I’ve seen some people comment that your videos are too “busy” and have too much information crammed in. Personally I think you’re ahead of the curve - it’s a video, we can pause to read if necessary or let it flow from start to finish. I think eventually more people will edit the way you do so people actually watch the whole thing. Great work ok the video too, that answered some questions I had!
Yea, I edit my videos the way I wish most videos were presented. I of course understand that too much info at once is overwhelming, (in fact I actually ‘cut’ a lot of details out, based on viewer feedback…), but the details are the whole point. ‘Pause, Rewind, and Analyze’ yourself if you want, and maybe answer specific questions I didn’t even address. The problem is that making a video with all these details takes forever, I’ve spent weeks, probably close to 40hrs analyzing and editing this video… most YT channels simply ‘bang out content’ and honestly they grow much faster by doing so. I usually intend to ‘keep it simple’ but then get sucked into the details. Anyway, your comment is very much appreciated, it’s always nice to hear to my efforts don’t go unnoticed, so thanks and cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Yup. I certainly felt this video went quite quickly, but I could easily pause if needed. It's certainly much better to have a 5 min video like this than the usual which is a 15-30 min video of someone babbling on endlessly. I often end up skipping bits of those, but then I find I lose track of what the person's talking about and have to skip back... Mostly I feel like they're doing this because I think something like 15 min is the minimum to get ad revenue on the video, so they babble on so they can make money out of it. I miss old TH-cam, where people made videos for fun instead of trying to make a job out of it.
@Vousie yes, exactly. If a video is over 10mins it can run multiple ads and make more ad revenue... but unless you have enough valuable information to talk about it’s a big waste of time for everyone. I try to make every second purposeful, and so a lot of information gets crammed in… but I figure people just can pause & rewind if they want to take it all in. My channel is such a “niche topic” there’s no chance of “making a living”, so I don’t even try. I probably put too much time and effort into these videos, but it’s a “passion project” and i want to produce fun & useful videos. So anyway, I always appreciate feedback & support, stay tuned, Cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Thank you for doing the videos. Seeing the comparisons of how the systems perform is really useful for knowing what to expect out of a system.
Wow this Video information packed! Not wasting any of the viewers time! Right down to the point that every body wants to know. Thank you so much for valuing out time. It was a pleasure to watch. Thanks also for sharing your mod design as stl.
Thanks, I did try to trim as much as I could, keep the video moving, while still trying to have a little personal style vs a purely technical comparison. Appreciate the comment, happy to share my findings with you all. Stay tuned, cheers!
Very noticeable difference between the 2 antenna setups. Lots of good data there and nice edit! You certainly go the extra mile to present the tests with all the information on the screen which is helpful. Looking forward to more of your tests!
Hey Luke, yea some definite improvement, I’m going to try and squeeze a little more performance out, and do some tougher tests, but this sets a good baseline for sure. Appreciate the comment, the details in these videos become an obsession and endless hours of editing but I have a vision I’m always trying to achieve. I also appreciate your videos, nice real world examples and thoughts, keep it up, cheers!
Thank you, that's very useful. And watching your presentation, I realize FW guys like myself have a very easy time in comparison. We stay well clear of anything resembling terrain, safely relying on data gathered through gutsy multirotor test runs like these. Thank you for defining the limits so we know when to chicken out!
Yea this system seems to be a perfect solution for wings. But closer to the ground and behind things gets a little trickier… I have a couple more ‘intense tests’ for the next video, but my confidence wasn’t quite there yet. I have a lot of fun pushing the limits. Thanks for watching and commenting, stay tuned, cheers!
Thanks appreciate the comment and support. I definitely spend way too much time making these videos.., but I want them to be useful tests. Stay tuned, new tests and antennas coming soon. (VAS are working on some special antennas which sound promising.) Cheers!
Yup, me too. I’ll definitely start pushing the limits more. I have a few more antenna improvements and tests I’d like to do first. In my next video I’ll be testing some new antenna combinations in more difficult flight paths. Also I’m going to try to test how the system responds and recovers after a complete signal loss. Cheers man, keep up your successful flights as well, cheers!
I’ll consider it, I believe I took some footage during the install. One “word of caution”: Under the Top Left SMA on the circuit board is a small component with a thin glass cover, several people have broken this whole doing similar modifications. The performance seems unaffected, but best to be aware and use caution. Thanks for watch, appreciate the comment and stay tuned, cheers!
Excellent videos! I made the transition from analog to Fatshark Dominator HD(Walksnail). I'm building a AOS7 long range quad. I've never done any long range, I don't want to lose a quad. Being very cautious, getting all the info I need before sending it.
Hey Nick, thanks for watching. My biggest problem with WalkSnail/DJI is the lack of warning & potential to disconnect. In comparison to Analog/HDZero which show real-time break up, and can’t disconnect. In a follow up test I show what happens when you reach the limit, and what happens when you go too far… Here’s a link - th-cam.com/video/06fV2vQaxW8/w-d-xo.html Check it out. If you have good LOS WS/DJI are excellent performers and without too much issue. Let me know if you have questions cheers!
Thanks for these comparisons. I think I'll print your HDZero Goggle rail mount too. The weird thing about the camera (or maybe it's the system) is that it always looks flat and muted. Kind of like cinelog color space or something - but at the same time, shadows get crushed. It could be a strategy to get better compression with less color and less details or it could just be the camera. What do you think?
Yes, interesting point. I always felt that WalkSnail (and DJI) make the image ‘super contrasty’ in order to make the image look shaper and cleaner. Compared to HDZero and Analog which generally maintain much more details in the shadows and highlights; but HDZero and Analog of course don’t look as sharp and clean. Your thought about this being to benefit the compression algorithm makes a lot of sense. Ex: If you post a video with really high contrast on social media (FB, Insta, TikTok) the compressed version always looks sharper and cleaner. What’s disappointing with WalkSnail is when you’re parked in the ground the image looks incredible! But as soon as you start flying it starts to fall apart quickly, generally still looks great but no where close to the image before takeoff. *Long response sorry*… but another interesting thought from a viewer recently, was that having my props in view of the camera might actually be using some of the Bitrate resulting in an overall more compressed image. This could make sense and I’ll try to test that theory in the future. Anyway thanks for the comment bud, cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy I have ws and this is why i use hdzero when i do penetration. WS image quality fall apart in penetration , it's blurry. HDzero keep his resolution.
Awesome testing and comparison, love all the info! I don’t quite understand why companies include trash antennas - seems to set their product up to perform poorly. I would either include no antennas, high performance, or at the minimum, bottom of the line dirt cheap linear ones just for people to have something when they get it for basic setup while waiting for their aftermarket antennas of choice to arrive.
The VTX antennae are actually pretty good, enough to fly miles and miles with good VRX antennae. The patches included with the VRX are also quite good, 9dBi gain I believe. The omnis included for the crucial transmit and receive ports on the top of the VRX are not so good though and definitely need replaced.
Thanks bud, appreciate the comment. Agreed, most manufacturers seem to do this, certainly a cost thing, but for the general public the stock antennas likely work well enough. My uses and expectations are generally on the extreme side of things, I just like to push these systems and try to improve them for my uses. I’ll be doing some more difficult tests with some new antenna combinations for the next video, which will be fun. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of exercise on the inevitable ‘search and rescue’ missions… lol
Yea, I think your right. As I mentioned in my reply you Calley, I’m sure the stock setup probably works just fine for most people. My uses and expectations are on the extreme side of things…
Thanks, working pretty well. I recently made a new set of antennas, shown in my latest video, which I’ll be testing with WalkSnail soon. Let’s see if we can push the performance a bit further. Cheers!
I really need to see about increasing the directional capabilities on my WS VRX. Swapped out the patches for some X2 Airs, and I routed the TX line to one of those. Still got omnis on top however, and that's where I'm giving the most up. Currently reaching 5 miles before I stop trusting it to go further, but I want at least 7. The other thing to chase down is a tracker so everything is always aimed the right way. Got a bad habit of looking down or looking the wrong direction to adjust.
Yea, I think swapping the Omnis out with help you a lot. I’m posting a video later this week about my latest antenna setup, all the testing is with HDZero, but I talk about antenna aiming a bit and it’s a fun video. I’ll be using that same antennas for some WS testing next. If your flying a Wing then losing signal/video isn’t a huge deal, but if you’re doing close proximity flying with a quad it can be game over. Curious to hear how your get on with any new setups. Cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Not really any long range proximity to be done around here, so loss of video is usually just remedied by a RTH signal. But yeah, gotta hurry up and figure out some way to hold some helicals in position. With an antenna tracker, it wouldn't be crazy to just do something like 9-15 turns. Wouldn't even need to hold the weight up anymore. It's sorta looking like ELRS Backpack might soon support outputting basic telemetry, so tracking may be viable in short order for me.
@@jaysonrees738 yea, antenna trackers are the way to go for proper long-range. I never considered a ground station simply because I hike to a lot of locations and it’s just more stuff to carry and set up.
I recognize that VRX mount! The non-angled version slides less on the goggles, but you loose the angle with it. Ideally i wanted to use the google stl as a cutting tool to give better contact area and be more rigid when attached, but the step file for the goggles were fighting me when I was trying to import, so it's all measured by hand and I think I have a few measurements slightly off. Let me know if you need any changes on it, and happy to make adjustments to the model
Hey man, great work on the design, it works perfectly in my opinion. The slight sliding has no affect on performance so I wouldn’t worry about it. Love the fitment, it’s exactly what I was hoping for, glad to have found it! Appreciate you checking out the video, and sharing your design with us, cheers!
Where did you get those ufl to sma pigtails for the upgrade? I have read that you need a specific cable for the 5.8ghz band. Amazing video planning to do this upgrade too.
These were just purchased from Amazon when I was in the USA. You can’t use one with thicker coax because you have to make some tight bends inside the case. Here’s a random example of what I used. www.drone-fpv-racer.com/en/ufl-to-sma-antenna-cable-by-ninjatech-10004.html Thanks for watching. Cheers!
Nice video credits)) 1. How do you think, is it reasonable to replace lollipops(or one of them) at the top of vrx on high gain patch antenna(s) for flying long distance? Don’t want to make all this radical changes in construction. 2. After all the tests, do you use focus mode when trying to maximise fly distance
@@KuDennis thansk for watching. I’d replace both top antennas with high gain ones honestly. I do think focus mode is beneficial. When doing long-range just make sure you have good LOS, check out the Part III where I demonstrate that… haha PartIII - th-cam.com/video/06fV2vQaxW8/w-d-xo.html Cheers!
@@KuDennis thansk for watching. I’d replace both top antennas with high gain ones honestly. I do think focus mode is beneficial. When doing long-range just make sure you have good LOS, check out the Part III where I demonstrate that… haha PartIII - th-cam.com/video/06fV2vQaxW8/w-d-xo.html Cheers!
I keep coming back to this video. The only thing stopping me doing the vrx antenna conversion has been sourcing good ufl to sma adapter cables. I have heard that some actually can cause attenuation. Which did you use? I just saw a set of 4 on amazon for around £10. Did you use such cheap cables or spend a bit more on some others? In which case, which?
You know I’ve been trying to remember for days which cables I used. I think they might have just been some cheap ones like on Amazon… crazy I can’t remember but I order a lot of random stuff. I will say thinner ones are actually better in this situation because it’s tight and you have to bend the cables around to fit properly. Also be careful with the top left connector because there’s a small glass component that very easily breaks. But good luck with the mod. If I remember or find the ones I used I’ll let you know. Cheers!
What size screws did you get for the VRX mount? I’m going down this path as we speak. EDIT: just finished watching the video and all my questions were answered 😃
Yes, for this test I swapped everything to SMA and RHCP simply because I have a ton of these antennas in this configuration. Also I’m planning to do more WS vs HDZ comparisons soon and want to use the exact antenna setups for a proper comparison. Thanks for watching, let me know if you have other questions, suggestions or thoughts. Appreciate the support, cheers!
Haha, this is the V1 VTX, but yea strangely I’ve never had GPS issues with this build. When I first got my HDZero 1W I had really bad GPS issues, like 0 satellites or they come and go while flying. I tried a bunch of stuff and what seemed to fix it was simply setting the ‘Baud Rate’ to Auto, and then setting the quad outside for a few minutes. Ever since then I haven’t had GPS issues. Not sure why it helped, but it’s super quick and easy to at least try. Thanks for the comment, appreciate the support, cheers!
Question: Are you now using all RHCP antennas because of this swap? Does it matter as long as they are all the same? Just got into walksnail and the whole LHCP thing..
RHCP or LHCP have no impact on performance, you just have to make sure all antennas match. I switched everything to SMA RHCP so I could do comparisons to HDZero and also have so many RHCP antennas already.
Having looked into walksnail for a while it seems to me that for some people the vrx performs much worse than the gogglein range. It could be as simple as less shielding or a noisier power circuite. Or perhaps ultimately just worse built as its built and sold at a very low pricepoint. If i had the vrx i would be tempted to try antennas with direct ufl connections.
Yea, wish I could do a comparison of both, but I don’t have the goggles and so can’t speak to their performance. Penetration tests (specifically in trees) are definitely more difficult for the systems than basic range tests. I’ve seen a lot of really successful range tests with WS recently. and actually for WS or DJI range is pretty easy because there’s generally clear LOS, and the systems can buffer and repair any lost packets. Additionally the image often holds up better because there is less details and rapid movements to transmit. Regarding antennas, it’s kind of a ‘half-secret’ (shhh..) but VAS is working on some direct UFL antennas specifically for the WS VRX. I’ll try to get a set for testing and comparison with my ‘next generation’ antenna setups. Anyway appreciate you sharing your thoughts, stay tuned, cheers!
I haven’t but all of my WS tests so far have been within 500m and shouldn’t require these sorts of measures. Signal repeater drone I always thought could be neat, but assume it would add a fair amount of latency. Thanks for watching, appreciate you sharing thoughts. Cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Here is Caddx's answer to the question about using Avatar vrx along with the usb input of vr goggles: "Theoretically yes, but we haven't tested this glasses"
I know you're an analog and HD zero fan for low latency and long range. But have you tried the DJI O3 already? Super image quality and penetration. I saw even falconradFPV gave it a try and liked it. Love hate for DJI ❤😂 I also love the O3. It's just so much more enjoying to fly with that image detail
Oh man, the O3 system does look unbelievable, and I’d love to try it… but at the moment I have more FPV gear than I have time to use, plus it’s probably gonna get me for $1,000… hard to justify at the moment. Beyond that my only real concern is image freezing and dropout. My exact fear happened to FalconRad in his last video; he dives into a valley with amazing image, then suddenly.., frozen image?!? With HDZero and Analog you get a ton of warning before a complete black out and the image comes back instantly when LOS is restored. (This has always been my argument) I’ve experienced this a few times with WalkSnail during these tests, but didn’t cover it here because in my next video I’ll focus on some more serious penetration tests. See what it takes to kill the WS and HDZ systems and see how they recover. (Gonna be a lot of walking for that video… haha) Anyway, appreciate the comment, I’ll try to get an O3 system at some point, but for now I’ll continue ‘supporting the underdogs’, Cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy I was thinking the same, but O3 and ELRS really have spoiled me. I'd like to support the underdogs too, and they deserve it for working so hard, but having to constantly update my firmware and adjust something that they forgot to mention (not just HDZ) is not fun and puts a huge damper on flying those other systems. WS is highly unpolished right now, except for the aesthetics. But I can't fly aesthetics as well as I can good image quality. Wouldn't be bad if I was a beta tester, but spending my own money on products still in beta but releases as retail-ready really sours one on the brands. 229 for a tried and tested system with years of REAL R&D behind it, or the same for a rainbow screen or WS cutout less than 1K feet away? No contest. I also hate making big companies bigger, but until the underdogs get their act together, I'll keep buying horrible closed source products that actually work without a ton of messing with them.
Yea, totally hear you, in fact I often recommend DJI to many people simply because it just works, and really well. I gotta get a setup to test for sure! Appreciate the comment, stay tuned, cheers!
Thanks, definitely some solid improvement. Here’s the follow up video which started off great but had a ‘tragic ending’… “WalkSnail FPV Penetration & Mountain Range Tests!” th-cam.com/video/06fV2vQaxW8/w-d-xo.html
@@GiantAntCowboy Is there a reason you use the hdz goggles with the ws vrx and not the avatar goggles x? Is there a difference in image quality/range in these 2 setups?
@@lolmetyuri ‘Long Answer’: i mainly fly HDZero because I prefer it for Mountain Surfing. HDZero has lower image quality but the latency & resolution are both fixed which is more predictable. Also HDZero displays static when there is signal issues, this static instantly tells you if you’re aiming your antennas wrong or if you’re flying behind an obstacle. This allows you to quickly make a correction and avoid losing image. WS/DJI both have better image quality, but buffer the image to correct signal issues. Generally this is great and works well, but when you fly behind an obstacle and these systems try to fix the lost signal it creates a delay, frozen screen and/or a sudden blank screen. This delay even if only a second can easily result in a crash or lost quad. (Ex: 80kph for only 1 second is 22m!) Also this signal buffering/correction makes it really hard to aim/adjust your antenna aiming while flying; and getting it wrong will again result in lost video/lost quad. Each system has pros & cons, but for me I just prefer/trust HDZero for my more “risky flights”.
@@abdulfpv3363 Yes, I’ll try, but currently my WS test quad is a 5”, so can’t go too far. Also I have not focused on Range Tests because so many people have already proven the range is amazing; Penetration however seems to be a bigger problem with the system. Thanks for the suggestion!
I’d be lying if I said I know. They are simple DIY antennas made without any special equipment based on measurements tuned to 5.8ghz. But where in the band exactly I have no way of knowing. I’m hoping to do follow up tests in the future using some antennas from ProDrone. This company in Poland individually tunes and tests each antenna they ship. So stay tuned cause that’ll be interesting. Cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Cool. The reason I bring it up is because the center freqency (the frequency where SWR is the lowest) is extremely important for weak signal reception. I've not seen one youtuber mention this hugely important consideration. Interesting, since we're all supposed to be HAMs - lol. You match your RX and TX antennas while broadcasting on the channel that most closely matches their center frequency. Right now I use Foxeer lollipops (RX and TX) on Chanel 2 which gives good power (the lower channels have higher output) and most closely matches the lollipop's published center freq of 5.7GHz.
@@mlentsch yup, 100%. Wish I had access to proper SWR and tuning equipment. However as I said I’m hoping to get some antennas from ProDrone, and this company will literally tune all the antennas they send you to a specific frequency. Every antenna they sell comes with the tuning frequency and SWR I believe. I’ll do a follow up video if I get a set. Should be a neat comparison for sure.
Hey, I thought it was a fairrly good extra penetration. also i changed minee like yourse if there now rhcp but got impatient and just drilled 2 holes in the front lol..and still waiting for a friend to make the front cover....not sure why they went lhcp...yeah i knnow analog rh digi lh,still choice is nice but so was pulling the vtx apart, hope you find the pene one day,be greeat to seee!tthanx for sharing!
Thanks appreciate the comment. Yea they used LHCP in an attempt to avoid interference from/to other FPV users who most often use RHCP. I just made a new antenna setup and will do a new test video to find the limits and as well as some comparisons to HDZero. So stay tuned, cheers!
One advantage of walksnail is cheaper than dji integra. But then I have to buy better antennas, it will cost the same as dji and it's outstanding image quality/link/penetration.
I was debating on whether to get WS vrx for my HDzero's but this kinda just proves that for an extra 200 dollars and not to mention the extra LHCP antenna you would have to get, the results are kinda disappointing. Extra 300 ish dollars doesnt seem that much but the amount of range and penetration is barely improving. I think I'd rather just get DJI and O3 at that point.
Yea, I’m just sharing my experience. Lots of people love the system, and I do think it cool as well. It’s especially interesting for long-range wing pilots. But, I don’t know why you’d chose this over DJI. HDZero is still my go to system just because I know and trust it for my “particularly risky” style of flying. I’d love to get a DJI O3 setup, but it’s a lot of money to spend, and I barely have time to fly my current setups… maybe someday though! I just released a new HDZero video today that was pretty neat, and I’ll be working on a new WalksSnail testing video next. So stay tuned, cheers!
If I was local I’d do it, but shipping back and forth to Norway will be expensive and time consuming. (Where are you?) - Opening the VRX & Swapping the UFLs connectors is pretty easy. (The only caution is there a small component under the top left SMA that’s easy to break) - If you don’t have a 3D printer you can drill holes in the housing for the bottom connections. Some guys have done this successfully. It’s a nice upgrade if you have a lot of good SMA antennas or just prefer RHCP.
@@GiantAntCowboy I was hoping you wasn’t gonna be far away lol but much love on the reply. I might try after I see for myself but like I said much love on the reply. Thanks for everything.❤️❤️❤️❤️
@@gpgp1750 happy to help. Yes, I also added two UFL to SMA pigtails to the VTX. I swapped everything so I could use any antenna combination and also so I could do some fair performance comparisons to HDZero.
Unfortunately I won’t currently have a DJI setup, but will definitely be doing an HDZero comparison in some more ‘intense flight paths’ in the next video. The goal is to push the systems until they lose signal, then see how quickly they recover. (It’s gonna be a lot of ‘search and rescue hikes’ for me…) This recovery time is my biggest concern with WalkSnail/DJI and why I currently trust HDZero more for my mountain surfing quads. Appreciate the comment, stay tuned for that, cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Some people don't push their gear nearly enough. They throw on massive patch antennas and fly until they get a single sparkle. I'm busy troubleshooting my analog screen rolling because I fly until I literally can only see the horizon. Once I know my gear is set for that level of breakup I'll be more comfortable to use it in more risky places like over water or around people chasing cars.
@@madladdan unfortunately I don’t even have any analog setups at the moment. I have several old VTXs… and maybe I can build an analog quad from spare parts “Number 5 is Alive”. Haha! But yes, i generally fly far out along mountain ridgelines, valleys, rivers and waterfalls, and I need to trust my gear and know the limits. So I’m constantly testing, stressing and trying to improve the systems. It’s awfully expensive and depressing to lose a quad… But flying and getting footage in these extreme environments is an adrenaline inducing addiction!
Its strange. I see so much disparity in the performance of this system. I watch tests where it performs fantastic then there are these. I wonder if there is a unique environmental feature/factor it has more difficulty with than others. Perhaps absorption. So much water in those trees.
Yea, trees are much harder for RF to penetrate than buildings because of the high water content. In my original tests with stock antennas WalkSnail had tons of “smearing” around my property behind every tree. The antennas helps a lot.
Yea, if you go to @3:00 I show those settings. It’s trees 🌲 the system really seems to struggle with. In my next video I’ll be testing some new antennas in some tougher environments, taking a look at how the system recovers after a complete signal loss, and maybe I’ll do some building penetration tests, and doing some HDZero comparisons to see how each system performs and reacts.
@@GiantAntCowboyif I think about it that it struggles with trees is defenetly true, I always wondered why my setup suddenly struggles so much when flying behind even a moderatly sized tree about 200-600m away from me. But it performs really well with buildings.
@@trumblez yea, that’s what I’ve been trying to improve with my tests & modifications. Basically any time a tree gets in the way the image gets really blurry/smeary. When I’m sitting still the WS image is amazing, like way better than HDZero, but the moment I’m behind a tree the image gets quite blurry and it’s hard to see, at which point my HDZero system looks way better. I do a lot of freestyle and cinematic flights in & around trees, so WalkSnail has been a bit of a disappointment for me. I’ve been trying to push the performance but think a lot of it has to do with the compression algorithm, since fast grass also gets blurry even with perfect LOS. I’ll get messing around with it, see if we can’t improve it a bit. I also don’t like how it disconnects when signal is completely lost, that’s my issue with DJI as well, and why I only fly HDZero (or analog) in the mountains where LOS mistake happen often and can be disastrous…
Nice to see a youtuber that I don't have to skip around the video looking for the actual content. Good job
Thanks, I tried to keep it concise and detailed but still entertaining. Appreciate the comment and support, cheers!
Wwww 0:22 s😅@@GiantAntCowboy
😮😅😮
I’ve seen some people comment that your videos are too “busy” and have too much information crammed in. Personally I think you’re ahead of the curve - it’s a video, we can pause to read if necessary or let it flow from start to finish. I think eventually more people will edit the way you do so people actually watch the whole thing. Great work ok the video too, that answered some questions I had!
Yea, I edit my videos the way I wish most videos were presented. I of course understand that too much info at once is overwhelming, (in fact I actually ‘cut’ a lot of details out, based on viewer feedback…), but the details are the whole point. ‘Pause, Rewind, and Analyze’ yourself if you want, and maybe answer specific questions I didn’t even address.
The problem is that making a video with all these details takes forever, I’ve spent weeks, probably close to 40hrs analyzing and editing this video… most YT channels simply ‘bang out content’ and honestly they grow much faster by doing so. I usually intend to ‘keep it simple’ but then get sucked into the details.
Anyway, your comment is very much appreciated, it’s always nice to hear to my efforts don’t go unnoticed, so thanks and cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Yup. I certainly felt this video went quite quickly, but I could easily pause if needed. It's certainly much better to have a 5 min video like this than the usual which is a 15-30 min video of someone babbling on endlessly. I often end up skipping bits of those, but then I find I lose track of what the person's talking about and have to skip back...
Mostly I feel like they're doing this because I think something like 15 min is the minimum to get ad revenue on the video, so they babble on so they can make money out of it. I miss old TH-cam, where people made videos for fun instead of trying to make a job out of it.
@Vousie yes, exactly. If a video is over 10mins it can run multiple ads and make more ad revenue... but unless you have enough valuable information to talk about it’s a big waste of time for everyone.
I try to make every second purposeful, and so a lot of information gets crammed in… but I figure people just can pause & rewind if they want to take it all in.
My channel is such a “niche topic” there’s no chance of “making a living”, so I don’t even try. I probably put too much time and effort into these videos, but it’s a “passion project” and i want to produce fun & useful videos.
So anyway, I always appreciate feedback & support, stay tuned, Cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Thank you for doing the videos. Seeing the comparisons of how the systems perform is really useful for knowing what to expect out of a system.
@@Vousie did you see my latest video… penetration testing and mountain surfing, attempt…?
Wow this Video information packed! Not wasting any of the viewers time! Right down to the point that every body wants to know. Thank you so much for valuing out time. It was a pleasure to watch. Thanks also for sharing your mod design as stl.
Thanks, I did try to trim as much as I could, keep the video moving, while still trying to have a little personal style vs a purely technical comparison. Appreciate the comment, happy to share my findings with you all. Stay tuned, cheers!
Very noticeable difference between the 2 antenna setups. Lots of good data there and nice edit! You certainly go the extra mile to present the tests with all the information on the screen which is helpful. Looking forward to more of your tests!
Hey Luke, yea some definite improvement, I’m going to try and squeeze a little more performance out, and do some tougher tests, but this sets a good baseline for sure. Appreciate the comment, the details in these videos become an obsession and endless hours of editing but I have a vision I’m always trying to achieve. I also appreciate your videos, nice real world examples and thoughts, keep it up, cheers!
Thank you, that's very useful. And watching your presentation, I realize FW guys like myself have a very easy time in comparison. We stay well clear of anything resembling terrain, safely relying on data gathered through gutsy multirotor test runs like these. Thank you for defining the limits so we know when to chicken out!
Yea this system seems to be a perfect solution for wings. But closer to the ground and behind things gets a little trickier… I have a couple more ‘intense tests’ for the next video, but my confidence wasn’t quite there yet. I have a lot of fun pushing the limits. Thanks for watching and commenting, stay tuned, cheers!
Great content. It's probably under appreciated the effort that went into flying and editing this video.
Well done!
Thanks appreciate the comment and support. I definitely spend way too much time making these videos.., but I want them to be useful tests. Stay tuned, new tests and antennas coming soon. (VAS are working on some special antennas which sound promising.) Cheers!
Thanks, Peter. Great content and very well done!
Thanks Silvio, appreciate the comment.
Nice! Glad to see you're getting better results with Walksnail. Now it's time to get to the top of that mountain! 😉
Yup, me too. I’ll definitely start pushing the limits more. I have a few more antenna improvements and tests I’d like to do first. In my next video I’ll be testing some new antenna combinations in more difficult flight paths. Also I’m going to try to test how the system responds and recovers after a complete signal loss. Cheers man, keep up your successful flights as well, cheers!
I would love a tutorial on how you took apart and installed external smas vs the stock patches! Looks like a very nice upgrade
I’ll consider it, I believe I took some footage during the install. One “word of caution”: Under the Top Left SMA on the circuit board is a small component with a thin glass cover, several people have broken this whole doing similar modifications. The performance seems unaffected, but best to be aware and use caution.
Thanks for watch, appreciate the comment and stay tuned, cheers!
Excellent videos! I made the transition from analog to Fatshark Dominator HD(Walksnail). I'm building a AOS7 long range quad. I've never done any long range, I don't want to lose a quad. Being very cautious, getting all the info I need before sending it.
Hey Nick, thanks for watching. My biggest problem with WalkSnail/DJI is the lack of warning & potential to disconnect. In comparison to Analog/HDZero which show real-time break up, and can’t disconnect.
In a follow up test I show what happens when you reach the limit, and what happens when you go too far…
Here’s a link - th-cam.com/video/06fV2vQaxW8/w-d-xo.html
Check it out. If you have good LOS WS/DJI are excellent performers and without too much issue.
Let me know if you have questions cheers!
Thanks for these comparisons. I think I'll print your HDZero Goggle rail mount too. The weird thing about the camera (or maybe it's the system) is that it always looks flat and muted. Kind of like cinelog color space or something - but at the same time, shadows get crushed. It could be a strategy to get better compression with less color and less details or it could just be the camera. What do you think?
Yes, interesting point. I always felt that WalkSnail (and DJI) make the image ‘super contrasty’ in order to make the image look shaper and cleaner. Compared to HDZero and Analog which generally maintain much more details in the shadows and highlights; but HDZero and Analog of course don’t look as sharp and clean.
Your thought about this being to benefit the compression algorithm makes a lot of sense. Ex: If you post a video with really high contrast on social media (FB, Insta, TikTok) the compressed version always looks sharper and cleaner.
What’s disappointing with WalkSnail is when you’re parked in the ground the image looks incredible! But as soon as you start flying it starts to fall apart quickly, generally still looks great but no where close to the image before takeoff.
*Long response sorry*… but another interesting thought from a viewer recently, was that having my props in view of the camera might actually be using some of the Bitrate resulting in an overall more compressed image. This could make sense and I’ll try to test that theory in the future.
Anyway thanks for the comment bud, cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy I have ws and this is why i use hdzero when i do penetration. WS image quality fall apart in penetration , it's blurry. HDzero keep his resolution.
Yup, exactly my thoughts. WS image looks better until signal gets weak, then the image quickly looks much worse then HDZero.
Perfect comparison. Thank you :)
My pleasure, cheers. 🥂
Great stuff. Thanks for the comparisons
Thanks man, appreciate the comment 👏
great testing and info thank you!
Hey thanks, appreciate the comment. Working on the next setup improvements and testing now, so stay tuned. Cheers!
Awesome testing and comparison, love all the info! I don’t quite understand why companies include trash antennas - seems to set their product up to perform poorly. I would either include no antennas, high performance, or at the minimum, bottom of the line dirt cheap linear ones just for people to have something when they get it for basic setup while waiting for their aftermarket antennas of choice to arrive.
The VTX antennae are actually pretty good, enough to fly miles and miles with good VRX antennae. The patches included with the VRX are also quite good, 9dBi gain I believe. The omnis included for the crucial transmit and receive ports on the top of the VRX are not so good though and definitely need replaced.
Thanks bud, appreciate the comment. Agreed, most manufacturers seem to do this, certainly a cost thing, but for the general public the stock antennas likely work well enough. My uses and expectations are generally on the extreme side of things, I just like to push these systems and try to improve them for my uses. I’ll be doing some more difficult tests with some new antenna combinations for the next video, which will be fun. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of exercise on the inevitable ‘search and rescue’ missions… lol
Yea, I think your right. As I mentioned in my reply you Calley, I’m sure the stock setup probably works just fine for most people. My uses and expectations are on the extreme side of things…
Those VRX mods are amazing!
Thanks, working pretty well. I recently made a new set of antennas, shown in my latest video, which I’ll be testing with WalkSnail soon. Let’s see if we can push the performance a bit further. Cheers!
I really need to see about increasing the directional capabilities on my WS VRX. Swapped out the patches for some X2 Airs, and I routed the TX line to one of those. Still got omnis on top however, and that's where I'm giving the most up. Currently reaching 5 miles before I stop trusting it to go further, but I want at least 7. The other thing to chase down is a tracker so everything is always aimed the right way. Got a bad habit of looking down or looking the wrong direction to adjust.
Yea, I think swapping the Omnis out with help you a lot. I’m posting a video later this week about my latest antenna setup, all the testing is with HDZero, but I talk about antenna aiming a bit and it’s a fun video.
I’ll be using that same antennas for some WS testing next.
If your flying a Wing then losing signal/video isn’t a huge deal, but if you’re doing close proximity flying with a quad it can be game over.
Curious to hear how your get on with any new setups. Cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Not really any long range proximity to be done around here, so loss of video is usually just remedied by a RTH signal. But yeah, gotta hurry up and figure out some way to hold some helicals in position. With an antenna tracker, it wouldn't be crazy to just do something like 9-15 turns. Wouldn't even need to hold the weight up anymore. It's sorta looking like ELRS Backpack might soon support outputting basic telemetry, so tracking may be viable in short order for me.
@@jaysonrees738 yea, antenna trackers are the way to go for proper long-range. I never considered a ground station simply because I hike to a lot of locations and it’s just more stuff to carry and set up.
I recognize that VRX mount! The non-angled version slides less on the goggles, but you loose the angle with it. Ideally i wanted to use the google stl as a cutting tool to give better contact area and be more rigid when attached, but the step file for the goggles were fighting me when I was trying to import, so it's all measured by hand and I think I have a few measurements slightly off. Let me know if you need any changes on it, and happy to make adjustments to the model
Hey man, great work on the design, it works perfectly in my opinion. The slight sliding has no affect on performance so I wouldn’t worry about it. Love the fitment, it’s exactly what I was hoping for, glad to have found it! Appreciate you checking out the video, and sharing your design with us, cheers!
Where did you get those ufl to sma pigtails for the upgrade? I have read that you need a specific cable for the 5.8ghz band. Amazing video planning to do this upgrade too.
These were just purchased from Amazon when I was in the USA. You can’t use one with thicker coax because you have to make some tight bends inside the case.
Here’s a random example of what I used. www.drone-fpv-racer.com/en/ufl-to-sma-antenna-cable-by-ninjatech-10004.html
Thanks for watching. Cheers!
Nice video credits))
1. How do you think, is it reasonable to replace lollipops(or one of them) at the top of vrx on high gain patch antenna(s) for flying long distance? Don’t want to make all this radical changes in construction.
2. After all the tests, do you use focus mode when trying to maximise fly distance
@@KuDennis thansk for watching. I’d replace both top antennas with high gain ones honestly. I do think focus mode is beneficial.
When doing long-range just make sure you have good LOS, check out the Part III where I demonstrate that… haha
PartIII -
th-cam.com/video/06fV2vQaxW8/w-d-xo.html
Cheers!
@@KuDennis thansk for watching. I’d replace both top antennas with high gain ones honestly. I do think focus mode is beneficial.
When doing long-range just make sure you have good LOS, check out the Part III where I demonstrate that… haha
PartIII -
th-cam.com/video/06fV2vQaxW8/w-d-xo.html
Cheers!
I keep coming back to this video. The only thing stopping me doing the vrx antenna conversion has been sourcing good ufl to sma adapter cables. I have heard that some actually can cause attenuation. Which did you use? I just saw a set of 4 on amazon for around £10. Did you use such cheap cables or spend a bit more on some others? In which case, which?
You know I’ve been trying to remember for days which cables I used. I think they might have just been some cheap ones like on Amazon… crazy I can’t remember but I order a lot of random stuff.
I will say thinner ones are actually better in this situation because it’s tight and you have to bend the cables around to fit properly.
Also be careful with the top left connector because there’s a small glass component that very easily breaks.
But good luck with the mod. If I remember or find the ones I used I’ll let you know. Cheers!
What size screws did you get for the VRX mount? I’m going down this path as we speak. EDIT: just finished watching the video and all my questions were answered 😃
Great to hear, system works well with some proper antennas! I made a follow up to this video with more extreme testing to show the limits.
Great video thank you😊
Thank you, appreciate the comment. Cheers!
Looking good. So you're using your hdzero antennas (rhcp) on both vrx and quad rather than lhcp that ws usually uses?
Yes, for this test I swapped everything to SMA and RHCP simply because I have a ton of these antennas in this configuration.
Also I’m planning to do more WS vs HDZ comparisons soon and want to use the exact antenna setups for a proper comparison.
Thanks for watching, let me know if you have other questions, suggestions or thoughts. Appreciate the support, cheers!
Thanks, great video! After trying out walksnail my self I just wonder how you are abel to get 15 sat lock 😅 I guess this is the v2 vtx?
Haha, this is the V1 VTX, but yea strangely I’ve never had GPS issues with this build. When I first got my HDZero 1W I had really bad GPS issues, like 0 satellites or they come and go while flying. I tried a bunch of stuff and what seemed to fix it was simply setting the ‘Baud Rate’ to Auto, and then setting the quad outside for a few minutes. Ever since then I haven’t had GPS issues. Not sure why it helped, but it’s super quick and easy to at least try.
Thanks for the comment, appreciate the support, cheers!
Question: Are you now using all RHCP antennas because of this swap? Does it matter as long as they are all the same? Just got into walksnail and the whole LHCP thing..
RHCP or LHCP have no impact on performance, you just have to make sure all antennas match.
I switched everything to SMA RHCP so I could do comparisons to HDZero and also have so many RHCP antennas already.
Having looked into walksnail for a while it seems to me that for some people the vrx performs much worse than the gogglein range.
It could be as simple as less shielding or a noisier power circuite.
Or perhaps ultimately just worse built as its built and sold at a very low pricepoint.
If i had the vrx i would be tempted to try antennas with direct ufl connections.
Yea, wish I could do a comparison of both, but I don’t have the goggles and so can’t speak to their performance.
Penetration tests (specifically in trees) are definitely more difficult for the systems than basic range tests. I’ve seen a lot of really successful range tests with WS recently. and actually for WS or DJI range is pretty easy because there’s generally clear LOS, and the systems can buffer and repair any lost packets. Additionally the image often holds up better because there is less details and rapid movements to transmit.
Regarding antennas, it’s kind of a ‘half-secret’ (shhh..) but VAS is working on some direct UFL antennas specifically for the WS VRX. I’ll try to get a set for testing and comparison with my ‘next generation’ antenna setups.
Anyway appreciate you sharing your thoughts, stay tuned, cheers!
Very informative video thx! But next time please optimise the video to watch on phones too, I can not see the numbers you wrote on a 6 inch phone.
Excellent feedback, I’ll keep that in mind going forward, appreciate the comment. Cheers!
Have you tried 2nd drone as a signal repeater and auto antenna tracker?
I haven’t but all of my WS tests so far have been within 500m and shouldn’t require these sorts of measures.
Signal repeater drone I always thought could be neat, but assume it would add a fair amount of latency.
Thanks for watching, appreciate you sharing thoughts. Cheers!
Does anyone know if it is possible to connect Walksnail Avatar to virtual reality glasses via usb, for example, to Oculus quest 3?
I’m not sure to be honest. Bot Grinder did a video about flying FPV with AR Glasses a few weeks ago. So it might be possible!
@@GiantAntCowboy
Here is Caddx's answer to the question about using Avatar vrx along with the usb input of vr goggles:
"Theoretically yes, but we haven't tested this glasses"
I know you're an analog and HD zero fan for low latency and long range. But have you tried the DJI O3 already? Super image quality and penetration. I saw even falconradFPV gave it a try and liked it. Love hate for DJI ❤😂
I also love the O3. It's just so much more enjoying to fly with that image detail
Oh man, the O3 system does look unbelievable, and I’d love to try it… but at the moment I have more FPV gear than I have time to use, plus it’s probably gonna get me for $1,000… hard to justify at the moment. Beyond that my only real concern is image freezing and dropout. My exact fear happened to FalconRad in his last video; he dives into a valley with amazing image, then suddenly.., frozen image?!? With HDZero and Analog you get a ton of warning before a complete black out and the image comes back instantly when LOS is restored. (This has always been my argument) I’ve experienced this a few times with WalkSnail during these tests, but didn’t cover it here because in my next video I’ll focus on some more serious penetration tests. See what it takes to kill the WS and HDZ systems and see how they recover. (Gonna be a lot of walking for that video… haha)
Anyway, appreciate the comment, I’ll try to get an O3 system at some point, but for now I’ll continue ‘supporting the underdogs’, Cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy I was thinking the same, but O3 and ELRS really have spoiled me. I'd like to support the underdogs too, and they deserve it for working so hard, but having to constantly update my firmware and adjust something that they forgot to mention (not just HDZ) is not fun and puts a huge damper on flying those other systems. WS is highly unpolished right now, except for the aesthetics. But I can't fly aesthetics as well as I can good image quality. Wouldn't be bad if I was a beta tester, but spending my own money on products still in beta but releases as retail-ready really sours one on the brands. 229 for a tried and tested system with years of REAL R&D behind it, or the same for a rainbow screen or WS cutout less than 1K feet away? No contest. I also hate making big companies bigger, but until the underdogs get their act together, I'll keep buying horrible closed source products that actually work without a ton of messing with them.
Yea, totally hear you, in fact I often recommend DJI to many people simply because it just works, and really well. I gotta get a setup to test for sure! Appreciate the comment, stay tuned, cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy I will stay tuned, I'd like to see an actual comparison with data, like you always provide.
I have dji v1. DJI have better penetration and better image quality but it freeze and lag. I think the same goes to the O3.
great video!
Thanks, definitely some solid improvement. Here’s the follow up video which started off great but had a ‘tragic ending’…
“WalkSnail FPV Penetration & Mountain Range Tests!” th-cam.com/video/06fV2vQaxW8/w-d-xo.html
@@GiantAntCowboy Is there a reason you use the hdz goggles with the ws vrx and not the avatar goggles x? Is there a difference in image quality/range in these 2 setups?
@@lolmetyuri ‘Long Answer’: i mainly fly HDZero because I prefer it for Mountain Surfing. HDZero has lower image quality but the latency & resolution are both fixed which is more predictable.
Also HDZero displays static when there is signal issues, this static instantly tells you if you’re aiming your antennas wrong or if you’re flying behind an obstacle. This allows you to quickly make a correction and avoid losing image.
WS/DJI both have better image quality, but buffer the image to correct signal issues. Generally this is great and works well, but when you fly behind an obstacle and these systems try to fix the lost signal it creates a delay, frozen screen and/or a sudden blank screen. This delay even if only a second can easily result in a crash or lost quad. (Ex: 80kph for only 1 second is 22m!)
Also this signal buffering/correction makes it really hard to aim/adjust your antenna aiming while flying; and getting it wrong will again result in lost video/lost quad.
Each system has pros & cons, but for me I just prefer/trust HDZero for my more “risky flights”.
u are the best thanks for the video
thanks brother
Thanks appreciate the comment and support, cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy next update u must try long range brother with 4 antena go to 7-9km with 7inch drone 😁
@@abdulfpv3363 Yes, I’ll try, but currently my WS test quad is a 5”, so can’t go too far.
Also I have not focused on Range Tests because so many people have already proven the range is amazing; Penetration however seems to be a bigger problem with the system.
Thanks for the suggestion!
@@GiantAntCowboy yes u right . im agree thanks
What are the center frequencies of your antennas?
I’d be lying if I said I know. They are simple DIY antennas made without any special equipment based on measurements tuned to 5.8ghz. But where in the band exactly I have no way of knowing.
I’m hoping to do follow up tests in the future using some antennas from ProDrone. This company in Poland individually tunes and tests each antenna they ship. So stay tuned cause that’ll be interesting. Cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy Cool. The reason I bring it up is because the center freqency (the frequency where SWR is the lowest) is extremely important for weak signal reception. I've not seen one youtuber mention this hugely important consideration. Interesting, since we're all supposed to be HAMs - lol.
You match your RX and TX antennas while broadcasting on the channel that most closely matches their center frequency. Right now I use Foxeer lollipops (RX and TX) on Chanel 2 which gives good power (the lower channels have higher output) and most closely matches the lollipop's published center freq of 5.7GHz.
@@mlentsch yup, 100%. Wish I had access to proper SWR and tuning equipment. However as I said I’m hoping to get some antennas from ProDrone, and this company will literally tune all the antennas they send you to a specific frequency. Every antenna they sell comes with the tuning frequency and SWR I believe. I’ll do a follow up video if I get a set. Should be a neat comparison for sure.
Hey, I thought it was a fairrly good extra penetration. also i changed minee like yourse if there now rhcp but got impatient and just drilled 2 holes in the front lol..and still waiting for a friend to make the front cover....not sure why they went lhcp...yeah i knnow analog rh digi lh,still choice is nice but so was pulling the vtx apart, hope you find the pene one day,be greeat to seee!tthanx for sharing!
Thanks appreciate the comment. Yea they used LHCP in an attempt to avoid interference from/to other FPV users who most often use RHCP.
I just made a new antenna setup and will do a new test video to find the limits and as well as some comparisons to HDZero. So stay tuned, cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy cool cant wait :)
One advantage of walksnail is cheaper than dji integra. But then I have to buy better antennas, it will cost the same as dji and it's outstanding image quality/link/penetration.
Yup. DJI is a pretty outstanding system and a great option for most people. Thanks for watching, appreciate the comment. Cheers!
I was debating on whether to get WS vrx for my HDzero's but this kinda just proves that for an extra 200 dollars and not to mention the extra LHCP antenna you would have to get, the results are kinda disappointing. Extra 300 ish dollars doesnt seem that much but the amount of range and penetration is barely improving. I think I'd rather just get DJI and O3 at that point.
Yea, I’m just sharing my experience. Lots of people love the system, and I do think it cool as well. It’s especially interesting for long-range wing pilots. But, I don’t know why you’d chose this over DJI.
HDZero is still my go to system just because I know and trust it for my “particularly risky” style of flying.
I’d love to get a DJI O3 setup, but it’s a lot of money to spend, and I barely have time to fly my current setups… maybe someday though!
I just released a new HDZero video today that was pretty neat, and I’ll be working on a new WalksSnail testing video next. So stay tuned, cheers!
How much will you charge me to upgrade my vrx just like urs? Yes I’m serious lol
If I was local I’d do it, but shipping back and forth to Norway will be expensive and time consuming. (Where are you?)
- Opening the VRX & Swapping the UFLs connectors is pretty easy. (The only caution is there a small component under the top left SMA that’s easy to break)
- If you don’t have a 3D printer you can drill holes in the housing for the bottom connections. Some guys have done this successfully.
It’s a nice upgrade if you have a lot of good SMA antennas or just prefer RHCP.
@@GiantAntCowboy I was hoping you wasn’t gonna be far away lol but much love on the reply. I might try after I see for myself but like I said much love on the reply. Thanks for everything.❤️❤️❤️❤️
@@GiantAntCowboy did you upgrade you tx antenna?
@@gpgp1750 happy to help. Yes, I also added two UFL to SMA pigtails to the VTX.
I swapped everything so I could use any antenna combination and also so I could do some fair performance comparisons to HDZero.
You might as well do the same runs with DJI and Analog now😁
Unfortunately I won’t currently have a DJI setup, but will definitely be doing an HDZero comparison in some more ‘intense flight paths’ in the next video. The goal is to push the systems until they lose signal, then see how quickly they recover. (It’s gonna be a lot of ‘search and rescue hikes’ for me…)
This recovery time is my biggest concern with WalkSnail/DJI and why I currently trust HDZero more for my mountain surfing quads. Appreciate the comment, stay tuned for that, cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy I'd be keen for that. Please throw in some analog footage too. It may be old but it still works and keeps the hobby alive.
@@GiantAntCowboy Some people don't push their gear nearly enough. They throw on massive patch antennas and fly until they get a single sparkle. I'm busy troubleshooting my analog screen rolling because I fly until I literally can only see the horizon. Once I know my gear is set for that level of breakup I'll be more comfortable to use it in more risky places like over water or around people chasing cars.
@@madladdan unfortunately I don’t even have any analog setups at the moment. I have several old VTXs… and maybe I can build an analog quad from spare parts “Number 5 is Alive”. Haha!
But yes, i generally fly far out along mountain ridgelines, valleys, rivers and waterfalls, and I need to trust my gear and know the limits. So I’m constantly testing, stressing and trying to improve the systems. It’s awfully expensive and depressing to lose a quad… But flying and getting footage in these extreme environments is an adrenaline inducing addiction!
@@GiantAntCowboy Yep I've lost a quad. Kinda ruins flying once that happens but we still do it.
Its strange. I see so much disparity in the performance of this system. I watch tests where it performs fantastic then there are these. I wonder if there is a unique environmental feature/factor it has more difficulty with than others. Perhaps absorption. So much water in those trees.
Yea, trees are much harder for RF to penetrate than buildings because of the high water content.
In my original tests with stock antennas WalkSnail had tons of “smearing” around my property behind every tree. The antennas helps a lot.
If you fly 700mw and 25mbits the range and penetration is awesome
Yea, if you go to @3:00 I show those settings. It’s trees 🌲 the system really seems to struggle with.
In my next video I’ll be testing some new antennas in some tougher environments, taking a look at how the system recovers after a complete signal loss, and maybe I’ll do some building penetration tests, and doing some HDZero comparisons to see how each system performs and reacts.
@@GiantAntCowboyif I think about it that it struggles with trees is defenetly true, I always wondered why my setup suddenly struggles so much when flying behind even a moderatly sized tree about 200-600m away from me. But it performs really well with buildings.
@@trumblez yea, that’s what I’ve been trying to improve with my tests & modifications. Basically any time a tree gets in the way the image gets really blurry/smeary.
When I’m sitting still the WS image is amazing, like way better than HDZero, but the moment I’m behind a tree the image gets quite blurry and it’s hard to see, at which point my HDZero system looks way better.
I do a lot of freestyle and cinematic flights in & around trees, so WalkSnail has been a bit of a disappointment for me.
I’ve been trying to push the performance but think a lot of it has to do with the compression algorithm, since fast grass also gets blurry even with perfect LOS.
I’ll get messing around with it, see if we can’t improve it a bit. I also don’t like how it disconnects when signal is completely lost, that’s my issue with DJI as well, and why I only fly HDZero (or analog) in the mountains where LOS mistake happen often and can be disastrous…