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Range of transmission

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New guy here,
Thank you in advance for your knowledge and willingness to help others.
Asking for knowledge, I think is a great compliment.
We bought our H for fun and to easily monitor our farm.
Does anyone know the most efficient way to set up a home based transmitter station to get the maximum range of control?
Trying to monitor Angus cattle from inside the house. We where able to fly out approximately 1/4 mile before the images started having issue. Wondering if I can use a home mountedexternal yagi antenna to increase our range. The end of Our furthest pasture is about a mile away.
Thank you I really appreciate the knowledge and input of professionals with experience.
 
You can not legally do this. You have to have Line Of Sight (LOS) of your aircraft. Kind of hard to do if you are sitting indoors.
To answer your question, YES you could do this, it would require a HAM radio license to operate at the power levels you would need to use.
Have a look here:
FAA: Fly Safe With Your Drone
Know Before You Fly
Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Fly Safe, Fly Often
 
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Thank you.
That's why I asked. Likely would have taken us much longer to find the relevant information without your help.
I built our house on a hill.
Easily can see miles in all directions.
We did fly from inside but had to stand by the window. I did buy the $5 license and read all the materials included with the drone.
The brief summary of information included did not touch on the range issue.
I will use the link provided and read more.
I appreciate your quick and intelligent response.
I am going to buy the Ham license. (Been on my mind before buying the drone anyways)
I'd like to set up auto perimeter monitoring in the future. Please let me know if you recommend any specific hardware that will make my build more successful.
Thank you for your time.
Thanks again and happy new year!
 
Well, you can't really "buy" a ham radio license. I am an Extra Amateur Class Operator and administer the Ham License testing. You only need to have a Technician class license for what you want to do but you do have to study for it and pass a test. there are many online resources that make getting a technician class license pretty easy. I would say anyone of reasonable intelligence could spend 2 weeks studying and pass the test. It's not that difficult.
 
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In order to monitor your herd, the camera needs to transmit a video signal back to your home base. I'm not the expert here, but won't the video transmitting resources of the TH be the limit here? Or are you willing to wait until the TH returns home to check the video? Would you use Curved Cable Cam to set up the perimeter flight path?
 
We did fly from inside but had to stand by the window.

What on earth made you think that would work? Does your car GPS work inside the garage?

Go outside, stay on a high spot, fly the craft at least a couple hundred feet high, and you should see much improved results. Don't let the ST16 battery go below 50%, and don't let the craft battery go below 14.5 or 14.6 before you head back to the corral.

If you become confused as to how to bring it back, hit the RTH and watch. When it comes back in sight or above you, switch back to Angle mode and land it yourself. Be sure to turn video OFF before landing.
 
What on earth made you think that would work? Does your car GPS work inside the garage?

Go outside, stay on a high spot, fly the craft at least a couple hundred feet high, and you should see much improved results. Don't let the ST16 battery go below 50%, and don't let the craft battery go below 14.5 or 14.6 before you head back to the corral.

If you become confused as to how to bring it back, hit the RTH and watch. When it comes back in sight or above you, switch back to Angle mode and land it yourself. Be sure to turn video OFF before landing.
My GPS does work in my garage.
 
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My GPS does work in my garage.
My original question was regarding making the farmhouse a sort of base station with externally mounted antennas so I can use the drone for perimeter and heard monitoring.
I'm wanting to build s system that can be operated by my 73 year old mother from inside.
I was informed that s Hamm license would be required to achieve a strong enough signal to accomplish this.
I am working to get that license now.
Any hardware recommendations will be greatly appreciated. I built high on s ridge with line of site for miles.
My satellite radio works when the vehicle is in the garage, so my location in reference to the GPS has not been an issue.
I would like to know when the threshold that requires the Hamm license is required.
I've read a lot about different antennas and range extenders, but am not clear as to when the Hamm license is required.
Thank you all I really appreciate the knowledge and willingness to help others.
 
Just get a DJI for distance flights and use your Typhoon H for playing around.
I originally bought the DJI phantom 4.
I did a lot of research and thought the typhoon was a more advanced system.
Do you have reason to believe the DJI is more suited for our application? Thank you for your info.
 
The ham radio license comes into play when you start adding more powerful transmitters or use different frequencies. I'm not sure how applicable it would be to the Typhoon H without a lot of modification, though I have seen at least one video where someone was using active signal boosters connected to the St-16.

One thing that DJI does excel at is their Lightbridge system. It does provide more range out of the box than you would get with the H. There is also the consideration that, because the phantom only has four motors, you will also get a longer battery life per flight.
 
Great to see you looking at technology for helping yourself out in your farm setting. There is good news and not bad, but I believe just a change in mindset regarding using a UAV for long range observation.

If you really wish to use a UAV, you must keep eyes on the craft, while abiding by all other rules such as max altitude, visibility , and granted that you're not within close proximity to a controlled or uncontrolled airport or other special use area.

So, if you were to have your barn in the middle of your property, you could erect an observation deck, where you could fly your property as long as you can have eyes on your UAV. This would require a skill set that will take time to acquire, since you may be able to see your craft, but your control will be very difficult if you are in angle mode; which is recommended for all as soon as can be learned.

So, the aforementioned plan most likely would not only cause stress, inadvertent crashes due to disorientation, as well as a overall view that you most likely wouldn't be satisfied with.

SO, HERE IS ANOTHER OPTION:
You can easily set up a network of PTZ video cameras, set up with directional antennas on the 5.8ghz band. You would have to draft up a diagram indicating your preferred use (i.e. Fixed or PTZ), which will allow you to source equipment and then calculate the power requirements for each remote cam location. You'll need to have enough battery amp/hour capacity, in addition to an adequate solar panel to keep the battery(ies) charged. But this will allow you to get great day/night coverage, and even video analytics depending upon your budget. But all batteries, and sensitive electronics will need to be housed in a NEMA enclosure.

So with this setup, u can use your UAV in a close in manner which might be or not, what you'd like.

Good luck. If you are interested in the Cctv w directional antenna for network access, I'm sure users here can assist. If not, I can point you to suppliers.

David
 
My GPS does work in my garage.

Somehow I knew you would say that. What I intended to point out is that to get max range of control and video signals you need to be outside with the ST16.

I'm getting a more clear picture of your needs and intentions. My opinion is that you need a commercial drone in the 5 to 10 K plus price range, get the FAA Commercial license, then apply for a permanent waiver to fly over your own property in the manner you wish instead of LOS. A Ham or Radio tech in your area will be able to assist the RF requirements if necessary.
 
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The ham radio license comes into play when you start adding more powerful transmitters or use different frequencies. I'm not sure how applicable it would be to the Typhoon H without a lot of modification, though I have seen at least one video where someone was using active signal boosters connected to the St-16.

One thing that DJI does excel at is their Lightbridge system. It does provide more range out of the box than you would get with the H. There is also the consideration that, because the phantom only has four motors, you will also get a longer battery life per flight.
Somehow I knew you would say that. What I intended to point out is that to get max range of control and video signals you need to be outside with the ST16.

I'm getting a more clear picture of your needs and intentions. My opinion is that you need a commercial drone in the 5 to 10 K plus price range, get the FAA Commercial license, then apply for a permanent waiver to fly over your own property in the manner you wish instead of LOS. A Ham or Radio tech in your area will be able to assist the RF requirements if necessary.
Thank you.
Do you have a recommendation of the best commercial one?
Sounds like you guys are very knowledgeable and I don't want to be a bother but I really do appreciate the knowledge and experience you are willing to share.
I'm located kinda near Milwaukee but still out in the open country. I'm converting 120 acres of our farm into a nature preserve.
Currently pursuing a fox 6 weather site also. (No reliable station in walworth county). We are in process of setting up a not for profit school that will offer opportunities for those who normally do not have some resources to enjoy.
I'm trying to change the environment through opportunity and education.
A professional telescope is also on the agenda. Budget about $5000 for that.
As you can see there's a lot going on so I really appreciate the wisdom you guys are providing.
Thanks again.
 
Quite an agenda.
Back to drones: A number of commercial drones are now mainstream, recommending one is far above my pay grade. However, I suggest you talk to some of the folks at Fox 6, where you intend to join their Smart Weather Net. The larger TV stations are using higher-end drones now.

Good luck, and don't work your Mom too hard, lol.:)
 
If you could start over, would you buy the phantom or the H pro?
I am still within the time limit to return and exchange. The best selling point for for was the nicer controller and the fact of multiple operators the typhoon h offered. I'm just trying to get the best unit for the money.
Thank you again for all the information.
 
If you could start over, would you buy the phantom or the H pro?
I am still within the time limit to return and exchange. The best selling point for for was the nicer controller and the fact of multiple operators the typhoon h offered. I'm just trying to get the best unit for the money.
Thank you again for all the information.

To be honest, if your aim is that an elderly woman should be able to patrol your farm remotely, I wouldn't look at any copter style drones currently available. They are just not reliable enough or robust enough for regular long range flights. Whilst people have modded both the Phantom and the H for longer distances, the flights are typically 'fly away in a straight line to get a maximum distance, then fly straight back'. That's not the same as spending a reasonable amount of time checking on things around the perimeter of a farm. In terms of battery life and so on, none of the mods are really practical for regular daily use. All drones in this category require line of sight (and that includes pointing an aerial directly at the drone), not only because of the legal requirements, but also because the radio channels used for video transmission are low power and very directional.

Now, that's not to say the H couldn't be a useful part of your arsenal, used to get to a specific place to check on something in more detail, but I'd consider other ways to monitor your herd. It's possible a fixed wing drone may be better suited for range and reliability, but that's really outside of my area of knowledge..

The other options would be to look at unconventional surveillance camera style monitoring - such as a camera on a tethered balloon, on a ground based vehicle etc. A hybrid approach (gps tags, proximity monitors, a local kid with a bike) might get you where you want to be.

The point here is that under two or three thousand bucks, you're not going to find a drone that solves the whole problem. I'm not sure if even high end machines are really going to be better for your needs, though they do promise longer flight times and more robust machinery. Certainly at this point, there's no point in switching to the phantom, I don't think it's going to be any better at what you want. The Typhoon is a good machine to learn on and to understand what drones can and can't do.
 
We bought the drone for fun.
Just tying to utilize all my resources.
This past spring we lost a twin calf, not sure if the cow just couldn't care for it until the other was born or what happened. It couldn't have been more than an hour from birth to demise. After purchasing my farm in 2003, I created a lot to build my mother a home. She also is intrigued with drone technology. I referenced her not because I expect any work from her, I just was trying to explain that the system I'd like to set up should be designed so a child or someone with little experience can operate it. The H does seem to be easily operated. My 15 year old daughter and also my 9 year old have flow without issue. We have not even used the "smart " mode yet. I leaned (and taught) in angle mode, only using return to home one time when I got confused as to direction of return. It's just under two miles from one end of our farm to the other with my house in the middle.
I think I'll keep the h and probably expand to add a phantom sometime in the next year or so.
Does anyone recommend a company that sells the best commercial drone?
Another thought I've had since dabbling with this technology is side dressing "spraying" commodity fields to offer management options for weed control. I think the future is headed that way and wish to explore commerce and financial opportunities.
I understand we are talking about some larger dollar amounts.
Thank you all again for your time and willingness to share your knowledge.
Sincerely,
 
I originally bought the DJI phantom 4.
I did a lot of research and thought the typhoon was a more advanced system.
Do you have reason to believe the DJI is more suited for our application? Thank you for your info.
No. The H will do just fine. Every now and then a DJI fanboy comes along and says " it's the greatest". All of these higher- ended quads on the market now have lots of similarities and also lots of differences. I like to say they are all"exactly different ". I've owned them all. Si far, my favorite is my H. My 2nd in line is my 3DR Solo. Both are rock solid. My experience with DJI is if you DO get a good one, keep it. But if you ever get a bad one, holy cow(no pun intended). The customer service is the absolute worst. Sure,Yuneec has had their problems, but at least they answer the phone, and speek english.
 
I guess i need to add a few more thoughts of my own. IMHO, if i were you, and i were out in the country, i would invest in a few Sunhaus 2watt amplifiers.Then i would set up an antenna array of some sort on the top of my house on some type of rotor system, like the old tv antennas had. Get yourself the ItElite antenna range extender and put it on the rotor. Put your st16 in the house, hooked up to your big flat screen thru your hdmi port. Get you some GOOD coaxial cable, put you a booster on the cable, plug it up, use your rotor, and go for it. With a little ingenuity you can use all this info to do EXACTLY what you're wanting.
And i doubt that the "DRONE POLICE " are out there looking for some guy out un the country looking for some fuy keeping up with his cows.
 
I have to agree with GhostGuy on the fav drones to fly. As far as a high end commercial drone most of those are custom built and not something your going to pull out of a box and fly ,but something with a Pixhawk2 flight controller could be made to do the job, it is also overkill for what your wanting to do and cost thousands of dollars. If you want middle of the road commercial or high end out of the box then the Inspire2 is a good bet or maybe the Yuneec tornado, but I'm not familiar with it's specs. The bigger problem you have in the states is the FAA. You may live out in the country, but if they catch you it will be more than a slap on the wrist. I was told by an FAA rep that in Minnesota a man bought a drone to publicize his own business. They fined him $50,000.00, but it was still in court. If you choose to go the part 107 route with waivers, first it takes much of the fun of flying out of it because if you follow the law you have to do weather checks and maintain flight logs for every flight second while applying for the waivers is easy to do on line. To do it right and get it approved is another thing( unless you want to pay a lawyer to do it for you ). I've submitted one for night flight and I was shot down for not enough information, it took a month and a half to get this answer. I've now tried to research what I did wrong and resubmitted it and now I wait. I'm not trying to be a doom and gloom, there are many out there that would just go and fly figuring they'll never get caught and most probably won't, but you have to ask yourself con I afford it if I do. This is just my 2 cents
 

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