What would take out 2.4 and 5.8 at the same time?

[FPVSteve]

Hi,

Just wondering because I seem to be having a couple of issues around where I fly - basically at some points in the flight I can get a certain distance (say 400m) and my FrSky (2.4) telemetry will start beeping (2 quick beeps which means the signal is around 40% I think) .. at the same time, video (5.8) completely disappears for a second or two.

What sort of radio transmission would cause this?

Or does it sound like its a signal issue (I lean against the car while flying) possibly caused by reflections?

[pk-surfing]

Steve,

Are there any caravan sites close to where this happens, some use (illegal) high power boosters to get wifi out across the site.

I've experienced this when flying with Coyote at one place in one direction (and there's a caravan park there)

I've also heard of some farmers using boosters for the same reason.

PK  :)

[krikey]

It's not just campsites and farmers, some residential homes might use Wifi boosters as well. They are indeed illegal if they boost beyond a certain power (not sure what that is), and many of the boosters come from China and have not passed FCC, CE or OFCOM validation for the EU market.

Either that or its Ryan Reynolds testing out BTs "amazing" WiFi signal whilst hanging from a helicopter. I'd give him a ring.

[FPVSteve]

It's weird - and reproducible at the same place every time. I think I'll try to fly in the opposite direction just to check it's not a problem with my gear but it seems weird that the picture simply disappeared suddenly as if there was no signal, plus the 2.4 beeping as well - although it did not wipe out my control.

[drambuidhe]

Hi Steve, Just to add my tuppence worth, When I flew back up in Scotland I often flew out pretty long distances with 2.4 Frsky while sat inside my car avoiding the bloody midges.
I didn't get any issues either.
Also I did use a 2w Wifi Sunhans booster which certainly didn't cause any issues with my 5.8 video.
Infact the booster never caused even the most minutest problems to my mates flying around me on 2.4 rc.
This is just my experience with boosters but perhaps there are other's out there not quite so good as Sunhans perhaps? ;)

[Dillwhacker]

Don't make sense to me Steve...
If your plane flew into a noisy spot, I could understand it losing 2.4 reception, but nothing out there could prevent it from transmitting 5.8 back to you.
So I would have said something close to where you are sat, like WiFi from ya phone or a GoPro or something, wiping out both your 5.8 vid RX and 2.4 telemetry RX.
But if it always happens in the same flight spot?
Stumper   >:(

[electrotor]

A few months ago I was on holiday on a chalet site in the Highlands. On powering up the P3Pro I got the error message
"Intensive electromagnetic interference nearby please make sure no magnets or metal objects are near the compass and keep the aircraft above 1 meter off the ground to do recalibration."
I did the recalibration but still got the same message. Noticing a fairly large metal grating not far away I moved, recalibrated and got no more error messages. Then a minute into the flight I started to get control glitches and freezing of the video signal so I landed. Next outing was at the club field where everything was OK again. I've never had that error message again.
However I recall that walking back to the chalet I noticed each unit had a UHF yagi pointed at the clubhouse which was certainly too far away for a normal router signal to provide wi-fi in the chalets.
I suspect interference from a 2.4 booster serving the whole chalet site.

[Dillwhacker]

So if that's close to you to wipe out both ... how come it happens at the same place in the plane's flight?
Maybe just appears to be so?

[FPVSteve]

Here's a couple of examples - two different planes:

Mini Talon (2.4 Frsky, 5.8GHz IRC channel 1)
Skywalker (2.4 Frsky, 5.8GHz IRC channel 4)

See about 250-400m out in the same location it's noisy as. It doesn't really bother me that much because I tend to simply motor through it but I'm interested:

a) what would cause it?
b) how come it doesn't affect it if I go further out? Must be a directional "beam" of interference in that case swamping Rx telemetry signal (but receiving signal is fine), and 5.8GHz transmission.

! No longer available

[pk-surfing]

Is that a tower on the left at 24 seconds and later at 1:43 ?

Might have those directional microwave link things (look like white hat boxes or dustbins) on it and these would put out a strong directional signal ?


PK  :)

[English Turbines]

 Hi Steve, it could be the signal bouncing off the car, so next time, stand away from it.
   My money is on your vrx or the Goggle skew..have you checked the SMA fitting..?..Is it correct..?...Same fizzing crap on both planes at a mere 400mtrs suggests the problems are at the video recieve end.
   I dont buy into the Wi Fi beam of interference myself, but try the same test in the opposite direction...My guess is, it will be the same and its distance related....I loath 5.8g video myself, its so picky, although I have been out to 2kms using 14dbi antennas with a good image.

        :vulture:

[FPVSteve]

Hi Steve, it could be the signal bouncing off the car, so next time, stand away from it.
   My money is on your vrx or the Goggle skew..have you checked the SMA fitting..?..Is it correct..?...Same fizzing crap on both planes at a mere 400mtrs suggests the problems are at the video recieve end.
   I dont buy into the Wi Fi beam of interference myself, but try the same test in the opposite direction...My guess is, it will be the same and its distance related....I loath 5.8g video myself, its so picky, although I have been out to 2kms using 14dbi antennas with a good image.

        :vulture:

It's the same result on my goggles (bignose skew to nextwave rx module) and the groundstation (bignose 3 turn helical to Uno Rx), they're both connected properly to their receivers.

[FPVSteve]

Is that a tower on the left at 24 seconds and later at 1:43 ?

Might have those directional microwave link things (look like white hat boxes or dustbins) on it and these would put out a strong directional signal ?


PK  :)

Nope, It's a church

[English Turbines]

It's the same result on my goggles (bignose skew to nextwave rx module) and the groundstation (bignose 3 turn helical to Uno Rx), they're both connected properly to their receivers.

Hi Steve,
               Well the UNO vrx and the 3 turn should be good for 3kms easy, provided you point it and take it out of the car of course.
Get it on a Tripod so you can aim it is my advice, it's no good in the car, that will kill it.
Next time out, I suggest you try it and fly in the opposite direction, with your DVR recording directly out of the spare video port on the UNO....because that's a very good 5.8G receiver.
  You can fly it on the goggles of course, and record it there as well..?
Still dont buy into the interference theory myself, but I dont suppose it's impossible. You could also try a different frequency, some VTXs have crap output on some of the channels.

     :vulture:

[FPVSteve]

Yea. I know the gear is fine, I was just wondering what would cause it to knock both frequencies out at the same time in the same place. It has to be some sort of router doesn't it? I mean they're the only things that use both frequencies, so it must be. If you look in the video next to the water tower there's a "square" of trees - in that square is a small holding - I wonder if they have a booster set up so that they have WiFi in all of their outbuildings?

Having said that I've flown over their house many times when landing and never had an issue, but there's always been a spot halfway down the field where it just wipes out - sometimes worse than others, but it's always noisy there. It was particularly bad last time. Above a certain altitude it doesn't happen, say ~100m up. It's weird though simply because the location it happens in is basically at least 400m from any other structure in all directions - maybe there's a beacon buried under the soil. Ever seen War of the Worlds?? ;D