so this has been bugging me for a while and i cant figure out if its a vtx issue or an antenna issue or something else entirely. running a speedybee tx800 on my 5inch, hooked up to my goggles with the stock antennas that came with them which i know probably isnt ideal but they worked fine for months.

lately ive been getting these random video drops, like full static for half a second then comes back. doesnt seem to correlate with distance or orientation that i can tell. happens close in sometimes, happens far out sometimes. its not a consistent breakup like when youre at the edge of range, its just random stutters.

i reflashed the vtx firmware already and reseated the antenna connector which was a little loose honestly so maybe that was it but it still happened yesterday on a short session. the vtx gets pretty warm but i thought that was normal. running it at 400mw most of the time.

any ideas where to start, dont really want to just throw money at new antennas if the vtx is dying

loose connector was probably your main culprit tbh. the ufl connectors on those vtxs are really easy to damage if you've replugged them a few times, even a tiny amount of play in there causes exactly the kind of intermittent dropout you're describing rather than a gradual signal fade. i'd look real close at that connector under good light and see if the center pin looks straight and seated right.

the heat thing ? 400mw will make them warm but if its hot to the touch like uncomfortably so that can cause thermal throttling or just instability on some vtxs. worth checking if the dropouts happen more after its been running for a few minutes vs right at startup.

if you want to rule out antennas cheap, just borrow someone elses known-good antenna for a session. the stock antennas from most goggles are honestly mediocre but they dont usually cause random dropouts, they just give you worse range and penetration overall.

had the exact same thing on a different vtx last year. turned out to be the solder joint on the power input pad was cracked. wasnt visible until i put it under magnification. worth checking if you have a loupe or even a phone camera zoom. these things take a beating from vibration and a cold joint will cause all kinds of weird intermittent stuff that looks like rf problems but isnt