Hey Gang, With all the talk on getting extra distance out of our Movi Controllers, I thought I'd post a poll to see what people are currently getting. Stick to un-modified Controllers i.e., no boosters. Choose a typical scenario, whether dense urban or out in a corn field free of radio interference. If you have a Paralinx / Amimon / Other RX TX system on-board, make mention of that cause it typically does have an impact on transmission distance. Vote!
Derek, are you talking about the range at which the MōVI Controller still controls the MōVI or the range at which the telemetry back from the MōVI to the MōVI Controller stays active? I find there is a considerable difference in the range. I did some actual field tests (yup, out in a flat field) far away from life as we know it, and found that I still had operational control at 500 feet, but did not have telemetry back from the MōVI to the Controller. That was with an M5 hanging on its stand which was on stacked plastic tubs so that it was five feet off the ground. I had an assistant standing between the M5 and me with the MōVI Controller to represent the MōVI operator -- the MōVI antenna was thus "shielded" from the Controller by a human body. The telemetry back from the M5 to the MōVI Controller became intermittent at 220 feet without the operator's body between the Controller and the M5. However, the lack of telemetry did not affect operational control of the M5 from the Controller. This was with the standard MōVI Controller and the radio receiver that comes with it. I'm planning to repeat the experiment with other Tx and Rx when I have time. Andy.
Interesting - in our tests, we typically see a correlation between loss of telemetry with loss of Movi control. Once telemetry is lost, control becomes very intermittent at best.
Interesting Poll, Derek - Looking forward to seeing the results. I'm certainly in the sub-200ft category. The MoVi Controller is the only FreeFly product that gives me issues. FF's lack of attention to this issue is surprising, given that the MoVi Controller is clearly a product aimed at people willing to pay top-dollar for a Professional alternative to what would normally be a Hobby-grade tool (Spektrum/Futaba). #PROLEVEL Having Pan/Tilt Control with integrated Focus/Iris/Zoom control is an absolute Game Changer for UAV Work... I would replace all four of our Futabas with these if they could be reliably used at 300meters LOS. For now, I'm just staying with the one unit for handheld MoVI Work. I feel like Freefly have done all the hard work making such a beautiful, functional controller, yet fall short on what seems such a basic requirement. I firmly believe Freefly are the benchmark, and 100% deserve their PROLEVEL name in the industry. I really hope they sort the MC out so it aligns with the rest of their product line. ALTA in the Sky flying Alexa Mini on M15, fully controlled by MoVI Controller on the ground - The holy grail. My Credit Card is on standby for the day they fix it.
For my tests I was using a "quiet" RF environment, so nothing else was powered on the M5. I wanted to see what a "best case" ground-based scenario might be. The airborne environment is different so I expect the range would be longer for that. I'm not quite sure why the Controller -> M5 would be a determinant factor for the reverse M5 -> Controller telemetry. The M5 -> Controller is only using that tiny little transmitter and mouse-whisker antenna to transmit, so it's not unreasonable that the M5 -> Controller range would be shorter. But, as you say, curious that you see a correlation. It might be worth doing a "quiet RF" environment test on your rig -- nothing else on the M5 powered on -- just to see if it makes a difference. Andy
Well said Michael...agreed. Question - are we talking about Mimic or the Spektrum 8 RC TX controller? I am currently planning on ditching Mimic (due to short range) for the the standard TX controller assuming it will work at greater distances. Is this a mistaken assumption? I would be quite upset to discover that there is NO reliable long range controller option for our M10 at all and wonder how that's even possible at this point in time. Thank you Freefly for the amazing products and development and the other users contributing information to this VERY pressing question.
Hi Paul, The discussion relates to the Freefly MoVI Controller, which would also encompass the built-in MIMIC controller. Regarding the Spektrum (I've also been meaning to respond in your other three) The Spectrum will give you improed range over the MoVI Controller, HOWEVER I retired all my Spektrums as they were dropping out at approx 150m LOS when used on UAV. The majority of the dropouts were when the receiver was on the 'dark side' of the MoVI - i.e. shielded from my transmitter by the MoVI The solution for me was to replace Spektrums with Futaba 14SG. This has entirely solved my issues and I have never had a drop out on the Futaba (compared to several dropouts per flight on Spektrum) As mentioned in my earlier post, having the range of the Futaba with the control and functionality of the MoVI Controller would be the ideal setup...
Brilliant...thank you very much. We use 14SG for Heavy Lifter FC but may acquire another for MoVI control if we can't boost Mimic range through amplifier / antenna options. As it turns out, the MR landing supports are great for reducing "dark side" issues and separating antennas by as much distance as possible if you haven't tried it yet. The Freefly emergency repair kit has an 18" 5 conductor extension cable which almost makes it to the end of the landers...
Don't ditch the MIMIC - just use the booster solution discussed in the other thread. Works like a charm Paul!
On the Movi Controllers we use the 2-pin Lemo 12V port. On the MIMIC, just wire up a 4S cell or tap into your video monitor power system if it's close to 12V?
I'm doing just that...one MoVI lipo for MoVI and another for camera / TX etc. Just wondering if the Mimic Booster 30db antenna on the RX side needs power and if so, will it take a standard 12v connection (P-tap, USB etc) Thank you!
Now I've lost you - RX side? RX with the MIMIC is un-changed - it's the same satellite receiver on the Movi - nothing changes there. What you are doing is boosting the MIMIC transmitter which definitely needs power. Make sense?
Derek, I don't have a clue what you are talking about, but I am trying to boost a rental MoVi controller/Mimic system to the M15 (that is operated on the ground by a cameraman, not in flight) What is your set-up?
Long discussion here on extending the range, including our configuration that has proven to be awesome - enjoy: http://forum.freeflysystems.com/index.php?threads/extending-movi-controller-range.6106/
As per my experience you must go for the quiet RF environment so nothing else was powered on the M5. The airborne environment is different. I want to know why the Controller -> M5 would be a determinant factor for the reverse M5 -> Controller telemetry. The M5 -> Controller is only using that tiny little transmitter and mouse-whisker antenna to transmit, so it's not unreasonable that the M5 -> Controller range would be shorter.
Hi demircik, welcome to the forum. If it's not too much trouble, would you be kind enough to change your user name to your real first name and last name, please? The reasons for this (and how to do it) are explained here: http://forum.freeflysystems.com/index.php?threads/real-names.497/ Thanks Andy
Is Demircik your first name or your last name? We require that forum members use both their first and last names. Andy.