Frequency Management: Don’t Wreck Your Neighbor’s Drone

Drones Drones & Vehicles Robotics Technology
Frequency Management: Don’t Wreck Your Neighbor’s Drone
YouTube player

As the FPV drone flying grows and grows, it’s easy to expect more people showing up at your local gatherings. In general, that’s great for the community, but it can result in some serious difficulties keeping the radio waves clear for active pilots.

Poorly managed frequencies can turn any FPV meetup into a miserable experience. Anyone activating a drone on a frequency close to one that you are using will usually result in an immediate loss of control of the aircraft.

The FPV Explorers group of the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the fastest growing groups around, and their experience has taught them some strategies to help manage the frequencies to keep their races fun and safe. We connected with them to hear how to fly best in the presence of other pilots.

m44_DroneCompetitions_Pilots-5

 

2 thoughts on “Frequency Management: Don’t Wreck Your Neighbor’s Drone

  1. Charles Haase says:

    Another good technique… turn on your goggles first and scan through to find an open (unused channel). Then check with others to make sure. Then turn on your transmitter. If *everyone* did this, it would be pretty robust. But a managed frequency board is really the only way to pack the largest number of pilots into an event.

  2. mizkitty says:

    Frequency boards use to be the norm in my old R/C days…(late 70s…early 80s).

    Also we put frequency flags on the end of the much longer radio antennae.

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Video producer for Make:, also tinkerer, motorcyclist, gamer. Reads the comments. Uses tools, tells stories. Probably a human. Tweets @photoresistor

View more articles by Tyler Winegarner

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK