My favorite VTX antenna is the Aomway 4-leaf cloverleaf (sometimes referred to as a skew planar, but “cloverleaf” actually comes from it’s radiation pattern resembling a four leaf cloverleaf!)
They are cheap, work well, and are the most rugged out of the cheapies.
Of the four I have, return loss measurements were a respectable: 19.5dB, 19.5dB, 18.5dB, and 21.5dB.
(A Fatshark $pironet measured 19dB, so the Aomway is on par or better than the $pironet with RL)
This particular antenna has copped quite a beating in recent months and finally gave way in a recent crash:
The main crack in the outer braid of the UT141 semi-flexible coax is fairly obvious:
But there was another crack (open circuit) in one of the elements hiding under the sticker:
Fixed with a generous fillet of solder around the UT141 semi-flexible coax (it looks split, but it’s actually a reflection off the shiny solder!):
There isn’t much strength in solder alone, so some adhesive lined heatshrink with a 4:1 shrink ratio was fitted.
4:1 allows you to slide it over the SMA connector, and it still shrinks up to a nice tight fit.
You can see the adhesive is just visible out the end of the heatshrink.
The adhesive adds more strength than standard 2:1 heatshrink alone.
A quick n easy repair!
These antennas are currently listed by:
BoltRC: http://boltrc.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=75_105&product_id=940
Hobby King: https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idproduct=76889
And a variant with RP SMA connectors from:
Buzz Hobbies: http://buzzhobbies.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=73&product_id=795
🙂
