wkm in very cold condition

[rolle]

Hi there,

are there any experiences in using a wkm kopter in cold conditions?
(-10 degrees celsius and more)

we have to do some flights for a documentary in the alps. i never flew in colder situations than 0 degrees.
i have a solution to keep the batteries (and our fingers) warm...

best wishes
Rolle

 

[araines2750]

I have flown in the cold for years, long before Multi's.
I recently have had Radio Failure on two recent flights at -/=20 degrees F.
WKM performed excellently as I have failsafes set.....WKM flashes BLUE & WKM takes control with typical RTH.
Failure happens after several minutes of flight. It can be a bit unnerving.
I am flying Spektrum DX8 & AR8000.
My suggestion would be to be sure your failsafe is set properly for radio failure & test it.

 

[rolle]

okay - thank you!!!

so may it is a problem with the frozen air? (hope this is the right word for the shimmering ice in the air).

failsafe should be set properly but i never tested it (i switched off the TX to see if it switch to failsafe - thats all).

when wkm is coming back do i get the control back when wkm gets a better signal from the TX?

i use Jeti 2,4 for wkm and Spektrum DX7s for the camera remote.
i think i will do some tests without camera when i am there.

but good to here that wkm will work in cold conditions
we will have -10 to -15 degrees Celsius

thanks!
Rolle

 

[araines2750]

I have not yet determined why I have lost radio connection in very cold weather.
When it goes to Blue flashing it is total radio failure therefore no TX control no matter what.
I then take it inside and after about 5 minutes, I get a good RX / TX connection.
So far never a WKM issue. Always Radio Failure.
I hope this helps. Post any problems you have so we can compare notes.

 

[Maverick]

Hi there,

are there any experiences in using a wkm kopter in cold conditions?
(-10 degrees celsius and more)

we have to do some flights for a documentary in the alps. i never flew in colder situations than 0 degrees.
i have a solution to keep the batteries (and our fingers) warm...

best wishes
Rolle

Check out this video on YouTube : http://youtu.be/YmLLVylqhp4

It's Droider, flying in -30* in Lapland.

 

[Maverick]

Something tells me, that the altitude and air pressure might be more of an issue, than temperature, up in the alps. I think I read somewhere before, about the motors/props not having enough thrust at that altitude, because the air was so thin, so therefore the props couldn't spin fast enough to keep her from losing altitude.

I also saw another video on vimeo's FPV channel, where the air was freezing hard, and the props formed ice on them as they were spinning so fast through the freezing air, and made the craft so unstable, that he had to land.

 

[rolle]

@araines2750: do you use the lipo batteie inside you DX8? may this could be the problem in the cold?

we are at 2000m and at 2700m and i will do some testflights when we're there. i think this should be not to high...

i built a light setup for this job and i will use the NEX7 not the FS100 to compensate the flight time (cold batterie).
so my CS8 should be strong enough to keep itself in the air...

-30 degrees... wow... we will have about -12 to -15 and this is hard enough

 

[araines2750]

Nope...Standard NiCad.
I am going to test it again this weekend with 900mhz groundstation. This will really determine if the radio is the issue.
To be honest...although I fly is such conditions...it really is not very enjoyable.
Brrrrrrr.

 

[rolle]

Nope...Standard NiCad.
I am going to test it again this weekend with 900mhz groundstation. This will really determine if the radio is the issue.
To be honest...although I fly is such conditions...it really is not very enjoyable.
Brrrrrrr.

i think so but i have good clothing, warm shoes and socks from my mother

 

[VINHEX]

If you TX fails and RTH kicks in it should bring her back home, "Should" being the OPERATIVE word.. If the TX is just a distance issue you can gain control if you come out of GPS into Att and then back into GPS (Never done this) but it's the manual.. But I must admit if mines flying back to me due to any failing then I wont try and grab it unless she looks like a kid in a free sweet shop (out of control) then I'll let it land..

 

[rolle]

back...
i kept the batteries warm (30 to 40 degrees with a big thermobox) and used a lighter camera.
i didn't have any problems with the radio. everything was stable and wkm did his job perfectly.
even the smsll batteries for the remotehead didn' make any trouble and they were cold as ice

thanks all for helping!
Rolle