ok so this has been bugging me for a while and i cant find a straight answer. im running a 400mw VTX right now and using whatever antennas came with my goggles (think theyre just basic dipoles or something). someone at my local field said i should bump to 800mw for better range but someone else said antenna upgrades would do more than doubling the power. i fly 5 inch freestyle mostly, not long range, but i keep getting breakup at distances that seem like i shouldnt be getting it.

the breakup isnt constant its kind of random, like i can be 400m out and fine then suddenly get static for a second then its back. which makes me think its not purely a power issue? i dont really know how to diagnose this properly. my VTX is a Rush Tank II if that matters and im on analog still, just havent made the jump to digital yet.

the random breakup at inconsistent distances is almost always multipath interference or just the antenna polarization working against you rather than raw power being the issue. stock dipoles on goggles are pretty mediocre and since theyre linear polarized they dont handle reflected signals well at all. swapping to circular polarized antennas on both ends, like a pair of lollipops or pagodas on the goggles and a cloverleaf or pagoda on the VTX, will do more for that kind of dropouty behavior than cranking up your output power will. power helps with overall range ceiling but it wont fix polarization mismatch problems.

also check that your VTX antenna isnt mounted right next to carbon fiber or your battery, carbon kills RF pretty bad.

Rush Tank II is a solid VTX so probably not a hardware issue. honestly the antenna advice above is right but also just double check your video channel and power setting are actually saving properly, ive seen that VTX reset to lower power after a firmware update and people didnt notice for ages. also if youre flying near other FPV guys on the same band that'll cause exactly the kind of intermittent garbage you're describing even if youre not directly on the same channel.