35 Mhz and 5.8 FPV setup.

[caprise]

Hi,

I fly het DJI 550 with 35 Mhz Futaba transmitter and a 5.8 GHz FPV setup. I tested the video range this weekend and could only go as far as 450m before the 550 went into fail-safe. So it wasn't the video that went out first it was the Futaba. I tested it a couple of times and every time around the 450m mark.
The FPV setup is a gorpo connected to the DJI 500mW Tx. The seniors at het flying club said that the "strong" 500mW Tx would block out the signals to the Futuba Rx.
Any info would be a great help.

Greetings,
Chris

 

[ChrisViperM]

It's most likely that the GoPro is the source of your troubles.....the GoPro's are known for their strong electromagnetic interference. Try to fly your F550 with GoPro switched off......

Apart from that, flying with a 35 Mhz transmitter is not really a safe thing....these old systems with a crystal don't have "frequency hopping" and are very vulnerable to all sorts of disturbence......also try to fly on a completely different location and see if that changes anything....if yes, change to more modern transmitter, like the Futaba T14SG. The range with the T14SG is average 2.5 km, regardless what other electrical equipment you have strapped to your copter.....



Let's just hear how you got along...


Best regards from the other Chris......



Chris

 

[caprise]

Thx Chris for the speedy reply. I fly the Gopro connected to the TX so nor Gopro, no FPV. Wil look at distances on other locations. I stayed with the 35Mhz because I had no problem at short range. But it is possible to upgrade my Tx to the 2.4 GHz band.

 

[kloner]

your better off getting into a modern radio. to save a thousand, i'd look at the futaba 8j. great little radio, under $300 and tower has em for 3 pay if your into that. the 8j uses fhss algo, same as ezuhf and dragonlink just in 2.4 It also goes a mile+

having sbus with dji is some good stuff... one wire instead of 7

 

[caprise]

I've got the Futuba 9Z and I love it. There is a module that converts it to 2.4. Would this have te same reliability as the newer radios?

 

[ChrisViperM]

A couple of years ago I had a Futaba T14MZ which had 35 Mhz......later I bought a 2.4 Ghz module and it worked perfectly.....The Futaba 8J Kloner mentioned is the best bang for the buck, but if you want to hang on to your "vintage" Tx, I wouldn't see any problem if you add a 2.4 Ghz module.

I fly the Gopro connected to the TX so nor Gopro, no FPV.

What I meant was to switch the GoPro off just for one flight to see if that's the source of your problem......

One other thing I learnt from Kloner was to tightly twist just about every cable on your copter....power cables, servo cables, FPV cables......that way you reduce the electromagnetic interference from your electrical system to a minimum.



Chris

 

[caprise]

Vintage, that's a good one. Makes me feel very old right now ;-)

I have flown with Gopro off and on as far as the eye can see, and everything worked fine. That was the first reason to stay with the 35Mhz, the second reason is the signal should give me more distance. But with the goggles on and venturing a bit further that is when I noticed the problem.

But if this means going into fail-safe (with return to home function) al the time insn't worth the risk and would gladly upgrade to 2.4