I'm also very interested in hearing how the 900MHz Xbee works out. I've used 900MHz (not Xbee) a lot in the past and have been able to get almost 2+ miles in great conditions with directional antennas. Was it just a basic daughter board swap to add a different unit? My thoughts are that if Movi control, video downlink, and command and control can live in separate spectrums, we'll all be much better off. Josh
Thank you Andy, A while back when we first tried using the Controller for aerials I also was very disappointed. When I contacted Freefly I was told then to also try setting it to 4, which I did. I didn't see any noticeable improvement and my range was barely 45 meters. At that time it was suggested I send it in and I paid to ship it there and back. The comment with its return stated that it was performing as designed. We took it out for a test a day before a job and though we were able to go out another 10 meters or so, found it to be unreliable at that distance. After having sold the idea to use the controller to the client, we had to back pedal and use the radio. Would very much like to get a much better range from the controller.
In which case, I suspect it's time for Plan B, Leopoldo. Check out http://forum.freeflysystems.com/index.php?threads/extending-movi-controller-range.6106/page-2 Message #36 and associated postings. Andy
Thank you Andy A veritable cornucopia of options and idea's. Very nice thank you. I hope all is well with you. Leo
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to remove the 2.4GHZ XBEE from RX receiver to replace it with a 900mhz release. Because it is soldered. While the TX XBEE Movicontroller is removable and can therefore be easily replaced. If Freefly could sell RX without soldered XBEE we could easily switch to 900mhz;-)
Andy & fellow booster users, I'm interested to see how everyone mounts their boosters to movi controller...I'm looking for something semi-permanent and solid. Would love to see pictures of the back's of other people's controllers... Nicely mounting Tomahawks, Monitors, Boosters is always a challenge when you're a neat-freak.
Hi All, I'm on the way to order a booster (http://www.fpv-fly.fr/mini-booster-2w-2-4ghz-pour-radio-dji-phantom.html#.Vw570bTc3uM). But don't like so much that idea on side of my FUTABA to control the ALTA. Do any of you already tested and found some new tricks with the SCAN option in the last firmware?? Juste need to reach the 365m! Never flying more fare with this kind of combo! Thanks in advance
This is a great thread, lots of good ideas. Plus I'd like to add, we added a 3w booster to our desk and tested it to at least 500m (M15 on a Tero) which was a vast, vast improvement to it previously. So I can definitely recommend getting a booster. However, I'd also like to say. The signal is so so so awful. I know it was made for drones to be flown in the wilderness somewhere but as soon as you start adding more signals it is truly terrible. We recently got about 20-25 meters max. from our desk in a saturated RF environment, and that is WITH the 3w booster! So, has anyone thought about, or done, taking the transmitter module out of the desk to have fixed antennas going to a wired desk? I know it's drastic but we need some sort of solution. Unless someone has a good plan to turn off 50,000+ mobile phones!?
Interesting post, Dan. The real problem is that when you are near high power transmitters, they can "swamp" just about any receiver, regardless of whether the transmitter is on a different frequency to the receiver's frequency. Cell phones (at least in the USA), do not usually operate on the 2.4 Ghz Wifi band -- they're usually on the 850/900/1,800/1,900 MHz bands. Of course, those cell phones that provide WiFi hotspots will radiate at 2.4 Ghz. The "loudest" things in the 2.4 Ghz band are microwave ovens and WiFi access nodes themselves. There are other devices, like baby monitors and cordless phones that operate in the 2.4 Ghz band. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2.4_GHz_radio_use Your comment about "20-25 meters max. from our desk in a saturated RF environment, and that is WITH the 3w booster!" is interesting -- were you in a crowded urban office environment with lots of florescent lights, WiFi nodes, etc? I'm not sure I understood what you meant by: "So, has anyone thought about, or done, taking the transmitter module out of the desk to have fixed antennas going to a wired desk?" You mean removing the transmitter from the MōVI Controller and making it external? Andy ---------- Forensic Software & sUAV / Drone Analyst : Photographer : Videographer : Pilot (Portland, Oregon, USA): Trees=2, Ground=1, Props=11. The Ground Is The Limit™ ---------- Forensic Drone Analyst : Forensic sUAV Analyst : Forensic Unmanned Aircraft Analyst : Forensic Drone Expert
Yes, external transmitter. A mobile desk isn't a necessity for us, depending on the venue. We were using it on the London Marathon, so thousands of spectators plus other RF cameras plus everything else which equaled awful awful range. But considering we previously used it in a full 70,000 seater stadium whith out the booster but with pretty much the same range we are pretty disappointed and frustrated with this product at the moment. Our standard remote head kit sets an unbeatable standard though, so the bar is high!
Hmmm. That's an interesting challenge as it would require using a different (and presumably "quieter") frequency band. Or, perhaps some kind of Yagi antenna in place of the whip antenna on the MōVI Controller -- but then you'd to be very careful to point the Yagi antenna at the MōVI (more like using a laser pointer instead of an omni-directional light bulb). Trouble is, the frequency pretty much determines the size of the antenna, so you'd end up with something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Yagi-WiFi-Antenna-2-4GHz-15dBi/dp/B008Z4DNFC or this.. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1XHQNFKXN10AMFFKJZFR All of that said, you might want to consider opening up a support ticket and emailing support@freeflysystems.com and see if they have any suggestions. Andy ---------- Forensic Software & sUAV / Drone Analyst : Photographer : Videographer : Pilot (Portland, Oregon, USA): Trees=2, Ground=1, Props=11. The Ground Is The Limit™ ---------- Forensic Drone Analyst : Forensic sUAV Analyst : Forensic Unmanned Aircraft Analyst : Forensic Drone Expert
Hi there, the booster from the ebay link isn´t available any more. Has someone got a recommendation. Movi Controller, Wedge, 2Motors, Alta, such a beautiful setup. But the range is way beyond 200meters. That is just below a toy RC car. It does need a solution from freefly side. Why is it so limited while others can easily reach 500meters? Any workaround for this. It is so frustrating. You are in the middle of something. All set, beautiful image, and then the signal is lost and the gimbal just kills the picture... Frustrating.
Harry, the booster we have is a 3W Sunhans bought from amazon if that helps. And it most definitely increases the range of the Movi Desk Thanks Andy, I might do that. Less elegant but good suggestion with the yagi antenna. Despite being a bit too bulky and unsightly for our uses.
Hi Dan, thank you so much. I will try that and hope that it will improve the range. Any precautions do consider when applying the Extender? Best, Harry
Hi Dan, one more, sorry. Could you specify which of the Sunhans products you did choose? There are so many. Would be good to know which one is working. An amazon link or product description would be just great. Thanks a lot.
These range boosters seem like great ideas, but does no one realize that you probably shouldn't have that much strong rf right next to your goods? Seems like testicular cancer waiting to happen...
I'm using this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/4W-802-11b-...power-Range-/121628080780?hash=item1c51993a8c and I have god MoVI control at 400m. Haven't tryed it further out yet.
I really can't believe we are still struggling with MoVI control range issues. Freefly - PLEASE figure this out...DJI did a long time ago thanks!