I can believe that DSM2 and DSMX had problems. I forgot to log for the entire attempt on my Taranis (with X6R receiver). I turned on logging shortly after the start of the official time, after I got an RSSI Critical warning. From the point I started logging to my crash, I was getting RSSI levels as low as 52 (warning indicating questionable link are for RSSI below 45). So, assuming my RSSI levels were typical, I think we were pushing the limits of the technology (no matter which protocol your TX was using). I suspect we can do better than 179, but not by much without more improvements to control technology (maybe 200 is the limit).
I'd be curious to know if anyone has RSSI telemetry logs for the entire attempt to see how they compare to my short period of logging and see if my low RSSI levels were an anomaly or seen by others.
I had a very different experience, however I also was using an X8R with PCB antennas (not the whisker ones). FrSky claims they provide an additional 20% range increase (or 20% stronger signal, if you like) over the standard antennas. I think your experience with the X6R compared to mine on the X8R tends to validate this.
I DID happen to log the whole flight, and it is quite interesting, in the nerdiest of ways. I also had an airspeed-sensor on board, and coupled with my wife's ground-video (where you can hear the announcer), I was able to graph RSSI and KIAS, and label the different portions of the flight.
During the pre-launch phase RSSI levels are normal; ~84dB. When Flight-4 launches there's nothing really dramatic, but there is a slight down-trend when Flight-3 launches; ~80dB. As F2 and F1 go up the downward trend increases; ~75dB after F2, ~70dB after F1. It stays right around that level during the "Official Minute", ~73dB. Inversely, you can see the levels come back up slightly as the flights land when the minute is over.
Science FTW!
