David Loftus
Pre-takeoff checklist
Here's a question for the engineers out there. I have tried many action cameras from GoPro, Sony, and Garmin mounted in different spots on my Diamond DA40. I've had mixed success with controlling them remotely from the cockpit. My latest acquisition is an Insta360 X3. Got a good deal on a kit from Costco and I was convinced that this was going to be a great addition to my camera collection. At home, I tested my iPhone Insta360 app extensively, controlling the camera from up to 60 feet away. Seemed bulletproof. Took it to the hangar and mounted it to the tiedown under the wingtip. I could control it from beyond the opposite wingtip, over 40 feet away. I taxied toward the runway and had no problem starting the recording from the cockpit just before pulling out of the runup area. But 5 minutes into the flight I tried to put the Insta360 into sleep mode to save battery life. App says Unable to achieve connection. Tried probably a dozen times during the flight with no success reconnecting. Once I landed and shut off the engine, I had no problem controlling the camera again.
So I thought I would ground test to see whether EMI from the avionics was causing my communication breakdown. Connected up my ground power unit, switched on the avionics bus, and everything works perfectly beyond 40 feet. That's with the G1000, GTX345, all the radios, etc running and no problem controlling the camera from a much greater distance.
So the only remaining causes of interference I can think of are the alternator, ignition system, and static buildup on the composite airframe. But could they be emitting noise way up at 2.4GHz to knock out remote control communications?? That's 6 orders of magnitude above the 2400 RPM's the engine is turning. Has anyone had a similar challenge?
My next step is to fly it again with the camera mounted to the tail. And maybe having someone in the backseat try to hold the iPhone closer to the tail (and away from the engine compartment).
More than 30 years ago I used to design and test military aircraft radars, RWR's, and other avionics and warfare systems. We could mount them in an A10 or F16 in an RF anechoic chamber at Eglin AFB and measure the spectrum precisely in all directions. Too bad I don't have access to those toys today. But they weren't trying to control cheap consumer items via flimsy protocols like WiFi and BLE. Thoughts?
So I thought I would ground test to see whether EMI from the avionics was causing my communication breakdown. Connected up my ground power unit, switched on the avionics bus, and everything works perfectly beyond 40 feet. That's with the G1000, GTX345, all the radios, etc running and no problem controlling the camera from a much greater distance.
So the only remaining causes of interference I can think of are the alternator, ignition system, and static buildup on the composite airframe. But could they be emitting noise way up at 2.4GHz to knock out remote control communications?? That's 6 orders of magnitude above the 2400 RPM's the engine is turning. Has anyone had a similar challenge?
My next step is to fly it again with the camera mounted to the tail. And maybe having someone in the backseat try to hold the iPhone closer to the tail (and away from the engine compartment).
More than 30 years ago I used to design and test military aircraft radars, RWR's, and other avionics and warfare systems. We could mount them in an A10 or F16 in an RF anechoic chamber at Eglin AFB and measure the spectrum precisely in all directions. Too bad I don't have access to those toys today. But they weren't trying to control cheap consumer items via flimsy protocols like WiFi and BLE. Thoughts?
