I built my first drone last fall and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why my VTX range is so poor.  I started with:

XRotor Micro F4 G2 Flight Controller with OSD.  Smart audio appears to be working fine.

Ultimate mini rush tank VTX

I have a set of Fatshark AttitudeV6 goggles.



I have flown many many hours and everything else works just fine as long as I don't get very far away.

I only get about 100 meters of range on 25w and no more than 400 or 500 meters at 800w. Beyond that and things usually get too fuzzy to the point where I can't see enough to not crash.


I have tried many combinations of antennas on my quad and my headset.  I have tried directional and omni antennas.  I have made sure I am on the right channel, have tried different channels and bands, tried different pigtails on the VTX, made sure everything is right hand and SMA.  I have swapped out different wires and used different grounding pads on my FC.  

I then tried a different VTX (Akk fx2 ultimate VTX) and get similar behavior.   
  
Does anyone have any other suggestions?  About the only thing I haven't replaced is the FC.  I even swapped out the 4in1 ESC.  

Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks

Try another channel.. make sure the rx is unlocked and that the goggles and vtx are on the same channel.. do it manually ..if ur using a “channel search” the goggles may lock onto a channel “close” to the one u want..

Getting clear video link at range is challenging and requires alot of work/troubleshooting for optimal results:

- Using a tall antenna for the vtx that clears the lipo and carbon frame
- Use a direct antenna connection and avoid using intermediate SMA connectors as they introduce signal loss
- A reputable vtx helps and not all vtx's are made equal even made by the same manufacturer
- Not all antennas are made equal and need to be tested using a VNA to ensure it resonates at the frequency you fly
- Fit the largest capacitor you can get into your build

Another thing to take into account is flying area and flying style:

- Area/environment you are flying: trees, buildings, ground elevation changes
- Altitude vs distance matters, do not expect to be able to fly 1 meter off the ground at a distance of 1km. As you increase distance you need to slowly gain altitude to maintain line of sight (LOS) between the video transmitter and receiver