RCU Forums - View Single Post - Cam For Aerobird Challenger On The Way (Many Plane Prep Questions)
Old 11-08-2004, 09:28 AM
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critterhunter
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Default RE: Cam For Aerobird Challenger On The Way (Many Plane Prep Questions)

Trog, yes...I agree. Really I didn't have enough fly time to see what the camera was doing. My first step will be to try flying the plane using my 8.4v 1100ma battery and simple diode/cap filter again. Perhaps I just didn't have the camera RX tuned properly (there are one or two false signal settings on the knob), or as you said the antenna wasn't positioned for best results. I had the camera RX straight up and down and the same with the camera TX. However, the way I mounted the camera TX I had the antenna wire coming out the upper left side of the TX card, requiring me to bend it downward to be verticle. Perhaps I should mount the TX card so that the antenna wire is coming straight out the bottom so I don't have to bend it. That change will be real easy, as the card will do nicely in either position on my mount.

Like I said, my in house run tests produced good video at full throttle, but I would say that after about two or three minutes the video would drift (not static, but appear as if the camera RX wasn't tuned in properly). I believe this was probably caused by the battery voltage dropping below a good working level for the camera TX. If I turned the throttle off the video would return, and remain stable at full throttle again but for a less duration of time. At half throttle the video would stay good, and only began to do the above after the battery voltage had dropped a good bit.

I'm going to follow all your suggestions and keept at it. But, one of my first tests will once again be to see if the regulator running off a 9V produces no range problems. I just want to make sure that the range problems are caused by noise through the Xport and not the regulator radiating RF noise into the air. Pretty sure it's not but I want to be sure. Will report back after more hacking.