Using two controllers for 7 mile river crossing

[marcbyron]

I am planning to do a river crossing, for which I would require two people with two controllers (M2P remote plus Smart Controller) on both sides of the river. The M2P would depart from one side of the river, using one controller and at half way point the person on the other side of the river would take over using the Smart Controller. The distance between both ends is about 7 miles, putting the half way point at 3.5 miles.

Is this even possible?
Some questions I have for this setup:
- How can I set up M2P to have 2 controllers connected at the same time?
- Assuming that 7 miles is too far to keep the connection, how can I connect to the M2P with a 2nd controller while in mid-flight approaching the other side?
- If connected to both controllers at the same time, do both controllers have full control over the drone?
- Will both controllers receive a video feed?

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

I think it's a cool experiment. Not sure how you maintain VLOS. But that aside, can you try this on a much smaller scale to test out dual connectivity, or the transfer of connection as one turns off and one turns on (no RTH, just hover when signal is lost). Problem is, each controller would have to have very little signal attenuation, otherwise the AC would be lost. ?

 

[Starz]

Didn’t I read somewhere that dual controllers have a distance apart limit?
And I don’t think it’s 7 miles.
I’ve been wrong before, so I’ll hang back and watch.

 

[ZX14-R]

I believe the two controller option was for one to operate the drone and the other to operate the camera.
I believe the drone controller would be the MASTER and have full control over the drone.

 

[RTI Glen]

Is there a way to trick the stone's take off location (home)
Then fly halfway and hit RTH ?
Or disconnect (turn off) controller 1 at halfway point and reconnect With controller 2. And make sure you are flying down wind at full speed.

 

[gnirtS]

How is someone going to hit the button on the drone to re-pair the transmitter in flight?....

 

[Bill combs]

How is someone going to hit the button on the drone to re-pair the transmitter in flight?....

i don’t believe its possible to operate to rc on one dji drone for the reason you just stated .

 

[Ken-Mav-Mtl]

I have wondered about long distance flights using my M2Zoom. How about planning a flight with waypoints, where you set the final waypoint at the other side of the river (choose wide open area suitable for landing and have someone ready to recover your drone). You would have to rely on the options for waypoints to determine what to do, and by programming a landing at the final waypoint, it may be possible to send the Mav out 7 miles (taking into account, wind, max flight time, etc). Of course, the connection with the controller would be lost, but if programmed to follow waypoints and to land a the final waypoint, wouldn't it be possible to pull off such a flight?

 

[Dave Maine]

Linking to the 2nd controller while airborne is physically impossible.

 

[AnzacJack]

The security that prevents someone from hijacking your drone is the very reason that makes this very hard. As mentioned above, your best bet may be waypoints. With some before planning, you could test the landing site and settings by physically running that way point where you can watch it. Then just a matter of setting the waypoints leading up to that final waypoint. thorough planning always (mostly) makes for as safe and successful flight.

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

I have wondered about long distance flights using my M2Zoom. How about planning a flight with waypoints, where you set the final waypoint at the other side of the river (choose wide open area suitable for landing and have someone ready to recover your drone). You would have to rely on the options for waypoints to determine what to do, and by programming a landing at the final waypoint, it may be possible to send the Mav out 7 miles (taking into account, wind, max flight time, etc). Of course, the connection with the controller would be lost, but if programmed to follow waypoints and to land a the final waypoint, wouldn't it be possible to pull off such a flight?

This might work. The messages I’ve seen regarding waypoints is that it continues even if signal is lost.

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

I am planning to do a river crossing, for which I would require two people with two controllers (M2P remote plus Smart Controller) on both sides of the river. The M2P would depart from one side of the river, using one controller and at half way point the person on the other side of the river would take over using the Smart Controller. The distance between both ends is about 7 miles, putting the half way point at 3.5 miles.

Is this even possible?
Some questions I have for this setup:
- How can I set up M2P to have 2 controllers connected at the same time?
- Assuming that 7 miles is too far to keep the connection, how can I connect to the M2P with a 2nd controller while in mid-flight approaching the other side?
- If connected to both controllers at the same time, do both controllers have full control over the drone?
- Will both controllers receive a video feed?

Would this work?...
Use one controller
Plan waypoints to your destination
Set the flight speed to something slow
Set the end point to hover
Start the flight of waypoints
Turn off the controller
Get in your car and drive ASAP to your destination
Turn the controller on to establish connection
Land

(Crazy, man... crazy!)

 

[sar104]

This might work. The messages I’ve seen regarding waypoints is that it continues even if signal is lost.

A Litchi mission could do this - as long as smart RTH is disabled first - otherwise it would turn back before completion.

 

[BigAl07]

Would this work?...
Use one controller
Plan waypoints to your destination
Set the flight speed to something slow
Set the end point to hover
Start the flight of waypoints
Turn off the controller
Get in your car and drive ASAP to your destination
Turn the controller on to establish connection
Land

(Crazy, man... crazy!)

That "should" work.


@marcbyron You do realize you're openly suggesting, on the internet, that you're going to intentionally violate Federal Regulations?

**Edited to add clarity as to who my comment was directed to . . ..

 

[AnzacJack]

Would this work?...
Use one controller
Plan waypoints to your destination
Set the flight speed to something slow
Set the end point to hover
Start the flight of waypoints
Turn off the controller
Get in your car and drive ASAP to your destination
Turn the controller on to establish connection
Land

(Crazy, man... crazy!)

Could you get a boat for the crossing and maintain VLOS for the mission

 

[Ken-Mav-Mtl]

Interesting discussion. The only way you can make a 7 mile flight in Canada and remain within the regulations is to have someone pilot the boat to remain within 500 meters of the drone as it flies across the river.

It is illegal (in Canada) to pilot a drone and operate a moving vehicle or vessel (i.e. a boat). The fine is $1,000.00.
901.37 No pilot shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft
while operating a moving vehicle, vessel or manned aircraft.

One way to test a waypoint mission of 7 miles with a landing at final waypoint would be to create a waypoint mission that remains within 500 meters of take-off point and flies waypoints until you cover 7 miles, then have it land at final waypoint. Who will be the first to run this experiment? (Entirely legal if within 500 meters and VLOS).

 

[sar104]

One way to test a waypoint mission of 7 miles with a landing at final waypoint would be to create a waypoint mission that remains within 500 meters of take-off point and flies waypoints until you cover 7 miles, then have it land at final waypoint. Who will be the first to run this experiment? (Entirely legal if within 500 meters and VLOS).

There's really nothing to test, at least using Litchi - that scenario obviously works, as does the fly 7 miles away scenario.

 

[Kazzaaz]

I thought that with dual controllers the master controller "passed on" data to the slave controller as opposed to the slave having a direct connection to the drone.

Is this not the case? In my experience signal quality drops considerably when connecting more than one controller.

 

[GadgetGuy]

That "should" work.

You do realize you're openly suggesting, on the internet, that you're going to intentionally violate Federal Regulations?

With all due respect, the actual poster you are replying to is not going to do anything— his post was merely a hypothetical, technical, feasibility question, of "would this work?". The legality of such a hypothetical flight is a completely separate issue, for which there might be other additional solutions, that would accompany the technical solution. The OP also never provided any location information for the flight, from which one could make a determination that Federal Regulations have any relevance, and the OP has also not publicly listed his location, from which the flight location might even be inferred. We are continually asked to be mindful that we have a global international membership, and that certainly applies here, too. Federal Regulations, assuming they are even applicable, only apply to flights made in the United States. We don't have enough information to make that determination. For all we know, this is a flight for a planned vacation in a foreign country, assuming the OP is an American pilot, for which we also have no basis, other than he writes in English and is using Imperial distances.

 

[dannybgoode]

With all due respect, the actual poster you are replying to is not going to do anything— his post was merely a hypothetical, technical, feasibility question, of "would this work?". The legality of such a hypothetical flight is a completely separate issue, for which there might be other additional solutions, that would accompany the technical solution. The OP also never provided any location information for the flight, from which one could make a determination that Federal Regulations have any relevance, and the OP has also not publicly listed his location, from which the flight location might even be inferred. We are continually asked to be mindful that we have a global international membership, and that certainly applies here, too. Federal Regulations, assuming they are even applicable, only apply to flights made in the United States. We don't have enough information to make that determination. For all we know, this is a flight for a planned vacation in a foreign country, assuming the OP is an American pilot, for which we also have no basis, other than he writes in English and is using Imperial distances.

His opening line is ‘I am planning to do a river crossing...’. That is not hypothetical. I am not aware of any country where the drone regs do not state the operator must maintain visual contact with the drone.

I don’t care whether he breaches regs or not but it is clear that of technically possible the flight will be made.

Had he started the whole thing off with for example ‘Suppose someone wanted to fly 7 miles straight out...’ - that would be hypothetical.