3zuli
Junior Member
Hi guys, I've been flying FPV for about 6 months (I love my Bixler v1 
). I'm using 200mW 5.8GHz with homemade cloverleaf and SPW antennas. However, these antennas are pretty worn out now, especially the CL which is on the plane and took lots of hits while landing into tall grass.
Right now I'm building a new CL/SPW set and I decided to do some more research (since this second build is supposed to be a bit "advanced"), but this has led me into some questions.
I decided to check, if there's a recommended max length of the coaxial feed. I didn't find the answer, instead I found IBcrazy saying that RG174 cable isn't suitable for 5.8G and RG316 should be used instead. I've been using RG174 till now, since it is cheap and easy to get where I live (Slovakia) and I didn't have any significant problems with it. Max ground test distance I've been able to make (with LOS and no obstacles) was around 450m (actual range should be ~700m). I had about 20cm of RG174 in the entire system, which should be a ~0.4dB loss. Long stroy short, here are my questions:
1. Is it really so critical to use RG316? Can I still use RG174 instead?
2. Assuming the above, I should keep the total coax length under 30cm or so?
3. To protect the antennas, I'm going to enclose them into table tennis balls - this won't hurt the performance too much, right?
I hope there's someone who can answer
Thanks for help.
). I'm using 200mW 5.8GHz with homemade cloverleaf and SPW antennas. However, these antennas are pretty worn out now, especially the CL which is on the plane and took lots of hits while landing into tall grass. Right now I'm building a new CL/SPW set and I decided to do some more research (since this second build is supposed to be a bit "advanced"), but this has led me into some questions.
I decided to check, if there's a recommended max length of the coaxial feed. I didn't find the answer, instead I found IBcrazy saying that RG174 cable isn't suitable for 5.8G and RG316 should be used instead. I've been using RG174 till now, since it is cheap and easy to get where I live (Slovakia) and I didn't have any significant problems with it. Max ground test distance I've been able to make (with LOS and no obstacles) was around 450m (actual range should be ~700m). I had about 20cm of RG174 in the entire system, which should be a ~0.4dB loss. Long stroy short, here are my questions:
1. Is it really so critical to use RG316? Can I still use RG174 instead?
2. Assuming the above, I should keep the total coax length under 30cm or so?
3. To protect the antennas, I'm going to enclose them into table tennis balls - this won't hurt the performance too much, right?
I hope there's someone who can answer
Thanks for help.
