Wearable/portable ground station

RTRyder

Merlin of Multirotors
This morning I did some real world testing with the MyVu googles and the Hoverfly quad and it appers that this combo is going to work quite well for framing shots for both stills and video. When conditions are right they can be used for FPV flying though I would rather use full immersion goggles for that, but that's a subject for another thread.

When I went out for the test flight I plugged lipo power into the video RX and stuffed both along with a pile of wiring into my jacket pocket, not an ideal setup though it did the job for testing purposes. Now that I know this setup is going to work for my intended use I'm trying to think of the best way to have the needed equipment on either a belt, vest, or some other easily portable or wearable system for use in the field. There are two considerations that are at the top of the list, one being that the setup needs to place the RX antenna where it will get good reception and the second is that the wires need to be neatly tucked away with just the minimum necessary to attach the googles being outside the package.

I see this system being used for mainly close in use and most definitely Line of Sight so the antenna used will likely be the short whip that came with the TX. I'll only use the tripod mounted patch antenna for longer distance full immersion FPV. That means the RX placement in the package has to take into account that the antenna will be directly attached to the RX so it needs to be in a position where reception isn't blocked by body parts or the TX in my hands. If I wanted to be the complete Nerd I suppose I could rig up a special hat with an antenna mount on the top, I guess If I did that it would make me an antenna head rather than a propeller head...;)

Seriously though, the antenna placement is an important factor that needs to be part of the design. I was thinking of using one of the flexable gooseneck antennas that are available though I don't know for certain if they would be compatible with the RX I have and at somewhere around $75 I don't want to buy one and find out it doesn't work well or at all.

So, if anyone has put together a setup like this or has some good ideas on how to construct such a thing, let's hear what you've got.

Ken
 

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
Ken,
I've been kicking around the same thoughts, how to make the ground station more portable. I tend to walk around when I'm flying so staying in one place is a challenge. The attached pics are of the ground station I made but I've got a complete layout for something a lot more portable in my head and will work on drawing or building it tonight and show you what I've come up with. You might want to keep that transmitter tray you're got for sale. That's about what my ground station will look like in that it'll start as a piece of plywood with the transmitter velcroed to the top of it and the battery/receiver/antenna mounted to the bottom with the antenna extending downward.
Hope that helps,
Bart
 

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I've thought about buying something like this for a ground station albeit a bit cheaper and don't need one this complex.
http://www.handtrucksrus.com/sr.aspx

I could keep everything hooked up and ready to go and it would be easy to lug around the power source I'm using. This:http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CFYQ8wIwAA#

It would be easy to pull it out of the truck and go, once at the location you could set it up like the cart on all 4 wheels. Just something I've been kicking around but we plan on a lot more FPV so it might happen sooner than later.
 

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
eric,
i've been planning to make a transport out of one of these

http://www.harborfreight.com/steel-mesh-deck-wagon-38137.html

but what you posted is pretty close. I like your battery pack idea, i've been planning on something like this

http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HW1...IEBU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1298223334&sr=8-5

but your idea is a lot cheaper.

as for powering the receiver the specs say it's going to use about 300 ma/hr so I'd guess my 5000mah battery should power it for hours and hours. with two of them packed for a day's work i'm thinking i shouldn't have to plug into anything.

i'm glad this topic has come up.
bart
 

Cabe

Member
What about somethign like an ALICE frame?



I have used them in the dim and distance past for portable camera recorders (an MATX motherboard, capture card and a small UPS) they have many convenient locations to bolt things to, including various pouches and holsters that are designed for the system.

As for the antenna compatibility, you nweed the frequency of the video system (usually 900MHz or 2.4GHz) and then the frequency of the optimum senstivity/gain of the antenna (given in dB).

Links are always useful in this instance :)
 
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RTRyder

Merlin of Multirotors
My main FPV ground station has a patch antenna mounted on a cheap camera tripod and it plus all of the rest of the gear fits into a plastic Stanley toolbox I bought at the local Walmart. Here's the contents of that box...

IMG_0204a.jpg


This is how I usually setup the reciever and power, then I cable to the Fatshark and a cheap digital camcorder that also records the video stream...

IMG_0205a.jpg


The thing about that setup, while easily packed away and very portable it's way more than I need to just have the MyVu goggles on to frame shots with, that's where the wearable idea comes in. If I have a belt or harness that can hold the essentials for those instances where all I need is the RX, a lipo for power, and the cabling for the goggles, then I can be as mobile as I need to be getting the shots. With the full FPV ground station I'm pretty much tethered to where I have the tripod setup. That works OK when I'm out at the flying field doing full immersion but not so well if I just want to do a quick flight and get a few photos from altitude or need to move around a structure while in flight.

All good ideas so far, keep them coming.

Ken
 

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
Here's my take on a portable ground station. I started it with 3/8" plywood but I may go to 1/4 " and save some weight since it's going to hang from the transmitter strap. I have some carbon fiber cloth, maybe I'll sandwich some foam board in CF tomorrow, hmmmm.
Anyway, I've got room on top for the transmitter, an electronic timer, a checklist across from the timer, and maybe i'll put a reminder across the top "Don't Be Stupid" or something like that. The transmitter will sit against some aluminum angle and velcro at the bottom and will be secured at the top somehow by the metal bar on the back of the transmitter.
On the back I've got the patch antenna hanging down and the battery and receiver will get strapped in place with quik-ties or velcro straps. The receiver will sit against spruce chocks so air can get all around it for cooling.
 

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Crash

Defies Psychics
Hey Ken,
Look into a skew-planar antenna placed above your head. Then vacuum form a light bulb shape to cover the antenna.

Build everything else into a hard hat or onto visor so it's self contained.

Yes, you will look like a goof with a twisted egg beater 'bulb' on your head. It will still be cooler than the guy in the pic below. :p

Kirk
 

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RTRyder

Merlin of Multirotors
Hey Ken,
Look into a skew-planar antenna placed above your head. Then vacuum form a light bulb shape to cover the antenna.

Build everything else into a hard hat or onto visor so it's self contained.

Yes, you will look like a goof with a twisted egg beater 'bulb' on your head. It will still be cooler than the guy in the pic below. :p

Kirk

Sounds good but I'm kinda busy with other projects at the moment, can you build one and try it out for me first? ;)

Ken
 

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
i laminated two layers of 1/8" balsa last night for a core. i'm going to sandwich the balsa between layers of carbon fiber later today and then go from there. pics to come.
crash, somehow a propeller hat can be incorporated with Ken's goggle over goggle styling initiatives. i think he's onto something.
bart
 

Crash

Defies Psychics
Ok, so maybe I was joking about the light bulb. :p

The skew-planar design is an old design that was just recently resurrected and looks to be a great antenna for FPV and copters. It's an omni directional antenna so the rotation of the craft doesn't matter to reception. It's also circular polarized so it is not as affected by multi path interference.

Here's a link to read. Google has more:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1388264
 

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
edit: made Rx project into build thread to keep from hijacking RTRyder's thread.
 

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