Long range UAV link 100mw for 60KM was designed and tested

that is so kind of you lets hope he can do something this thread just keeps getting better

This thread is loooong. Can somebody give a recap on this long range system?

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Ricky or Cala will be along soon but the M12 system is a very good bit of kit highly recommended you wont be disappointed

Hey there.
I can give you a simple recap.
Quanzhou Yunzhuo Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. developed a handheld data link system for Drones. They provide this type of technology for commercial use in say the agricultural space in china.

They recently made a unit available to people outside China via aliexpress call the Skydroid M12L
This unit isn’t like a regular RC system such as a Taranis. It acts as a data link between the UAV and the user on the ground. While it has a lot of the traditional RC type interface, throttle, yaw, roll and pitch as well as a series of switches and buttons. It’s main purpose is the up down link.

To do this it has a handheld unit and an air unit. The air unit is similar to a standard RC system but it has a telemetry in that allows data from teh flight controller to be routed back to the handheld unit. The unit also has a bluetooth system that allows the user to connect a tablet or phone and run a number of the popular groundstation apps like Qgroundcontrol and Tower as well as Mission planner.

The manufacturer claims a distance of 60km…uninterrupted airspace…no tree and such. Their test was out over the sea. This community however has easily demonstrated 17km with and RSSI above 90%. This was done both as a rover and as an aircraft so its range easily out performs a taranis and requires no booster.

The handheld unit is a dual antenna system that allows the user to mix directional and non directional antennas to boot performance. Users today as just now looking at doing so.

The manufacture also has a 5.8ghz video receiver that can augment the experience by allowing a video overlay much the same as a Mavic or other such DJI product,

Laslty the manufacturer has developed systems that have HD video integrated into the handheld however they are not available outside the country as yet.

If you need to know more just ask. We are all liking the system so far and would be happy to answer your questions.

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If you have to buy it I have interest too and can contribute, let me know.
Nice summary, I was thinking about this so long post and how to do to rescue main things that new members need to know? Adding interest videos or interest links to instructions and have all in the same place? Say to Cao that add instruction link in the first post so people can find quicly? Other ideas?

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Thanks.
60km with 100mW @2,4ghz is impressive.
What do they mean by 20dB translation? I know the concept of high gain antenna but this along with the antenna used confuses me a bit.

yes as Cala says I would like to make a cash contribution as well and also the manual at the top of the page as a sticky is a great idea

Hi Ricky and Cala,the scotish pest again ive come across a good site on F/B Long Range Hooligans no nonsense and plenty good advice and help go have a look and enjoy

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Hi Marty,

As a scotch and cigar enthusiast, I envy your location!

I have a question that may have been answered before but I’ll post it again. The M12 appears to be able to allow multiple bluetooth connections. If you are using an APM system with telemetry, can you have one bluetooth connection to the tablet app like QGC/Skydroid Tower etc., and have another bluetooth connection to a laptop for Mission Planner?

My current system limitation using standard 3DR/SiK radios allows one or the other. If the M12 allows multiple connections to telemetry, it is a good system advantage.

Cheers!

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Hi Greg,im not sure if you can have both connected together but will try and report back but both Ricky and Cala can probably answer you,were are you based Greg

Marty,

I’m in upstate New York, USA. It is our NorthEast region and we’re in full winter mode with several feet of snow and single digit temperatures. It makes you feel real old! :slight_smile:

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yes its cold here as well ment to be -12 tonight about 60 miles from here
we need warm weather ive plenty of testing to do lol

I can send some hot, 34 C today, Mar del Plata, Argentine :sunny:

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Im not shure but can try and report

I have never tried.
you can have a Bluetooth connection to the tablet with it talking to the drone while the drone is connected via USB to Mission planner. But dual Bluetooth I have no idea.

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Hey Greg what part of New York. I am over east of Toronto so likely not to far. Its a small world. lol

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Can’t you have either the PC or tablet/phone connected to the M12 handheld via USB and the other connected to the M12 handheld via Bluetooth at the same time. So, the drone can be flying and both are communicating with it via telemetry through the handheld? I think I have done that.

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Never tried.
something to add to the list of things to experiment with

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My plan was to save the USB connection to the tablet for video and use the bluetooth connections from the M12 to the tablet and to the laptop. Somewhere above, Tom-Fly mentions that he was doing this so I wanted to confirm that I understood his setup.

Ricky, I’m in Rochester so we are pretty close.

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I missed this post so thanks for the alternative. This may also work for me.

What is the baud rate setting from the USB to the laptop for Mission Planner? 115K?

How about the baud rate on the Pixhawk serial port to the air unit? 56K?

Cheers!

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