I didn't really set out to create a budget wireless buyer's
guide, but I seem to have done just that.
One thing that leaps right out at you, if you spend an hour or two
searching the web for this kind of stuff: this is the most inbred and
incestuous niche industry ever. There are probably four or five
manufacturers, and dozens of retailers selling the same stuff, half of
whom claim to have manufactured the very same gear. It's also interesting
to note how many different companies are selling the same products at
widely varying prices. Supercircuits.com has the wavecom 2.4GHz receiver
for $60 - Spystuff.com has the same receiver for $150!
More disturbing still, virtually every third-party review posted on the
net is basically negative - there aren't many positive reviews. Further,
the FCC has fairly narrow acceptance criteria for most of this stuff, and
exorbitant fines if you use something outside those criteria. Some of the
retailers take this seriously, some do not. Wouldn't you hate to blow
$750 on something that proves to be illegal and/or useless?
Finally, many of these shops seem to cater to creepy people. "Working
AM/FM clock radio with 2.4GHz transmitter!" While I'm sure the occasional
legitimate user (read: cop) purchases these for legitimate purposes (read:
warranted surviellance), my guess is that most of these go to peeping-tom
snoops who care little for other people's right to privacy. There
are other sites with better equipment for law enforcement purposes - these
sites cater to the bottom of the bucket. I care about privacy, and I
have no interest in supporting a company that profits from violations
thereof. I will avoid doing business with companies like this, and I
encourage you to do the same.
For an interesting look at wireless video systems from the perspective
of law enforcement and private investigation, see this article from Police
and Security News magazine. The author, Steve Uhrig of SWS Security, has
also been quite helpful when I contacted him directly. Too bad his
business caters to law enforcement only, and not to consumers!
Some of the vendors I have contacted so far have had customer relations
ranging from half-assed to nonexistent. Supercircuits has yet to return
any of the two or three email message I've sent them. Aero-cam returned one of my inquiries
but not my followup questions about pricing, nor my reminder.
It's not all bad though. Monty Salot of www.wirelessvideocameras.com,
has been very helpful, and I have to respect a vendor who is
willing to steer me away from a more-expensive product and towards
a less-expensive product. I haven't actually done business with him yet,
but I will definitely bear him in mind if/when I get a license for a more
powerful transmitter. If you are looking for a license-free video system
to help with aerial photography, check out his wares.
Polaris Industries
was quick to return my first email query, with the answers I was looking
for, but as with Aerocam I never got a response to my second message.
Their sales and tech support people were very helpful over the phone
though, so after a lot of Q&A on the phone I made the leap and bought a transmitter,
receiver, and camera. See the aforelinked page for more information my
experiences with the Polaris products.
If anyone out there has had experiences (good or bad) with wireless
video systems on RC aircraft, or even just with wireless video system
vendors, please use the "contact me" link at the bottom of the page and
let me know how things turned out.
I notice that a few people have added comments at the bottom of the
form describing their systems - PLEASE provide an email address if you're
going to do this! If you'd rather not have your email address appear on
the web, use the 'contact me' link and we'll talk offline. I'll add as
much or as little of your message as you prefer, but I'd really really
like to talk!
Aero-cam seems
to have an intersting system, but I haven't had much luck discussing it
with them. Judging by this page they're using a
wavecom receiver; I'm sure I've come across the pictured transmitter as
well, but I'm not sure where. camera/Tx/Rx system prices range from
around $425 to around $600 depending (depending on what I still don't
know!).
Microtek makes a variety of
900m and 2.4g transmitter and receiver components, lauded by an apparently
unbiased and informed third party. Not cheap, but I may go this route
anyhow. Their web site includes some interesting reports from end users.
Direct
LVS carries their 2.4ghz systems, from $1150-$1250. The Minilink 915
only claims 150 feet LOS (700 w/ yagi) but the Tx weighs 3.5 oz with
battery, the 2.4 claims 500 feet w/ rubber duck antenna (1500 w/ patch)
but the Tx weighs 8 ounces.
PlaneTalk sells
MicroTek's MiniLink 2.4 for $1500. They also sell a variety of other
wireless systems, but most require an FCC license of one kind or another.
Polaris USA
makes a variety of interesting transmitters and receivers, mostly in the
2.4ghz area, roughly $300 for a Tx/Rx pair. Polaris also claims a 14 day
refund policy, and 30 days for exchange or credit.
Directive Systems
has a 12" Yagi antenna for the 2.4 GHz / 13cm band for $54, much less than
similar sounding products from spy shops. And for some reason I'm much
more inclined to trust them, too.
Supercircuits
has a variety of systems and components, from the $120 wavecom 2.4g system
to the bulky $600 Trango 2.4g system. Mixing and matching components for
the heli application suggests a $350 Tx + antenna package plus a $260
'super high gain' receiver package (read: wavecom and a better antenna).
Coherent
Communications has a very professional-looking website, and polished
products, but their prices are relatively high. $1000 for a 900MHz Tx/Rx
pair that is still pending FCC approval. $1400 for a triple-diversity
900MHz receiver; great idea, great big price.
Marshall
Electronics has a 900mhz Tx/Rx set, $475 for the pair, uses the same
Rx as the Spy Supply setup above, but with a very small
transmitter, which apparently doesn't have audio(?).
Spy Supply appears
to be selling the same 900mhz system used to create these "heli-cam"
videos. I've contacted the heli-cam guy but haven't heard back and at
this point I don't expect to (it's been weeks0. The Spy Supply Tx/Rx
system costs $500.
Matco has a 2.4ghz
system for $135ish, which appears to be composed of circuit boards
stripped from an unknown case - and the Tx needs 15 volts.
Videocomplex looks like a very
professional reseller, with a 30 day guarantee... camera prices seem fair,
but their limited wireless selection is expensive and doesn't appear to be
suitable for RC video or helmet-camera systems.
Ramsey Electronics has a few seemingly relevant circuits, but they
don't seem to take the FCC rules very seriously, and half their stuff is
kit form, and most of it uses amateur-TV frequencies (license
required, though their web site isn't all that clear about it).
Noteworthy similarities and differences...
Or, why it pays to shop around!
I've lost count of the number of sites selling the Wavecom "junior"
2.4GHz Tx/Rx set, but it's become almost a benchmark when comparing spy
shops. Rumor has it that most of the 2.4GHz concealed cameras (clock
radios, coffee machines, etc) are made with the Wavecom circuit boards. RF Link
Technology Inc manufactures it, and they sell it for $99. On the
other hand, you can spend lots more if you want:
spooktech.com wants $185,
and that's just since I started keeping track.
The Microtek MiniLink systems are all over the place too... Electromax
has the MiniLink 2.4 for $1576, or MiniLink 915 for $990. Direct LVS has
the 2.4 system for $1158. www.uspystore.com and www.spy-store.com (aka
www.spyproducts.com) both want a whopping $2000 for the MiniLink 2.4 and
$1200 for the MiniLink 915. PlaneTalk wants $1300 for the MiniLink 2.4.
with a HAM antenna, or $1500 with license-free dipole antennas.
The MiniLink 915 and 2.4, and the Wavecom 2.4 transmitter, are all
rated at "50 mv @ 3 meters." Is this the way the FCC specifies the
maximum power available to unlicensed users?
www.spyusa.com wants $299 for the same camera that I bought
from Polaris for $230.
Shrink-wrapped ATV Tx the size of a coin - $300 from covertsurveillance.com,
or any of a dozen other sources...
Spy Supply's 900mhz receiver looks identical to the Marshall 900 mhz
Rx.
Bonus points if you can identify the product from which Matco's $130
($89 ea @ 50 qty) circuit boards were extracted... Prizm Electronics
wants $207 for the same product, while covertsurveillance.com
asks a whopping $280/set!
Spystuff.com also has a
couple of very small 900mhz transmitters ($200), a tiny 2.4ghz Tx
for $300 (which can also be had for $269 from Prizm), and a
small 2.4 ghz tx for $200 , and a wavecom Rx for $150 (the same Rx is $60
from supercircuits). Not that prizm is
a role model by any means... see the "pathetic" section below...
Microvideo
of Canada wants $695 for the same Trango Eagle system that
Supercircuits sells for $599, and $139 for for the same Wavecom system
that Supercircuits sells for $119.
Noteworthy, but no prices are provided and it looks expensive...
Pathetic attempts to get noticed - if ya can't beat their prices and ya
can't beat their customer service, you can always make a nuisance of
yourself...
Gadgets By
Design sells a no-frills 2.4GHz system for $400, or a high-power
version for $575, or a 900MHz system with a small Tx for $500/set.
Gadgets by Design also seems to have an unending supply of new domain
names - www.jeffhall.com, www.covervideo.com, www.kidcamera.com,
ww.minicamera.com, www.daycarecamera.com, and so on.
Spymall.com (spammers that they are - search deja and you'll find a
half-dozen bits of their newsgroup spam) appears to have cut-and-pasted
from supercircuits' catalog (see spymall's 'super high gain 2.4 rx/ant
and supercircuits' MVR-3), and spymall sells the same gear for nearly
twice the price (compare spymall's 2.4ghz wireless video link to
supercircuits MVL-1).
Prizm Technologes, aka www.synapse.net/~seba, has also been spamming.
I guess if
you're asking $207.00 for the same bare-board 2.4GHz system that
Matco sells for more like $130 (or less in quantity), you've got to be
creative to find customers. Also note that Prizm's web page is largely
cut-and-pasted from Matco's. Also note that when you click on a picture
of a channel-59 ATV Tx, you get taken to a page about a 2.4 GHz
transmitter. Guess they got carried away in the control-c / control-v
frenzy.
Factoids:
according to Trango's Eagle product documentation, a 2.4GHz system
with 5.8MHz bandwidth is good for 460 lines of horizontal resolution.
From Steve Uhrig on usenet - "Read this carefully: systems using 2.4
gigs or 900 megacycle frequencies *do not work* in body worn applications
regardless of what any peddlers of them may say to the contrary. Multipath
reflections at the higher frequencies kill your signal, and the human body
absorbs 85% of the signal at the higher freqs. Remember, also, that 2.4
gigs is the resonant frequency of water and the precise frequency where
microwave ovens operate, so do you want one of those transmitters
operating on your body anyway?"
According to Supercircuits, the Trango is "not recommended as a body
worn system." That's disturbing. Is it because
one's body will block most of the transmission, or because it radiates
too much microwave energy?
There are a variety of systems available for a variety of prices, but
it looks like it will be costing from $500 to $1000 for the whole setup.
Most likely Tx/Rx packages so far
(in order of believability)
Supercircuits: MVR-2 + TM3: $410, or $660 with MVR-3
Spy Supply: 900MHz Tx/Rx: $499 w/ Yagi antenna
Head-mounted display! this is where it gets interesting. The best deal
right now appears to be the $500 Virtual IO i-glasses! VPC.
Also note the Computers & More VR gear
section, and a commercial resource list from the
HIT labGenreal Reality has an
interesting HMD comparison matrix, though I don't know if it's current or
not. Unfortunately, judging by the number of 'discontinued' consumer
HMD's, I'm guessing it probably is fairly current.
Some of RF-Link's FCC acceptance records - note the wavecom items at
the end...
MFECSL10R-A 4.00 1.00 CYY 15 418.1 20,37 9/19/96
0:00:00
RF Link Technology Inc
411 Amapola Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Personal Property Protection System Receiver
MFECSL10T-A 1.00 1.00 DSC 15 418.1 20,37 9/10/96
0:00:00
RF Link Technology Inc
411 Amapola Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Security Transmitter
MFELCMODT24-01 1.00 1.00 DXX 15 2400-2483.5 37
11/26/96 0:00:00
RF Link Technology Inc
411 Amapola Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
MFEMODTX24-01 1.00 1.00 DXX 15 2400-2483.5 36,37
12/2/96 0:00:00
RF Link Technology Inc
411 Amapola Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Audio/Video Transmitter
MFEWAVECOMT418-01 1.00 1.00 HID 15 60-72 RF Out
16,37 8/8/96 0:00:00
RF Link Technology Inc
411 Amapola Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Audio/Video Receiver w/R/C Transmitter
MFEWAVECOMT418-01 1.00 2.00 HID CC
8/8/96 0:00:00
RF Link Technology Inc
411 Amapola Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Audio/Video Receiver w/R/C Transmitter
MFEDST-01 1.00 1.00 DXX 15 2411-2473 37 2/19/98 0:00:00
RF Link Technology Inc
411 Amapola Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Audio Transmitter Module
