After lots of Antenna threads some might be interested in a range comparison.
I was using the Jetvision A3 Antenna for several months. This was required for the AirSquitter and the built in GPS functionality
Now i changed it to a new Vinnant antenna. Some know it already, it’s the guy in Slovakia buiding individual antennas.
From the values the antennas do have the following specifications
Jetvision: 5dBi gain, 60 cm
Vinnant: 7.5dBi gain, 100 cm
As the new tar1090 interface provided by @wiedehopf offers an easy way to highlight the current range, a comparison has been made easier.
To the left the Jetvision, to the right the Vinnant. You can see a slight improvement from range, but it would require more testing for verification. The blue line shows my max range per terrain, set to 40.000 feet.
The small gap to max range on the north east is caused by my own roof which i cannot chnage.
I have two of them as well as 2 FA antenna’s.
The Vinnant antenna’s are on par with the FA’s in regard to range and sensitivity in the 4 months I have them running. I use the Vinnant Antenna’s outdoor and the FA Antenna’s indoor.
FA are a little less bulky so the chief of the house likes them better indoors
It’s a nice antenna. I have the 5dBi-variant. The mount is really good on the Vinnant, much better than the FA-antenna. I’ve used the Vinnant for little over a year now and it’s been through high winds, hot (30C, mounten 2 meters above a black roof) weather, heavy rains, snowstorms and temperatures below -20C. It still looks new.
Thinking of buying the larger one that @foxhunter has. Was waiting for his results before I make a decision.
@foxhunter, to me it looks like a rather nice improvement of the range. It fills out the theoretical coverage a bit better in every direction. How about the message rate? Is it possible to say anything considering the effect of the message rate the new version of airspy_adsb has?
The values are absolutely comparable. No significant change in message rate or number of aircraft seen.
I think you simply see the aircraft “earlier” if they come in range or “longer” if leaving the range
My recommendation: Not worth the money to upgrade from 5 dBi to 7.5 dBi
The build of the Jetvision is somewhat more professional than the Vinnant, The used parts are at least looking more high grade, but that doesn’t mean the Vinnant is a bad antenna.
The Jetvision antenna is “a tad” more expensive. I would expect premium quality when paying premium price. As a budget alternative, the Vinnant is hard to beat.
That sounds great. Since I have a similar situation as you, restricted by local geography, it may be of use.
I seem to get new money every month , so it’s more about the hassle of climbing the roof, fiddle with mounts and cables while avoid testing the safety harness effectiveness (or lack of…). I have about one month before it gets colder and somewhat cumbersome beeing up on the roof. From November to the end of April, it’s not an option getting up there, so I’ll probably will wait until next spring before making a decision on a purchase.
Question is if this gets paid off let’s say 5 years outdoor.
While the Jetvision does not show any traces of beeing outdoor for a year now (beside the sticker) the mount of the Vinnant shows some “corrosion” after four weeks. Not critical, but visible.
Are we not all under that regulation?
Getting new devices is more a question of my “personal minister of finance” at home.
My summary is: Both show a pretty similar performance (as much as it can be compared on my spot). I only have the Jetvision because of the built in GPS required for the Jetvision devices and i did not have the Vinnant on my radar last year.
That’s a valid point. I’ve heard that they can drive a hard bargain.
That’s interesting. Mine looks really good, after a quick wipe with a rag you really can’t tell it’s been subjected to the elements. Perhaps my “nordic forest air” is less harsh on stuff?
my VINNANT COL1090/5-S is outdoor since march 2018, still looking very good + works fine, no traces are visible on screws and holder …
I’m very satisfied …
My Jetvision AirSquitter received a “christmas present” the other day. That means i am now using the Uputronics filtered LNA together with a seperate GPS antenna and a splitter at the antenna port of the Jetvision AirSquitter
I now have the chance to test the Vinnant also on this device.
Why the splitter?
The AirSquitter does have a combined antenna connector. If your antenna (like the Jetvision) is equipped with built-in GPS, it works fine.
But if you want to test a different antenna without GPS functionality or an additional amplifier, a splitter can be attached. Then you have two seperate input ports, one for the ADS-B signal, the other one for GPS.
Test results are preliminary so far
The Uputronics filtered LNA increases reception for the Jetvision Airsquitter to around 10-15% which brings it close to the solution Raspberry/Airspy Stick.
Currently connected is the Vinnant antenna, running since Friday.
After a week i will switch back to the Jetvision antenna for further testing.
I do have the feeling that the Jetvision antenna is some ticks better, even with nominal 2.5dB less gain (5dB vs 7.5dB)
, so it’s more about the hassle of climbing the roof, fiddle with mounts and cables while avoid testing the safety harness effectiveness (or lack of…). I have about one month before it gets colder and somewhat cumbersome beeing up on the roof. From November to the end of April, it’s not an option getting up there, so I’ll probably will wait until next spring before making a decision on a purchase.
