Black Pearl NOT A Good Match For ImmersionRC Tx?

[OI Photography]

From what I can see, 5800MHz doesn't show up on the first list there (but does in the second one), and the first list has 5860MHz twice. And the channels don't seem to be in the same slots between the models, although that's not necessarily a big issue.

Which place are you ordering it from?

It's all very confusing lol. I have been watching for a while now, still only seen that 7 ch version on that one site and no-one else seems to know anything about a special 7ch SMA version that works better with IRC tx's. Something doesn't seem right with that chart also.

Firstpersonview in UK swear by the 32ch SMA version they have for the IRC 600tx. Weirdly they list the frequencies of band F as : "Band F (Airwave): 5740MHz, 5760MHz, 5780MHz, 5800MHz, 5820MHz, 5840MHz, 5860MHz"

Only 7 channels on band F, no 5880 (not that that should matter, most use ch1 I think)

Thanks, I guess that clears it up as much as it can be cleared up

So your info supports the fact that at least the 32-channel model w/SMA connectors is suitably channel matched to the Immersion frequencies, and the 7-channel may or may not be as well. But I'm still not clear on what frequencies exactly the RP-SMA model has on F.

 

[MrC]

Just to add to the confusion :mrgreen: here is one from another UK shop, 32ch SMA, their chart shows the 8th channel (5880). - http://www.quadcopters.co.uk/black-pear ... -642-p.asp

Also the chart in the manual that the first shop (7ch on band F) links to actually includes the 8th ch too - http://www.firstpersonview.co.uk/myfile ... manual.pdf so I guess it must have the 8th ch or it would only be a 31ch receiver.. lol.

Carry on

 

[EdmontonPhotog]

So I chatted with someone selling the 32 channel version - they swore by it and said it works flawlessly.

Then I see the information from a dealer selling only the 7 channel one - and they say THAT is the one better matched to ImmersionRC and Fatshark. But that's the only one they sell.

I fould a company fairly close to me that offers both - and he said the 7 channel one is better with ImmersionRC transmitters. Since he sells both, I tend to think he's not going to be trying to convince me to buy the ONE version he has (like the other dealers). If the dealers selling the 32 channel one said the 7 channel was better for those transmitters, they'd lose sales.

 

[HighDef]

Interesting thread, I'm in the same boat, wanting the BP for resolution and HDMI port but not sure of which one to get due to the confusion. Would be helpful if someone who actually uses the same system would post their experiences/settings. One thing I'd like to add to the mix...is the built in receiver on the BP good enough for long range or are folks using a matched Rx with the Immersion Tx and plugged into the monitor. And btw, this seems waaaaaay more difficult than it should be! Sounds like an emerging market.

 

[Alec]

Interesting thread, I'm in the same boat, wanting the BP for resolution and HDMI port but not sure of which one to get due to the confusion. Would be helpful if someone who actually uses the same system would post their experiences/settings. One thing I'd like to add to the mix...is the built in receiver on the BP good enough for long range or are folks using a matched Rx with the Immersion Tx and plugged into the monitor. And btw, this seems waaaaaay more difficult than it should be! Sounds like an emerging market.

I'm in the same boat of BP confusion. Along with the difference between 7 and 32 channel matched with 5.8 Ghz Immersion Tx 600mW, I would also like to hear if it matters if we select Tx and Rx in SMA or RP-SMA connections?

Thanks

 

[dbot3000]

Hey there,

Not too long ago I was going through the same frustration: What Tx to buy? Antennae? Which LCD? How does the mini iOSD fit in? Wiring? Etc. I'll tell you where I ended up...

I was looking to buy shortly after the Black Pearl RC801 came out (or at least right when it was gaining more notice). There was all kinds of talk about how the IRC Tx and the BP don't work together. Simply nonsense, or people were installing things incorrectly. They absolutely work together.

The only version of the BP I was aware of at the time was the 32 channel, RP-SMA version, so I bought it. I installed everything and was able to get an FPV signal at 2800 meters away. That's plenty far for me.

More than anything else, it comes down to the antennae you use. I'm using an ImmersionRC/Fat Shark skew planar antenna on the transmitter and on one of the BP's receiver (initially). I'm using the Circular Wireless HeliAxial58 antenna on the other BP receiver. I later changed the antenna on the other BP receiver to an iFtron patch antenna (http://www.prophotouav.com/shop/5-8ghz- ... h-vitenna/). It works great out to about 500-700 meters, at which point the BP switches to the receiver using the HeliAxial58 antenna. It doesn't matter which antenna goes on which receiver.

I left the ImmersionRC 600mW transmitter on the factory channel and adjusted the BP accordingly. No issues. The BP I have has RP-SMA connectors but a couple adapters takes care of that.

The only caveat I can think of is that I haven't tried any other setup, so I don't have anything to compare it to. Will a different setup provide a more crisp picture? Will it be clearer at distance? I can't say. But at 2.8km, I happy with the setup.

If you have a P2 and are also getting the mini iOSD, I'd highly recommend getting this cable: http://www.amazon.com/Plug-Play-Cable-I ... sion+cable

No splicing or soldering. Just open the P2, plug in the appropriate connector from this cable to the main board, mount the iOSD and transmitter somewhere on the outside (check out YouTube for various placements), plug them into the other connectors on the cable, close up the P2, and you're good to go!

I hope that helps.

Best,
Danny

P.S. Here's a video I put together from a recent trip that has some P2 aerial segments in it: http://youtu.be/qazlaWhbATU?list=UUjqZ9 ... LbQU4I5lBg

 

[maakx]

I have RP-SMA connections BP and i went as far 1030m with very good image i could have done more distance without any problem.. how far you wanna go ???

 

[Alec]

Hey there,

Not too long ago I was going through the same frustration: What Tx to buy? Antennae? Which LCD? How does the mini iOSD fit in? Wiring? Etc. I'll tell you where I ended up...

I was looking to buy shortly after the Black Pearl RC801 came out (or at least right when it was gaining more notice). There was all kinds of talk about how the IRC Tx and the BP don't work together. Simply nonsense, or people were installing things incorrectly. They absolutely work together.

The only version of the BP I was aware of at the time was the 32 channel, RP-SMA version, so I bought it. I installed everything and was able to get an FPV signal at 2800 meters away. That's plenty far for me.

More than anything else, it comes down to the antennae you use. I'm using an ImmersionRC/Fat Shark skew planar antenna on the transmitter and on one of the BP's receiver (initially). I'm using the Circular Wireless HeliAxial58 antenna on the other BP receiver. I later changed the antenna on the other BP receiver to an iFtron patch antenna (http://www.prophotouav.com/shop/5-8ghz- ... h-vitenna/). It works great out to about 500-700 meters, at which point the BP switches to the receiver using the HeliAxial58 antenna. It doesn't matter which antenna goes on which receiver.

I left the ImmersionRC 600mW transmitter on the factory channel and adjusted the BP accordingly. No issues. The BP I have has RP-SMA connectors but a couple adapters takes care of that.

The only caveat I can think of is that I haven't tried any other setup, so I don't have anything to compare it to. Will a different setup provide a more crisp picture? Will it be clearer at distance? I can't say. But at 2.8km, I happy with the setup.

If you have a P2 and are also getting the mini iOSD, I'd highly recommend getting this cable: http://www.amazon.com/Plug-Play-Cable-I ... sion+cable

No splicing or soldering. Just open the P2, plug in the appropriate connector from this cable to the main board, mount the iOSD and transmitter somewhere on the outside (check out YouTube for various placements), plug them into the other connectors on the cable, close up the P2, and you're good to go!

I hope that helps.

Best,
Danny

P.S. Here's a video I put together from a recent trip that has some P2 aerial segments in it: http://youtu.be/qazlaWhbATU?list=UUjqZ9 ... LbQU4I5lBg

Danny thanks for your sharing your Black Pearl and Immersion Tx experiences and the awesome video. It helps clear up (at least for me) some confusion as to if the BP 32channel and Immersion 600mW work together. And particularly those darn SMA vs RP-SMA connections. I wasn't sure if one antenna fitting had better performance over the other. Your present antennas are something for me to consider. Though the distance your getting is more than I plan on using. In fact my main purpose of the screen is to compose the video or still photo. I was considering the IBCrazy 5.8 GHz Bluebeam Ultra Antenna Set http://www.getfpv.com/ibcrazy-5-8-ghz-b ... a-set.html on the Phantom 2 with a BP and Immersion 600mW.

Thanks for the tip on the no solder cable (yep, that's now part of my plan).

My last question would it be okay to internally mount the Immersion 600mW with an extension that allows for the antenna to be externally mounted? Or does adding that extension create too much signal lose that its not worth going internally?

Thank you!

 

[dbot3000]

I would avoid mounting the transmitter internally for 3 reasons: (1) With all those electronics sitting in such close proximity to each other, the chance for interference is great. Sometimes even a little space between components will greatly improve performance and reduce interference. (2) The transmitter can get quite warm, even hot. You don't need additional heat inside the Phantom's body. (3) Most importantly, based on the transmission frequency range and the transmission power of a particular transmitter, a certain length of antenna is needed. By using an extension on the transmitter, you would most likely decrease the transmission performance, depending on the length of the extension. In a worst case scenario, it could even damage the transmitter.

If you're able to mount it somewhere internally and can do so without having to use any kind of extension on the antenna port, it might be worth trying. But there are still those other 2 concerns. But, hey, where would we be without experimentation?!

Just a word of caution, DO NOT power up the Phantom when there is no antenna on the transmitter. Within a few seconds of being powered up without an antenna, the Tx can heat up and die.

 

[HighDef]

Thanks Danny - helps me have the confidence that I can buy these parts with no compatibility issues. Only have one question from your post. When you say ..... "The BP I have has RP-SMA connectors but a couple adapters takes care of that"...what exactly does that mean? What are you adapting them to... SMA? and if so, why do you have to change them...in other words...what doesn't work if you don't change them?

 

[Alec]

I would avoid mounting the transmitter internally for 3 reasons: (1) With all those electronics sitting in such close proximity to each other, the chance for interference is great. Sometimes even a little space between components will greatly improve performance and reduce interference. (2) The transmitter can get quite warm, even hot. You don't need additional heat inside the Phantom's body. (3) Most importantly, based on the transmission frequency range and the transmission power of a particular transmitter, a certain length of antenna is needed. By using an extension on the transmitter, you would most likely decrease the transmission performance, depending on the length of the extension. In a worst case scenario, it could even damage the transmitter.

If you're able to mount it somewhere internally and can do so without having to use any kind of extension on the antenna port, it might be worth trying. But there are still those other 2 concerns. But, hey, where would we be without experimentation?!

Just a word of caution, DO NOT power up the Phantom when there is no antenna on the transmitter. Within a few seconds of being powered up without an antenna, the Tx can heat up and die.

Thanks Danny ALL for good & helpful information

Alec

 

[dbot3000]

Thanks Danny - helps me have the confidence that I can buy these parts with no compatibility issues. Only have one question from your post. When you say... "The BP I have has RP-SMA connectors but a couple adapters takes care of that"... what exactly does that mean? What are you adapting them to... SMA? and if so, why do you have to change them... in other words... what doesn't work if you don't change them?

An RP-SMA receiver simply won't connect to an SMA antenna without an adapter. They both have center pins, which will prevent them from connecting.

The adapter simply changes the RP-SMA connector to SMA. Or, to look at it the other way, it changes the SMA connectors on the antennae to RP-SMA.

What is referred to as SMA has a male thread with a center socket (as opposed to a center pin) on the receiving or transmitting hardware. It has female threads with a center pin on the antennae.

RP-SMA is just the opposite in terms of pins and sockets: It has male threads with a center PIN on the receiving or transmitting hardware, and the antennae have female threads with a center SOCKET.

So, the RP-SMA Black Pearl, being RP-SMA, has connectors with male threads and center pins. Most antennae are readily available as SMA, which means they also have a center pin. Therefore, you can't connect the SMA antenna directly to the RP-SMA receiver connectors on the BP. Fortunately, $1 adapters take care of that.

Using adapters isn't a big deal and they're cheap, but it does have to be considered. Going with the SMA version of the Black Pearl might be worth it for the adapter situation alone for some people. I didn't have the choice since only the RP-SMA version of the Black Pearl was available in the US at the time I was putting together my FPV system.

I hope that helps (hopefully that didn't make anything even more confusing)!

Best,

 

[dbot3000]

Thanks Danny ALL for good & helpful information

Alec

Sure thing, Alec!

 

[Modroco]

Maybe I can help to shed some light on the Black Pearl for everyone.
The Black Pearl monitor you should use with the immersionrc 5.8ghz 600mw tx is the 7 channel SMA / BAND "F" only. It gets confusing because the model number (RC801) is the same for both the SMA and the RP-SMA versions. The only way to tell the difference btw the 2 versions is that one box has a yellow "F" sticker on it indicating that it is a Band F only receiver. This is an excellent quality monitor and works very well with the immersionrc when the correct monitor is matched to it. We at Motor City Drone Company regularly build FPV systems and 99% of our customers are more than happy with the result of this install. We use IBCrazy BlueBeam Ultra 5.8ghz antennas on our builds and if you want some extra distance we also install a 9.5 helical antenna on the monitor. After we complete each build we test fly all of our builds to an average of 3/4 of a mile.
Things to keep in mind about FPV .(immersionrc 5.8ghz 600mw/Black Pearl)
* Distance can very greatly due to interference from outside sources and land obstructions.
* The monitor should Only be used as an accent to your line of site flying. Flying with your eyes glued to the monitor is dangerous and reckless because if your fpv is interrupted you may have No idea where your bird is. It only takes a second to glance up at your bird every once and a while to make sure you are clear of obstructions and or potential hazards.
* We keep the dop switches on the immersionrc all in the "UP" position. We have tested many different combinations and have had the best success with this setting. (The number 4 dop switch does nothing)
* It is Very Important to charge your Black Pearl battery before Each use. Since both receivers in the diversity monitor and the screen are ran off of one battery it tends to drain within a couple of flights and when power to your monitor's receivers are low their performance is greatly reduced.
* We power up components in the following order. Radio-Phantom-Gopro-Black Pearl. (This seems to give us the best results)
* If you already purchased the 32 channel RP-SMA model then you can access the menu by pressing the power button 2x (after monitor is on) and follow the prompts to select band "F" to get the most out of your monitor. (Doing this helps but still doesn't compare to the performance of the 7 channel SMA / BAND "F" Only model.
* Never turn on monitor or immersion without antennas in place.... may cause damage to components.
* Best mounting placement of the immersionrc is to attach it to the bottom of your phantom with good double-sided tape. We have tried many locations including inside of the phantom with the antenna sticking out of the shell in various places. Although mounting the immersionrc inside the phantom looks very clean and nice the performance is compromised from being in close proximity to the other electrical components.
Whether you are looking to have these components installed by us or want to install them yourself, you can visit us at www.motorcitydroneco.com
We Only Sell the Black Pearl 7 Channel SMA / BAND "F" Version so you don't have to worry about ordering the wrong one.

 

[framedtrash]

Modroco you can turn on the screen without any antenna
this doesn't cause any harm as its just a receiver
you should never power up a transmitter without a antenna as you will burn it out

 

[EdmontonPhotog]

Thanks Modroco,

Great explanation! I've been very happy with my Black Pearl 7 ch and ImmersionRC 600mW combo. Your post confirmed that this is a good match.

 

[dbot3000]

Modroco you can turn on the screen without any antenna this doesn't cause any harm as its just a receiver you should never power up a transmitter without a antenna as you will burn it out

Just wanted to +1 this. FramedTrash is exactly right. There's no worry at all in powering up the monitor without antennae attached to it. It's not transmitting anything, only receiving. It's no more harmful than turning on your TV with no antenna or cable box plugged into it. It's a problem with transmitters because there's actual wattage being radiated and if there's no antenna for it to go through, heat builds up in the electronics and it can fry them. But on a receiver, nothing's be transmitted, obviously. No need to get anyone paranoid about this.

Also wanted to point out that while Modroco's post was helpful, it pretty much just repeated information that was already in this thread and added some self-promotion/advertising.

I think the only question left open in this thread now is: WHY is the 7-channel Black Pearl any better with the IRC 600mW Tx than the 32-channel version? They both receive on the exact same channels on which the IRC 600mW Tx transmits. The 32-channel version just has additional channel options. So why should it work any worse than the 7-channel version when used in combination with the IRC 600mW?

I'd be interested in any good explanations on that one as I'm no radio frequency expert and I have yet to find a good explanation for this.

Best,

 

[akmetal]

Hey guys, I'm looking for more FPV range. I get like 200 meters out/100 meters up. I'd like more than that. I've got the iRC 5.8 ghz transmitter and the black pearl monitor. I put a fatshark antenna on the transmitter, but i've got stock antennas on the monitor. i'd like to be able to go around corners/cliffs/etc and still get fpv. is that possible?

 

[dbot3000]

You need different antennae on the receiver - a good skew planar and a directional. You still won't be able to receive a good video signal as long as there are solid objects between you and the Phantom. At 5.8 GHz, the signal is quite directional and unable to penetrate solid objects. It's just basic physics. But with the right antenna combination you should be able to get to 1500 meters easily as long as the atmospheric conditions are good (low humidity and low dust), and you aren't getting much interference in the area.

Best,

 

[Haugen]

I've got these antennas: http://www.bevrc.com/new-spironet-58ghz ... _p366.html
and this tx: http://www.bevrc.com/immersionrc-600mw- ... _p322.html

Got Phantom 2 and Black Pearl 32-Channel. Channel 4 and band F. BlackPearl has RP-SMA, but I got an adapter to fix it so the antenna would fit.
Still i got crappy signal. It better signal without any antennas on the BP. The signal is worse with the FatShark.

I believed that it was because of the 32-channel, but from what I'm reading it should work great with the 32-channel as well as the 7-channel...

Any ideas?