is there a telemetry radio that is cheap but works pretty well?
I would like to use it on a boat so it won’t be in the air like an aeroplane
Sik telemetry radios.
ok thank you very much
Dont use the cheap copies of 3DR Sik radios that claim to be 500mW or 1000mW - the extra power is all noise usually making them shorter range and more trouble than proper low power radios.
i love the RFD900x - not cheap but long range and reliable, and can transport the RC signals across the radio link.
What range do you need/want for your telemetry ?
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you could also look into the new airport mode on ELRS modules. They are fairly small and decent price. This is a brand new feature and will admit I have not tried it yet as the gear just showed up this week. You could also go the more DIY route and choose MLRS as well. I have started to play with MLRS and although it is only a couple people developing at the moment its still pretty neat stuff they are doing. The rfd are great they work very well but even the smallest rfd is pretty big. They are still really good radio just bigger unless you are making your own flight controller then you could just use the smd ones they have.
Just fyi range is severely limited on the water. Standard 2.4g will only go 150-200m max where it would to kilometres in the air.
probably not that far, my boat isn’t that big so I won’t be doing extremely long autonomous missions
also, the rfd 900x is too expensive
Yes - get the 915 MHz ones if they suit your country.
Even though you would think the lower frequency 433MHz radios would have longer range, in reality that frequency is more polluted by garage door openers and every other toy device.
ok thank you xfacta for your help
how do i know if the 915 MHz frequency fits my country or not
https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-telemetry-radio-regional-regulations.html
You may have to search within your country’s regulator body to find the information.
For use on a boat you should be able to get an extension cable for the antenna so you can mount the antenna up on a mast. Get the antenna as high as practical.
Dont power up the radios without an antenna fitted!
ok thank you very much
why would some countries limit the frequency range
In EU the frequency for this sort of unlicensed comms is 868MHz, and there’s a few different constraints on the number of channels and so on.
So the regulations do vary in regions, based on what governments decide about which bands will be specially licensed and which bands wont, and they’ll have their own reasons.
i could find any regulation things for hong kong ( that’s is where i am )
For Hong Kong the allowed range is 920MHz – 925MHz.
ok thank you very much, ibrahimqazi
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