I would like to see the final solution with Ashot and tuffwing mount.
I ordered a generic mount from aliexpress for the M2. I think it can be used in place of tuffwing mount.
If you make it work please share your experience and the results!
Just wanted to thank you for your search and the items you found. That 90 on the MCX with a shorty cable is perfect for my project too. I just ordered a pair for myself for my base and rover. It will significantly improve my package. Again, thank you!
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My two cables with right angle connectors came today. They didn’t fit my M2 case.
So I simply modified the case with a Dremel and a sharp knife.
They fit perfectly with a nice click after insertion.
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You won’t believe this. After warning you about it, I made the classic sin. After modifying the M1 case to fit the right angle, I plowed ahead today to assemble my system. My bad. It doesn’t fit after all! The antenna end is MALE!!! It’s advertised as Female, but it’s not!
I’ll just have to try again!
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Oh no! Thanks for the update.
Don’t feel bad I have a whole box of “extra woops parts”, sooner or later they get used up on other projects.
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I have uses for the SMA adapters, MCX not so much.
Hi all,
I would like to conclude on the supported MCX connectors to prevent such issues in the future.
Reach M2 works with a standard MCX connector. However, MCX connectors may have different plug’s body diameters. If the diameter of Reach’s antenna mount opening is smaller than the diameter of the MCX connector’s body, the cable will not fit.
I’ve just checked that a straight cable plug with a 5 mm plug’s body diameter suits the receiver fine. The connectors with such a plug’s body are common, so it should be possible to get them from a local store. As an alternative, you can get an MCX to SMA antenna adapter cable from our online store.
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If some people need a SMA-RP adapter, I was able to make the ones referenced in this post work with minimal effort. I did exactly as I described there. Mounted it in a drill chuck, spun it, then ground the slightly too large base with a dremel until the diameter was about 5mm. Much better to modify the adapter than butchering the receiver case.
Thank you for this, much appreciated. Would it be possible for Emlid to find and certify a cable that is shorter than 0.5m? For most of the purposes that we have used then for they only need to be 15-35cm.
Hi Michael,
I’ll discuss it with the team and write back.
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This isn’t really what we need but I appreciate the effort. The cable is too short and that adapter fitting just isn’t applicable. I browsed their site and unfortunately all the cables that were in the correct range of length all had the 90deg elbow on the MCX side. I will report back with an update once I have tried the cables I purchased. Just waiting for the drone to get back in the office now.
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Hi Michael,
I’ve found several 15 cm MCX-SMA cables with a straight cable plug:
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Good morning All! Ok so I think this cable (from above) with these rubber spacers (26mm x 15mm x 8.2mm) I bought is going to do what I was shooting for. The spacer could be 1in x 0.5in x .375in but the id won’t be quite as snug and more fill would be needed to secure the fitting. The 8.2mm hole press fit very well and I tacked with a couple spots of gel ca.
I’m still playing with the configuration and routing but I think it’s getting pretty close. Then throw the AShot in and we’ll be ready to test.
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Nice setup!
The position of the antenna doesn’t interfere with phantoms internal gps?
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That would be my worry as well!
I think I’ve settled on the configuration that I’m going to do the first test flight with. So far static testing on the ground doesn’t appear to affect the quality of the GPS when I place it and pull it off so we will just have to see in the air. My hope was that by separating it with the rubber spacer that it would reduce interference between the two and that by it being a helical antenna that there wouldn’t be multipath errors introduced. It actually ended up routing pretty nicely with the cable that I have and it’s rigidity keeps it out of the way of the obstacle avoidance sensors and in place without having to tie it down. I ended up using 3M VHB 30 lb double-sided tape which is some pretty hefty stuff but does come off cleanly if you need it to.
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Hi Michael and friends,
I have been playing around with different mounts for a bit and have developed a mount which screws to the top of the P4. The DJI plastic holds small screws very well. But I have also been experimenting with my test pieces and have come up with my latest antenna mount configuration. It turns out there is just enough space behind the DJI GPS unit to fit a right angle SMA-MCX cable, then route it out the side of the P4 through a 5mm hole. The placement just behind the centre of the P4 means that when the UAV is tilted forward in flight the antenna will be vertical-ish. More so than a centre mount. I also wanted a solid solution so as to not have to rely on adhesive.
Here it is in my ‘tester’ with the battery cage in to test for clashes.
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Looks beautiful! Doesn’t affect the DJI logo either!
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