Thanks to the contributions of donors, we were able to pay for another UAV.
The quadcopter’s basic parameters were rigourously tested, which led to the following conclusions:
1. The 4.5A/hour battery allows it to stay in the air for about 10-12 minutes;
2. The engine allows for lifting no more than 350 grams;
3. The camera that comes with a basic set, allows operator to look only in the direction of the flight of the UAV;
4. The radio control of the UAV maintains a stable signal to a distance of up to 1.2 km;
5. The video channel d” provides a stable signal at a distance up to 2 km;
6. In the presence of wind with a speed of 10 m/sec the quadcopter is constantly at risk of flipping and losing GPS signal and as a result go into an uncontrolled fall.
Video of the tests of quadcopter “Discovery”
Thus, it appears a UAV of this type is an unreliable apparatus for its required tasks.
To satisfy oue requirements we decided to perform the following upgrades:
1. Increase the capacity of the battery to 10A/hour;
2. Install a more powerful engine;
3. Change the onboard computer (controller) to one that is more advanced;
4. Add a rotating video camera;
5. Establish a directed patch antenna with a capacity of 12-14 dB and enhance the capacity of the onboard video transmitter to 2W.
After these enhancements the UAV should be able to: remain up to 25-30 minutes in the air; lift up to 0.5 kg; fly a distance up to 3 km. Providing component delivery is swift, the modifications can be made within two weeks.
All components have been selected and now are being ordered.
