Extend range of aton.

[Reavesbj]

I took the transmitter apart last night and the antenna is a small solid copper wire 2" long very stiff. My question is, would I gain any range by adding to this antenna. Razorhobbies and some of you other guys please chime in . You guys are genius when it comes to this stuff. Thanks

[TireSlinger]

How much range are you looking for? With the app you can set your GeoFence to 1000 feet instead of the factory 500. At that distance it's extremely hard to see the quad (at least for me) and the transmitter is still linked. You can disable the GeoFence altogether if you want, but at some point it's going to be impossible to tell where it's going.

[Reavesbj]

I am running Fpv and 800FT is the range it is maxed out. It says 1000 but it won't do it. If you set it at unlimited , same difference. If you are flying from the ground I agree 800ft is more than enough. I would love to see 1500ft

[Canuckvoip]

The way these antennaes work (if I am not mistaken) means that you cannot just add some wire willy nilly. I believe you need an exact amount as opposed to just "more". More than likely to both the TX and RX (Aton).

[TireSlinger]

I wonder if the FPV system is causing limited range?

I've flown my Aton out to the 1000 foot GeoFence just to test it. The transmitter started emitting the "Return to Home - GeoFence" beep, not the "Return to Home - Lost Signal" beep described in the manual.

[bearcatrp]

Any way to add an antenna on the controller then link them? If you look at P3 or other expensive copters, they have 2 on the top, which I presume help with distance.

[Reavesbj]

One thing I have noticed is that I have 4.9v to the controller. The batteries that came with the unit only have 1.25v and a good aaa battery has 1.7v so that would be 6.8v. Tomorrow I am going to try new lithium batteries. I wonder if I powered the transmitter with a 2c which is 7.4 if that could help.

[ncnoah]

I took the transmitter apart last night and the antenna is a small solid copper wire 2" long very stiff. My question is, would I gain any range by adding to this antenna. Razorhobbies and some of you other guys please chime in . You guys are genius when it comes to this stuff. Thanks

The antenna is tuned for the specific frequency to be resonant.( matched) Changing length of antenna would reduce its efficiency.

[Reavesbj]

Thanks. I'm not familiar with the technology. Glad someone else has some info before I go and destroy something.

[bearcatrp]

The antenna is tuned for the specific frequency to be resonant.( matched) Changing length of antenna would reduce its efficiency.

Any way to extend this without messing with the frequency? Some kind of extender or booster?

[ncnoah]

My 2 cents is to try and live with what you have. Maybe discuss with Traxxas. Any modifications or additional equipment added without having proper testing equipment could create unwanted problems.

[bearcatrp]

Probably a good idea to contact them. Wondering if these are designed not to go to far due to government restrictions.

[DutchRC]

The way these antennaes work (if I am not mistaken) means that you cannot just add some wire willy nilly. I believe you need an exact amount as opposed to just "more". More than likely to both the TX and RX (Aton).

That is completely correct. The determining factor would then be the output-power of the transmitter (which can't be changed easily offcourse)..
AND.. you could optimise the angle of the antenna.. the 2.4Ghz signal will emit towards the sides of the antenna (not from the tip outwards)..

[Mylt1]

havent gotten my Aton yet but this is one of the things i was thinking of upgrading. you could add a SMA mount then screw on a 2.4ghz antenna on to that. by adding a larger antenna tuned for the 2.4ghz band you increase whats called the gain. the antenna alone will increase the range but without actually testing it IRL its hard to tell what the range would be. the gain from a better antenna will make the transmitter preform better even with the same output power.

[megazonbomb]

havent gotten my Aton yet but this is one of the things i was thinking of upgrading. you could add a SMA mount then screw on a 2.4ghz antenna on to that. by adding a larger antenna tuned for the 2.4ghz band you increase whats called the gain. the antenna alone will increase the range but without actually testing it IRL its hard to tell what the range would be. the gain from a better antenna will make the transmitter preform better even with the same output power.

I have done the sma mod on my syma transmitters and it works fine but I've lost a few drones that way ... not GPS or return home.

[Flakdodger]

Getting the extra range is always nice. Something to remember is that if you fly as a hobby the rules state you must have aircraft within sight. Exceeding that you fall into having to get a much more complex and difficult to obtain license to operate commercially. If you check out the AMA website they have a detailed explanation of rules for hobby flying RC aircraft including drones. Your FAA registration is for you and applies to any RC aircraft you own, hobby or commercial.

[Mb01rt]

One thing I have noticed is that I have 4.9v to the controller. The batteries that came with the unit only have 1.25v and a good aaa battery has 1.7v so that would be 6.8v. Tomorrow I am going to try new lithium batteries. I wonder if I powered the transmitter with a 2c which is 7.4 if that could help.

I just tried powering my transmitter with a 7.4 lipo and it gets the electronics to hot and then they just turn off. When they cool down they start working again


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[theficks]

lol. faa just robbed 770,000 people out of 3.8 million dollars. Makes you wanna learn all the rules down to the roman numeral huh?

[Graystar]

An external antenna makes a huge difference. I did this some time ago.....buy the antenna (extenal 2.4g antenna) heat up the wire thing in the transmitter and pull it out. Ream out a hole on top, mount the antenna, and solder the leads (shorten the leads first so they do not get tangled in transmitter box) to the appropriate solder pads....this is shown in a few youtube videos....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLPQwcozOOA&t=4s

[N2ZU]

There are at least 2 things that can be done to the Aton Tx to improve reliability and range. First, add a BEC - I installed a Castle 10 amp BEC set to 6.3 volts in one of the TX handles. (The handles are empty space inside.) I then power the TX with a 2S 2200 mAh LiPo velcroed to the back. It will power the TX for hours but do not leave the pack connected to the BEC between flying sessions. Second, add an amplified antenna as suggested above. I fly FPV and after going out 500-600 feet with the fence turned off my Aton would RTL. I added the amplified antenna shown in the YouTube video. Today, I flew out 1,650 feet as measured in Google Earth. The video signal was still good so I will try to fly out even further next time.

[natelivliv]

Why is it that I own 3 different atons and never experienced any such flyaway? Might wanna check ur info bro. The antenna mod works good if you do it right.