so this has been bugging me for a while and i finally decided to post about it. running a hglrc zeus nano VTX on my 3 inch toothpick build, 200mw output, and im getting garbage range compared to what other people seem to get with similar setups. like ive seen people say they get 400-500 meters clean on 200mw and im struggling past 150 before i start getting breakup.

the antenna is just the stock linear that came with the VTX, mounted kind of sideways along the arm because of the canopy design. i know antenna orientation matters but i cant really point it straight up without it hitting the props in a crash. ive also heard carbon fiber frame can affect signal but i thought that was more of a myth. frequency is 5.8ghz obviously.

is this a placement issue or should i just get a proper LHCP antenna and call it a day. and if so what do people actually recommend for a small build like this, theres so many options and half the reviews on youtube are sponsored garbage

carbon fiber absolutely affects 5.8ghz signal, its not a myth at all. if your antenna is lying along a carbon arm that alone could be eating a significant chunk of your effective output. the general rule is you want the antenna element itself clear of any carbon by at least a few mm ideally more. some people use a small 3d printed mount to angle it up and away from the frame.

also yeah ditch the linear. for a toothpick a small lollipop style LHCP antenna is going to give you way more consistent omnidirectional coverage. rush cherry or foxeer lollipop are the usual go-tos, both are pretty cheap. just make sure your goggles receiver antennas are also LHCP or youre going to lose like 3db right there from polarization mismatch which on 200mw is actually a lot.

wait are you running linear on the VTX and circular on your goggles or are both linear? because mixing polarizations is actually one of the most common reasons people get terrible range and nobody talks about it enough. i ran mismatched for like two months before someone at the field pointed it out and i felt like an idiot. everything has to match or at least both be circular, doesnt matter if its LHCP or RHCP as long as both ends are the same.