Maintenance information relating to Freefly's implementation of the Herelink into Astro.
While Herelink is a product available for purchase outside of Freefly, please keep in mind that the Astro implementation of Herelink is uniquely tailored for optimal performance and functionality. We don't recommend accessing any of the ports available on the Herelink Air Unit, as it may interfere with some of these optimizations or may even be disabled. The Herelink wiki can be helpful for some questions, but may not provide accurate information in the context of Astro. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out to contact@freeflysystems.com or Contact Us through our website.
Only one Herelink can be paired with Astro at a time. If another remote is paired, it breaks the connection with the previous remote, even after the second remote has been powered off.
Prepare non-metallic tweezers or toothpick.
Remove the Herelink cover and seal.
Install one battery on Astro and activate.
Turn on the Herelink Pilot Handset.
Use your finger to pull down from the top of the screen and select the Herelink Radio Status message.
On the Herelink Radio page, tap “Pair”.
Using tweezers, press and hold the Herelink Air Unit "Pair/Reset" button until LED2 blinks (hold approximately 3 seconds).
Verify the Herelink Pilot Handset shows a status of "PAIRED" and the uplink rate is non-zero.
Open the AMC app on Herelink Pilot Handset and verify connection to the aircraft. Power off Astro and Herelink Pilot Handset.
Improper installation of this seal can allow water entry to the Herelink Air Unit, which has little internal water resistance. Failure of the Herelink Air Unit would result in a loss of radio link. Repair of this unit requires the entire Astro to be sent to Freefly.
Invert Astro. Remove 3x M2.5 x 5 BHCS and remove Herelink Cover with Seal from the Astro Chassis underside.
Install Rubber Grommet
2. Use 3x M2.5 x 5 BHCS to mount Herelink Cover to Astro Chassis underside. Apply Loctite 222 to fasteners. Torque to 0.2 newton meters (finger tight).
Please do not format Herelink to factory settings! All of Freefly's configurations to make Herelink work optimally with Astro out of the box will be lost. If you are experiencing issues with Herelink, please reach out to us at contact@freeflysystems.com for assistance.
Use the Freefly Updater app for managing app updates on your Herelink controllers. If the Freefly Updater app is not installed, follow these instructions. Ensure your controller is connected to the internet to install the latest apps and receive update notifications.
To update your apps, go through the following steps.
Connect your controller to the internet.
Open the Freefly Updater app.
Either refresh the Your Apps page or wait for it to auto-refresh.
This page will display a comprehensive list of all apps available for installation or update. Apps with the latest version will be marked as LATEST.
To update or install apps, simply tap on the desired app and follow the prompts to INSTALL or UPDATE, granting any necessary permissions.
Revisit this page anytime to confirm you have the latest versions of your apps.
This process is rendered obsolete for most customers by the Freefly Updater.
Connect your Herelink to the internet through WiFi.
Swipe down from the top of the screen to pull down the Android quick menu.
If there are any updates available, you will see them here. Follow the instructions to get your software updated. Alternatively, go to Android Settings > About phone > System Updates.
If you get a "Can't check for updates" message, go to Settings > Date & Time, and ensure the date is correct. If not, manually correct it before trying to update the software again. If you're still unable to update, check your internet connection using Chrome on the Herelink. Occasionally, wifi access points require you to agree to terms and conditions in your browser before an internet connection is fully established. 40% battery is required to update the Herelink firmware.
To find the Herelink firmware version, drag down from the top of the Herelink's touch screen and tap the settings gear in the top-right corner. Scroll all the way to the bottom of this menu and select About phone. On the next screen, look for the OEM build number.
In December 2023, we have enhanced the app update process for Herelink controllers. Previously, updates were delivered via a full Android system over-the-air (OTA) update, which was time-consuming and required updating the entire system even for a single app. Now, with the Freefly Updater app, you can individually manage updates for each app. This app notifies you of available updates or new apps, allowing you to install the latest versions easily. The Freefly Updater also includes a page to view the status of all your Herelink apps, ensuring you're always up to date. (Please note that an internet connection is required to detect new app versions.)
Following is a one time process for switching to the Freefly Updater Workflow on Herelink.
Connect your Herelink to the internet through WiFi.
Swipe down from the top of the screen to pull down the Android quick menu.
If there are any updates available, you will see them here. Follow the instructions to get your software updated. Alternatively, go to Android Settings > About phone > System Updates.
After completing the OTA, note that Herelink will no longer have AMC (Auterion Mission Control) and Skyway apps installed.
Ensure your Herelink is connected to the internet.
Open the new Freefly Updater app, which can be found on your home/launch screen.
Once in the Freefly Updater app, either refresh the page or wait a few seconds for it to automatically check for the latest apps.
Select the apps you need to install (Auterion Mission Control and Skyway) and proceed to installing them both.
Use the refresh button at the top of the page to update the app status if necessary.
Step 3: Finalizing the Installation of Skyway and AMC
Setup Skyway
After installing Skyway, open the app at least once. This ensures it will automatically launch in future startups.
Remember, both AMC (Auterion Mission Control) and Skyway are necessary to connect to the drone.
Locate and Organize Apps
Following installation, you'll likely find the Freefly Updater app and AMC on the Android home screen. If not:
Access your app list by tapping the grid icon at the bottom right of the home screen.
Find the AMC app icon.
To add AMC and Skyway to your Favorites:
Tap and hold on the app icon.
Select "Add to Favorites" from the pop-up menu.
Repeat these steps for the Skyway app.
Enabling Automatic Launch for AMC:
If you wish for AMC to open automatically each time you turn on the controller:
Tap and hold the AMC app icon.
Choose "Enable Launch on Boot" from the pop-up menu.
Herelink controller is now ready for use.
Astro ships with the Herelink system. Here is the CubePilot documentation. Below are a few points specific to usage with Astro.
Herelink ships in Mode 2 configuration. (Freefly have not tested Mode 1 extensively.)
Herelink ships with the Auterion Mission Control (AMC) app installed. Details of the GUI are in the AMC section of the wiki.
The color scheme can be set to Outdoor (white background) or Indoor (black background) in AMC > Settings.
Screen brightness and audio volume can be adjusted in Android settings, found by using the pull down gesture from the top of the screen. We recommend maximum brightness and volume.
Antennas should be oriented so that the whip antenna points vertically upward and the disc patch antenna's top surface faces Astro.
The Herelink Controller that is shipped with Astro comes with two different styles of control sticks. You can use whichever kind you want depending on if you are a "pinch" style or a "thumb" style grip.
To change the sticks, simply unscrew them like a standard bolt and thread on the other stick version.
When using non-Freefly travel cases, remove sticks to avoid damage to the Herelink.
Charging requires at least 2 amps of current. Less will cause the device to charge slowly or even loose charge.
We recommend connecting Herelink to a power source while flying. With the display at maximum brightness, flight time on the internal battery can be quite short.
While flying, we power Herelink with SL-8 batteries. Herelink consumes approximately 3% of the SL-8 battery per hour. (USB-C to USB Micro-B cables are sometimes tough to find, so we carry them in the Freefly Store.)
Herelink can access the internet by connecting to wifi networks. Doing so allows you to download satellite maps for offline use.
To connect Herelink to Wifi:
Drag your finger from the top of the touch screen in a downward motion.
Press and hold the Wifi button, as shown in the above picture.
Select your Wifi network and enter the password if required.
Assuming you have the correct information and a working Wifi access point, Herelink should now be connected to the internet.
Herelink can only connect to 5 GHz networks. The 2.4 GHz band is used for communication with the aircraft.
Activate 5 GHz wifi hotspot on iPhone 12: Settings > Personal Hotspot > Maximize compatibility: Disable. iPhone 11 and older do not offer a 5 GHz wifi hotspot.
Herelink can create a wifi network to facilitate connecting iPad/PC to Astro in flight, for example, to run AMC or a companion app like ESRI Site Scan.
Astro also has a wifi chip on board, but it does not have significant range. We recommend the Herelink hotspot described in this section for in-flight connections.
Here's the section about Astro wifi settings.
We recommend connecting Herelink to a power source whenever the hotspot is being used because hotspot usage significantly increases Herelink power consumption. (If you'd like to use a SL-8 battery, we offer the cable you'll need.)
Herelink
Power on and open AMC on the Herelink controller.
PC
Herelink
Herelink
PC
If you aren't able to connect after following the above steps, you'll need to add a new UDP link on the connecting device (laptop/tablet). Tap the AMC icon in the top-left corner, then settings>comm links to create a new UDP Link. Fill in the settings as shown below:
Once that configuration is created, you'll need to select it from the list and hit "Connect". Alternatively, you can set it up to automatically connect on start as shown in the screenshot.
Prepare non-metallic tweezers or toothpick.
Install one battery on Astro and activate.
Turn on Herelink Pilot Handset.
Slide down from the top of screen and select the Herelink Radio Status message.
On the Herelink Radio page, tap “Pair”.
Using tweezers, press and hold the Herelink Air Unit "Pair/Reset" button until LED2 blinks (hold approximately 3 seconds).
Verify the Herelink Pilot Handset shows a status of "PAIRED" and uplink rate is non-zero.
Open the AMC app on Herelink Pilot Handset and verify connection to the aircraft.
Power off Astro and optionally Herelink Pilot Handset.
Only one Herelink can be paired with Astro at a time. If another remote is paired, it breaks the connection with the previous remote, even after the second remote has been powered off.
The Herelink runs Android. Do not change any Android settings except as described in this wiki.
Power on and open on your computer.
Hotspot settings (first time): Pull down from the top of the touch screen two times. Tap and hold the hotspot icon in the top-right. Select Tethering & Portable Hotspot.
Enable hotspot: Pull down from the top of the touch screen two times. Tap the hotspot icon in the top-right.
Connect to the Herelink wifi network (named something like “Android…” or “DV...”). If the aircraft is not recognized by AMC PC, set up a
