Waypoints, HF radios, and failsafe

[Bartman]

Hi everyone,

I've got a question for you long range, waypoint type people. If you are going to try to execute a flight via waypoints that will take your heli over the treeline and beyond line-of-sight is it necessary to use an HF radio system or will the waypoints eventually bring the heli back within range so it can be flown to a landing?

I'm guessing loss of radio would trigger any failsafe function that might be programmed?

Interested in learning the ways of either Mikrokopter or ArduCopter.

THanks!
Bart

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I guess it depends a lot on the system, and I can only speak to Arducopter, but since you PM'd me...

So Arducopter can be set up such that if you are in Auto when it goes out of range, then it will keep running the mission. This isn't standard, and there's a little bit of work to set it up, but I've done it before. It does require an Rx with good programming abilities. I'm just using an FrSky. The only real issue here is that, since you are out of range, if something happens and you want to fly it back, you can't because you don't have any control. You can monitor the mission via the telemetry radios, and I understand their range is pretty long.

There may be a button to push in Mission Planner which can abort the mission via the telemetry link and bring it straight back. I'm not sure, I've never done it. If it's not there, I imagine somebody will add that eventually as the system becomes more popular. The system has finally reached maturity, and we have a number of people using it professionally, and even building it in to professional systems. This type of function only makes sense which is why I imagine it'll show up soon if it's not already available.

 

[Electro 2]

Make that a *UHF* radio system. In radio-world HF mean "High Frquency", i.e. 3-30 Megahertz, this is "short wave" kinda stuff, not suited for this application. Basically, yes. MultiWii will have waypoints, too, in the next GUI/GCS interation. With either, don't forget, you have to have telemetry going, as well. It's the computer at the GCS that does the steering and linking calculations for the waypoints, all the FC does in this mode is keep the aircraft stable and slave it to commands issued by the GCS computer which are delivered via the telemetry back-haul link. In some cases, the TM link, forward and back, is a WiFi connection, as with the Zero UAV YS series of FCs. And yes, this does open the possibility for oppertunistic WiFi flying with a temporal link back to a remotely located GCS PC. "War-Flying", if you will, LOL.

 

[Bartman]

Thanks for the correction Electro2, UHF.

I guess it's time to map out the systems and software so I can get it up and running. It seems like it will just be easier to run the UHF RC control and let the flight control and mission systems work as designed without me trying to reinvent stuff.

 

[Electro 2]

Absolutely true. Although if you're not going to work out beyond a mile or so, your 2.4 radio will work fine, no need to spring for a UHF rig. FWIW, I don't fly UHF, personally. If your "Mapping out the systems" has to include waypoints/automated flight, the choices are simple. There's only so many open-source controllers/code that do this, and even fewer closed source ones. Much will depend on budget.