My X-rock telemetry units connect fine on QGC and MP, and download the hud data right away. Then the parameters slowly download, and fail to complete. Message is about the same in both – “Qgroundcontrol was unable to complete loading the parameters. Some features might not work ----” HUD communications is ok but slow. Not much else works.
This is probably my mistake or lack of knowlege. Several other posts on the same problem, but I’m still in the dark as to how to fix this.
Can you try another telemetry system?
They seem to be 3DR copies with 500mW or 1000mW output.
Show a screenshot of your telemetry radio settings in MissionPlanner, although there’s probably not much more you can do with them…
It’s a matter of availability – and money. The cheap sik 100 mw units seem to have evaporated. I used them for quite a while, with many problems but eventual success. Now that I’m up to speed with them, – they have just disappeared from the market. All the others are too expensive for my resources. The Xrock people made one with an internal battery for the ground unit – a very good idea since even 500 mw current drain can cause my samsung tablet to shut down, but it too has disappeared. Xfacta, I’ll do that. Worth a try. Give me a while to figure out how to take and attach a screen shot in Windows 10.
P.S.
Thanks for answering, both.
EDIT:
Interesting.
In all the efforts to use a portable device (particularly Android) the problem of inadequate device power seems to me to be key. But the recommendation to wire an external power source to the GCS telemetry unit does not work, either with my Samsung tablet (SM-T580) or my Motorola phone. Some searching turned up that it seems likely the manufacturers designed the devices that way, perhaps so the rather capable portable units would not cannibalize their PC market. IN any case, one can either do data transfer or charge the device, but not both together.
DonLake Flyer, Chris Olson, et al, you must have encountered this problem. It renders the small-device ground station software that took so much effort to build useless in many cases. Got a solution? I hope.
Shawn,
That would be my guess.
But why do I get HUD data and not the complete list of parameters, and then the system freezes?
If it’s a problem with signal strength, or data loss as a result of noise on the signal-- I’m set at 20db output, and that should be ample for short range. Maybe swamping the receiver? But then why does the downloading start fine but then go slower and slower, until at the end it drops the window that says the download is incomplete, and some stuff won’t work (true)? I thought it might be the battery power of the tablet slumping, and it still could be, since Mission Planner works (usb powered).
Ideas?
We made a USB battery-bank powered ground station unit in a case with a long USB lead for the PC/laptop/whatever. You could even mount it up on a pole if required.
We added a switch and extra output so the battery-bank can charge your phone or be charged, pretty handy onsite. But that was for an RFD900X, same concept though. I wasn’t the inventor, just copying one I saw made by someone smarter and more innovative than me.
Back to the original problem - even the RFD radios and others can have the parameters download problem at times. The solution is to increase the baud rate. This reduces the range, but for the RFD radios that is rarely a problem.
- Baud 115
- Air 200
- Max window 80
These settings may not be possible on standard 3DR style radios, unsure…
Also ensure you are using Mavlink2