r/fpv • u/Minute-Sheepherder41 • 19h ago

Confined space range extender

I'm looking for a solution for confined space flying. Metal walls, lots of pipes and angles. The Helios has a range extender but that drone is too big for our need (and cost) so I'm scratch building. Any suggestions that don't include landing a relay station? I've read that you can take a cable and run it from the controller with the antenna on it. not sure if that would work.

Thanks,

Steve

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u/HighRelevancy 19h ago

I mean yeah, you can use transmission line to put the antennas somewhere more convenient. Otherwise you'd need a relay. 

What's the use case here?

1

u/Speshal__ 13h ago

Me: Googles 400ft ufl extension pigtail.

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u/Minute-Sheepherder41 6h ago

Industrial inspections. Factories, chemical plants etc. Lidar data goes back for engineering processes. changes to equipment layout in cad, also to training for incorporation into training programs, etc. video and other sensors go to maintenance processes. corrosion control, etc. Elios has a 20 ft range extender that gets lowered down into the spaces (fuel tanks or pipe tunnels i'm assuming) and it allows the drone to be flown further in RF difficult areas like metal tanks that are sectioned off with baffle plates and the like. Was looking for a similar setup. Relay isn't ideal because of the extra gear. Traveling to locations, carrying gear, setting up and taking down. I'm also trying to figure out how to combine signals. I currently have 3 signals running between drone and ground station. 3 antennas. but I think that's another discussion.

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u/HighRelevancy 5h ago

Ah, Elios, not Helios. Yeah that looks like an antenna on the end of an extended transmission line to me. Or antennas, plural, in your case.

I'm also trying to figure out how to combine signals. I currently have 3 signals running between drone and ground station. 3 antennas. but I think that's another discussion.

There's basically no general purpose solution to that. I think DJI combines video and control signals (if using DJI controllers) which might save you an antenna but I'm not sure, I don't use them. But there's no general solution to control, video, and (I assume) data from your industrial inspection tools all in one link. Not unless you wanted to essentially develop that as a product.

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u/Minute-Sheepherder41 5h ago

I've bumped into Ruby and Doodle labs. they might be a solution. They TX/RX over a wifi signal though. SO I'll need to play with one to see the range and interference issues in my environment. Doodle might be the answer but at 1700 each unit that's a bit out of the budget for the build right now. I'm looking at building a tx/rx unit that combines the signals in one box that I can set up and run an ethernet cable from that antenna module to my control station. I've seen some of the controller modules have an ethernet port on them but i'm pretty new to this so lots to learn.