Cactus V2s Mod Trouble - Antenna Trouble

Please no comments on why I should buy something else.

I have a strange situation. I bought the Cactus V2s knowing full well their limitations and reputation. However, I needed something to work on a short budget. I have done the modification according to Jeremy Kuster and I'm having a strange problem. The modification went fine and my distance has increased dramatically and reliability is at 100%. No complaints there. The weird thing is they don't work with the antenna on. They work perfectly with it off and that's how I have been shooting. Anyone else noticed this?

I modded 2 transmitters, but left the antenna inside the unit. Don't know the answer to your question, unless the antenna itself is shorted.

If it works well w/o the antenna, I'd leave it off.

mines the opposite..
mine does not work at all with the antenna off

also...mine does not work if i touch the corner next to the antenna and fire it
maybe your wire is touching the casing?

Do you have a shot of the wire you added in the transmitter?

There are a lot of incorrect assumptions made about modifications to these transmitters. While that is probably a great 433MHz antenna it may not be the best thing for the transmitter. The transmitter does not have a matching network designed to drive a proper antenna. One of the biggest problems is the lack of impedance matching. So while it seem you did the right thing the results suck.

If you have better results with the antenna off then keep it off and don't change anything.

How long is the wire that came off the board to attach to the base of the SMC connector?

I am trying to blow the dust off my Ham license to remember why mounting the SMC to plastic is not a good idea. Something about this design doesn't ring true with me, there is no ground plane and I am not sure how the whip antenna design as published would work.