Radio modems
Hi all,
I've been "loitering" for a few days and reading all the posts, and I have a question about Radio Modems.
Could someone please give me a good rundown of what they are capable of?
From the info at these forums, I see that they are used as the up/down link for autopilot systems and other basic telemetry.
Do they have enough bandwidth to control the UAV and replace the traditional RC Rx/Tx?
Is there - for example - a modular way of connecting a futaba Tx to the modem transmitter?
Is there enough bandwidth to send video? If yes, is this a cost/weight penalty?
What's the preferred brand for DIY?
What minimum skills do I need to interface a radio modem to an autopilot, or video, or telemetry, or RxTx control?
thanks,....... and I think this is really a great resource for enthusiasts and interested parties like me.
Matt
I've been "loitering" for a few days and reading all the posts, and I have a question about Radio Modems.
Could someone please give me a good rundown of what they are capable of?
From the info at these forums, I see that they are used as the up/down link for autopilot systems and other basic telemetry.
Do they have enough bandwidth to control the UAV and replace the traditional RC Rx/Tx?
Is there - for example - a modular way of connecting a futaba Tx to the modem transmitter?
Is there enough bandwidth to send video? If yes, is this a cost/weight penalty?
What's the preferred brand for DIY?
What minimum skills do I need to interface a radio modem to an autopilot, or video, or telemetry, or RxTx control?
thanks,....... and I think this is really a great resource for enthusiasts and interested parties like me.
Matt
Replies to This Discussion
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ModeratorPermalink Reply by Chris Anderson on -
Yes, Xbee modules can be used for control and RC-replacement, via the trainer jack and an interface board or hardwired into the PPM. Search here and on Google and you can find some tutorials. Not enough bandwidth for video--we use stand-alone transmitters for that (BlackwidowAV, etc)
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Permalink Reply by Matt on -
Is there any latency using the XBee or similar modem or do I still get near real time? I ask because there's always talk about using normal RxTx RC gear and I thought anyone with modem would just use the modem for the control.
Are there video downlinks that will allow FPV as far as the XBees will go? Or do you loose video within a few miles?
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ModeratorPermalink Reply by Chris Anderson on -
I'm not really an expert on this--I haven't used Xbee for that purpose, but I gather that it can be used for real-time (ie, latency of less than 100ms). There are long range video packages, especially with directional ground antennas. Check out the BlackwidowAV site for more--we don't really focus on FPV here.
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