The Twilight Zone

DattaGroover · Mar 12, 2016

I'm having FPV video problems, and would love some help.

When Solo starts up, I usually have video, but not always. When the Solo gets anywhere between 10' and 100' away, the video cuts out. SOMETIMES the video feed will come back, even at 2200 feet away, and 400 feet up, but it is not consistent.

To make the video come back, all I have to do is take the Solo to within inches of the ground. VERY strange! In other worlds it could be 5' away or 50' away, but when I bring it down to ALMOST land, the FPV video comes back.

I'm using the LRFPV half-helical antennas and boosters. I always aim them directly at the Solo, and keep an eye on the signal level. It will fly nealy a mile line of sight without losing control. I have my suspicions this setup might have something to do with it, but it worked fine for a couple of weeks (with the boosters and antenna).

I'm usually watching on my Samsung Galaxy Note edge, but my Kindle HDX 8.9 is exactly the same. I've tried it with two different GoPros with the same result.

Both GoPros are updated (3.0) and the Solo app, controller and Solo are all 2.1.0. AND the Tower video window doesn't work either. All camera and gimbal controls work perfectly. All video footage is totally normal.

Any ideas?

Maddog · Mar 12, 2016

DattaGroover said:
I'm having FPV video problems, and would love some help.

When Solo starts up, I usually have video, but not always. When the Solo gets anywhere between 10' and 100' away, the video cuts out. SOMETIMES the video feed will come back, even at 2200 feet away, and 400 feet up, but it is not consistent.

To make the video come back, all I have to do is take the Solo to within inches of the ground. VERY strange! In other worlds it could be 5' away or 50' away, but when I bring it down to ALMOST land, the FPV video comes back.

I'm using the LRFPV half-helical antennas and boosters. I always aim them directly at the Solo, and keep an eye on the signal level. It will fly nealy a mile line of sight without losing control. I have my suspicions this setup might have something to do with it, but it worked fine for a couple of weeks (with the boosters and antenna).

I'm usually watching on my Samsung Galaxy Note edge, but my Kindle HDX 8.9 is exactly the same. I've tried it with two different GoPros with the same result.

Both GoPros are updated (3.0) and the Solo app, controller and Solo are all 2.1.0. AND the Tower video window doesn't work either. All camera and gimbal controls work perfectly. All video footage is totally normal.

Any ideas?

Hey, didn't I just see youse on another thread? Gotta stop meetin' like dis..

Have you tried switching back to stock antennas? That is very strange.

J R · Mar 12, 2016

DattaGroover said:
I'm having FPV video problems, and would love some help. Any ideas?

Datta,

Bad HDMI cable or faulty, loose connection. There have been quite a few of them.

Jerry

DattaGroover · Mar 13, 2016

Maddog said:
Hey, didn't I just see youse on another thread? Gotta stop meetin' like dis..

Have you tried switching back to stock antennas? That is very strange.

Yeah, really!
I think tomorrow, I will try replacing the HDMI cable. I got the ribbon cable a couple weeks ago, but have been too lazy to take the Solo apart to replace it. Then I will try the antennas. I doubt that's it, but who knows? Got to try everything. The really weird part is how it would start working every time I got close (as in the legs touching the grass) to the ground.

DattaGroover · Mar 13, 2016

J R said:
Datta,

Bad HDMI cable or faulty, loose connection. There have been quite a few of them.

Jerry

Swapping it out tomorrow! THe strange this is how it works when it almost lands, or after it lands (and the recording stops).

Thanks!

J R · Mar 13, 2016

DattaGroover said:
Swapping it out tomorrow! THe strange this is how it works when it almost lands, or after it lands (and the recording stops).

Thanks!

Datta,

I was finding patterns with mine when it started to go as well. That's what made me believe it had to be something else. Swapped the cable and bingo! YMMV. Good luck!

Jerry

DattaGroover · Mar 17, 2016

That was it! Changed the damn cable and it works just fine. YAY!

Ian [P13] · Mar 17, 2016

Won't be antenna as the Solo was RTL is the feed was lost. This is HDMI, gimbal or GoPro.

DattaGroover · Mar 17, 2016

Ian [P13] said:
Won't be antenna as the Solo was RTL is the feed was lost. This is HDMI, gimbal or GoPro.

It was definitely the HDMI cable.

DattaGroover · Mar 20, 2016

J R said:
Datta,

I was finding patterns with mine when it started to go as well. That's what made me believe it had to be something else. Swapped the cable and bingo! YMMV. Good luck!

Jerry

That worked for me, too!