hello you guys/gals thanks in advance for the help. I have a small cinewhoop from betafpv that comes with a 350 mw vtx and a pair of the fatshark scout goggles...HDO2 is on the way!  . originally my problem was that I had very low rssi and I would lose reception very fast and very close. so for some reason I clicked that small button on the vtx on the quad and it made me lose the image in my goggles 100%. Before, I could stand a few feet away and get an image pretty clear with rssi at 40, but now I literally have to put the goggles inches away from the quad to get any signal. Im on the correct band and channel that correlates with what it says on betaflight. went to the channel manually. my vtx power is turned up, still no image until I'm inches away. it only started doing this until I clicked that dang button. any suggestions?

What button did you click? Do you see any LEDs on the VTX? If so, how many and what colours? Maybe you've inadvertently switched the VTX into pit mode.

(22-Dec-2020, 02:04 AM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: What button did you click? Do you see any LEDs on the VTX? If so, how many and what colours? Maybe you've inadvertently switched the VTX into pit mode.

I clicked the small black/ gold button just to the left of the letters "SA." two lights did start to flash, red and blue and they flashed one at a time. on betaflight it says pit mode is turned off. currently there 2 r lights flashing at the "gnd" mark on the vtx. red and blue one at a time. and then below that at the "vtx" mark a single red light flashes.

Sounds like you put it in pit mode.  Also, i noticed your antenna is laying flat in a horizontal position... is there any way you can set it in a 45deg. Or maybe vertical?  You would most likely get a lot better reception this way.

Last, i sure would like to hear your opinion in the reception differences between the FS box goggles vs. FS HDO.

(22-Dec-2020, 05:19 AM)luispequeno Wrote: Sounds like you put it in pit mode.  Also, i noticed your antenna is laying flat in a horizontal position... is there any way you can set it in a 45deg. Or maybe vertical?  You would most likely get a lot better reception this way.

Last, i sure would like to hear your opinion in the reception differences between the FS box goggles vs. FS HDO.

How do I get it out of pit mode? Because betaflight is saying pitmode is off. For the antenna, I'm not sure, it's only in place with a small strap but I will definitely look into raising it somehow. Thanks for for pointing that out.

Pit Mode on a VTX can be independent from the Betaflight configuration. Some VTX's have a hardware override for Pit Mode that won't show up in Betaflight settings if activated.

From your description of the LEDs you are definitely in Pit Mode. When the VTX is in pit mode the "Power LED(RGB)" will flash. When not in pit mode that LED will just remain constant. To enter and exit Pit Mode on the BetaFPV M02 VTX you need to double press that little gold/black button. So do that and the "Power LED(RGB)" should turn constant meaning you are then out of pit mode.

(22-Dec-2020, 11:12 AM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: Pit Mode on a VTX can be independent from the Betaflight configuration. Some VTX's have a hardware override for Pit Mode that won't show up in Betaflight settings if activated.

From your description of the LEDs you are definitely in Pit Mode. When the VTX is in pit mode the "Power LED(RGB)" will flash. When not in pit mode that LED will just remain constant. To enter and exit Pit Mode on the BetaFPV M02 VTX you need to double press that little gold/black button. So do that and the "Power LED(RGB)" should turn constant meaning you are then out of pit mode.

That worked, thanks. Although I still have my original problem. Low rssi. Even when I'm standing right next to the quad I'm only hitting 40% rssi. CLI on betaflight says vtx power is at 4 out of 7. I'm on the correct band/ channel with the goggles. Not sure what else I need to be checking.. it's only this quad that has rssi problem, my smaller acrobee is fine with signal reception.

Post a picture of what the antennas

so I know you mentioned before to get a better angle on the antenna, I might just need a longer one. the blue antenna on the drone doesnt have much slack and the moment i pull even a little, the gold connector disconnects from the vtx. if im looking to get a new antenna, what kind of connection should it have..u.fl? do you even think getting a new antenna would solve my rssi issue? 

That quad is supposed to work with that type of antenna and many people are running it like that so I don't think it's an antenna problem, unless the antenna itself of the connector that attaches it to the VTX is damaged

Do you know if you ever rant the VTX accidentally with the antenna U.FL connector detached from the board? If you dd then there is a possibility that you damaged the VTX because they don't like being powered up without and antenna attached.

(25-Dec-2020, 12:28 AM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: That quad is supposed to work with that type of antenna and many people are running it like that so I don't think it's an antenna problem, unless the antenna itself of the connector that attaches it to the VTX is damaged

Do you know if you ever rant the VTX accidentally with the antenna U.FL connector detached from the board? If you dd then there is a possibility that you damaged the VTX because they don't like being powered up without and antenna attached.

 oh dear, I did fly the quad with the antenna detached from the vtx board, that little gold connector right? i mean, its the only wire coming from the antenna to the vtx board and its connected to the +5v part. well yea that was off for who knows how long before i realized it. what should i do then, install a new vtx board and see if that fixes my problem? or try a new antenna first? that little piece disconnects so easily, as i said in a previous post, i would try to see if i can get some more slack and get a better angle but it would disconnect on its own without little to any force. so i flew it quite a few times with no power to the antenna, but i wouldnt lose rssi like i do now..I must have completely destroyed it the other day then.

What power level was the VTX set to? If it was on a low power level with no antenna attached then you might have got away with it but there is no guarantee. Unfortunately without a power test meter there is no way to know for sure if you've damaged the VTX by running it with no antenna.

It sounds like the connector on that antenna is damaged anyway if it keeps coming off so easily. It might be worth getting a replacement antenna and trying that first because it will be the cheapest option and even it that doesn't resolve the issue it's always good to have some spare antennas in you toolbox so it won't be wasted money. If that doesn't work then you likely damaged the VTX and will need a new one.

(25-Dec-2020, 01:16 AM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: What power level was the VTX set to? If it was on a low power level with no antenna attached then you might have got away with it but there is no guarantee. Unfortunately without a power test meter there is no way to know for sure if you've damaged the VTX by running it with no antenna.

It sounds like the connector on that antenna is damaged anyway if it keeps coming off so easily. It might be worth getting a replacement antenna and trying that first because it will be the cheapest option and even it that doesn't resolve the issue it's always good to have some spare antennas in you toolbox so it won't be wasted money. If that doesn't work then you likely damaged the VTX and will need a new one.

Not sure what the power level was set at, I've been changing it trying to figure out this rssi problem. The antenna was disconnected at a few points, I didnt know that it could ruin the vtx. I'm gonna work on it the coming days, thanks for pointing me in the right direction though!

The reason you need to make sure you always have an antenna attached to the VTX is because the huge amount of power needs to dissipate somewhere and that is through the antenna. With no antenna attached there is nowhere for that power to dissipate so the VTX can end up getting damaged or completely fried as a result.

Might add that ALL transmitters need antenna or a dummy load.