Please note! I tested on both R8 and R1, although I seem to have edited out the R1 test in my desire to make the video concise. Both R8 and R1 had low output power. Also, I am using a 6 dB attenuator to bring the input power below the 1W maximum of the IRC meter.
Hey JB I noticed in your video on the frequency card there is a 1.5W setting for this VTX. Is there a chance it was tested on this setting by accident? If not, out of curiosity how does it perform on the 1.5W setting? Great content as always and appreciate all the work you do for the community cheers
Hi Josh, Which attenuator are you using? It should be rated for at least 3 watts RMS preferably 5 watts. If you over saturate the attenuator it will not give you accurate readings.
I have 4w digital fpv on my truck :) The biggest issue with power is the inverse square law and diminishing returns. To go twice as far as 25mw you need 100mw then to go twice as far as 100mw you need 400mw then 1.6w then 6.4w then 25.6w then 102.4w and so on, the power required to go further grows exponentially and quickly becomes silly numbers.
@@drkastenbrot yes, antennas make the biggest difference but the video is about high power units and my comment was about power required to obtain range on the same antenna.
The reason analog VTXs can do this is because they come with a legality warning and you have to alter your betaflight firmware to "hack" the high power functionality into them, so it's technically not the manufacturers' responsibility if users violate FCC rules. The FCC has historically fined vendors for advertising a product's capability to broadcast at these power levels, though.
@@P_double_H do your goggles have an earphone jack? If so, you should just be able to connect earbuds to your goggles. The VTX automatically transmits audio, and your vrx should receive it automatically as well.
Good review! But instead of buying a 2nd meter you should bought a second VTx to make sure your first unit is not a faulty one. I really wonder about the result because (like you said) others are measuring the 2.5watts. And I don't wanna believe that they send out manipulated units to Gal or other UA-camrs. Really hard to find a good and trustworthy analog VTx for Longrange these days. At the moment iam using a TBS Unify Pro 32 HV but the range could be much better... Btw: At the beginning of this video you said with more output power you get more range and penetration. That's not 100% correct. At about 800mw and above it makes no difference in kind of penetration. You just get more range but no better penetration. That's a big mistake that a lot of the big fpv guys always say. But there are good tests out there here that shows like it really is. 🙂
Regarding penetration, that's not correct, but I think I can understand how people get there. Let's say that your quad is at the edge of its range, and then you fly behind a concrete wall and lose signal. A reasonable attenuation value for a concrete wall might be 15 dB. Now let's say you get a vTX that is 6 dB more powerful. You fly behind the wall and you still lose signal. And you conclude that the increased power didn't give you more penetration. The reason is that the wall has taken such a big "bite" out of your signal strength that your increased vTX power is not enough to overcome it. But the signal IS stronger and it IS penetrating more. It has gone 6 dB farther than it was before you got a more powerful vTX. It just hasn't gone far enough to reach you. Let's say that you fly the quad behind that wall and you start walking closer to it until you get signal. The higher powered vTX would give you signal farther away than the lower powered vTX. The distinction that people make between range and penetration is not consistent with the physics of RF signal propagation. Range and penetration are the same thing. Range is just penetration through open air. More power emitted means more range and penetration.
A great review! Sounds silly, but have you tried jiggling / changing out the MMCX cables? On my Solo's, I've found that the MMCX, even on the bench, if you just twist/turn/press you can get widly different readings. I really do prefer UFL, tbh. I do wish, however, that you covered that more output really isn't always better ... I mean, yes this can extend your maximum range, but so few quad pilots will test this range. Many more will just crank it to "2.5W" in a parking garage / bando and wonder why their video feed is so bad with excessive multipathing. Even 1W is probably excessive for most flying ... money is much better spent on a better video RX or RX antenna than an overpower VTX. Even if you just use the same RX antenna you use for freestyle as you do for long range 1W will _easily_ run out to a few miles.
@@JoshuaBardwell Absolutely! I tried it with a few Solo's I had and what I deemed a "reasonable" amount of pressure could torpedo the output and was like, "Well ... that sucks." Fortunately they're in builds where I can manage that, but I don't think that applies to most quad/fpv related use cases.
That's already the intention with HDZero. Divimath doesn't actually want to produce the boards and goggles. Instead, they'd like to sell the chips that they've developed and let other companies produce the intended products.
Could you install a "booster" on board a digital system? Much like a wifi booster ? I've done this with 2.4ghz radios to boost control signal. Why couldn't it work in reverse with digital and have the signal boosted from the quad to the goggles ?
With the HDZero system yes you could do that with an amplifier, because it's broadcast-only and not two-way. But the size and weight of an amplifier would mean you'd need a larger aircraft to carry it.
That is the intent, but practically speaking, nobody has done it. There isn't a single vTX for HDZero made by any manufacturer other than HDZero. Foxeer is supposed to be working on one for months but nobody has even seen a prototype. Other than that, it's crickets. In addition, HDZero has opened a github repo and published the vTX code, but as far as I know they have not yet published the hardware reference designs. So saying that they are fully open source and anybody can make a vTX is premature.
@@JoshuaBardwell I personally have seen a few companies I work with in the process of manufacturing these VTXs and I have seen schematics / prototypes, hopefully soon they will hit the market.
I used rush tank solo the speedybee is just as good but half the price no mic I have 3 vtx's on my quads and they have been there for a long while I do put heat sink paste instead of the pad they have
3 watts starts to burn alot of power and could cause other potential interference problems with the other electronics. At that point I would try moving to a lower frequency for the video if you are looking for range. Like drop to a 900mhz crossfire / 2.4Ghz video setup or if the plane is mid size and you really want range go to a 433mhz dragonlink / 1.3 Ghz vtx setup. You lose a little video quality each drop but you gain a lot of range on less power.
Hahaha! Thank you very much! I've got one a couple days ago and as it comes without any mmcx cable I put it on my table till the mmcx-SMA comes. And guess what? I've wasted that paper with notes about unlocking! Your video has come right in time!!! I had no idea it is locked! So when I get the cable I will unlock it first 'cause I've learned something today! 🤦♂🤦♂😂😂🤷♂🤷♂
@4.18 bottom right corner of the reaper says mic,& Joshua said it didn't have reference to a mic anywhere externally.Im guessing this was an oversight, so just commenting to make others aware👍🙈🙉🙊
These hot to touch VTX can probably gain more range by putting a quality TcXo to keep them spot on Frequency tune, It would be interesting to measure the true frequency and stability from the vtx. I bet they vary largely, having much bigger impact on the video signal and range....
I want to tell you something interesting about measuring the RF power. I'm one of the owners of the local FM radio station and our station is being tested by Communication Supervisor. To measure the output power they connect the wattmeter between the transmitter and the antenna. I guess Foxeer 2,5 label means the maximum measured output including the antenna amplifying, not the dummy load output. Also if the dummy load or antenna does not consume all the RF power it comes back to the transmitter as a heat. So at low power your wattmeter may be accurate but at high power this dummy load may be not enough. Think about it.
That's a reasonable guess but it's not how vTX power is specced and measured in the FPV world at least. We're measuring power from the radio, not power from the antenna.
@@JoshuaBardwell when the Western market was opened to Russia we had a headache with Chinese loudspeakers. In the USSR standards were high so we did get what we paid for (if we get 😂). In the 90th we found out that the Chinese watt is about 0.1 Soviet Watts 😂 So there still is "divide by ten" rule speaking about loudspeakers. Have you heard about the "vidicon inch"? All the digital camera sensors are mismeasured in vidicon inches for better sales 😁
Joshua, I believe the GetFPV (and also HobbyKing and RMRC and others) received several years ago from the FCC was not for transmitting over 1 watt but for selling VTX’s that transmitted on navigation and emergency (ambulance) frequencies. As the FCC stated, the manufacturer, retailer and operator were all accountable in those situations. Thank you for pointing out that 1 watt is the USA legal limit for VTX’s in the USA. As many long range guru’s maintain, a lot can be done by using the right antenna before jumping to to a lot of output power. As usual, great video!
You can also just crank output power *and* have the good antennas :) Telecom companies are absolutely *blasting* rf from their towers at crazy output powers, I don't think a hobbyist doing 1.2 instead of 1, or 2.5 instead of 1 really matters at all.
The 2.5mW Ham license thingy prob came from the Chinese drone laws where it states that it only allows a max of 25mW in between 5725-5850MHz, and 10mW in between 2400-2483.5MHz
There may be one more serious argument for foxeer over rush, I broke 2 rush solo vtx just by changing params via iNav OSD (one case power, other channel). For me rush is piece of crap. And yes I asked support and no help. So happy to pay $10 more for reliably working VTx.
I have been trashing rush tank (lost antena, left quad at 800mw for around half hour after failsafe and etc). I am really happy with it, but I have been using it with betaflight only.
Next week Immersion Rc will send you one of the 2.5 watt ones. This is kinda upsetting if this holds true that the vtx’s sent to reviewers are not the same as the ones that sent out to be sold.
Hey Joshua, the meter reads +30dBm max on it(on the sticker/label above the screen), and when your meter reads 1.8w out, it says 32dBm. Can being above range cause issues on accuracy? Love the content though regardless! Thanks for what you do
It's a valid concern and a mistake that I made once in the past. That was part of the reason for buying a 2nd meter, just in case a previous mis-treatment of the first meter compromised its accuracy.
I think the new batch of IRC meters can read 2-3W without attenuator (I skimmed the updated manual a while back). If so, it might be more accurate to measure without attenuator
So since I already have a Rush Solo 1.6w vtx, no need to get this thing. That was my last analog vtx before I went to DJI digital. Now I only use analog on my 3" and smaller quads.
2 роки тому+1
It'd be worth replacing the included thermal paste with some NT-H1 it's non conductive and far better then anything you'll find preinstalled. Inconsistent cooling is the most likely reason to have variances between units and using such a tiny fan on the desk really doesn't replicate the amount of cooling you get from the quad. I do have the reaper extreme and so far its been unflyable due to massive interference issues in setups that are perfectly fine using other vtx's. Overall give it a 0 star rating.
@Yuri Ashol Not if you keep the CRSF TX module locked down to say 25mw....You can't have a control TX transmitting right below your goggles on say 500 me because it will have an adverse affect on the incoming video signal and your VRX performance.....hence the relay. The GS can be 30 metres away....😳😏😏😏🇬🇧
A amateur radio license is also required for a >4 watt 10 M. Radio but is not required for a 4 watt CB radio. It's to reduce RFI in home consumer electronics. You know, part 15 sub Part D of the FCC rules: "This device must accept undesired electronic interference."
I use the speedybee TX800 , clean picture very little distortion runs cool dependable hits almost 1 watt and $28 on Amazon great paired with caddx baby ratel 2 , Vas V2 Mushroom and Vas crosshair extreme with Skyzone 04L.. they say long press to get out of pit mode mode but you have to hold button down for over 20 seconds to unlock after that you want orange light steady on in vtx that is the highest power you have to hold button each time to switch power so hold 5 seconds to change to 200 the hold 5 seconds again to get 400 , some controllers you do not have to cycle
I may need one of these. Either this foxeer, or the geprc Maten. I have a 420g AUW (with runcam thumb prow) 5" Apex micro with 2005.5 motors and it carrys an 1100mah battery for almost 10 minutes if i behave. It has crossfire...a cheap hd camera...and 8-10 minutes? Why have i not put on a long range vtx?
Great video as always but you may want to try it on other frequencies for accurate power output. race 8 is at the upper limit of the band. SWR and other factors May be hindering performance
How do you set power values more than 600mW in Betaflight? Official vtx table provides values like Lable = 2.5W; Value = 600. I tried changing values corresponding to power values in specs (e.g Label = 2.5W; Value = 2500) but when I set this mode Betaflight locking me at 25mW. I didn't manage to find anything online so I will appriciate any help
Yes definitely. And that's why I'm using a 6 dB attenuator. It reduces incoming power to 1/4 of its value, and then the meter adds the number back in to the measurement.
lol it's kind of like flashlights that advertise crazy brightness. Sure, that turbo mode is nice for the first 10-30 seconds before it starts thermal ramping down to the normal less fantastic modes.
ImmersionRC Power Meter power range spec states: Power Level: -20dBm up to +30dBm. +30dBm = 1 W Are you sure you didn't just hit the upper limit of the power meter design, so it wasn't able to properly measure 2.5W?
Dear Joshua, at last I've assembled my 8" 'Chervona ruta' quad. There's one more thing to mention. There is no link to the json file for the TRAMP settings. So in the Betaflight all the settings are blank till the json file is uploaded and there is no link in the manual or somewhere in the product description. Thanks to some French site they let to download one. I don't want to spam here in your comments, I'll paste the link if you want to add it to the description. Funny there is no link on the official site or it is too hard to find.
2:20 i'll tell you why these are able to be sold, because they're perfectly legal for HAM radio operators to use. I got my HAM license solely because I believed 25mw was the legal limit, and I wanted to do long range FPV, SSTV, and talk on satellite repeaters and such. I didn't know until this video that 1000mW was the limit for general teleoperated aircraft. I have one of these reaper-extremes, which I legally operate at 2500mW. I also have 8 watt handheld radios, available to all, but technically only legal for hams to operate. 99% of the time, nobody is going to care if you use 2500mW instead of 1000mW @ 5.8GHz.
Not sure where to ask this question, and I'm having difficulties searching on google and youtube. How do I connect my daimond antenna to my crossfire micro module v 2 for my radiomaster? The module does not seem to have a simple screw off mechanism.
Intended to just lay about, but no there you are ... disrupting my nap and teaching me something ... do you not realize a man my age has already stored ore information than he will ever use. ...lol thanks I did learn a bit or two. Take care.
OK it has strong numbers but what does it look like flying? Around your yard through the weak areas? Down your road? In and around a parking garage? Inquiring eyes wish to see. Thank you
I agree about the1watt to 2.5watt increase in range to around 150% . Maybe a better video reciever on a tripod would increase regular video reception 10 times as far . Old walkie talkies talked a half mile to a cb base station with big antenna but ti another walkie talkie similar to goggles in size you could only talk 200 feet barely . You just need a tripod or backpack or car roof maybe . Hmmm . I'm up to 1000 feet with cheap goggles and 800mW vtx
one more reason to get your ham license, test is not very hard and you will be a better drone builder/flyer with the things you learn, i highly suggest it
Joshua, consider investing in an attenuator. Perhaps even several, like 5 db, 10 db and 20 db. The IRC meter is maxed out, it even says '30 dbm max' on it and the display read slightly above 30 dbm. Other people also say that the IRC power meter isn't suitable for power levels over a watt or so.
Do the math. 2500 mW = 34 dBm. 34 dBm - 6 dB = 28 dBm. 28 dBm is less than 30 dBm. All is well. With a 6 dB attenuator, we could be up to almost 4 watts before we hit the limit of the meter.
In addition, Tony Cake has advised me that it's not a good idea to use high-value attenuators above perhaps 10 dB, because it results in skin-effect causing the RF energy to flow around the attenuator, which means more energy reaches the meter, which causes the meter to read high. This is something that pro-grade equipment would be able to prevent or compensate for, but hobby-grade equipment can't.
@@JoshuaBardwell alright, your math is correct. Ooohh! It just hit me! Are you reading the attenuated power numbers? Or does the meter compensate for that?
Please note! I tested on both R8 and R1, although I seem to have edited out the R1 test in my desire to make the video concise. Both R8 and R1 had low output power. Also, I am using a 6 dB attenuator to bring the input power below the 1W maximum of the IRC meter.
So per Gal Kremer he said something about being locked to 1.5 watts. Could it be that the unlock didn’t take?
Hey JB I noticed in your video on the frequency card there is a 1.5W setting for this VTX. Is there a chance it was tested on this setting by accident? If not, out of curiosity how does it perform on the 1.5W setting? Great content as always and appreciate all the work you do for the community cheers
Good deal, glad you did
Hi Josh,
Which attenuator are you using? It should be rated for at least 3 watts RMS preferably 5 watts. If you over saturate the attenuator it will not give you accurate readings.
What is the range of this vtx ?
I have 4w digital fpv on my truck :) The biggest issue with power is the inverse square law and diminishing returns. To go twice as far as 25mw you need 100mw then to go twice as far as 100mw you need 400mw then 1.6w then 6.4w then 25.6w then 102.4w and so on, the power required to go further grows exponentially and quickly becomes silly numbers.
or you just take a high gain antenna and quadruple your range.
Who makes a 4w vtx?
@@drkastenbrot yes, antennas make the biggest difference but the video is about high power units and my comment was about power required to obtain range on the same antenna.
@@rp479 im using Digital HD FPV on my rc truck, its doing digital data transmission for the video stream rather than being a traditional analogue VTX
@@stevefox3763 from what company?
The reason analog VTXs can do this is because they come with a legality warning and you have to alter your betaflight firmware to "hack" the high power functionality into them, so it's technically not the manufacturers' responsibility if users violate FCC rules. The FCC has historically fined vendors for advertising a product's capability to broadcast at these power levels, though.
Meanwhile Foxeer announced a 5W VTX 😁🔥
A 🔥 is all you're gonna be seeing in the feed with 5w haha
And aak has a 3 watt with dvr
Really ?
And it just came out 😎
I have taken the heat shield off and can confirm that this VTX does have a built in mic. Nice look Joshua.
I have this VTX and I have not been able to figure our how to activate the mic.
@@P_double_H do your goggles have an earphone jack? If so, you should just be able to connect earbuds to your goggles. The VTX automatically transmits audio, and your vrx should receive it automatically as well.
Good review! But instead of buying a 2nd meter you should bought a second VTx to make sure your first unit is not a faulty one. I really wonder about the result because (like you said) others are measuring the 2.5watts. And I don't wanna believe that they send out manipulated units to Gal or other UA-camrs. Really hard to find a good and trustworthy analog VTx for Longrange these days. At the moment iam using a TBS Unify Pro 32 HV but the range could be much better...
Btw: At the beginning of this video you said with more output power you get more range and penetration. That's not 100% correct. At about 800mw and above it makes no difference in kind of penetration. You just get more range but no better penetration. That's a big mistake that a lot of the big fpv guys always say. But there are good tests out there here that shows like it really is. 🙂
Regarding penetration, that's not correct, but I think I can understand how people get there. Let's say that your quad is at the edge of its range, and then you fly behind a concrete wall and lose signal. A reasonable attenuation value for a concrete wall might be 15 dB. Now let's say you get a vTX that is 6 dB more powerful. You fly behind the wall and you still lose signal. And you conclude that the increased power didn't give you more penetration.
The reason is that the wall has taken such a big "bite" out of your signal strength that your increased vTX power is not enough to overcome it. But the signal IS stronger and it IS penetrating more. It has gone 6 dB farther than it was before you got a more powerful vTX. It just hasn't gone far enough to reach you.
Let's say that you fly the quad behind that wall and you start walking closer to it until you get signal. The higher powered vTX would give you signal farther away than the lower powered vTX.
The distinction that people make between range and penetration is not consistent with the physics of RF signal propagation. Range and penetration are the same thing. Range is just penetration through open air. More power emitted means more range and penetration.
A great review! Sounds silly, but have you tried jiggling / changing out the MMCX cables? On my Solo's, I've found that the MMCX, even on the bench, if you just twist/turn/press you can get widly different readings. I really do prefer UFL, tbh. I do wish, however, that you covered that more output really isn't always better ... I mean, yes this can extend your maximum range, but so few quad pilots will test this range. Many more will just crank it to "2.5W" in a parking garage / bando and wonder why their video feed is so bad with excessive multipathing. Even 1W is probably excessive for most flying ... money is much better spent on a better video RX or RX antenna than an overpower VTX. Even if you just use the same RX antenna you use for freestyle as you do for long range 1W will _easily_ run out to a few miles.
Yes, I tried two mmcx. I also tried jiggling and etc but frankly if that's the issue then it will happen in a real quad too.
@@JoshuaBardwell Absolutely! I tried it with a few Solo's I had and what I deemed a "reasonable" amount of pressure could torpedo the output and was like, "Well ... that sucks." Fortunately they're in builds where I can manage that, but I don't think that applies to most quad/fpv related use cases.
5:53
Jo Joshua look out you got a spider in your room XD
Damn that was a big ass bug! 😮
i love the foreshadowing of possible other manufacturers vtx for dji, but in the way we want ;)
That's already the intention with HDZero. Divimath doesn't actually want to produce the boards and goggles. Instead, they'd like to sell the chips that they've developed and let other companies produce the intended products.
Maybe the voltage needs to be 6s plus for 2.5w, what voltage were you testing at?
Could you install a "booster" on board a digital system? Much like a wifi booster ?
I've done this with 2.4ghz radios to boost control signal. Why couldn't it work in reverse with digital and have the signal boosted from the quad to the goggles ?
With the HDZero system yes you could do that with an amplifier, because it's broadcast-only and not two-way. But the size and weight of an amplifier would mean you'd need a larger aircraft to carry it.
@@JoshuaBardwell interesting. Thanks for the reply 👍
Hdzero is open source and any manufacturer can make a vtx with any output power of their choosing
That is the intent, but practically speaking, nobody has done it. There isn't a single vTX for HDZero made by any manufacturer other than HDZero. Foxeer is supposed to be working on one for months but nobody has even seen a prototype. Other than that, it's crickets.
In addition, HDZero has opened a github repo and published the vTX code, but as far as I know they have not yet published the hardware reference designs. So saying that they are fully open source and anybody can make a vTX is premature.
@@JoshuaBardwell I personally have seen a few companies I work with in the process of manufacturing these VTXs and I have seen schematics / prototypes, hopefully soon they will hit the market.
That'd be fantastic!
Excellent content! I use Rush Tank Solo and TBS Unify Pro HV - Super! For analog, yes, they are in the TOP 1! 😊
I used rush tank solo the speedybee is just as good but half the price no mic I have 3 vtx's on my quads and they have been there for a long while I do put heat sink paste instead of the pad they have
I have an AKK VTX that can go up to 3watts. It is a 30mm by 30mm. I plan to use it on one of my plane projects.
I'm using it at my FPV RC buggy. It is amazingly good.
@@igor_misic Which one? I am looking on Amazon for it and I am coming up short...
3 watts starts to burn alot of power and could cause other potential interference problems with the other electronics. At that point I would try moving to a lower frequency for the video if you are looking for range. Like drop to a 900mhz crossfire / 2.4Ghz video setup or if the plane is mid size and you really want range go to a 433mhz dragonlink / 1.3 Ghz vtx setup. You lose a little video quality each drop but you gain a lot of range on less power.
i had that one aswell and it sucks balls tbh
Hahaha! Thank you very much! I've got one a couple days ago and as it comes without any mmcx cable I put it on my table till the mmcx-SMA comes. And guess what? I've wasted that paper with notes about unlocking! Your video has come right in time!!! I had no idea it is locked! So when I get the cable I will unlock it first 'cause I've learned something today! 🤦♂🤦♂😂😂🤷♂🤷♂
You nailed it JB!!! Reviewers always get crème de la crème products, the rest get suckered. Welcome to my world of FPV Disney Land!
🥴
I wonder if we are ever going to see active cooled vtx's. Would be really cool though.
We have those today. AKK and Foxeer (and others probably) have vTX in the 3-5 watt range with fans.
AKK makes a 3w vtx with heatsink with fan.
They have existed for the longest, but aren't popular because of the bulk and weight drawbacks
@4.18 bottom right corner of the reaper says mic,& Joshua said it didn't have reference to a mic anywhere externally.Im guessing this was an oversight, so just commenting to make others aware👍🙈🙉🙊
These hot to touch VTX can probably gain more range by putting a quality TcXo to keep them spot on Frequency tune, It would be interesting to measure the true frequency and stability from the vtx. I bet they vary largely, having much bigger impact on the video signal and range....
i used heat sink paste instead of the rubber pad they have seemed to work alot better
I got my HAM Radio License -KD2YFA- just for fun and to be the same side. Waiting to get some of these for my 5" and 7" quads
AKK:3W!
I want to tell you something interesting about measuring the RF power. I'm one of the owners of the local FM radio station and our station is being tested by Communication Supervisor. To measure the output power they connect the wattmeter between the transmitter and the antenna. I guess Foxeer 2,5 label means the maximum measured output including the antenna amplifying, not the dummy load output. Also if the dummy load or antenna does not consume all the RF power it comes back to the transmitter as a heat. So at low power your wattmeter may be accurate but at high power this dummy load may be not enough. Think about it.
That's a reasonable guess but it's not how vTX power is specced and measured in the FPV world at least. We're measuring power from the radio, not power from the antenna.
@@JoshuaBardwell when the Western market was opened to Russia we had a headache with Chinese loudspeakers. In the USSR standards were high so we did get what we paid for (if we get 😂). In the 90th we found out that the Chinese watt is about 0.1 Soviet Watts 😂 So there still is "divide by ten" rule speaking about loudspeakers. Have you heard about the "vidicon inch"? All the digital camera sensors are mismeasured in vidicon inches for better sales 😁
Joshua, I believe the GetFPV (and also HobbyKing and RMRC and others) received several years ago from the FCC was not for transmitting over 1 watt but for selling VTX’s that transmitted on navigation and emergency (ambulance) frequencies. As the FCC stated, the manufacturer, retailer and operator were all accountable in those situations. Thank you for pointing out that 1 watt is the USA legal limit for VTX’s in the USA. As many long range guru’s maintain, a lot can be done by using the right antenna before jumping to to a lot of output power. As usual, great video!
You can also just crank output power *and* have the good antennas :) Telecom companies are absolutely *blasting* rf from their towers at crazy output powers, I don't think a hobbyist doing 1.2 instead of 1, or 2.5 instead of 1 really matters at all.
The 2.5mW Ham license thingy prob came from the Chinese drone laws where it states that it only allows a max of 25mW in between 5725-5850MHz, and 10mW in between 2400-2483.5MHz
There may be one more serious argument for foxeer over rush, I broke 2 rush solo vtx just by changing params via iNav OSD (one case power, other channel).
For me rush is piece of crap. And yes I asked support and no help.
So happy to pay $10 more for reliably working VTx.
I have been trashing rush tank (lost antena, left quad at 800mw for around half hour after failsafe and etc). I am really happy with it, but I have been using it with betaflight only.
Next week Immersion Rc will send you one of the 2.5 watt ones. This is kinda upsetting if this holds true that the vtx’s sent to reviewers are not the same as the ones that sent out to be sold.
It's probably just normal variance. I doubt they cherry pick.
It’s just a Rush Tank solo in a different case fam
why rush do not have a 2.5W VTx?
Hey Joshua, the meter reads +30dBm max on it(on the sticker/label above the screen), and when your meter reads 1.8w out, it says 32dBm. Can being above range cause issues on accuracy?
Love the content though regardless! Thanks for what you do
That's a valid concern, but It's not above the range. I'm using a 6 dB attenuator. You can see it screwed on the end of the meter.
@@JoshuaBardwell saw that reply elsewhere. On mobile so it didn’t refresh right away before I commented. Glad you thought of it lol thanks as always
Also: 1800 mW is 32.5 dBm so that conversion is correct.
It's a valid concern and a mistake that I made once in the past. That was part of the reason for buying a 2nd meter, just in case a previous mis-treatment of the first meter compromised its accuracy.
@@JoshuaBardwell thanks for the thorough review as always JB 🙏
"Unlock/Lock the illeague frequencies"
Hahahaha! This is priceless.
I think the new batch of IRC meters can read 2-3W without attenuator (I skimmed the updated manual a while back). If so, it might be more accurate to measure without attenuator
Mine still says 30 dBm max on the label.
And Gal Kremers tested at 2.35W. That is a lot of change from a good to bad one. Maybe one of you two testers' equipment is off a bit.
So since I already have a Rush Solo 1.6w vtx, no need to get this thing. That was my last analog vtx before I went to DJI digital. Now I only use analog on my 3" and smaller quads.
It'd be worth replacing the included thermal paste with some NT-H1 it's non conductive and far better then anything you'll find preinstalled. Inconsistent cooling is the most likely reason to have variances between units and using such a tiny fan on the desk really doesn't replicate the amount of cooling you get from the quad.
I do have the reaper extreme and so far its been unflyable due to massive interference issues in setups that are perfectly fine using other vtx's. Overall give it a 0 star rating.
This is why I use 1280mhz video...200mw is all you need...lol.
🤔😳😏😏😏🇬🇧
@Yuri Ashol Crossfire 868mhz....Ground station and 5.8g relay....😏🇬🇧
@Yuri Ashol Not if you keep the CRSF TX module locked down to say 25mw....You can't have a control TX transmitting right below your goggles on say 500 me because it will have an adverse affect on the incoming video signal and your VRX performance.....hence the relay. The GS can be 30 metres away....😳😏😏😏🇬🇧
100 degrees celsius is insanely hot and i personally would not feel comfortable putting that on any freestyle quad
A amateur radio license is also required for a >4 watt 10 M. Radio but is not required for a 4 watt CB radio.
It's to reduce RFI in home consumer electronics.
You know, part 15 sub Part D of the FCC rules:
"This device must accept undesired electronic interference."
I use the speedybee TX800 , clean picture very little distortion runs cool dependable hits almost 1 watt and $28 on Amazon great paired with caddx baby ratel 2 , Vas V2 Mushroom and Vas crosshair extreme with Skyzone 04L.. they say long press to get out of pit mode mode but you have to hold button down for over 20 seconds to unlock after that you want orange light steady on in vtx that is the highest power you have to hold button each time to switch power so hold 5 seconds to change to 200 the hold 5 seconds again to get 400 , some controllers you do not have to cycle
Only orange LED needs to be constantly on to get the 800mw max power. Steady blue and steady red LEDs only means that you are on Channel 1 Band 1 🙂
@@Koryas yes correct I changed it thanks .. I use channel 1 channel A no racing can use any channel just makes it easier for manual operation
I may need one of these. Either this foxeer, or the geprc Maten. I have a 420g AUW (with runcam thumb prow) 5" Apex micro with 2005.5 motors and it carrys an 1100mah battery for almost 10 minutes if i behave. It has crossfire...a cheap hd camera...and 8-10 minutes? Why have i not put on a long range vtx?
Great video as always but you may want to try it on other frequencies for accurate power output. race 8 is at the upper limit of the band. SWR and other factors May be hindering performance
I tested both R8 and R1 for this exact reason, as is typical when testing vTX.
I’m trying to wire this vtx to my fc but I’m having problems. Is the video to vtx and trans to t1? On speedy be f405 fc?
2.5 watt output video transmitter should get abou 1.36 x range of a 1000mW video transmitter .
In china you could get 10watts video transmitter, but I've never tried it, expensive af
Hi, I bought a VTX of the exact same shape, but after a test flight it stopped turning on. Please help!
@12:18 what device is hooked up between the vtx and Rotor Riot power meter? Do I need this filter looking device to measure direct power?
It's an attenuator because the meter only can take up to 1 watt. So you need an attenuator to measure over 1w.
Hi Josh Great video and review of the foxeer Reaper. I have been switching my vtx for high power vtx's, it looks great.
I have this and on r8 it is not very good at all my speedy bee tx800 outperforms it by far
Why don't you have a video like this for the rush solo tank? :(
Analog is for people who can’t afford digital
Cockroach in the right corner of the room shows up at 5:52 seconds!!!
Is there a country I could legally use such a power at?
Nigeria
Theres a Spider at 5:52 on the right side of the screen XD
AKK 3W is way older but still better then this one!
We have HAM license in Europe too
Coming soon or backordered.😭
I think you need a ham radio license in USA
Get a Ham license, and all is wonderful.
How do you set power values more than 600mW in Betaflight? Official vtx table provides values like Lable = 2.5W; Value = 600. I tried changing values corresponding to power values in specs (e.g Label = 2.5W; Value = 2500) but when I set this mode Betaflight locking me at 25mW. I didn't manage to find anything online so I will appriciate any help
The way Tramp vtxtable works, the max power is always 600. When you set power to 600, it's actually 2.5 watts.
spider crawling in the right corner at 5:54
Have you seen that „+30dBm max” marking on the power meter? :)
Yes definitely. And that's why I'm using a 6 dB attenuator. It reduces incoming power to 1/4 of its value, and then the meter adds the number back in to the measurement.
Maybe you need to connect 6s instead of 4s
lol it's kind of like flashlights that advertise crazy brightness. Sure, that turbo mode is nice for the first 10-30 seconds before it starts thermal ramping down to the normal less fantastic modes.
What is the range of this vtx?
2500mW? *Cries in european 25mW*
ImmersionRC Power Meter power range spec states: Power Level: -20dBm up to +30dBm.
+30dBm = 1 W
Are you sure you didn't just hit the upper limit of the power meter design, so it wasn't able to properly measure 2.5W?
First, Carl’s analog deinterlacing, now, uncorked analog vtx’s. Who’s your daddy now, haha!
Why it's so hot with 25 mWt? )
Dear Joshua, at last I've assembled my 8" 'Chervona ruta' quad. There's one more thing to mention. There is no link to the json file for the TRAMP settings. So in the Betaflight all the settings are blank till the json file is uploaded and there is no link in the manual or somewhere in the product description. Thanks to some French site they let to download one. I don't want to spam here in your comments, I'll paste the link if you want to add it to the description. Funny there is no link on the official site or it is too hard to find.
🥰🥰🥰
What about the Black Mamba Tx 5820 V2 40 CH Video Transmitter 2w? Is it any good
2:20 i'll tell you why these are able to be sold, because they're perfectly legal for HAM radio operators to use. I got my HAM license solely because I believed 25mw was the legal limit, and I wanted to do long range FPV, SSTV, and talk on satellite repeaters and such. I didn't know until this video that 1000mW was the limit for general teleoperated aircraft. I have one of these reaper-extremes, which I legally operate at 2500mW. I also have 8 watt handheld radios, available to all, but technically only legal for hams to operate. 99% of the time, nobody is going to care if you use 2500mW instead of 1000mW @ 5.8GHz.
Not sure where to ask this question, and I'm having difficulties searching on google and youtube. How do I connect my daimond antenna to my crossfire micro module v 2 for my radiomaster? The module does not seem to have a simple screw off mechanism.
What about an external amplifier on the digital transmitters? Would that work?
It's bidirectional so you will have to amplify on the google side also...
For HDZero it would work because it's a broadcast technology. But for DJI and Walksnail it'd be difficult because they transmit from both sides.
@@JoshuaBardwell what about Prosight Connex? Why is like literally nothing about this digital transmitter even though it's been around the longest?
In typical Bardwell fashion, meter already out of stock again. 🤣
Can you review the Foxeer Reaper Infinity 5W VTX?
In Gal Kremers review, he got above advertised outputs????
Intended to just lay about, but no there you are ... disrupting my nap and teaching me something ... do you not realize a man my age has already stored ore information than he will ever use. ...lol thanks I did learn a bit or two. Take care.
Measure it, like you did, if it won’t make the 2.5 send it back simple
DRL simulator is free on Epic games till 6th of October 2022
good vtx, but it does have an onboard mic and its TERRIBLE!!!
I need that one
Mee toooo :)
All that extra power May muck up your link and GPS.desence
When vtx overheat the first thing that normally happens is it goes off frequency. So that’s probably why it drifted away
Hey Joshua! Intruder at 5:51! Not a small guy either...😬
All USA power meters are out of stock........Again.😭
I'm here and follow you because I want to fpv my 1/5th scale rc hypercar lol
Sorry Joshua for what I said before. I bought some to for those hot days. It's actually sick the skirt works for me too. My bad...
went 11km out on this thing (horizontal distance) great vtx
Watch this on DutchRC channel, it didn't seem to perform any better than a high end 800mw vtx for him.
We don't know how to read instructions in Europe, so... 😂😂😂😂
OK it has strong numbers but what does it look like flying? Around your yard through the weak areas? Down your road? In and around a parking garage? Inquiring eyes wish to see. Thank you
I agree about the1watt to 2.5watt increase in range to around 150% .
Maybe a better video reciever on a tripod would increase regular video reception 10 times as far .
Old walkie talkies talked a half mile to a cb base station with big antenna but ti another walkie talkie similar to goggles in size you could only talk 200 feet barely .
You just need a tripod or backpack or car roof maybe . Hmmm .
I'm up to 1000 feet with cheap goggles and 800mW vtx
Clearly, it's better to go with either of the tried and tested brands: TBS or RUSH
one more reason to get your ham license, test is not very hard and you will be a better drone builder/flyer with the things you learn, i highly suggest it
Analytics!
Hey mr bardwell, what is this shirt you are wearing with the goat on? I absolutely love it!
nothing really stops me from putting a 10W PA on my walksnail system but a directional antenna will do the same without all the downsides
I couldn't find if you mentioned the power supply you used. 7-36V seems like a big range, just wondering if that could have been the limiting factor?
Definitely not. The vTX output does not change vs. the input voltage. And heat build up is not appreciably changed.
Darn... well here's hoping it was just a dud then. Thanks for the info as usual...now I want my own tester, lol @@JoshuaBardwell
wOW !~ all the power meters are already sold out...lol....
Joshua, consider investing in an attenuator. Perhaps even several, like 5 db, 10 db and 20 db.
The IRC meter is maxed out, it even says '30 dbm max' on it and the display read slightly above 30 dbm.
Other people also say that the IRC power meter isn't suitable for power levels over a watt or so.
Look carefully at the video. I am using a 6 dB attenuator.
@@JoshuaBardwell yeah, I saw that. But maybe that's not enough for such a powerful VTX.
Do the math. 2500 mW = 34 dBm. 34 dBm - 6 dB = 28 dBm. 28 dBm is less than 30 dBm. All is well. With a 6 dB attenuator, we could be up to almost 4 watts before we hit the limit of the meter.
In addition, Tony Cake has advised me that it's not a good idea to use high-value attenuators above perhaps 10 dB, because it results in skin-effect causing the RF energy to flow around the attenuator, which means more energy reaches the meter, which causes the meter to read high. This is something that pro-grade equipment would be able to prevent or compensate for, but hobby-grade equipment can't.
@@JoshuaBardwell alright, your math is correct.
Ooohh! It just hit me! Are you reading the attenuated power numbers? Or does the meter compensate for that?
separate like for the person who edits your videos, if there's one. :)