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!
