9, DX7s and soon to be released DX6 have this as well). You'll have to buy a module to get attitude and battery data, but many of the newer spektrum RX's have signal strenght and packet loss telemtry built in. It should tell you on the screen (after you set it up) how strong the signal is at the RX, and give you a feel of "how far is too far" . . . and can trigger an alarm/vibe if it drops below a level you choose.

 

[theWolfPack]

Craftydan,

Thanks for the timely response! I've been reading into the telemetry functions of the dx8 and I think I will be upgrading to that hopefully soon! The signal strength indicator should be a great help to know when to turn around.