xjet , well said. The guy knows technical better than most. Google helps level the field if you know what your looking for. But I trust his expertise and math enough, not to worry about questioning his results. On soldering like you. Pretinning is a must. I hate trying to make a connection by skipping that step. It ends up more than doubling the time if not screwing it up completely and pulling the tab on the beercan. I tend to put too much flux on, almost too much heat. But I use heat sinks and grounds to prevent damage to circuitry or foil runs. I like a little smoke sizzle flow and done-right the first time. Not enough heat, not enough flux, not enough solder wont kill me, but the end result I wont show anyone what it looks like or how much time I wasted to get something done that looks crappy. You were to the point and spoke for all technicians and DIY guys. I speak for myself, others might relate.
Build one this evening for my broken TX CL antenna, and tested it on the ground. I was able to walk for 270m before it got to dark and i still had picture. I used a standard 1,5mm2 sollid copper wire from a electrical cable. Diameter of this wire is 1,2mm so a bit on the thick size but the thinnest i had. On my RX i have a skew planer wheel. Thanks for your video and will post my flying experiance with this TX antenna.
Absolutley the best tutorial Video on youtube,so easy to do,a am amateur but thanks to your explanation i hawe build 2,4 gh antena with 3 lages on reciver,and 4 lages on transmiter.Sorry for my bad Englis greatinsgs from Croatia :) My toy quad nov hawe a range inprofe for 30 meters (when i buy it to 100-120 meters with builded antenas) T.Y.
Hi, very nice job ! What are the differences between a cloverleaf antenna, a celtic antenna and this Biquad antenna design ? Which one gives the best performances ?
Andrew, when making a bend you should add that you take the diameter of the wire you are cutting and divide that in half then subtract that from the length you will be bending to give a more accurate length...just a suggestion my friend...
Built one so far, went together pretty easy but you have to get creative when soldering them together. I will build the matching antenna this week and hopefully if weather permits I will test these against VAS Blue Beam Ultras. I was able to go 2000ft (600m) with the Blue Beams this past weekend at an altitude of about 100ft. Will post results when I do the test.
andrew mcneil This weekends weather wasn't great so I might not get another chance for a couple weeks. I might take the extra time to construct them out of RG316. I used RG174 only because I had that in stock. Do you think the RG 174 will have that much loss for the 3 inch run?
I built your 2.4ghz version. Tested with wire shark and I am getting some packet loss. I might have too large of a gap between the legs. Will try again with 1mm gap. It does get - 67 dBm. That is comparable to my usb netgear A6210 connected to the same Hotspot. It's 4 bars.
Nice video of your antennas in 5.8 which is in your opinion the better and why Also have you made a pepper box antenna yet or one that gives 180 or more degree with great penetration for long range or through obstacles in 5.8 cheers do you have a sheet or website
your soldering looks awfully under heated. let me guess - lead free solder but iron that remembers 90's and 60/40 solder. get adjustable temperature iron or revert back to 60/40 solder.
Another Question for you Andrew. It seems you have a good handle on radios, and I myself am trying to get to a similar point in understanding by learning about amateur radio. My question is more about turning these into dual band antenna's. Can I use the same method, but use the elements for both 2.4 and 5.8 to do a dual band antenna? I understand my SWR will possibly increase, but I have most of the equipment to correct the reflected power.
Hi all I made one of these yesterday and went out for a test flight I used one of these and a immersionrc spiro net v2 antennas and got 1km with good strong video the hole way I used this antenna on my goggles and a 250mw vtx on the quad. Great video by the way think I might make some more and try them out one my 250 racing quads
Adam Patchubg hey Adam, you said you use the spironet v2, was that on the receiver or the transmitter? just curious because I wanted to make myself one of these and I have the same setup that you have
+Adam Patchubg you should use the antennas in pairs, not mixing Right-hand circular polarization spironet v2 with the biquad that is not circular polarized
+Adam Patchubg Ya, I thought the same thing, and would not have thought you would get 1Km if it wasn't the same, I thought that by bending a Cloverleaf at a 45-55 degree angle to the right or left gave you the RH OR LH circular polarization. and that these because the Biquad is strait up and down had no polarization... I would have never thought to try these with a Cloverleaf ... but now I'll have to.. :)
Good tutorial, but I think you could do something about your soldering techniques to make your life easier. If your pre tin the wires prior to soldering you won't have to fiddle around so much .
I recently stumbled upon your channel and am loving it! Built this last night. Have a bunch of questions. Is there an advantage of having more elements instead of less (6 instead of 4)? What advantage does this antennae have over a skew planar wheel? Lastly, why don't you patent these designs? They are amazing and could be quite lucrative. Thanks Andrew, your channel is my new favorite.
Will adding more length to the cable decrease the effectiveness of the antenna. For example: going from a 3 inch to a 5 inch cable will this decrease the effectiveness of the antenna?
do you think discone antennas would be good for multi rotors? being as the receiver is almost always going to be below the multirotor which is in the air.
if you mount the elements at a 45 angel would it work like a circular polarized antenna ? or do a circular polarized antenna have to be rounded like the celtic knot and the Cloverleaf Antennas? i made one with the set biquad elements at a 45 at short range it looks like it works and it looks cool :)
What is the most powerful antenna have you built? Would building a powerful antenna with a 1 Watt WiFi Amplifier help with connecting to a wifi connection that you couldn't find on your list with a regular antenna? I ask because I'm currently staying in a hotel for a few months where the internet is very slow. In one of the rooms, I was able to connect to a Comcast XFinity connection that worked really good using my laptop's built-in antenna. Was perfect until the hotel moved me to another room which is around the corner and down the hall a little. Both rooms are up on the 3rd floor. Question is, would having a much stronger antenna connected with a 1 Watt WiFi Amplifier greatly increase my chance of finding that XFinity connection and connecting to it? Right now, in my new room, I can't find the XFinity connection in my list of WiFi connections. FYI, the Comcast XFinity hotspots are hosted by the vast amounts of Comcast XFinity Internet consumers in their homes where they have the Comcast Router. Even though that private connection is for that particular customer in their home to connect to their services, Comcast has built in a hotspot for other Comcast members to connect to it using their own account. So basically I'm trying to connect to a consumer grade router from my hotel room. Yes, this is legal according to Comcast.
I have just built two of these to try on my 250 quad. I will put one on the RX and one on the TX. Is it bad to have the same antenna for both RX and TX? Also, how do you find these in comparison with the fatsharks or other commercial ones? Thanks
Hi Andrew, Nice vid. I'm gonna make this on the weekend. Will this work for both tx and rx side for 5.8. Also how this compared to the blade antenna you've made earlier. Thanks...
Hi Andrew i am new to quadcopters and i am loving you vids but i have watched so many of them now i am totally confused I have just got a VLToys V666and would like to know what would the best build in antennas for longer range and video clarity for both TX and RX any advice would be great TIA Allan
would I need to angle this to make it polarized? say lhcp or rhcp . If that is true, what angle would I need to angle them at? Maybe you could make a video on that. I know Ibcrazy makes his Air Blades, Bluebeams and it is similar to this only angled.
Question, How does the number of lobes affect the gain of the signal? I know nothing of communications or radio waves. But have gathered the target frequency is achieved by a specific size lobe. How then do the number of lobes affect the antenna in pro/con sort of way. It's very interesting to watch, but rather daunting to picture myself doing this as I don't solder things either :D Thanks in advance.
Jonathan Wolff Hi Jonathan more lobes at slightly better gain but also have increased reflected power back down the coax(vswr). Now when you are only using this for Rx (receiving) its not a problem so you can increase gain (lobes) without worrying about the increase in reflected power.
Hello there!! im in need for a antenna that can outperform the stock dji phantom 4 standard , antennas the first phantom 4 was all 2,4 ghz, and i have ordered a kit to get the specaly made plugs and cabel system inside the remote, but one thing i dislike ablut this kit, is that it uses plugs with 90 degree cable connection (90 degree plugs), do you know how mutch loss i gain wit 2x 90 degree plugs on eatch cable, and what antenna do you recomend for it, im hoping to use a non directional antenna, and from what i have seen, it looks like the stock antennas are well made signal vise, the range is good today, but it would be nice with better signal penetration, my idea vas 2w amplifiers, but those got so hot that they burned up, a bad design for sure. Best Regards Otto Olsen
I'm very new to antennas and WiFi in general, and was wondering if this is something I can use for a home WiFi network or if this is more intended for a different application? Same for the 2.4ghz antenna?
I'm at a loss. I have a mobile phone booster set-up for EE on 1800 MHz, at present the external antenna is a flat panel type with about 7 dB gain. I want to build a better antenna that will give me a higher gain. I'll welcome any help please.
Andrew, small question. What is the best 5,8Ghz overall antenna for fpv rx and tx. Cloverleaf, Skewer Panal wheel, fiveleaf, omnidirectional, blade or your latest... Celtic knot. I have some chinese antennas and they are crap. So after seeing your video's I want to build a set myself. But... which one is the best for me.
Ronald de Bruin I would like to know as well, plus some people asked already about TX/RX. I got now some antennas which are covered in plastic so I don't see the design inside (clowerleaf?) but they are labeled RX/TX. But still I dunno if it's worth upgrading from the one I already have
Ronald de Bruin And from all his designs which would the best? Probably there is not such thing as best as each have advantages and disadvantages. But there is just too many designs and they are not compared as clearly as I wished.
Thanx again Andrew.. I built one today & happy with my first ever DIY antenna, but I have small question if I put this antenna on my fpv RX what antenna should I use on the TX for best combination? or should it be same on both TX and RX?
+andrew mcneil Andrew, finally I have built few of these antennas I was testing experimenting & comparing between this antenna design and Clover leafs but somehow am getting strange results maybe you can answer it with your technical experience. I tried using a 2.4Ghz (32mm quarter wave) 4 lobes Omnidirectional biquad antenna mounted on 5.8Ghz Tx transmitting at 5645Mhz and on Rx I used omnidirectional 6 lobes biquad antenna tuned for 5.8Ghz (13mm quarter wave) & amazingly this has gave me best ever result in terms of RSSI and range. I have done several combinations using the same Tx and Rx communicating at 5645Mhz : 1. 5.8Ghz Clover leafs on both Tx & Rx (these I bought ready made by fatshark Spironet). 2. 5.8Ghz Clover Leaf on Tx and 5.8ghz Omni Biquad 4 lobes & 6 lobes on Rx & vice versa. 3. 5.8Ghz Clover leafs (Chinese made). 4. Omni 5.8Ghz biquad 4 lobes on Tx & 6 lobes on Rx & vice versa. 5. 2.4Ghz Omni biquad 4 lobes on Tx & 2.4Ghz Omni Biquad 6 lobes on Rx & Vice versa. 6. 2.4Ghz Omni biquad 4 lobes on Tx & 5.8Ghz Omni biquad 6 lobes on Rx & vice versa. 7. Mounted each of these antennas on Tx & no antenna on Rx So why do you think a 4 lobes Omni biquad tuned for 2.4Ghz antenna outperforms all these I tested when mounted on a 5.8Ghz Tx & even when no antenna was mounted on Rx the 2.4Ghz tuned Omni biquads the 4 lobes & 6 lobes outperform all other antennas I mentioned above. I did the testing keeping a 600mw tx with camera about 40 meters away passing through 2 brick walls & looking at the RSSI voltage on my Rx. Also I did some walk around looking at the video feed and it was actually very stable. I have some numbers if you wish to see. Thanks..
+Harasi So to answer this myself after some googling & reading I found out that my 2.4Ghz Biquad elements & due to my measurements error in elements each element turned out to be 5/8 the wave length of 5.8Ghz frequency which is another way of making antennas instead of using 1/4 the wave length 5/8 is used which is 5/8x52=32.5mm. So using 5/8 has practically performed better for me as tx antenna. I did test flight today & signal was solid. I will try making one for 2.4Ghz using 5/8 elements today & test it .
+George Lopez Hi, The one I made for 2.4 Ghz was exactly the same as Andrew made it on his other previous video but the 1/4 wave was practically measured 32.5mm and I have been using for 5.8 Ghz fpv Tx with good results as it's equal to 5/8 wave length of 5.8 Ghz.
Christopher Baker sma here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291295829463?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT and coax here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320851127888?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Great video... but regarding the covering unless it adds strength I'd rather keep the amount of solder used to a minimum and save weight and not use it and just spay it with a clear lacquer at most as every gram saved is extra power and air time, but ideally find a light weight cover for protection and I'm thinking a two part form made shaped like the antenna and then filled with light weight expanding foam might do the job nicely as the foam will hold it together and the flex in the coax will let it bend out of the way in the event of a "bad landing".
is any way to parallel 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz in one connector to make it dual band and tested if it work .. if not insulate them with a 5 GHz capacitor ,i just saying .
Yes. You can use 2 pcs of 75 ohm coax cable with 1/4 wave length (try to use for 2.4 wave lenght if it wont be good then try wave lenght for 2.4 and 5.8) as coupler for the antennas to joint them for single cable and then feed it with 50 ohm coax... and plase the antennas 90 degree from each other...
Hey Andrew, first things first, I love your videos, very informative and easy to watch. One topic I was hoping you could cover (in case you haven't already) are wideband antennas. I understand the idea behind antennas tuned to a specific frequency such as most you've made, though how would one accomplish an antenna that performs well on a wide range of frequencies and how would it compare to single frequency antenna? I've started playing with the rtl-sdr, and I want to build my own antenna for it, though that would require a wideband antenna unless you're going to swap out antennas every time you switch frequencies, which of coarse is impractical. Thanks a lot!!!
8 years later...for those still interested - have a look at Teardown, Analysis of a Waveform 600 MHz to 6 GHz Cross-Polarized 4x4 MIMO Panel Antenna. Check the VWSR!
Just curious... that extra 3mm separation between the end of the signal cable and the end of the shielding - as it's forming part of the antenna, shouldn't that be subtracted from the full wavelength, i.e. reducing the 1/4 wavelength tool you made by 0.75mm? Or is it close enough to 5.8GHz that it doesn't matter too much? I've seen various calculations for the 1/4 wavelength in different places, some less than 13mm, some more so it doesn't seem too clear which is correct anyway!
the spacing (and all measurements) isn't important as the total bandwidth is high. probably in the range of 5.6 GHz to 6.0GHz. or even greater. if you look at the frequencies of all 32 channels in the 5.8 range that's pretty much where they are. so you want that wide bandwidth.
Andrew, when making a bend you should add that you take the diameter of the wire you are cutting and divide that in half then subtract that from the length you will be bending to give a more accurate length...just a suggestion my friend...
Hi Andrew i am new to quadcopters and i am loving you vids but i have watched so many of them now i am totally confused I have just got a VLToys V666and would like to know what would the best build in antennas for longer range and video clarity for both TX and RX any advice would be great TIA Allan
![✔ Делаем крутую FPV антенну своими руками: Биквадрат [DIY Biquad]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TDDRioA4m-c/mqdefault.jpg)
![✔ Делаем крутую FPV антенну своими руками: Биквадрат [DIY Biquad]](/img/tr.png)
Pre-tinning the ends of the wires and using a little flux will make the soldering job much easier (and neater).
amen
xjet , well said.
The guy knows technical better than most. Google helps level the field if you know what your looking for. But I trust his expertise and math enough, not to worry about questioning his results.
On soldering like you. Pretinning is a must. I hate trying to make a connection by skipping that step. It ends up more than doubling the time if not screwing it up completely and pulling the tab on the beercan.
I tend to put too much flux on, almost too much heat. But I use heat sinks and grounds to prevent damage to circuitry or foil runs.
I like a little smoke sizzle flow and done-right the first time.
Not enough heat, not enough flux, not enough solder wont kill me, but the end result I wont show anyone what it looks like or how much time I wasted to get something done that looks crappy.
You were to the point and spoke for all technicians and DIY guys. I speak for myself, others might relate.
Thanks great video, I made one today worked flawlessly clear feed out to 9450' in clear open space all around me. Built time was super fast.
Build one this evening for my broken TX CL antenna, and tested it on the ground. I was able to walk for 270m before it got to dark and i still had picture.
I used a standard 1,5mm2 sollid copper wire from a electrical cable. Diameter of this wire is 1,2mm so a bit on the thick size but the thinnest i had.
On my RX i have a skew planer wheel.
Thanks for your video and will post my flying experiance with this TX antenna.
Absolutley the best tutorial Video on youtube,so easy to do,a am amateur but thanks to your explanation i hawe build 2,4 gh antena with 3 lages on reciver,and 4 lages on transmiter.Sorry for my bad Englis greatinsgs from Croatia :)
My toy quad nov hawe a range inprofe for 30 meters (when i buy it to 100-120 meters with builded antenas) T.Y.
This is the must simple and easy explanation I have seen, Thanks!
Hi, very nice job !
What are the differences between a cloverleaf antenna, a celtic antenna and this Biquad antenna design ? Which one gives the best performances ?
Your videos a brilliant Andrew, thanks for sharing them and your work.
Andrew, when making a bend you should add that you take the diameter of the wire you are cutting and divide that in half then subtract that from the length you will be bending to give a more accurate length...just a suggestion my friend...
thanks for the video instructions... it works also with 4 elements !!!
Very easy to follow method & instructions .. Thanks
Work great just make sure you have all lopes as close to each other as possible.
Built one! Will get back with the test results! :D
PAWAN V hey! So how is your antenna building up and performing? Curious to know how it performs compared to some Spironet or VAS stuff thanks
Ray Choi trust me it's pretty darn good! 😍
Awesome! Nice work as always!
Built one so far, went together pretty easy but you have to get creative when soldering them together. I will build the matching antenna this week and hopefully if weather permits I will test these against VAS Blue Beam Ultras. I was able to go 2000ft (600m) with the Blue Beams this past weekend at an altitude of about 100ft. Will post results when I do the test.
Cool looking forward to your results
andrew mcneil This weekends weather wasn't great so I might not get another chance for a couple weeks. I might take the extra time to construct them out of RG316. I used RG174 only because I had that in stock. Do you think the RG 174 will have that much loss for the 3 inch run?
+Michael Diedrich results?
I built your 2.4ghz version. Tested with wire shark and I am getting some packet loss. I might have too large of a gap between the legs. Will try again with 1mm gap. It does get - 67 dBm. That is comparable to my usb netgear A6210 connected to the same Hotspot. It's 4 bars.
Nice video of your antennas in 5.8 which is in your opinion the better and why
Also have you made a pepper box antenna yet or one that gives 180 or more degree with great penetration for long range or through obstacles in 5.8 cheers do you have a sheet or website
your soldering looks awfully under heated.
let me guess - lead free solder but iron that remembers 90's and 60/40 solder.
get adjustable temperature iron or revert back to 60/40 solder.
is there a video of this actually working?
Another Question for you Andrew.
It seems you have a good handle on radios, and I myself am trying to get to a similar point in understanding by learning about amateur radio. My question is more about turning these into dual band antenna's. Can I use the same method, but use the elements for both 2.4 and 5.8 to do a dual band antenna? I understand my SWR will possibly increase, but I have most of the equipment to correct the reflected power.
Hi Andrew, terrific videos!, can you tell us what size coax cable we should use and where can it be purchased from?
Thanks
Is it possible to make one composed of two antennas where each are having just two squares to make it compact?
Just do it and see.
Hi all I made one of these yesterday and went out for a test flight I used one of these and a immersionrc spiro net v2 antennas and got 1km with good strong video the hole way I used this antenna on my goggles and a 250mw vtx on the quad. Great video by the way think I might make some more and try them out one my 250 racing quads
Adam Patchubg hey Adam, you said you use the spironet v2, was that on the receiver or the transmitter? just curious because I wanted to make myself one of these and I have the same setup that you have
***** I had the Spiro net on the tx and the omni biquad on the rx both pointing straight up
+Adam Patchubg you should use the antennas in pairs, not mixing Right-hand circular polarization spironet v2 with the biquad that is not circular polarized
Hi Mark M I thought the biquad was circular polarized? If it's not then I have no clue why my set up worked so well :-/
+Adam Patchubg Ya, I thought the same thing, and would not have thought you would get 1Km if it wasn't the same, I thought that by bending a Cloverleaf at a 45-55 degree angle to the right or left gave you the RH OR LH circular polarization. and that these because the Biquad is strait up and down had no polarization... I would have never thought to try these with a Cloverleaf ... but now I'll have to.. :)
Good tutorial, but I think you could do something about your soldering techniques to make your life easier. If your pre tin the wires prior to soldering you won't have to fiddle around so much .
I recently stumbled upon your channel and am loving it! Built this last night. Have a bunch of questions. Is there an advantage of having more elements instead of less (6 instead of 4)? What advantage does this antennae have over a skew planar wheel? Lastly, why don't you patent these designs? They are amazing and could be quite lucrative. Thanks Andrew, your channel is my new favorite.
+Chris Stolle do you know how much patenting cost?
TY FOR THE INFO!!! WILL TRY IT
Will adding
more length to the cable decrease the effectiveness of the antenna. For example: going from a 3 inch to a 5 inch cable will this decrease the effectiveness of the antenna?
do you think discone antennas would be good for multi rotors? being as the receiver is almost always going to be below the multirotor which is in the air.
this looks really good. I will have to try it. did you test the range for video ? also do they not nee to be polarized (left,right ) ?
if you mount the elements at a 45 angel would it work like a circular polarized antenna ? or do a circular polarized antenna have to be rounded like the celtic knot and the Cloverleaf Antennas? i made one with the set biquad elements at a 45 at short range it looks like it works and it looks cool :)
Can u tell me the measurement of the antenna sir? I need a formula for calculating the antenna size for my coursework
What is the most powerful antenna have you built?
Would building a powerful antenna with a 1 Watt WiFi Amplifier help with connecting to a wifi connection that you couldn't find on your list with a regular antenna?
I ask because I'm currently staying in a hotel for a few months where the internet is very slow. In one of the rooms, I was able to connect to a Comcast XFinity connection that worked really good using my laptop's built-in antenna. Was perfect until the hotel moved me to another room which is around the corner and down the hall a little. Both rooms are up on the 3rd floor.
Question is, would having a much stronger antenna connected with a 1 Watt WiFi Amplifier greatly increase my chance of finding that XFinity connection and connecting to it? Right now, in my new room, I can't find the XFinity connection in my list of WiFi connections.
FYI, the Comcast XFinity hotspots are hosted by the vast amounts of Comcast XFinity Internet consumers in their homes where they have the Comcast Router. Even though that private connection is for that particular customer in their home to connect to their services, Comcast has built in a hotspot for other Comcast members to connect to it using their own account. So basically I'm trying to connect to a consumer grade router from my hotel room. Yes, this is legal according to Comcast.
Hi Andrew Have a questoon: why antenna is not sloped like a circular polarized lobes ?? I m interested .
Hi great video what do you use to coat the antenna with thanks.
Looks like plasti dip, buy at any hardware store around $5-$10 a can, or auto store
Thanks.
Did you paint it to coat the copper antenna?
Hi Andrew
What is the extra distance you can get out of these instead of a normal unmodified arial. Is it several meters or more?
I have just built two of these to try on my 250 quad. I will put one on the RX and one on the TX. Is it bad to have the same antenna for both RX and TX?
Also, how do you find these in comparison with the fatsharks or other commercial ones?
Thanks
what is the exact measure of each side of the squares? what's the gain of an antenna like that? thank you
Andrew can u use Ethernet wire instead of coaxial
EXCELENT MY FRIEND..! I really hope you will put this in sale..! You can sell very well. You can make it industrially..!! Good luck =)
hi there so if i make one of these what should i use for the other antenna, also where should this go ? RX side or TX side?
Hi Andrew, Nice vid. I'm gonna make this on the weekend. Will this work for both tx and rx side for 5.8. Also how this compared to the blade antenna you've made earlier. Thanks...
My pleasure, thanks for the feedback they are about the same on wifi at 2.4GHz
andrew, are these Circular polarized ?
what kind of solder did you use, solder with flux or not?
how much was the gain because this sort of configuration?
could this attenna be used to boost cell signal
this antenna type works better when there are both in TX RX ?
What i mean is , can i use this in RX and a three leaf skew planar in TX ?
Thanks... great video.
Hi Andrew i am new to quadcopters and i am loving you vids but i have watched so many of them now i am totally confused
I have just got a VLToys V666and would like to know what would the best build in antennas for longer range and video clarity for both TX and RX any advice would be great
TIA Allan
would I need to angle this to make it polarized? say lhcp or rhcp . If that is true, what angle would I need to angle them at?
Maybe you could make a video on that. I know Ibcrazy makes his Air Blades, Bluebeams and it is similar to this only angled.
Question,
How does the number of lobes affect the gain of the signal? I know nothing of communications or radio waves. But have gathered the target frequency is achieved by a specific size lobe. How then do the number of lobes affect the antenna in pro/con sort of way. It's very interesting to watch, but rather daunting to picture myself doing this as I don't solder things either :D Thanks in advance.
Jonathan Wolff Hi Jonathan more lobes at slightly better gain but also have increased reflected power back down the coax(vswr). Now when you are only using this for Rx (receiving) its not a problem so you can increase gain (lobes) without worrying about the increase in reflected power.
what happens if you use other materials like Silver or Palladium?
Hello there!! im in need for a antenna that can outperform the stock dji phantom 4 standard , antennas the first phantom 4 was all 2,4 ghz, and i have ordered a kit to get the specaly made plugs and cabel system inside the remote, but one thing i dislike ablut this kit, is that it uses plugs with 90 degree cable connection (90 degree plugs), do you know how mutch loss i gain wit 2x 90 degree plugs on eatch cable, and what antenna do you recomend for it, im hoping to use a non directional antenna, and from what i have seen, it looks like the stock antennas are well made signal vise, the range is good today, but it would be nice with better signal penetration, my idea vas 2w amplifiers, but those got so hot that they burned up, a bad design for sure. Best Regards Otto Olsen
I'm very new to antennas and WiFi in general, and was wondering if this is something I can use for a home WiFi network or if this is more intended for a different application? Same for the 2.4ghz antenna?
This works fine for wifi but for a first build I would make a directional biquad first.
Wich cable did you use? I mean, that one with the conector
what mesures for a 3g/4g antenna? And how you find the correct menures x frequency? I need for 3g internet key. Thank you
que distancia puede repartir con esa antena
I'm at a loss. I have a mobile phone booster set-up for EE on 1800 MHz, at present the external antenna is a flat panel type with about 7 dB gain. I want to build a better antenna that will give me a higher gain. I'll welcome any help please.
can u link to where u get all the bits from i.e. sma coax coper wire
Can two different wavelength antenna be used together like a 2.4 and a 5.8? Like for multiple wavelengths like 2g 3G 4g and lte
Andrew, small question.
What is the best 5,8Ghz overall antenna for fpv rx and tx. Cloverleaf, Skewer Panal wheel, fiveleaf, omnidirectional, blade or your latest... Celtic knot. I have some chinese antennas and they are crap. So after seeing your video's I want to build a set myself. But... which one is the best for me.
Ronald de Bruin I would like to know as well, plus some people asked already about TX/RX. I got now some antennas which are covered in plastic so I don't see the design inside (clowerleaf?) but they are labeled RX/TX. But still I dunno if it's worth upgrading from the one I already have
@Antonwit42... no its not worth upgrading. It's a great antenna if you are flying high, but not really suited for fpv with a quad.
Ronald de Bruin And from all his designs which would the best? Probably there is not such thing as best as each have advantages and disadvantages. But there is just too many designs and they are not compared as clearly as I wished.
antonwit42 I recently got a mail from IBcrazy aka Alex Greve. He is using cloverleafs with a pepperbox on the rx.
Thanx again Andrew.. I built one today & happy with my first ever DIY antenna, but I have small question if I put this antenna on my fpv RX what antenna should I use on the TX for best combination? or should it be same on both TX and RX?
Catalysis1144 I would use a biquad or double biquad.
+andrew mcneil Andrew, finally I have built few of these antennas I was testing experimenting & comparing between this antenna design and Clover leafs but somehow am getting strange results maybe you can answer it with your technical experience. I tried using a 2.4Ghz (32mm quarter wave) 4 lobes Omnidirectional biquad antenna mounted on 5.8Ghz Tx transmitting at 5645Mhz and on Rx I used omnidirectional 6 lobes biquad antenna tuned for 5.8Ghz (13mm quarter wave) & amazingly this has gave me best ever result in terms of RSSI and range. I have done several combinations using the same Tx and Rx communicating at 5645Mhz :
1. 5.8Ghz Clover leafs on both Tx & Rx (these I bought ready made by fatshark Spironet).
2. 5.8Ghz Clover Leaf on Tx and 5.8ghz Omni Biquad 4 lobes & 6 lobes on Rx & vice versa.
3. 5.8Ghz Clover leafs (Chinese made).
4. Omni 5.8Ghz biquad 4 lobes on Tx & 6 lobes on Rx & vice versa.
5. 2.4Ghz Omni biquad 4 lobes on Tx & 2.4Ghz Omni Biquad 6 lobes on Rx & Vice versa.
6. 2.4Ghz Omni biquad 4 lobes on Tx & 5.8Ghz Omni biquad 6 lobes on Rx & vice versa.
7. Mounted each of these antennas on Tx & no antenna on Rx
So why do you think a 4 lobes Omni biquad tuned for 2.4Ghz antenna outperforms all these I tested when mounted on a 5.8Ghz Tx & even when no antenna was mounted on Rx the 2.4Ghz tuned Omni biquads the 4 lobes & 6 lobes outperform all other antennas I mentioned above. I did the testing keeping a 600mw tx with camera about 40 meters away passing through 2 brick walls & looking at the RSSI voltage on my Rx. Also I did some walk around looking at the video feed and it was actually very stable. I have some numbers if you wish to see. Thanks..
+Harasi So to answer this myself after some googling & reading I found out that my 2.4Ghz Biquad elements & due to my measurements error in elements each element turned out to be 5/8 the wave length of 5.8Ghz frequency which is another way of making antennas instead of using 1/4 the wave length 5/8 is used which is 5/8x52=32.5mm.
So using 5/8 has practically performed better for me as tx antenna. I did test flight today & signal was solid. I will try making one for 2.4Ghz using 5/8 elements today & test it .
+Harasi Hi, can you share the ones you made with 2.4 Ghz using 5/8 wavelength? Thanks
+George Lopez Hi, The one I made for 2.4 Ghz was exactly the same as Andrew made it on his other previous video but the 1/4 wave was practically measured 32.5mm and I have been using for 5.8 Ghz fpv Tx with good results as it's equal to 5/8 wave length of 5.8 Ghz.
is this antennas are for wi-fi?
How do you make one of these circularly polarised?
hey, whats the Dbi and SWR on the antenna? Do you have measurements or equations to tune them to a frequency instead of just a band?
9dbi and a SWR of 1.4 I will put a data sheet together soon
cheers andrew!
would it be the same style and measurements for tx and rx antenna for fpv?
Also Andrew, where can the SMA connectors on the base be purchased from, been going round in circles trying to find them !!
Christopher Baker sma here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291295829463?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
and coax here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320851127888?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Thanks Andrew !, Keep up the great information, we are learning a lot about the understanding of FPV ,RC Control, etc
can this be used for receiver for B315s936 modem?
what kind of coax do u use ?
What coating you are using to dip your finished antenna.
Great video... but regarding the covering unless it adds strength I'd rather keep the amount of solder used to a minimum and save weight and not use it and just spay it with a clear lacquer at most as every gram saved is extra power and air time, but ideally find a light weight cover for protection and I'm thinking a two part form made shaped like the antenna and then filled with light weight expanding foam might do the job nicely as the foam will hold it together and the flex in the coax will let it bend out of the way in the event of a "bad landing".
where do you get that flexible coax cable ?
ebay: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251364326297?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
any copper can use for making this athena?
Why is your coax so rigid compared to other R316G cables I've found on ebay?
Think its RG402
+andrew mcneil Hi Andrew, Does the length of the coax matter?
+sleepyduck 1/4 wavelength or 30.5MM the best
+Alextvman Tvman isn't 0.25 wavelength of a 5.8Ghz wave is 12.29 mm? Why 30.3 mm ? would you mind explaining it ?
What polarization? Linear or Circular?
Rule of thumb, if I don’t say in the video it’s linear
Do you make these to order?
can this work for long range wifi antenna ? , for long range (3km maybe :D )
is any way to parallel 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz in one connector to make it dual band and tested if it work .. if not insulate them with a 5 GHz capacitor ,i just saying .
Yes. You can use 2 pcs of 75 ohm coax cable with 1/4 wave length (try to use for 2.4 wave lenght if it wont be good then try wave lenght for 2.4 and 5.8) as coupler for the antennas to joint them for single cable and then feed it with 50 ohm coax... and plase the antennas 90 degree from each other...
its Circular or Linear Polarized ?
Pika Ś good question!
Great job! Could you please build one with "LHCP" and tell us the tricks on getting the best CP angel?Thanks..
Hey Andrew, first things first, I love your videos, very informative and easy to watch. One topic I was hoping you could cover (in case you haven't already) are wideband antennas. I understand the idea behind antennas tuned to a specific frequency such as most you've made, though how would one accomplish an antenna that performs well on a wide range of frequencies and how would it compare to single frequency antenna? I've started playing with the rtl-sdr, and I want to build my own antenna for it, though that would require a wideband antenna unless you're going to swap out antennas every time you switch frequencies, which of coarse is impractical. Thanks a lot!!!
8 years later...for those still interested - have a look at Teardown, Analysis of a Waveform 600 MHz to 6 GHz Cross-Polarized 4x4 MIMO Panel Antenna. Check the VWSR!
Just curious... that extra 3mm separation between the end of the signal cable and the end of the shielding - as it's forming part of the antenna, shouldn't that be subtracted from the full wavelength, i.e. reducing the 1/4 wavelength tool you made by 0.75mm? Or is it close enough to 5.8GHz that it doesn't matter too much? I've seen various calculations for the 1/4 wavelength in different places, some less than 13mm, some more so it doesn't seem too clear which is correct anyway!
the spacing (and all measurements) isn't important as the total bandwidth is high. probably in the range of 5.6 GHz to 6.0GHz. or even greater. if you look at the frequencies of all 32 channels in the 5.8 range that's pretty much where they are. so you want that wide bandwidth.
What are the dimensions for 5.8Ghz please. For 2.4 Ghz, it is 31.5mm, is it not?
Maybe watch the video
wavelength = speed of light / frequency. Careful with the units.
But why would you build one with 6 ? what is the benefit? if 6 is better, why do people build them with 3 then?
does this support 2.4 too
No. 5.8ghz only
what did you coat it with ?
Looks like liquid tape to me,you can find it on Ebay or Amazon. ;-)
Will these work with FPV TX & RX
+Bankhead RC Yes this design works in both
Thanks I would like to get these and test the range for 1.3 Ghz
CABLE TYPE THAT IS ,WHERE TO GET
Carlos Ramirez RG402 coax. You can get it on ebay. :)
nice video
Found this video posted today with a Vietnamese (I think) description. Must try this some time. Bet it's harder than you make it look.
hello^^ which dye do you use?,
I am QUERETARO, MEXICO
WHY NOT PUT TO DOWNLOAD, A SCHEME WITH ALL MEASURES
Carlos Ramirez you really do not need a download.. just the one measurement of your biquad side length...
works on goggles better than all other i have try not to good for drone to easy to bend
Thanks Andrew
Flux! Thou shall use flux!
Andrew, when making a bend you should add that you take the diameter of the wire you are cutting and divide that in half then subtract that from the length you will be bending to give a more accurate length...just a suggestion my friend...
Hi Andrew i am new to quadcopters and i am loving you vids but i have watched so many of them now i am totally confused
I have just got a VLToys V666and would like to know what would the best build in antennas for longer range and video clarity for both TX and RX any advice would be great
TIA Allan
does this support 2.4 too
Rahul Dongre no it support only 5.8Ghz