Drone technology has advanced at a blistering pace. Modern movies and TV shows now use drones to film aerial scenes much more effectively and cheaply. But there is one limiting factor: transmission bandwidth.
You see, drones don’t just use standard radio control to pilot time at a distance. They rely on the best drone transmitter to make sure the connection has no lag between the pilot and the drone. Most importantly, a drone video transmitter allows a cameraman to see high-quality footage from the ground.
None of this is possible without the best drone radio transmitter. Read on as we discuss all of the characteristics you should look for when purchasing a transmitter and receiver drone.
How Does a Drone Transmitter Work?
To best understand what things are important when purchasing, it pays to understand how this technology works in the first place. A drone transmitter is basically the remote control that you use for your drone.
Drones use the same radio transmission technology that has powered remote control aircraft for nearly a century. Your transmitter sends a radio signal through its drone transmitter. On the drone, an antenna receives the signal and translates it into the commands you want.
The frequency of this transmission matters. Higher frequencies have a quicker response. Lower frequencies, on the other hand, can travel much further even though they are a bit slower.
Here are some of the radio transmission frequencies:
- 2.4GHz
- 1.3GHz
- 900Mh
- 433Mhz
- 72MHz
- 27MHz
2.4 GHz is the most common frequency. It’s the same frequency that your Wi-Fi router uses to transmit Wi-Fi. It gives a decent balance of range with high transmission capability.
Modern transmitters read the frequencies in the airwaves. They use what is known as frequency hopping, which is where they use only available channels first. This avoids creating unnecessary interference with other pilots, allowing multiple people to fly at once.
You can view these transmitters as examples of quality transmitters that would be best for you. Now, let’s discuss the things your drone’s transmitter should have for the best footage.
Compatible Receiver
Even the best budget drone transmitter will be useless if it is not compatible with your drone’s receiver. Typically, the best way to solve this problem is to check your Tx and Rx brands. In some cases, you may have radio receivers capable of talking with another protocol that is not from their brand.
Further, make sure the frequency range is the same. Naturally, if your transponder does not accept 2.4 GHz, but your drone supports it, you will run into problems.
Tactile, Economic, and High-Quality Gimbals
Gimbals are those little sticks on the remote control that you use to control the drone. When you move the gimbals in any direction, these translate to rotor commands.
Naturally, you want the best gimbals that you can get. Gimbles need to be grippy, as well as ergonomic for your hand size. When you move them, they shouldn’t snag or get stuck on their extreme edges.
Having good gimbals translates into not just a smoother drone experience, but better control. If things get hectic, or your drone is in a risky situation, good gimbals will get you out of it.
Gimbal Types
Gimbals, like game controllers, have different mechanisms for achieving control. That’s right, your drone transmitter is using the same technology found on an Xbox controller.
Here are the two main types of gimbals:
- (Analog) Potentiometer-type Gimbal
- (Digital) Hall Effect Gimbal
Don’t assume that analog is necessarily better in this situation. Potentiometers make use of a brush that captures stick values. This actually causes them to wear out sooner, resulting in more frequent replacements for you.
Hall Effect gimbals are the gold standard these days. They use magnets as the medium for capturing stick position values. This allows them to function well for many years before needing a replacement.
Further, Hall Effect is more precise than the competition. Precision is key in drone flight, so we highly recommend these.
Channels
Channels are jargon for specific commands. In other words, if you push the gimbal to the left, a channel would be the specific command this causes.
Here are the most common commands:
- Roll: your drone spins horizontally left or right
- Pitch: your drone rotates toward the nose or towards the tail
- Yaw: your drone spins on a flat plane when level with the earth
- Throttle: controls propeller RPMs, which naturally makes your drone go slower or faster
A good transmitter will have at least two extra channels. Having more channels makes it easier to switch between different modes of flight. Of course, if you get more channels than your drone receiver has, extra channels won’t help.
Modes
Mode refers to your preferred method of flying. For example, headless mode makes it easy to pilot the drone even when it is facing toward you
This most common mode is Mode 2. Make sure your transmitter has all four modes.
Radio Receivers
We’ve hinted a lot at the radio receiver. After all, this is what affects your drone’s ability to receive and interpret commands. Without a decent receiver, even the best drone transmitter is a waste.
As we said above with compatibility, your receiver must be compatible with either Tx or Rx. Having a sufficiently powerful onboard computer also helps to process these commands faster.
Onboard Operating System
Drones need an operating system, just as modern airplanes do. In most cases, you will be running something like OpenTX. This is a free, open-source OS that includes firmware for transmitters, and has a wide range of compatibility.
OpenTX works with the following:
- FlySky 9X
- Turnigy 9X
- FrSky Horus X10 and X12
- FrSky Taranis X9D as well as Q7X and X9E
Keep in mind, OpenTX was built with FPV pilots in mind. If you do not intend to race your drone, you will benefit from a different operating system.
Purchase Your Drone Video Transmitter Today
A drone transmitter is the lifeblood of any good FPV drone. It determines how snappy your channels are, how much video bandwidth you have, and the operating system you use. Keep the above tips in mind when shopping for the best drone transmitter for you.
