Hi!
I purchased a pair of CloverLeaf Antennas (these: https://store.3drobotics.com/products/clover_antenna) for my fatshark FPV goggle and transmitter.
They state in their store: "Want to get the most out of your FPV setup? Our circularly polarized cloverleaf antenna and skew planar antenna will take your video signal the full distance, ensuring you get top real-time imaging each and every time you fly."
So, I took of the original "vanilla like" fatshark antennas, placed the CloverLeaf ones and ... WEAK reception! My FPV system was good for half or third of the distance, compared with the vanilla fatshark antennas.
The Red Colverleaf antenna was placed in the transmitter, on the Y6. The blue one on my FPV goggles.
I tried them both in upward position, downward, opposite position: Same extremely poor results.
I elevated a TICKET with their support desk. 3DRobotics response was (let me copy and paste, so there is NO misinterpretation):
"I'm afraid the clover antennas are not compatible with the fatshark equipment, they has been tested with our Video Tx/Rx."
What ? those are 5.8 Ghz Antennas, and Fatshark system is also 5.8 Ghz ... And EVENTUALLY, if their Cloverleaf antennas are built with some weird effect that makes them only good for 3DRobotics FPV ... shouldn't they advice about it on their store ?
Their "marketing speech" should start saying "Want to get the most out of OUR FPV setup? instead of "Want to get the most out of YOUR FPV setup?"
Of course, I answered them with my concerns and recommendation about changing their opening text on the product page, but since some time passed, and they are not fixing their product page, I decided to warn the rest of potential buyers about this incompatibility...
Regards,
Enrique
Replies
A point worth noting here, especially when trying CloverLeaf Antennas at the RX end, 'Some' RX's have an active DC voltage feed to the Antenna, ie: recent RX's based on an Airwave modules will probably have this voltage feed, the DC voltage is power for powering an 'Active' LNA (Amp) on their Patch antenna's, this setup gives a much higher gain than the standard dipole, (around 10db), I know I have a bunch of them here. this feed is NO problem for a Dipole, But is a DEAD Short to the RX with either of the Clover leaf types.
If your RX module is of the type with the DC feed?? then the feed line needs to be cut, then the Clover Leaf Antenna should then perform as expected.
How do you check if you have the DC feed? if you have a DVM, (with NO antenna connected) just measure between the Gnd of the SMA and the centre contact pin. If it reads something like 3.3V to 5V? then the feed is present and will need disconnecting, Some RX modules may die, if the Clover leaf is fitted, depending on how the DC is coupled to the antenna's Hot contact? so If worked ok on dipole before, and doesn't now? ........ooops.
Steve
Thanks Gerard,
I agree, the domes are better than naked antennas, even if the plastic dome does attenuate the signal a little bit. I originally bought some naked antennas, but very quickly the lobes got bent, and I think that will be worse for the signal than the dome could ever be.
I think the 3DR Cloverleaf's look dodgy in other ways..
Plus look identical to the Chinese ones I bought, the tuning of which was not great..
A quick glance at 'Their' specs reveals much stupidity and BS? even the Gains are written differently?? dBi & dbi?
My comments in [ ] and Bold
Specifications
There are so many web sites popping up selling technical stuff, with little of or no techie savvy to back it up? you can't say all the above are 'Typo's' Most of the critical bits above are nonsense, any n00b going here to buy, based on the spec's is being led down the proverbial garden path, not nice.
Steve
Electronic Engineer CCTV
Steve, Boscam, which is a very popular supplier of FPV equipment does use RP-SMA. So your statement that "most" TX are SMA is just not correct. I'd say RP-SMA is at leats 50% of the market, if not closer to 90%.
The rest of your comments... yeah, you're right.
I couldn't believe at first, their answer. It was almost like a scam. They took away my 34 USD for the pair of CloverLeaf Antennas, which are a completely useless piece of plastic and wire.
When I realized the antennas where crap, frankly, I assumed they would AT LEAST give me some credit back, or give me a free shipping FOR MY NEXT PURCHASE ... which I had already in my shopping cart ... the DIY KIT Y6 2013 which I discuss in another post, I need it because my Y6 got it's three legs broken due to a bad landing.
So I waited for them over a weekend in the event that some kind of compensation would arise for the "almost scammy" way of selling the antennas without mention that they won't apparently work with any other system other than theirs.
Over THAT weekend, they took off their store the DIY KIT Y6 2013, and it disappeared from my shopping cart. It was like a kick on the b***s to realize that I also lost the chance to refresh the life of my 2013 Y6 with original parts.
I immediately consulted them about the disappearance of the DIY KIT and all bolts, nuts, separators, extensors, and whatever that comprised the "spare parts" for Y6 and they told me, succinctly, "we took them off the store, they are not for sale anymore".
¡What a frustration! It is almost unbelievable that a company placed in a niché with such an interesting future, also including some bright heads, interesting designs, good (or appropriate) design tools, etc. is consistently missing the mark on the marketing and customer relations side.
For an american company, I cannot believe that they are stopping selling spare parts, kits, etc. It is also like "we don't want to sell things to you". Or worse yet, "Yes you bought this a couple of months ago, but now you got to spend another USD1500 -2000 into the new model" which is just way too much to impose on this market, for this kind of hobby. Either way, on my opinion their behavior is not intelligent.
Enrique, I think Fatshark uses SMA connectors and not RP SMA connectors. I could be wrong but that may be the problem. You can get SMA to RP SMA adapters though.
Regards,
David R. Boulanger
Nice catch David!
I believe you are right, and the Immersion gear is SMA. Unfortunately, Enrique might have damaged his transmitter already, effectively running it without load.
The web store clearly lists them as an RP-SMA. This is a very common issue with FPV equipment, and users must be sure which they have.
Ooops ? I did not see that RP-SMA !!!
Lucky me, as I unscrewed the Cloverleaf antennas at that time, placed back fatshark ones, and it worked just fine for several days (before y crashed it !) On the FAQ of the FatShark manual, now that I search for it, they say that if I use RP-SMA I will get short range video ( http://www.fatshark.com/uploads/pdf/1719-1.pdf page 12 )
I will look into these adapters, Thanks David and Rob!! I would think it could have been nice for 3Drobotics support dept. to mention this ... or even place it on their product page ! Anyway, now I understand that there was a bit of ignorance on my side on my purchase. But anyway, such an important detail is not mentioned either on 3Drobotics product page, nor in fatshark sales pages or even datasheets, they -believe it or not- do not mention what kind of antenna connection use.
Regards,
Enrique
If you're plugging two connectors together which both have a central hole, then you shouldn't be too surprise when it doesn't work as expected! You should always look at the connectors to make sure the right things are going to connect!
One other thing I've found when using 3rd party cloverleaf antennas (the non-fatshark ones with a plastic cap over the antenna) Is that you can't mix and match them with the fatshark ones. This is because the fatshark ones are left hand polarised (I think), and the 3rd party ones all seem to be right hand polarised, but you can't tell this without cutting the cap open.
I would say that I am a consumer which may be that stupid ... and supposedly 3Drobotics is an american company which could actually be kind enough to explain things to stupid people like me in support ? or actually place a warning on their product page, not only stating that it will help "YOUR" FPV setup (generically speaking as it is) ?
Now what I understand from your post is that I will not solve the situation with these 3Drobotics Cloverleaf antennas just by buying an RP-SMA / SMA adapter ...
Maybe if y also exchange the connector on the antennas and solder the two wires all the way around ? I already confessed: I am stupid enough to buy the incorrect antennas, so I am perfectly capable of continue doing stupid assertions :) but ... is there any way to make these antennas compatible with fatshark equipment ?
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