Antennas

Question: Which frequency is better for travelling long distances?

Directional vs Omnidirectional

Directional antennas - focus their signal gain in a specific, narrow beam for long-distance, point-to-point communication, but require careful alignment and provide no signal in other directions.

Omnidirectional antennas - broadcast and receive signals equally in all directions, offering 360-degree coverage, which is ideal for wide, unpredictable areas and mobile devices. 

Types of Antenna

Antenna Polarization

Linear Polarization

In general linear polarization can provide extra range as all the energy is focused on a single plane rather that being dispersed into a cylindrical pattern. However in order to get good reception with linear polarized antennas you need to ensure that both antennas are aligned to ensure the radiation pattern has maximum overlap. Wireless systems such as Wifi will typically use linear antennas since the devices are stationary on the ground so its easy to ensure the antennas are always aligned. 

Circular antenna polarization

99% of FPV drone pilots actually get better reception when using circular polarized (CP) FPV antennas. The fundamental advantage of circular polarized antennas is due to the corkscrew pattern you always get good overlap no matter what angle you are flying at, which is fairly important for aircraft. Another advantage of circular polarized antennas is their ability to reject multi-path signals.

Gain

Antenna gain indicates the antenna’s ability to direct radio waves in a particular direction rather than spreading them equally in all directions.

Higher gain means a more focused signal in one direction, which increases range in that direction but reduces coverage in other directions.

Gain doesn’t amplify the signal or increase power; it shapes the radiation pattern.

Omnidirectional Antennas (e.g., dipole, cloverleaf): Typically low gain (2–5 dBi). They radiate signal in a doughnut-shaped pattern, ideal for close-range, multi-directional flying (e.g., freestyle or racing drones).

Directional Antennas (e.g., patch, helical): Higher gain (8–14 dBi or more). They focus the signal in one direction, perfect for long-range FPV flights but require pointing toward the drone.

Circular Polarized Antennas: Common in FPV (e.g., cloverleaf, pagoda), these reduce signal loss from polarization mismatch and are often omnidirectional with moderate gain.