Lightbridge vs Regular FPV

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Granted, the lightbridge does DIGITAL video + OSD + control link + 1km distance + FPV @ 1080p @ 30 fps @ 60ms latency. How does the range compare against something like a conventional FPV(600mW Tx) with the "best in class" antennas FPVLR. Is the lightbridge more capable of doing longer distance? I am aware that the lightbridge is on 2.4 Ghz and typical FPV setup is on 5.8 Ghz and that changes things, but is there a clear winner/loser here?
 
I have a "conventional" FPV setup with FPVLR antennas and I'm easily pushing 800+m and I'm yet to even get a hint of interference on the FPV when I rock the helix receiver (I don't always, sometimes I just use the pinwheel). I'm running a 500mW Boscam transmitter, yours is equivalent or better.
in terms of range, I'd say they're at least equal. In terms of cost, a build-it-yourself system with the IRC transmitter is about 1/4 the cost and it's super easy now, everybody makes pre-made cables so you don't have to solder anything.

I personally am using FPV to "frame my shots" and make sure I'm pointed at what I want, I'm not looking for an immersive, hi-def flight "experience". I don't see any reason why I need my FPV to be hi def... the native recordings from the GoPro are what I really care about.

So yes, the lightbridge is the "best" because it's all-in-one and HD, but imo it's not worth the cost when I can build a conventional, SD FPV system for under $500
 
QYV said:
I have a "conventional" FPV setup with FPVLR antennas and I'm easily pushing 800+m and I'm yet to even get a hint of interference on the FPV when I rock the helix receiver (I don't always, sometimes I just use the pinwheel). I'm running a 500mW Boscam transmitter, yours is equivalent or better.
in terms of range, I'd say they're at least equal. In terms of cost, a build-it-yourself system with the IRC transmitter is about 1/4 the cost and it's super easy now, everybody makes pre-made cables so you don't have to solder anything.

I personally am using FPV to "frame my shots" and make sure I'm pointed at what I want, I'm not looking for an immersive, hi-def flight "experience". I don't see any reason why I need my FPV to be hi def... the native recordings from the GoPro are what I really care about.

So yes, the lightbridge is the "best" because it's all-in-one and HD, but imo it's not worth the cost when I can build a conventional, SD FPV system for under $500
Very well said, while using the fpvlr I take it you have a non diversity setup? Also do you have to make sure the helix is pointing towards the P2?
 
andersonpaac said:
Very well said, while using the fpvlr I take it you have a non diversity setup? Also do you have to make sure the helix is pointing towards the P2?

The FPVLR kit I bought had 3 antennas: 1 for the transmitter (pinwheel), and 2 receivers: a pinwheel and a helix. The pinwheel is omnidirectional but more susceptible to interference when I'm flying over a city. The helix is directional but much longer distance (10km according to FLVLR in fixed-wing application) so you have to keep it basically pointed at the Phantom.

I do have a diversity receiver (RX-LCD5802) but I tend not to run both antennas at the same time... If I have the helix attached it's always the stronger signal so I just leave the pinwheel safe in it's case, I just don't see any point in running 2 antennas if 1 of them won't be used... they're expensive and accidents happen. Alternately, if I'm in a low interference environment or I know I'm flying short range I won't bother putting on the helix so I don't even have to worry about orientation and again it stays safe in it's case.

regardless of what transmitter you get I would recommend the (Boscam branded) RX-LCD5802 32 channel receiver. I've heard from folks around here running it successfully with the IRC 600mW that it does NOT have the issues that the 32ch Black Pearl receiver does... and it's cheaper. I guess take that with a grain of salt since I haven't personally tested yet, but from a purely technical standpoint there's no reason it shouldn't work, it receives all the frequencies. The same could be said of the Black Pearl but a lot of people talk about issues with it... *shrug*

I'm not even going to link the FPVLR bundle there's a bunch of confusion around which connectors, I would say when you're ready reach out to Tony via the sales at fpvlr address and just confirm with him exactly which transmitter you have for connectors, etc.
my personal recommendation: you want a 90degree connector on the transmit antenna so that it hangs down from the Phantom, but you want straight connectors on the 2 Rx antennas. I have a 90deg on my helix and I had to bend the cable to make it point out and ahead of me on my receiver. I can post pics if you're confused what I mean
 
QYV said:
andersonpaac said:
Very well said, while using the fpvlr I take it you have a non diversity setup? Also do you have to make sure the helix is pointing towards the P2?

The FPVLR kit I bought had 3 antennas: 1 for the transmitter, and 2 receivers: a pinwheel and a helix. The pinwheel is omnidirectional but more susceptible to interference when I'm flying over a city. The helix is directional but much longer distance (10km according to FLVLR in fixed-wing application) so you have to keep it basically pointed at the Phantom.

I do have a diversity receiver (RX-LCD5802) but I tend not to run both antennas at the same time... If I have the helix attached it's always the stronger signal so I just leave the pinwheel safe in it's case, I just don't see any point in running 2 antennas if 1 of them won't be used... they're expensive and accidents happen. Alternately, if I'm in a low interference environment or I know I'm flying short range I won't bother putting on the helix so I don't even have to worry about orientation and again it stays safe in it's case.

regardless of what transmitter you get I would recommend the (Boscam branded) RX-LCD5802 32 channel receiver. I've heard from folks around here running it successfully with the IRC 600mW that it does NOT have the issues that the 32ch Black Pearl receiver does... and it's cheaper. I guess take that with a grain of salt since I haven't personally tested yet, but from a purely technical standpoint there's no reason it shouldn't work, it receives all the frequencies. The same could be said of the Black Pearl but a lot of people talk about issues with it... *shrug*
I see, I've been told that the black pearl 7ch is perfect with the IRC 600. It doesn't seem that the rx-5802 includes a internal battery or HDMI in
 
andersonpaac said:
I see, I've been told that the black pearl 7ch is perfect with the IRC 600. It doesn't seem that the rx-5802 includes a internal battery or HDMI in

you are correct, people say the 7ch version of the BP receiver works much better than the 32ch. I was looking at it purely from a cost perspective: the BP 7ch is around $210 at all the places I've seen it, and the RX-LCD5802 can be had for about $150 if you're willing to wait for an overseas shipment like from Aliexpress or DX.com

The Rx-LCD5802 DOES have an internal battery good for about 3+ hours (confirmed by me) although you'll need to buy or make a power cable since it doesn't come with one... it comes with a power cable that has a funky plug on it, so I snipped off the weird plug and patched in an old DC adapter I had sitting around that matched the specs... works great and was free. this concept applies to the BP as well btw - you must buy a charger or adapt the included cable.

As for HDMI you are correct - I didn't realize the BP had a HDMI in although honestly it never occurred to me to use the display for anything other than FPV for my Phantom so I never expect to be needing an INput. The RX-LCD5802 does have standard A/V input and output which the BP also has, so you can go out to or come in from a RCA video source (blah - who uses RCA anymore)

so that seems to be the major difference and deciding factor when making this decision... is a HDMI input on your FPV receiver worth the extra $50? :) like, what would you even use it for?
 
QYV said:
andersonpaac said:
I see, I've been told that the black pearl 7ch is perfect with the IRC 600. It doesn't seem that the rx-5802 includes a internal battery or HDMI in

you are correct, people say the 7ch version of the BP receiver works much better than the 32ch. I was looking at it purely from a cost perspective: the BP 7ch is around $210 at all the places I've seen it, and the RX-LCD5802 can be had for about $150 if you're willing to wait for an overseas shipment like from Aliexpress or DX.com

The Rx-LCD5802 DOES have an internal battery good for about 3+ hours (confirmed by me) although you'll need to buy or make a power cable since it doesn't come with one... it comes with a power cable that has a funky plug on it, so I snipped off the weird plug and patched in an old DC adapter I had sitting around that matched the specs... works great and was free.

As for HDMI you are correct - I didn't realize the BP had a HDMI in although honestly it never occurred to me to use the display for anything other than FPV for my Phantom so I never expect to be needing an INput. The RX-LCD5802 does have standard A/V input and output which the BP also has, so you can go out to or come in from a RCA video source (blah - who uses RCA anymore)

so that seems to be the major difference and deciding factor when making this decision... is a HDMI input on your FPV receiver worth the extra $50? :)
Haha, true that! There's one thing that just doesn't make sense to me and this is clearly off topic. Why the hell does the black pearl have a mic? WHY
 
QYV said:
in terms of range, I'd say they're at least equal. In terms of cost, a build-it-yourself system with the IRC transmitter is about 1/4 the cost and it's super easy now, everybody makes pre-made cables so you don't have to solder anything.

I personally am using FPV to "frame my shots" and make sure I'm pointed at what I want, I'm not looking for an immersive, hi-def flight "experience". I don't see any reason why I need my FPV to be hi def... the native recordings from the GoPro are what I really care about.

So yes, the lightbridge is the "best" because it's all-in-one and HD, but imo it's not worth the cost when I can build a conventional, SD FPV system for under $500

Definitely. I have the 2000mW Boscam "Thunderbolt" transmitter, which they claim will work at 5km. I have no idea whether or not that claim is true, but I'm absolutely certain that it'll out-perform the Lightbridge in terms of range, at a fraction of cost (although obviously not the same resolution).
 
HarryT said:
QYV said:
in terms of range, I'd say they're at least equal. In terms of cost, a build-it-yourself system with the IRC transmitter is about 1/4 the cost and it's super easy now, everybody makes pre-made cables so you don't have to solder anything.

I personally am using FPV to "frame my shots" and make sure I'm pointed at what I want, I'm not looking for an immersive, hi-def flight "experience". I don't see any reason why I need my FPV to be hi def... the native recordings from the GoPro are what I really care about.

So yes, the lightbridge is the "best" because it's all-in-one and HD, but imo it's not worth the cost when I can build a conventional, SD FPV system for under $500

Definitely. I have the 2000mW Boscam "Thunderbolt" transmitter, which they claim will work at 5km. I have no idea whether or not that claim is true, but I'm absolutely certain that it'll out-perform the Lightbridge in terms of range, at a fraction of cost (although obviously not the same resolution).
Wow, I have few questions for you
1)2 W of power, wow. How much battery life is affected because of the super powered Tx?
2) doesn't it obviously exceed control range? Are there any fpvlr antennas to improve 2.4 control range?
 
andersonpaac said:
Wow, I have few questions for you
1)2 W of power, wow. How much battery life is affected because of the super powered Tx?
2) doesn't it obviously exceed control range? Are there any fpvlr antennas to improve 2.4 control range?

1. Very little. The power consumption of all the electronics on a Phantom is negligible compared to the power usage of the motors.

2. Yes - that's precisely why I bought it. I'd rather lose control and retain FPV than vice versa. Bear in mind, too, that the 5.8GHz FPV signal is much more prone to interference from things like trees than the 2.4GHz control signal is, so having a stronger signal reduces your chance of losing FPV.
 
HarryT said:
andersonpaac said:
Wow, I have few questions for you
1)2 W of power, wow. How much battery life is affected because of the super powered Tx?
2) doesn't it obviously exceed control range? Are there any fpvlr antennas to improve 2.4 control range?

1. Very little. The power consumption of all the electronics on a Phantom is negligible compared to the power usage of the motors.

2. Yes - that's precisely why I bought it. I'd rather lose control and retain FPV than vice versa. Bear in mind, too, that the 5.8GHz FPV signal is much more prone to interference from things like trees than the 2.4GHz control signal is, so having a stronger signal reduces your chance of losing FPV.
Absolutely, I asked because the product seemed to be rather heavy :)
 
andersonpaac said:
Absolutely, I asked because the product seemed to be rather heavy :)

I'm getting a good 15m flight time on a battery charge, which I'm more than happy with. I have four batteries, so that's an hour of flying, which to be honest is more than I'd ever want to do in a single session.
 
HarryT said:
andersonpaac said:
Absolutely, I asked because the product seemed to be rather heavy :)

I'm getting a good 15m flight time on a battery charge, which I'm more than happy with. I have four batteries, so that's an hour of flying, which to be honest is more than I'd ever want to do in a single session.
What else do you have attached to your P2?
 
andersonpaac said:
Thanks, thought you also had a GSM/GPS locator

No - it's one of those things I keep meaning to buy, but haven't got around to yet. I really should, I know :). They only weigh a few grams, though, so I wouldn't have thought that would have any real impact on flight time.
 
andersonpaac said:
Wow, I have few questions for you
1)2 W of power, wow. How much battery life is affected because of the super powered Tx?
2) doesn't it obviously exceed control range? Are there any fpvlr antennas to improve 2.4 control range?

I agree, that's way too much power. 500-600mW with premium antennas should get you more FPV range than your Phantom has battery power. The distance records for Phantom 2 are like ~3 miles (5km) and that's guys in peak conditions landing with 2% battery... definitely not what your casual recreational Phantom pilot needs... but don't forget the helix in the FPVLR bundle supposedly has that sort of range.
anyway not trying to say anything negative about the other poster, but 2k mW is a bit overkill imo.

I happen to be able to contribute on the other question: like I mentioned before I fly over cities so my Phantom control usually cuts out between 700 and 800m. I currently have an order from FPVLR for an upgraded antenna for my RC hoping to extend that range. it seems like a tricky but not impossible procedure, basically you have to open up the RC and dig out a sensitive little connector that's covered in rubber or something... youtube "phantom 2 RC antenna upgrade" or whatever you'll find some videos.

I'm hoping to perform that upgrade over the holiday weekend coming up
 
QYV said:
I agree, that's way too much power. 500-600mW with premium antennas should get you more FPV range than your Phantom has battery power. The distance records for Phantom 2 are like ~3 miles (5km) and that's guys in peak conditions landing with 2% battery... definitely not what your casual recreational Phantom pilot needs... but don't forget the helix in the FPVLR bundle supposedly has that sort of range.
anyway not trying to say anything negative about the other poster, but 2k mW is a bit overkill imo.

Absolutely not disagreeing with you - I'm sure you're right (and you're very welcome to be negative - I won't be upset :) ). I'd just rather err on the side of caution when it comes to FPV range, and it works fine for me. If I bought my kit over again, though, you're right - I'd buy the ImmersionRC 600mW transmitter.
 

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