ok so this has been bugging me for a while and i cant figure out if its the vtx or how i have the antenna mounted. running a TBS Unify Pro32 HV set to 400mw, quads an X class so theres a lot of carbon around the vtx area. antennas are just the stock ones that came with it, mounted kind of towards the back of the frame pointing down. goggles are skyzone SKY04X with the stock mushroom antennas, no patch or anything directional.

at maybe 300-400 meters i start getting breakup. not terrible but enough to make me nervous. closer in its clean, like really clean. thought maybe it was multipath or something but it happens even in open fields with nothing around. ive seen people running similar setups way further out without issues so im thinking its something specific to how i have this wired up or mounted.

didnt change anything recently, this is just how ive always had it and maybe i never really tested range properly before. any obvious things i should check first before i start pulling stuff apart

honestly 400m with stock mushrooms on both ends and a vtx half-buried in a carbon frame is... actually about what id expect. carbon is basically an RF nightmare, it attenuates the signal pretty aggressively especially if the antenna is right next to a plate. first thing id try is extending the antenna out past the frame on a short pigtail or at least repositioning it so it has line of sight in the direction youre usually flying. some people run the vtx antenna on a little 3d printed arm sticking out the back.

also are you sure the TBS is actually outputting what you think it is? worth checking in betaflight that the power setting is actually saving, ive seen cases where it reverts after a flash or something

the stock antennas on the SKY04X are genuinely mediocre, like they work but if youre pushing range at all youll hit their limits pretty fast. i swapped mine for a pair of lumenier axii 2s and the difference at distance was pretty noticeable. still not a directional patch or anything but much better than the included stuff. your vtx placement might also be part of it but id try the antenna upgrade first since its cheaper and easier than remounting everything