FPV and RF-noise

[blagerst]

Hello,
One of my experiencies with FPV-flying are problems when combining different electronic devices
in close proximity into the RC-plane. This because noise limits the RC-link receiver.

Therefore I would like this tread to discuss HW compatibility.
So far I understand there is no problem using GP,GoPro2, 2.4GHzRC and XBee. However, I have not yet seen any range tests.
Specifically I would like to know if GP2 works together with following:
LRS, (longrangesystems at 433MHz) such as EZUHF or Rangelink
OSD, like Remzibi or EZosd
Cameras like HoryzonHD, KX-191 or CCD Killer

I appreciate all information about what is acctually tested in the air.
Thanks
/blagerst

[lukasz]

Hi Blagerst,

I can add couple of cents here as I fly FPV with GP.
For my RC link I use an eLeReS module that operates at 435MHz - this is rather a Medium range link.
As for Video I use Lawmate 1,2 GHz 500mW.
The platform also carries an xbee 868 MHz modem for telemetry.
Besides all those transmitters I carry ccd and GoPro cam.

To be honest all seems to work well and I don't experience any noises from that stuff.
Of course I use separate power sources for AP+RX+vTX+modem, servos + ESC are powered from a separate battery source.

Also all antennas are placed far enough to eliminate any noises.
So above setup I can confirm working.
Generally this is a hard topic as all depends on exact hardware you use and how this stuff is placed on the platform you are flying.
What works on one platform doesn't mean it will work on a different platform - this requires some experimentation + playing around with antennas + screening system.

[Tom]

Hello Bo,

RF noise is a difficult topic.
My experiences:
- Placing motor power lines next to the GP is a bad idea, this will cause resets. I suggest to keep at least 2cm distance. Less than 1cm will lead to problems.
- RF noise isn't a problem, but again keep a safety distance. My 500mW Xbee Pro at 868MHz overtunes my 35MHz RC-receiver. Gluonpilot isn't the problem here but on-board transmitters disturb on-board receivers. A good solution is to place the antennas as far from each other as possible.

Gluonpilot will work together fine with long-range systems. I don't know about the OSD because gluonpilot has an on-board OSD. It would be the best solution to use the on-board one.
Xbee 2.4 & 2.4GHzRC work together fine (frequency hopping). Only the video should be 5.8 or 1.2 if you have other systems working at 2.4GHz.

So the most standard-compliant solution would be:
- 2.4GHz XBee pro
- 35MHz or 2.4GHz RC-receiver (or 433MHz)
- 5.8MHz video link (as 1.2GHz isn't allowed here)