Fat shark channels and ST 16.

[CraigCam]

Greetings fellow pilots. I own too many TH 480s and looking to convert one to FPV. I won’t do it with latency so the Yuneec sky view is not a solution. I’ve got one and it’s good for your DP on a shoot to get closer to your subject and spot for shadow in the shot but not for piloting. I’ve converted most of my 350s to full FPV and even a Chroma.

So I built this rig and just tested it in my backyard. Obviously, I loose valuable telemetry on my ST so I’ll keep my flights below ten minutes to be safe. But, on my first real test, the flight control was crazy whacked. I had unexplainable stops with spins and all kinds of craziness I’ve never seen before. I’m starting out on channel one which is 5740 MHz. I believe the video transmitter is interfering with the flight radio. I’m going to try a visual flight without this rig as a check but I’m pretty sure it is radio frequency cross talk. Any helpful feedback is appreciated as my next step is adding pilot FPV to one of my other drones for video work. That way the camera operator can focus on the shot in team mode and I can see a better pilot perspective that allows us to get the desired angle and action.

Here is what I built.

 

[Steve Carr]

As I recall one of the firmware updates added the 5.8 GHz to use as a control freq in the event the 2.4 link stopped working. I've always been curious how this could work since the camera has no apparent feed to the H. In any case that may explain why you are getting strange behavior.

 

[CraigCam]

As I recall one of the firmware updates added the 5.8 GHz to use as a control freq in the event the 2.4 link stopped working. I've always been curious how this could work since the camera has no apparent feed to the H. In any case that may explain why you are getting strange behavior.

I could set both the H and the ST back. I keep all the update files. I wonder if it’s possible to disable?

 

[CraigCam]

I could set both the H and the ST back. I keep all the update files. I wonder if it’s possible to disable?

I have ST16_V3.1.25 and the TyphoonH_Ver3.0_A.bin from October of 2016 as my oldest firmware. I’m going to try that.

 

[ArnhemAnt]

Interesting idea Craig. Keen to see how this ends up.

Similar to you, I have a few of the H480's and have recently been thinking of doing some 'modifications' to one of them as they are way past warranty, but still a very capable camera UAV.

 

[CraigCam]

It’s possible my flight issues were due to my oversight (stupidity actually) and not attaching my second radio antenna. I’ve upgraded most of my STs to “Pro” with Itelite products. I didn’t like making a hole in the top so I chose to make the second post pop out the back near the fans. I had swapped bags for this test and spaced putting the second antenna in the bag. I then didn’t think about it because the mount being in the back, I didn’t notice it while concentrating on the new components.

So I’m going to test again with both antennas and no fatshark rig and then test again with camera transmitter running and goggles and second monitor on. If this works, next is looking at maybe a top mount set up. The racing world has really got some amazing video transmitters now and they keep getting smaller and the cameras are getting better. Other then the whacky behavior, the first test flight was successful on the video and goggle side and it’s fun to be really in the cockpit of the 480.

I’m happy to report I didn’t panic at all. I also feel like being in the TH via this FPV will be educational for observing in flight behavior and practice smooth descent and motion shots. I also think it will allow me to get in closer to the subject and help get better angles for the camera operator. Either way, it’s a nice distraction.

 

[ArnhemAnt]

The racing world has really got some amazing video transmitters now and they keep getting smaller and the cameras are getting better

Yep. I build and fly the 'mini' quads (got one on my bench right now) and things are certainly getting smaller - now I really have to rely on my glasses!!
I was always planning on running the FPV camera on top of the H, or maybe just under the OA sensors. Either way, I think you are correct in saying that this additional camera will allow you to get in closer to the subject, particularly with a wide angle lens on the FPV camera.

 

[CraigCam]

My video transmitter for my FPV had a suspect antenna mount. It’s a weak point in design for many the way the antenna post mounts exposed off the board. I’ve replaced it and yesterday added the booster antenna to the 480 radio receiver. I love the new stubby design on those pole antenna from Carolina Dronz. The ST 16 has been modified and I have both the large and small Itelite range extenders. I can put that on the ST or use two whip antenna and the WiFi mushroom for quicker set up. The WiFi is doing nothing but I don’t want to damage the receiver in the ST so I must put it on. The obvious issue with FPV is the video reception is better then radio. I can’t turn to keep line of sight with goggles while sitting down so I think the boosting is necessary. I’m testing starting today. The one thing I’ve already observed is the H is a bucking bronco in real time and the CGO gimbal is beyond incredible. It’s a funny bird to pilot from the craft and unlike any other FPV experience.

 

[CraigCam]

Update. This morning test was better but it was too hot to keep goggles on. The video receiver I mounted to the ST is pretty helpful though. Now I’m looking to move rig to top and bring back CGO as I could have both views. I may have to wait for cooler weather. In the meantime, I’ll keep trying some goggle flying to get used to being in the cockpit. I think adding a real time video monitor from pilot perspective could be a winner for video capture confidence.

 

[CraigCam]

Here is a few pics of current rig.