FPV Image Quality

[mattyessex]

Hi All

After some help. Took the Phantom for first flight with GoPro and FPV setup today. All was good apart from the FPV image as it was fuzzy. If I held onto the antenna on the FeelWorld monitor it would remain stable a bit.

My setup is ISOD Mini, FPV Hub, AVL58 and FeelWorld display. Certainly could not fly it by the image but my main issue was not being able to see what I was filming.

Any suggestions, new monitor Black Pearl be better, antennas etc?

Also suggestions for GoPro video settings, having reviewed the footage when filming down the picture is curved where ideally I want this flat?

Thanks in advanced.

Matt

 

[noiseboy72]

Check you are on the correct channel for starters, then ensure you have the correct antennas - correct connections ie: rp-SMA etc.

Image might be fuzzy on the ground, but clean up when you fly and get a bit of altitude. You should never fly out of sight, so if you do have issues with the fpv, it's a nuisance rather than a critical issue.

 

[mattyessex]

Image is clear and stable on ground but gets worse when the Phantom moves away.

 

[billhoran]

I have the (rather expensive) kumba cam setup and my image quality is terrible. Definitely gets worse as I go up, but was never really all that good. I assumed that the go pro "preview" output just wasn't that good to begin with.

 

[mattyessex]

Surely it must be better than a fuzzy rolling image when the only time it is clear is if I grab the antenna.... I can't except it will always be like this else what is the point with the concept of FPV. More to do with antennas etc.

 

[noiseboy72]

What antennas are you using? I use an Immersion 600mW and a pair of cloverleaf, plus a helical on the 2nd channel on my Black Pearl. I can easily get 600M - which is as far as I can see. Of course, you get occasional fading, but the signal is generally very stable.

My guess is that either you have poor antennas - the rubber ducks they come with are not brilliant, or there is a slight channel mismatch between TX and RX. The AVL58 is not that well liked, as it does not seem to get the TX range that the Immersion range gets, but 250M is easy to get. Try some different channels and spend a little on some new antennas.

 

[mattyessex]

I have just ordered the black pearl and ImmersionRC 5.8GHz RHCP Antenna Set SpiroNET - V2 antennas. Hopefully it will sort the issue out. I didn't really like all the bolt on bits on the FeelWorld - external battery, receiver etc.

 

[havasuphoto]

Here's a video I made with my P2+H3-3D+AVL58+GP3 black. Monitor is the Boscam-but I have the Black Pearl too, and don't see much difference. Antenna on aircraft is a Spironet, with one of these extensions; http://www.dpcav.com/xcart/SMA-to-SMA-Extension-Cable-RG-402-Coax-BlueBeam-Extension.html NOTE: you will also need an RP-SMA to SMA Female adapter-as the connection on the AVL58 is RP-SMA, and the antenna/adapter is SMA.
I bend this extension so that's it slightly under the aircraft-so that when the aircraft picks up, the antenna points straight down, and is below the gimbal

VTX is mounted on the rear/bottom left side of the aircraft. Also, on the monitor I use this antenna;http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1054. NOTE: on the Black Pearl, they come in 2 models; you either have SMA antenna connectors or RP-SMA connectors. If you have RP-SMA, you will need another 2 adapters. On one side I have a Spironet CP antenna(same as on the aircraft), and the other is the Helical-which is directional. It's the Helical antenna that really makes this possible.

Range was 2560 meters and you can see how clear the video is;
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ufbfVq7zgM[/youtube]

Video was shot at 1080/60 Medium FOV-this will give you the best video. It was de-fisheyed in Go Pro Studio, and sped up several times to shorten it.
To get this kind of range-you need a very clear line of sight, and in an area free from other radio signals. Also-the remote I was using was the Futaba 14SGH-don't know if that made any difference.

I have since gone farther-but didn't record. YMMV.
EDIT: also realize that the frequency range of the AVL58 has each channel ending in 05. So, check the frequency list on the AVL58, Vs. the frequency list on your receiver. IF, it's 05ghz difference, it won't work. You need the "Boscam" frequencies.
The Black Pearl has 32channels, in this video I used Ch1 on the AVL58-which is CH31 on the BP monitor-5705Ghz.
The AVL58 will NOT work with Immersion or Fatshark receivers. They end in 00-different band.