Hai-Lee
Old and Bold RC PILOT
Just to further the discussion as there are those who do not see the value in proper antenna positioning, RC systems have actually been evolving over the years since they first appeared. Over that period of time the operating frequencies have also changed as more radio frequencies were made available and technology advanced.
The first generations were relatively low frequencies with very long wavelengths. These lower frequencies are more greatly reflected by just about everything, ground, trees, buildings, and the like and their atmospheric absorption was quite low. The simple fact was that there was a myriad of reflections and so Antenna polarization was of less importance and so a single antenna Tx and Rx system was the norm.
As the Frequencies increased each new band had its own advantages and disadvantages. With the current frequency of preference 2.4Gz the radio is effectively what they call 'Line of Sight". Sadly 2.4GHz. (the same frequency used in the majority of microwave ovens), is actually absorbed by water and turned to heat. So the damp ground, trees, people and anything containing water can and does absorb radio signals rather than reflecting them efficiently.
Not thinking about anything but getting into the air I bought a cheap system from HK and it was a single antenna setup. I learned to fly on said system but the number of crashes I experienced was very high. As I tried to move up to performance aircraft the number of crashes began increasing! It was NOW that I started to use my training in radio propagation to see why I was just losing control and crashing! It really did not take long. Polarization!! SO I became fastidious on the placement of the Rx antennas and the Tx antenna polarization. This more than halved my crashes BUT I was still suffering from LoS incidents. Mostly when doing steep banked turns!
Next I purchased a dual antenna radio system and fitted the antenna exactly as every airplane manufacturer and every dual antenna radio system manufacturer, recommends. My crashes appeared to cease almost overnight!
For those that wish to try to understand what is happening do a little reading on the following, Antenna radiation patterns, Antenna diversity, Antenna polarization, Antenna polarization losses, Radio propagation, Radio multi-path interference, and RF Shielding.
That a person has NEVER experienced an issue is their good luck! I hope that they are spared the learning experiences that I and a large number of others have had. That they choose to ignore manufacturers warnings and setup instructions is just that, Their choice.
For newbies and those who are not quite as lucky as some others I do implore you to get and keep those Rx antennas in the clear AND at 90 degrees to each other AS PER RADIO MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATIONS. It can be vital to your models lifespan.
Have fun!
The first generations were relatively low frequencies with very long wavelengths. These lower frequencies are more greatly reflected by just about everything, ground, trees, buildings, and the like and their atmospheric absorption was quite low. The simple fact was that there was a myriad of reflections and so Antenna polarization was of less importance and so a single antenna Tx and Rx system was the norm.
As the Frequencies increased each new band had its own advantages and disadvantages. With the current frequency of preference 2.4Gz the radio is effectively what they call 'Line of Sight". Sadly 2.4GHz. (the same frequency used in the majority of microwave ovens), is actually absorbed by water and turned to heat. So the damp ground, trees, people and anything containing water can and does absorb radio signals rather than reflecting them efficiently.
Not thinking about anything but getting into the air I bought a cheap system from HK and it was a single antenna setup. I learned to fly on said system but the number of crashes I experienced was very high. As I tried to move up to performance aircraft the number of crashes began increasing! It was NOW that I started to use my training in radio propagation to see why I was just losing control and crashing! It really did not take long. Polarization!! SO I became fastidious on the placement of the Rx antennas and the Tx antenna polarization. This more than halved my crashes BUT I was still suffering from LoS incidents. Mostly when doing steep banked turns!
Next I purchased a dual antenna radio system and fitted the antenna exactly as every airplane manufacturer and every dual antenna radio system manufacturer, recommends. My crashes appeared to cease almost overnight!
For those that wish to try to understand what is happening do a little reading on the following, Antenna radiation patterns, Antenna diversity, Antenna polarization, Antenna polarization losses, Radio propagation, Radio multi-path interference, and RF Shielding.
That a person has NEVER experienced an issue is their good luck! I hope that they are spared the learning experiences that I and a large number of others have had. That they choose to ignore manufacturers warnings and setup instructions is just that, Their choice.
For newbies and those who are not quite as lucky as some others I do implore you to get and keep those Rx antennas in the clear AND at 90 degrees to each other AS PER RADIO MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATIONS. It can be vital to your models lifespan.
Have fun!