randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

Recently I have told of my experience with an 800mw 1.2 ghz tx and a 2.4 ghz 1500mw tx.
I also had purchased another tx on a whim because I got in good on the auction and bought it for next to nothing. Today I was having a hard time getting a signal with my rc boat's engine running and noticed a loose power connection on the tx. This tx is sold in a gold box, and a fancier antenna, and is stated to be 1500mw so you think you're getting something. I took the unit apart and discovered that all it is, is an 800 mw tx tucked inside a pretty gold, PRETTY HEAVY case! About the only difference I can see is that it has a better "looking" antenna.
I still stand my my assertion that the 800mw cam is still a good deal if you power it properly and use a good camera. I just thought I'd be totally honest here as to what I found on this particular camera. I will post pics shortly today.........

randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

Here are the pics.....pretty missleading I'd say. I will still work good for an aerial camera but you don't need the extra weight.

yb2normal

Unfortunately 'Ebay transmitter' and 'misleading' tend to go hand in hand

Having said that, I agree with you, the "800mw" transmitter is plenty of power for most applications, but keep in mind this is not 800mw of RF power, it is actually more like 40 mw of RF power. The manufactures/sellers of these transmitters like to quote the power drawn from the battery instead of the RF output because it is a much more impressive sounding number.

I sell a 200mw transmitter that puts out 200mw of *RF* power. It draws about 240ma of current at 5v, which equates to a "1200mw transmitter " in ebay-speak.

W4UAV

I guess I havent been on here enough lately, I usually put out a warning every so often
for new AP pilots...sorry guys, Ive been slacking, so here goes...
DONT BUY THE WIRELESS VIDEO JUNK ON EBAY!
Most of it is on an illegal band here in the US and yes it does matter,
you must be a licensed ham to use anything other than the specific Part 15 labelled
devices.
Blackwidow AV is THE source for wireless gear, his prices are SO MUCH below other
reputable sources, compare his prices to say..Supercircuits, nuff said!
I dont work for Bill (YB2NORMAL), I am just a satisfied customer and very thankful to have a guy
who is willing to provide us a great product at a reasonable price!

Randall1959, Im sorry that happened to you, and thanks for bringing it to our attention.

randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

Actually I'm pretty happy with it's performance, I just didn't like being misslead. Once I got it open, right there on the circuit board is stamped 800MW.
It's got far too much range to be less than 200mw. I can get out almost to the end of my tx range with my trainer with it. On the power plug, for lack of a better description is some gizmo that drops the voltage down to maybe five or six volts before it goes to the circuit board. This is inside the box, wired to the female jack on the tx.

yb2normal

There are a lot of misconceptions on how much power it takes to get good range. It doesn't really matter though since you are happy with the results!

Can't wait to see the videos (I read the thread about the guy who was going to post for you).

Keep flyin',
Bill

echobot

Hey Randall,

If you can email me the videos I can host them for you.

AutoMike

Randall, give us the sellers ebay ID so we know who to look out for when browsing.

randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

I can do better than that.........Here's the advertisement....look up 5721528474
As far as a good one goes, I've found that the equipment sold by cctv-king to be what he says it is. It's a bit heavier than some but if you do some mods, like taking the transmitter out of the case, you can lighten them up quite a bit and the range is awesome.

randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

I don't have an interface from my vcr to my computer so I can't download videos. Skycam is going to do that for me when I get a tape together and send him one in the mail. The thing I do like about the higher powered Tx's is that antenna design doesn't seem to be as critical as it is with the lower powered units.
I have a 1500mw camera on 2.4 ghz and I just use the stock antenna that came with it. I simply put the rx on a five foot tall pole and turn it on. That way I don't have to have anything pointed at the plane and can do my videos by myself. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/randal...1959/my_photos

Granted, you don't need tons of power to get good video, but if you start with a more powerful system right off the bat, you don't need to do a lot of research into antennas and you don't need to have someone keep the antenna pointed at the plane all the time. One or two of the clubs I fly with have such small turnouts on sunday that I hate to intrude on someone's stick time in order to shoot some video.

mr.rc-cam

The big hammer method works, but it is not a big deal to upgrade the Rx's stock whip to a low cost patch antenna. There is no need to aim the patch antenna like a flashlight. With a 50mW Tx (actual RF power, not eBay nonsense), that uses a stock whip, my range is excellent with a patch on the Rx. The antenna design is based on roofing tin from Home Depot. Details are here: http://www.rc-cam.com/gp_patch.htm

RC-CAM

randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

That's true but first to get a really good signal, you need a frequency counter. You design states that this is a very critical measurement. The average guy at the field that just wants to have a bit of fun with something that's plug an play wants something that doesn't require a lot of research and fiddling with.
I'd say that if you want something where the "fiddling" is allready done for you to get the black widow setup.
If you are handy with a soldering gun and have all the necessary tools, then by all means experiment.
Not everyone wants to be able to receive video at very extended ranges, and in that case some of the cheaper ebay units aren't that bad if you do a little research and ask some of the buyers of the particular unit you're interested in first.
That's what I did in the beginning, with the exception of one unit I bought, and I was very pleased with the results.
I've found that you can have high tx power but still be unhappy with the video, because it's the camera and not the tx that is the culprit, and also a lot are trying to use these cameras with a 9volt transistor radio battery. I think that's the leading cause of bad signal because the 9 volt battery just doesn't have the reserve to keep the voltage where it needs to be.
If you want really sharp video ditch the cmos camera and find a ccd unit.

randall1959

My Feedback: (11)

I need to invest in some testing equipment. I'm not quite so sure that the "800" mw transmitter actually draws that much because I've left it turned on accidently, with my 1050 ma battery pack attached and it was still transmitting a couple of hours later. I'd love to have a freq counter and some way to measure current draw. Maybe Santa Clause will think I've been a good boy this year....... The stated current draw on this particular tx is 500ma. Since I've left the tx turned on like that and it was still transmitting, I'd have to think this statement to be true or even less than stated. Yesterday I had it on my rc boat and flipped the darned thing right out in the middle of the pond and had to wait for over two hours for the wind to blow it to where I could snag it. It still works so at least I know it's somewhat dunk resistant..... Oh yea almost forgot....I didn't read the tx's board right. It actually says 8000 mw, so who the heck knows what it puts out without a meter?