This quick tutorial will walk you through how to setup RTK with your Astro or Alta X using the Pilot Pro with the Herelink or Doodle Labs radio module
Things you need:
Astro / Alta X
Pilot Pro with Herelink / Doodle Labs
Freefly RTK Base Station
Laptop / computer
Ethernet Cable
USB to Ethernet adapter (only if your laptop does not have an ethernet port)
USB-C cable (USB-C on the RTK side, whatever your computer accepts on the other)
If using a Doodle Labs radio, you will need to enable the RJ45 ethernet port on the back of the module
First, connect all required devices. You will need to connect the following connections:
Pilot Pro connected to the computer with an ethernet cable
Freefly RTK Base Station connected to the computer with a USB cable
Video Link: Setting up an ethernet connection on your computer with Pilot Pro
On the computer, configure ethernet adapter IPv4 properties to a static IP:
IP: 192.168.144.199
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
In AMC on your companion device, Navigate to Settings > Comm Links > add to add a TCP comm link with the following settings: Name: <User Specified> Type: TCP Host Address: 192.168.144.20 TCP Port: 5790
Under Settings > General > RTK GPS, you'll have the option for how the RTK base station location is determined. This setting will only appear when you activate AMC Advanced mode. Survey-In will listen for GPS for the specified observation time, and then allow RTK if the accuracy is below the specified number. If you know the exact base position, we would recommend to use the specified base position for higher accuracy
After going through the above settings, QGC is set to automatically connect by default, but if you do not see a connection, please follow the instructions below:
In QGC on your companion device, Navigate to Application Settings > Comm Links > add to add a UDP comm link:
When adding a comm link, use the following settings: Name: <User Specified> Type: UDP Host Address: 192.168.144.12 UDP Port: 14553
If you already have a connection in QGC, you can skip this section. If you are still having trouble connecting the secondary device after going through the steps above, you may need to add an inbound firewall rule to allow QGC to receive the stream. Operating systems may vary in how this is done, we will go through a windows example below: This will require Admin permissions on the computer.
Open up "Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security"
Under "Inbound Rules" on the left, select "New Rule..." on the right
Create a rule with the following settings: - Port Rule - UDP Rule - Specific local ports: 14553 - Allow the connection - Rule applies to Domain, Private, Public - Give the Rule a name, and save!
Under Application Settings > General > RTK GPS, you'll have the option for how the RTK base station location is determined. Survey-In will listen for GPS for the specified observation time, and then allow RTK if the accuracy is below the specified number. If you know the exact base position, we would recommend to use the specified base position for higher accuracy
Operate Pilot Pro as it ships.
This solution will give you a controller that is light enough to take with you when constantly on the move, but still has everything you need to make it through 6hrs of flight.
Pilot Pro ships standard with a Neck Strap, Handle Grips, Tablet Guard, and a SKB Protective Case.
Capably of being fully charged in 1 hour. (2 hours if Pilot Pro is in use.)
Weight: 1.9Kg
Additional Accessories: 45W charger and USB-C cable
Add a V-Mount Battery Plate Kit to operate all day long using your choice of V-Lock Battery.
This solution will allow you to swap external batteries
Rig up with lanyard harness, and adjust the monitor into the up position for better view.
Tablet Guard/handle rests on your body for comfort during extended flight time.
Weight: 2.3Kg (w/FXLion Nano One)
Set up Pilot Pro as a full ground control station by adding a second screen and mounting to a tripod or Pilot's Station.
This solution will allow you to have the ultimate pilot command center. Connecting to additional tablets, 3rd Party Applications, and computer to suite all your needs.
Weight: Variable based on setup.
Available Accessories:
Freefly currently offers a Herelink radio module and a NDAA/Blue compatible Doodle radio module.
Pilot Pro architecture allows radio backpack to be swappable (not hot-swappable).
Radio backpacks have a RJ-45 Ethernet connector that allows external devices to directly join the radio network. This enables use cases such as using the ESRI Site Scan on an iPad.
910-00714
910-00716
910-00717
910-00718
910-00719
910-00724
910-00757*
Battery Mount
910-00758
V-Mount Battery Plate Kit
910-00759
Pilot Pro Spare Parts Kit
910-00761
Replacement Neck Strap
910-00784
Pilot Pro's tablet can connect to external hotspots via wifi as normal.
Use the Android wifi settings screen to select the hotspot.
It is advised to use a 5ghz hotspot rather than a 2.4ghz one, as the 2.4ghz one may work poorly in the presence of the drone's point-to-point radio, and may interfere with the drone's connection to the Pilot Pro
The tablet can accept an optional nano SIM card from a number of providers and get internet access using cellular networks. This will allow downloading of maps and other data while not connected to wifi.
NEVER CONNECT TWO PILOT PROS TOGETHER WITH ETHERNET CABLES.
This will cause an ip conflict which will cause networking problems with the drone. Internal networking components use static IP addresses.
The RJ45 connector on the back of the radio module is used to connect to the drone, not the internet. It is controlled by the ethernet settings in the Android app and is preconfigured by Freefly. They can be changed, but doing so will break the connection to the drone. Should this happen, the steps to restore the connection are:
Go to connection settings in the Android settings menu
Go to more connections
Select ethernet
Disable the ethernet connection (required to make changes)
Go to the configuration screen
Select Static IP (selecting DHCP would allow a user to connect this to an external network and give the tablet internet access, at the expense of comms to the drone)
In the static IP settings, set these in THIS ORDER:
IP address = 192.168.144.11
Netmask = 255.255.255.0
Gateway = 192.168.144.12
DNS = 8.8.8.8
Use the Android back button to hide the keyboard, then select save
Reenable the ethernet slider
Here are the most common use cases:
Connecting a computer to the drone
Adding a second tablet / iPad
Screen mirroring to an external monitor
A computer can control the drone by joining the radio network on the Pilot Pro. This opens up possibilities for diverse scenarios, including the operation of a mission control application like AMC on a laptop. The RJ45 port, located on the Pilot Pro radio module, serves as a gateway for the computer to tap into the drone's internal radio network.
This can be potentially dangerous and cause issues with the connection to the drone
Ensure the drone is on the ground and disarmed
Connect a laptop to the controller via RJ45 (example accessories: https://a.co/d/06ZZ3kP, https://a.co/d/663glnm)
Change the computer's IP address for the RJ45 connection to:
IP address: any value in the following range 192.168.144.100-150 (this range is not used by the internal components)
Netmask 255.255.255.0
Gateway - do not populate, can use 192.168.144.12 if required
DNS - do not populate
From a command prompt, the computer should be able to ping components in the system:
192.168.144.20 - Aircraft Skynode
192.168.144.10 - Aircraft side radio
192.168.144.12 - Pilot Pro side radio module
192.168.144.11 - Pilot Pro tablet
To make a connection to the drone,
Open AMC on the connected computer
Go to settings, then Comm Links
Add a new connection with the following properties
Connection type TCP
IP address 192.168.144.20
Port 5790
Save and click connect, and AMC should connect to the aircraft.
In this configuration, there is no IP connection to the drone directly. However, it is still possible to connect to the data stream with a computer via the Mavlink router on the herelink. To do so:
Connect to the RJ45 port and configure the network as listed for Astro above.
Open AMC
Go to settings, Comm Links
Add a new connection and edit it as shown
Click connect
AMC should be connected to the drone.
Be careful about data usage in this mode- This stream is going through a 57600 baud serial link and has extremely limited bandwidth.
Mounting: We have the following set of accessories to make it easy to mount second screen/tablet on top of the pilot pro: Tripod Adapter (Pilot Pro), Freefly Adjustable Accessory Mount, Tablet Clamp Mount.
Cables: If you are using a tablet/iPad, you can have it join the radio network to access data through the RJ45 connector on the Pilot Pro's Radio Module. You'll need accessories like an RJ45 cable, Ethernet adapter.
Connecting: Setup will depend on the software you use. However it will most likely be very close to the following.
Screen sharing is still in development. We are testing a few paths including wireless and wired options.