What the difference between Transmitter and Receiver?

betty

Member
I know I will ask a stupid question: What the real difference between Transmitter and Receiver? For a long time, I thought they are one thing.
 

DroneTalk

R/C Expert
Staff member
A transmitter transmits the single and the Receiver Receives the signal the transmitter sends.
 



jamesb72

Member
In the old days the rc transmitter you held was just transmitting and the receiver in the model just received those signals and controlled the model.

Nowadays both the handheld controller and modek both transmit and receive so the handheld part is transmitting control information and receiving video link and telemetry so it's actually a fair question.

Maybe controller is a better name for the part you hold :)
 

RENOV8R

Member
Like anything in this hobby, it can be as simple or complicated as people want. Transmitter, Transmitter/Receiver, whatever, to me it's still just a freakin' radio bwahahaha
 

betty

Member
So now the controller and transmitter are the same thing? And the receiver is a history?

In the old days the rc transmitter you held was just transmitting and the receiver in the model just received those signals and controlled the model.

Nowadays both the handheld controller and modek both transmit and receive so the handheld part is transmitting control information and receiving video link and telemetry so it's actually a fair question.

Maybe controller is a better name for the part you hold :)
 


jamesb72

Member
So now the controller and transmitter are the same thing? And the receiver is a history?

The controller you hold (ie the Phantom 3 adv/pro or Phantom 4 controller) is both a transmitter and receiver (transceiver), it transmits control signals and receives video and telemetry back from model.

The model also has a combined receiver (receiving the control signals from pilot) and transmitter (sending back video and telemetry ie height/speed/position).
 

betty

Member
OK. But why RENOV8R said the reciever goes in the quadcoper?

The controller you hold (ie the Phantom 3 adv/pro or Phantom 4 controller) is both a transmitter and receiver (transceiver), it transmits control signals and receives video and telemetry back from model.

The model also has a combined receiver (receiving the control signals from pilot) and transmitter (sending back video and telemetry ie height/speed/position).
 



Trevcharl

Member
I notice that "Controller" is the term used for the unit you hold in your hands with the joysticks and switches. This has a transmitter, which transmits on a radio frequency around 2.4ghz. It uses pulses with adjustable mark space ratios to "inform" the receiver what the joystick positions are or what the switch positions are. The channels represent the joysticks and switches and are scanned in sequence, the same sequence is presented on the output of the receiver which is inside your flying machine. So whatever you do on your controller, will be presented to the flight controller from the receiver. Now to get more complicated, some receivers in the flying machine can transmit as well. It should be called a "Transceiver". One would want to know certain things like, what direction your machine is facing, how high above the ground it is flying...etc. If you have a Transceiver in your machine and a receiver in your controller, that "Data" can be transmitted back to you, and be displayed on the LCD screen of your controller. I often get very anxious, I cant see the quadcopter, and every movement I make seems to take it further away, but if you knew what direction it is facing...... There is of course another type of transmitter you put into the machine that transmits the cameras picture back to you. Using another little module (OSD) you can superimpose that data ontop of the picture. You will need a receiver for that signal, normally with a display unit. Hope you can see now what goes where? lol
 

betty

Member
Thanks a lot for the detailed information.

I notice that "Controller" is the term used for the unit you hold in your hands with the joysticks and switches. This has a transmitter, which transmits on a radio frequency around 2.4ghz. It uses pulses with adjustable mark space ratios to "inform" the receiver what the joystick positions are or what the switch positions are. The channels represent the joysticks and switches and are scanned in sequence, the same sequence is presented on the output of the receiver which is inside your flying machine. So whatever you do on your controller, will be presented to the flight controller from the receiver. Now to get more complicated, some receivers in the flying machine can transmit as well. It should be called a "Transceiver". One would want to know certain things like, what direction your machine is facing, how high above the ground it is flying...etc. If you have a Transceiver in your machine and a receiver in your controller, that "Data" can be transmitted back to you, and be displayed on the LCD screen of your controller. I often get very anxious, I cant see the quadcopter, and every movement I make seems to take it further away, but if you knew what direction it is facing...... There is of course another type of transmitter you put into the machine that transmits the cameras picture back to you. Using another little module (OSD) you can superimpose that data ontop of the picture. You will need a receiver for that signal, normally with a display unit. Hope you can see now what goes where? lol
 

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