Australian Precision

07/01/2026

Distance Testing Update - 700m

Happy New Year! So, a bit of progress update. Successfully tested out to 700m which was the limit / available land that we could stretch out to. Stable frame rate of around 5fps at 1280x720 pixels. We tested the 2dbi Antennas (pictured) along with 9dbi Antennas. The bigger antennas did improve frame rate and signal gain marginally, but the 2dbi Antennas were more than sufficient.

There was also fine tuning of the TX/Transmission power the boards use, max power doesn't always mean max distance or signal strength! This also results in a decent reduction in current draw via the system and impact upon battery life - we'll be running some further tests on current draw - the system is 100% user configurable, so if you want to use max power, you can lol :)

We also tested the antenna mounts/bulkhead mounts for screwing in the antennas. These are super important, the stuff that comes out of certain countries is absolute rubbish, resulting in around -10 to -15 dBm signal loss. This is huge at long distances.

Finally, the photos are of what the final system/hardware will look like. Previously we went with a standalone camera/transmitter/receiver - that created other headaches for those wanting to use Android/iPhone/iPads with the system. Now there's a separate camera and base station that sits at the firing line.

With this system/design, it will also be able to incorporate other components such as atmospheric sensors, positional/accelerometer/g-force sensors and a whole bunch of other stuff that could be integrated in the future as the platform we've developed is incredibly flexible for expansion of capabilities.

2026 is going to be very exciting and we thank you all for your continued support, we run this business and project in our spare time and do appreciate everyone's patience and contributions in the development of this system!

26/12/2025

Which provided the best signal strength, distance and reliability?
A = PCB Panel Internal Antenna
B = Ceramic Internal Antenna
C = RP-SMA External Antenna

09/12/2025

A bit of a sneak peek on what the new system will look like... separate Wi-Fi base station and camera, no need for USB Wi-Fi dongles as your iPhone/Android/Laptop will connect directly to the base station.

We're doing some testing with internal antennas over Christmas/New Years, if that fails on distance, we'll move to external antennas as a fallback (or combination of). Would be nice just to have nothing poking out of the enclosures!

Also, we'll be using rechargeable lipo batteries moving forward, this makes the system/each device more compact!

08/10/2025

A bit of a setback to the project... the quality of the chips for the ESP32-CAM board varies greatly in terms of overall max wireless distance... therefore making that board unusable...

Good news is, there's the ESP32S3-Sense board (middle) which has consistent board quality. It also as an IPEX/UF.L connector built in and can run off a 3.7v LiPO (pictured).

The firmware can transport 100% over from the ESP32-CAM to the ESP32S3 chipset without modification.

There's also only a $5 difference in production cost, less components and easier to assemble. We're waiting on the first batch of PCB motherboards to arrive early next week and will be straight into distance testing.

The new unit will also be half the size of the previous unit!

09/08/2025

Progress Update: New 3D Printer and Laser Cutter all up and running! We can now produce everything in house.

The 3D Printer is producing parts in ASA-CF, a carbon fiber composite material, it's got a matte textured finish to it (pictured right). The enclosure has been re-designed to have an internal gusset to prevent water ingress into the enclosure. ASA-CF is also very stable/UV resistant.

The laser cutter will be producing all the cardboard inserts for packaging. We're still learning the ins and outs of laser cutting, but progress is pretty good so far in getting the machine to do what we want it to do!

We've started putting together all the electronics for the first batch of target cameras as well, all we need to do is sort out packaging and order some tripods for the systems :)

25/07/2025

Small production runs of the new ESP32-CAM based systems will commence start of September. We're just waiting on a new 3D Printer (Bambu Labs P1S) and a new laser cutter (Creality Falcon A1).

11/07/2025

Windows 10/11 Store App now LIVE!

Small achievement, but huge undertaking... complete re-write of the code, .NET4/WinForms doesn't go across to UWP! Everything had to be re-written, therefore the store app/UWP app has limited functionality compared to the .NET4 version... we'll build upon this over time to ensure the features from the old come over to the new.

For now, you can get the app and have a play around with the demo mode if you don't have our camera system (or any system). If you have one of our systems, or a system you have built yourself or have another manufacturers system that supports MJPEG streaming, and know the URL, then you can use those systems with the software!

Software for viewing live video from our wireless target camera systems or any other target camera system that supports MJPEG streaming protocol. The software aids shooters to assist with sighting in their fi****ms and to allow easy viewing of shot placement out to long range distances where it migh...

10/06/2025

It's been a while between updates.... the new ESP-32 based system hardware is good to go, the software... well it's taking a fair while to develop. Below is work in progress (WIP) for the Windows 10/11 Store App.

Previously we developed the Windows App as a stand-alone executable (WinForms/.Net 4.0/GDI+). We had to use a signed certificate to publish the standalone app... SSL Certificate providers all jacked up their prices from $400USD / 5 years to $800USD per year during covid - these prices have only increased since.

Publishing on the app store makes sense as we don't have to incur this expense and the app gets certified as part of the submission process... There are challenges though... Windows Store apps use the WinUi XAML framework over WinForms, therefore pretty much all the code needs to be re-written (except for logic). GDI+ for graphics is not supported either, so all the image processing subroutines need to be re-written too.

The aim is to get the base application stable, publish and then introduce features from the old version into the new version on a monthly basis... it's a massive undertaking... on the flipside both old and new systems will work with it, along with other target camera manufacturers systems!

01/02/2025

An introduction video by the "My Reloading Journey" YouTube Channel. They go through the unboxing of the new ESP32-CAM based target camera system and do a mini setup and overview of the system. They're going to do some field-testing videos later on as well, so stay tuned!

A look into a new target cam

15/01/2025

Hardcases have become too expensive, along with shipping... Laser cut foam for a mailing box, also way too expensive.... Laser cut cardboard layers seems like the most viable option - this mockup is using hand-cut layers, it's painful (injuries sustained). 10 layers so far... we'll be looking at investing in a 5w/10w laser cutter/engraver to make things easier to produce!

11/01/2025

Cardboard box sample arrived today... fitting all the left into the box on the right will be a challenge. Laser cut foam is one option, it's super pricey though... internal cardboard cut outs for inside the box is another option, but the number of layers is a lot at 2.4mm thickness per layer. Thoughts and suggestions welcome!

11/01/2025

Anyone come across these? Is the statement on the front of the packaging accurate? If so, that's double the run time on our camera systems! Paid $8 for a pack of 8!