4hawks vs antenna mod range

[F22arecool]

Hello,
I was looking through a thread about doing an antenna mod using different antennas with the pdf guide. What would be the difference in range from using this antenna vs stock range? And how would the range of the modified antenna be different from the range of a 4hawks antenna? I am wondering this because I can only get 1/2 mile out in rural New Mexico at 5mhz with smooth settings and having the antennas pointed in the proper position always pointing at the drone. Any replies are very much appreciated. Thank you.

Amazon.com

 

[Ansia]

The 4hawks is a bi-directional antenna. Meaning you will have to face the drone to get the best reception. The advantages is that the signal being focused in one direction it is stronger and can get past some obstacles. If not mistaken range should be about 7km.

The other antenna mod is omnidirectional. This means it will go in all directions. Not as strong as the 4hawks, but the range is the same in an unobstructed area.

 

[F22arecool]

Will the range of the omnidirectional be much better than that of the stock antenna?

 

[Ansia]

Will the range of the omnidirectional be much better than that of the stock antenna?

Some say it does. I tried it and didn't see any improvement.

 

[F22arecool]

Ok thank you for the input, do you know anyone else here who has done this? It sounds like the pdf modification isn't worth the hassle and to just go for the 4hawks. I don't like how if I lose connection it resets my speed settings.

 

[Tufargon]

Honestly that doesn't sound right. It shouldn't reset anything in your settings. Don't know if flying without a phone/tablet would make a difference.

 

[F22arecool]

Honestly that doesn't sound right. It shouldn't reset anything in your settings. Don't know if flying without a phone/tablet would make a difference.

I mean if I lose connection it auto engages return to home, once it reconnects I cannot make it go faster than 22mph even when I turn off the obstacle avoidance again. It's a weird scenario but this is what happens haha so maybe it will be fixed in a new software rendition. So do you suggest the 4hawks over the pdf modification??

 

[Tufargon]

I know what you mean but I don't think after reconnecting it should have changed any settings. Unfortunately I doubt there will be any updates to the EVO's software (unless it's also used for the EVO 2) or the firmware. It's out of beta now isn't it? From past experience, once Autel releases something that is not beta they have not updated after.
This could be a bug and someone else should test it.
Are you using a phone/tablet or just the RC?

 

[F22arecool]

I know what you mean but I don't think after reconnecting it should have changed any settings. Unfortunately I doubt there will be any updates to the EVO's software (unless it's also used for the EVO 2) or the firmware. It's out of beta now isn't it? From past experience, once Autel releases something that is not beta they have not updated after.
This could be a bug and someone else should test it.
Are you using a phone/tablet or just the RC?

I am using my phone, but I don't really care about the settings not saving as long as my antenna get upgraded and I don't lose connection so quickly Haha. But hopefully it's just a bug only on my device and it doesn't effect others.

 

[Tufargon]

I understand. If it is a bug though, it should be reported to Autel so they can fix it.

 

[Ansia]

What @F22arecool says it's correct. If you are flying in ludicrous mode and lose connection. Once you reconnect it will go back to standard 22mph mode.

 

[Tufargon]

Ok cool. Thanks for pointing that out. Sounded like a bug. It actually kind of is imho.

 

[Ansia]

Ok cool. Thanks for pointing that out. Sounded like a bug. It actually kind of is imho.

It sucks, but it is what it is.

 

[F22arecool]

Does anybody else have any first hand knowledge of the antenna mod's benefit (if any) to range/signal quality?

 

[F22arecool]

In order to allow flight to get past 22mph after disconnecting and the auto rth engaging, you will have to long press the pause button and this will cancel the return to home. It will say end task on the remote and you will have to hold the button until the blue bar gets to the other side of the screen.

 

[ElectricPickle]

I did the 4Hawks antenna mod and I'm happy with it. The pivot pins/holders of the stock antennas broke, a design flaw for sure. Toothpick replacements for the pins and 3D printed sleeves didn't fix it for very long and I wasn't going to FedEx it from Florida to Seattle just to have them replace it with the same cheap plastic antennas. I did the mod myself, I'm old and have experience with what needed to be done. 4Hawks has a YouTube video that shows you the process, although the instructions are not as detailed as I would have liked. You can mail your controller to them and they will install it for a fee.

Usually where I fly there are trees that block the line-of-sight to the EVO1. I saw a big improvement with the 4Hawks antennas ability to penetrate the treeline. Keeping in mind that most of my flights are behind tree lines, overall improvement I would estimate at a 30 percent improvement in signal quality.

The 4Hawks antenna is a one piece rectangle that mounts to your controller via the holes from your removed stock antennas. The bracket they provide allows you to tilt the antenna up and down a few degrees. At the last "full up" detent the antenna will prevent the stock EVO1 phone holder from tilting down enough to be usable. In other words, if you hold the controller level, the antenna is tilted up facing above the horizon and your phone will have to be 90-degrees to the screen on the controller and you won't see the phones screen. It's fine if you use just the controllers screen.

It was worth the expense and time to install to me. It probably would have cost the same for me to send it to Autel and have them replace the stock antennas. I sure hope they improve the quality of the Evo2 antennas. Other than that it's a masterful piece of technology and kudos to the engineering team at Autel Robotics.

 

[Sau Wing Lam]

I did the mod and am happy with it. I found that you can still use the Autel bag to store both RC (with the 4Hawk) and drone. I can fly out 3+ miles without any interference.

 

[F22arecool]

Ok thank you all for the responses, I will buy a 4hawks antenna today!

 

[PoorMoney]

They have the SR and XR 4 Hawks antenna. The XR suppose to pick up better. I was debating about buying that, but I may sell my EVO or trade it in for the EVO2

 

[konoplya]

I did the mod and am happy with it. I found that you can still use the Autel bag to store both RC (with the 4Hawk) and drone. I can fly out 3+ miles without any interference.

there are some videos on youtube of guys flying 3 miles out with stock controller, but i could barely replicate a mile before loosing connection.. and this was in wide open desert. so not sure how people accomplish 3 miles with stock antennas.

what kind of terrain do you fly in with 4 hawks to get 3 miles range?