Hi -
So almost every time I go flying FPV friends want to come along, but they also want to fly. The problem is that my fpv gear is 2.4 and their remote controls are also 2.4(they're not fpv flyers, just me)
well...the minute they turn their 2.4 radio on, my image gets all messed up for obvious reasons. I am always at least 50 feet away from them, but still...

so my question is: is the only way to fly fpv is if no one else is flying? - is there a solution to this?

All 2.4GHz RC radios use some sort of frequency scanning and/or hopping technology as we all know. Problem is, our VTx gear is not so "smart". It simply spams out it's specificed 2.4 channel frequency it's set to. A lot of people overlook this issue, but it's bound to cause issues more and more as FPV gains in popularity, especially at RC clubs. For me, I'd be more worried about taking down someone else's plane at the club with a 2.4 VTx (like if they're on Spektrum and both channel links get blown-out by a 2.4VTx getting turned on). Treat all 2.4GHz VTx's as we used to with 72mhz channel radios, or you'll risk taking someone out of the sky.

Best thing you can do is try and pick a channel that's as far away from the 2.400-2.499 band as possible. Most radios out there by Futaba, JR, Spektrum, Hitec, etc. start out scanning the lower half of the 2.4 band, so if you have a choice I'd use the higher end.

There isn't much you can do with regards to your description, other than taking turns flying. That's why many of us chose to use 1280 (1.3) & 900 systems, keeping in mind the 1/2 wave, 1/3 wave, etc harmonics to the 2.4 band.

yeah....but taking turns sucks LOL -- everybody wants to fly, and my flights are 25 to 30 minutes so I would be ruining it for everyone. - So I still do fly, but just not FPV
I'm gonna have to get 1.2 stuff

Would swapping to a UHF setup help eliminate this issue? From what I've read here the UHF systems are basically FRS systems. FRS has a fairly broad spectrum and with a little tweaking some intelligence could be worked into it.

Thoughts?

Wearyman, do you have a link?

Originally Posted by alexedit

Hi -
So almost every time I go flying FPV friends want to come along, but they also want to fly. The problem is that my fpv gear is 2.4 and their remote controls are also 2.4(they're not fpv flyers, just me)
well...the minute they turn their 2.4 radio on, my image gets all messed up for obvious reasons. I am always at least 50 feet away from them, but still...

so my question is: is the only way to fly fpv is if no one else is flying? - is there a solution to this?

You could try using 1280mhz for your video system.

Yeah, I do.

First, here is a thread from a guy actually re-purposing FRS (or similar) radios for his FPV setup due to the fact that they are so easy to obtain and modify. He also uses Wii nunchucks for motion control. Pretty cool.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1131462

Second, here is the Wiki about FRS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Radio_Service

Note that the frequency band is in the 460 - 470 Mhz range.

Here are some UHF related threads:

This one runs on a slightly lower frequency, 430 - 444 Mhz, I don't know if this one is legal to operate w/o a license in the US.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=905915

-----------------------

Here is Dragon Link, again 433 Mhz, may have similar licensing issues, I'm not 100% sure.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1026959

That's all I can find right now, but since all of these systems run on UHF, in between 400 and 500 Mhz, which puts them all solidly in the global "FMRS, GMRS, SRS" range.

I'm thinking some kind of How-to on modding these radios for RC and/or Vtx use would be nice. (There might be one in that first thread I linked, I haven't read through the whole thing yet.)

I actually put a post up in the radios forum asking similar questions as you vis-a-vis 2.4ghz and signal attenuation around trees. I'm an IT guy by trade and have intimate experience with the vagaries and difficulties of 2.4 ghz wireless communication and am somewhat concerned with it's reliability, particularly given the "wifi fog" that covers most urban and suburban areas of the US.

Home Wifi stations are only becoming more powerful, not less powerful, which means the wifi fog is only going to get thicker. While 2.4Ghz parts are cheap and easy to get, I don't personally think that the 2.4 Ghz range is a wise one for RC use long-term.

I don't think I would use uhf for video cuz i have a dragon link

Originally Posted by alexedit

I don't think I would use uhf for video cuz i have a dragon link

Well, note the frequency spread though. 433 Mhz vs 46x Mhz. I doubt you would get interference.

You can do many things, to fix this.

1. The easiest is to get out of their frequency range. Does your system go as high as 2510MHz? If so, 2510 is outside the 2.4GHz radio range and you wil have no issues. Other wise go to 1.3 or 900MHz.

2. Preare an RF shield. What's this? You need to have your friends all stand behind you. The farther away, the better. Use your body to guard your ground station antenna. Use a directional antenna that has poor reception to the rear. The signals coming in from their radios will be weak and your video should be ok.

-Alex