ebeygin

Hi there!

All you guys who control their planes by watching the video trasmitted from the plane/heli, don't you ever get worried that the rc radio will go out of range? I plan to buy a wireless video system soon, and can imagine that when I fly my plane with it, I will want to explore a decent amount of territory around my airfield. Considering that the plane might go slightly further than I can see it clearly, that distance will brush the limits of most commercial radio systems, since before when asked about radio range of my airtronics equipment, the answer i got was, the range is further than you can see your plane. I know that this range is not greatly further, and is about 1mile in average? So should I be concerned with this problem? Or should I be flying my plane on a distance of 1.5 miles with no worries??

Thanks,

Eugene

Orbitter

Line-of-sight is between 4-5 miles with my Futaba 6VA. If you fly 1000ft away and go behind some trees or building, your askin' for trouble. (maybe).

I would say you'll be fine just make sure you don't fly your plane behind a mountian.

Regards,
Bryan

ebeygin

4-5 miles??? wow! did you do any modifications to it???

how many watts is the transmitter?

i'm really impressed.. i would be really afraid to get it that far

has anyone flied airtronics radios past 2miles?

p.s. I have a RD6000 SPORT

Chillybee

My Feedback: (3)

I'd like to know what kind of batteries you're using to get 4-5 miles from a transmitter? I've never flown further away than I could see my 12 foot glider (which I estimate is about 1500 feet, but I'd like to try the video thing if I could get that kind of range.

yb2normal

Hi Eugene,

Anytime you consider flying a non-standard way like via the video, you should consider some failsafe devices to help keep control of your plane. I am putting the final touches on an autopilot that, when activated, will fly the plane back to my field and circle overhead. I am using the same method used by cyber-flyer.

Beyond that, the main piece of advice I can give is to capture some practice videos over your field while watching the plane, not the video. Then go home and carefully study the video you captured so you have a good idea what the field looks like from the air. I have heard from at least two clients who almost lost planes when they got disoriented when in the air and flew the plane out of range. They got lucky because the video system continued operating after the plane landed (crashed?) and they were able to sniff out the plane's location by looking for video on the receiver, but I would think this is the exception rather than the rule.

Here's the start of my autopiloted plane:
http://www.yb2normal.com/uavtwinstar1.html

Bill

elevator_up

I usually fly the plane normally, and don't use the camera as my eyes. Without a compass on the screen or being very familiar with the territory, I think you get lost real quick (heck I sometimes lose orientation of the plane when I can see it ). I usually have a video man with me ( my 10 year old likes to be called that ) to watch the live video and give me instructions of what to capture and where to fly. I look at the screen briefly but not as my primary visual. Does anyone here fly with the camera as their primary visual ? How's it work ?

ebeygin

Hi Bill!

I would definitely put additional devices to assist me in flying the plane, if my budget would allow me to. But in the mean time, I can probably afford just the wireless system itself...I wish I could test the range on the ground, but I'm afraid it won't be identical to the range when the plane is in the air.

oh, and a very nice setup!.. i noticed that's the same plane that you used to demo your 200mw system..

yb2normal

elevator_up, I can't wait for my son to be old enough to fill this role

Eugene, yes, the twinstar is a nice platform. It does not mind too much the camera duct-taped to the top of the tail!

I have flown my Wingo from take-off to landing "under the hood", but only after having reviewed a lot of tape from my flying field. This helped me know where I was when in the air so that I could turn back and find my landing spot. With an autopiloted plane I think I might be more adventurous, but the plane really has to prove itself to me before I venture too far away.

Best Regards,
Bill

Fubar-One

My Feedback: (1)

Oh, I dont have the cojones to fly by video! I fly by watching the plane. I dont even have the monitor facing me so as to eliminate the temptation to look at it and not the plane! My father generally watches the video and lets me know things like the electric prop is blocking the camera and so on. My experience (such as it is) allows me to know what the camera is probably seeing at any one time during the flight so I can just aim the plane depending on if the camera is facing fore, aft, or along the wing. Now if I had a heads up display that worked like the 20mm gatling gun on an Apache helicopter...

The_Matrix

Since we are on the subject of Vid Cams, I have recently been thinking of purchasing the unit in the below pic. Listed range is 1000 feet, Is that gonna be sufficient? If so, may definately get the unit, which is only $50

ebeygin

my opinion - NO!

If your budget doesn't allow you anything else, then this is a perfect package. Price is very good. But, the system itself... mmmmm. dunno about that.. looks like the spylinker system to me...

i have my eyes 100% on the blackwidow's 600mw 2.4 5v system... From all the different systems, that one seems the best for the money and quality.

and frankly.. if my system would only go up to 1000 feet, I would be really disapointed...

just my 2c...

-eugn

Fubar-One

My Feedback: (1)

Got my eye on that system also. Very happy with the camera I bought. Just need to get some more moolah together.

skrag

I have bought two of these units, one with video/audio and one with video only. The one with video only seems to be much more stable, yet even it has little glitchy moments in the air, but all in all it takes some awesome video. I just performed a hack on the camera which I hope improves my reception in that the antenna on the camera was coming out of the top of the unit, and I wanted it pointing down beneath the plane, so I took the camera back off, flip[link=http://www.afsc.k12.ar.us/ef]Electric Flyer[/link]ped it 180 degrees pointing the antenna down (with respect to which way the video image would be projected) and now when I attach it, I should hopefully have clearer access to the antenna. It has been raining here the last couple of days so haven't had a chance to try that out, but I'll try to post back the results. If you care to check out any of the videos I have done with the unit that looks exactly like the one you have the picture of here on your page, you can visit my link at http://www.afsc.k12.ar.us/ef.

aeroview

A good source of information on flying by video can be found at [link=http://www.cyber-flyer.com]www.cyber-flyer.com[/link]. At about 4000 feet the model becomes invisible to the naked eye in a clear blue sky. That is also about the altitude where the sound of the plane becomes inaudible as well. It takes less than 30 mins to climb up to 20,000 feet.

rons_29445

Matrix,
I won 2 of those similar tpye cameras on ebay. I am waiting for them to arrive now. I had asked in a different thread if those were the same ones that Superdav was selling here. I was told no, but everything I see says yes. And The price is actually alot less than on RCU. but we shall see.

Once they arrive, I plan on checking them out as I want to mount them under the fuse of heli's so the idea of the hackjob definately comes to mind.
Thanks for the input Skrag.
Ron

mklarich

The best suggestion I have for anyone flying RPV/under the hood is too install an autopilot setup on a pcm receiver with failsafe set to turn the sytem on in event of communication failure. The GPS is set with a waypoint of the takeoff/landing location with the correct altitude.

I am working with Dave Jones of Autonomous Unmanned Air Vehicles ( AUAV ) down in Palmetto Florida. He was published 2 years ago in the back of AMA for a 30 mile roundtrip back when this stuff was just starting.

As far as range of the transmitter goes we have developed a radio system on 900mhz and 2.4 ghz that with the correct antennas can legally control an airplane VERY far away. Much much much farther then 72mhz at much less power. Go to [link=http://www.auav.net]www.auav.net[/link] and check the Spread Spectrum Control Link section for more info. We can also receive telemetry data back with this system, there is some information about this in the data downlink section. Attached is a screenshot of the data downlink.

We are also working on a customizable OSD (On Screen Display) for RPV pilots. Currently you are limited to whatever info (speed, heading, altitude, compass, temperature, battery voltage, callsign, etc etc etc) the manufacturer of the OSD chooses to put on there and you only have one screen.

Now you can have multiple screens using a channel from the transmitter to toggle between screens. If you use a gear channel you could have 2 screens. If you use a flap knob you could have 3 or more different screens. The module will go in the airplane, it won't weight much at all, it won't draw much current, and size will also we small. The customer can tell us exactly what they want on each screen and where they want it on the screen. We suggest using a Garmin GPS with WAAS to improve altitude accuracy. Some of magellan's gps units space characters differently and we would have to know that you will be using a magellan unit, also they get touchy around 2.4 ghz video.

Another feature of our OSD would be a button that would set your current altitude to ground level. Before taking off you press the button, then you can have your AGL (above ground level) shown onscreen as well ASL (above sea level) if so desired.

My field back in Illinois was at 190 meters ASL and I had to subtract that from all my altitude numbers to get my AGL. Then convert that to feet. Which we can also do in the unit so altitude will be displayed in feet and not meters. (Altitude coming out of the GPS puts is in meters)

The cost of this Custom OSD is yet to be determined but it will be not be as much as TL100 from Sky-Spy at $399.

Matt Klarich

ebeygin

Hi Matt!

VERY VERY IMPRESSIVE!!!.. another person did a similar thing with software...
I'm going to read the info on your website.. and get back to you, since i'm sure i will have a lot of positive comments and questions...

eugene

yb2normal

Whoa now...

Looking at the screenshot I see a "connect to GPS" option on the menu bar. Will I be able to reprogram the GPS while the plane is in the air? That would be too cool.

Bill

chaiclis2002

I am in contact with the manufacturer of these wireless video systems, and I am using an 800 MW A/V with 2 camera now in my electric airplane.
One camera is a CMOS camera that looks at the instruments inside the plane, shut off all sunlight and using 3 LEDs for ilumination.
The other camera is a high resulutiion camera with 480 lines that looks outside, like the pilot would.
I am getting very good video pictures, one friend just saw them and said they are as good as comm. TV. Well, we liked them a lot.
The big difference is the camera and a steady picture. The receiver has to be placed away from roofs, trees and not inside a car!

I have gotten many cameras like this for friends, and all are happy with them.

Greetings, R. B.

Fubar-One

My Feedback: (1)

Are you running these cameras simultaneously? If so, how?
Have any of this video posted to be viewed?

chaiclis2002

I am using one 800mW transmitter for both cameras, a servo responds to the "Gear" switch on the R/C control. The servo operates a DpDt on - on switch, the center pins are one side for the transmitter video the other side 12 v pos.
This way I switch on camera 1 video to the tX and power, or switch on camera 2 video to tx. power to camera and also power to the LEDs (the LEDs of cousrse run on different voltage with their serial resistors, but they have a different ground)

No I have not posted any videos, I am new to this and just last night installed an old "WinTV" card to capture video in my computer, but the quality is very much degraded.

How do you get good video into the computer?

R.B.

Fubar-One

My Feedback: (1)

Oh, I cheat.
Im using a digital 8 camera with a firewire connection. I then edit my video with Pinnacle Systems Studio 8.10. Allows me to make AVI, MPEG, WMV, RM files and so on along with copying my videos back to the camcorder for a clean video.
My particular camcorder (Sony TRV120) also records and plays back thru a standard AV I/O connection which I connect to the video rx. Also allows my father and I to dub video back and forth between our camcorders at the field.
I had somebody here recommend the Dazzle II setup for video editing as an alternative for people without IEEE firewire capability. I believe it converts AV I/O to USB and comes with its own editing software.

skrag

That's the approach I take too Fubar-One. I use the Firewire port on my Sony Cam and the laptop. I do have a Dazzle that I have converted some older VHS tapes with, but BY FAR the best image quality, and ease of use falls to the Firewire stuff.

I am intrigued by this dual cam, double switching thing. I thought I had just about done it all when I sent my first camera up, now I want to try 2. I wish there was some kind of x,y,z axis R/C swivel mount I could put those on and use the complete throw of a stick on a transmitter to make the camera look up, down, left, right, whatever! Now that would be cool. I don't know where I would get the extra stick or time to use it though. I guess a friend with a separate transmitter and setup like that might work. This is starting to sound like to much work! I think I'll maybe just stop a the two camera deal!

mr.rc-cam

Here is a short clip of a two camera plane: http://www.yb2normal.com/rccamswitchdemo.html

RC-CAM

skrag

Sweet! I gotta have one of those... ok, so how 'bout the details? What kind of camera(s) 200mw pinhole?, 800mw?, what's the scoop on the switch? You video is very stable. I need a more powerful camera than that 200mw jobbie I have now.

Thanks for the clip.