Immersionrc Rf Power Meter V2 Firmware Update

The ImmersionRC RF PowerMeter V2 allows you lot to quickly bank check if your VTX and radio transmitter are performing optimally. It tin measure how much power your transmitter is actually putting out.

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• Further Reading:How to choose VTX |My VTX Recommendations

The package comes with a linear polarized (whip) antenna, and a female SMA to female SMA adapter. The connector on the power meter is a male SMA.

Why You lot Might Want an RF Ability Meter V2

Information technology’s useful to take a RF power meter if yous race and fly with others, it’s even essential if you lot accept part in racing events.

Some poor quality or defective VTX might be labeled 200mW, but it can be transmitting at much higher power. Everyone at the race will be scratching their heads wondering why they take terrible indicate. You will exist able to spot the issue more easily with a RF powermeter.

It’s especially a handy tool for race events, where each quad on the starting line can be checked for bodily RF output power. The ones transmitting more than than you desire tin be picked out immediately, preventing issues during the race with channels being stomped on by the higher power VTX.

If you just wing alone then verifying VTX power is of less importance. Though information technology can still be useful to check the performance of your FPV gear, or finding the best performing aqueduct on your VTX.

ImmersionRC RF PowerMeter V2 Features

• Affordable and portable compared to equipment in the field
• Helps you detect out nearly VTX output power
• Measures frequency from 35MHz all the way upwardly to 6GHz
• You tin can apply information technology to locate a crashed RC model with a powered VTX in tall grass. You simply need to attach a directional antenna on it and it essentially turns into a quad finder. Yous get a stronger signal equally you indicate it closer to the management of the quad, allowing you to speedily locate its direction
• Removeable Li-Ion 10440 600mAh battery, one full charge should last eight hours
• USB port for bombardment charging and firmware updating

There is the power push button side by side to the mono colour LCD screen, and a multi-directional joystick. The Micro USB port is located on the right-manus side of the device.

Menu and Operation

The ImmersionRC Power Meter V2 but has four screens and 4 settings, making it super simple and piece of cake to apply.

Way 1 – VTX Power Testing

By connecting a VTX direct to the power meter, you can cheque the output power of the VTX.

Every VTX has a power output which varies from aqueduct to channel. Let’s say you have a 25mW VTX, it might read closer to twoscore mW at 5645MHz, just simply 18mW at 5875MHz. A power meter helps you find the best frequency for either accuracy (closest to the target output) or efficiency (highest output power poesy current draw).

Also VTX can wear out over time, this testing device can tell you the performance/status of your VTX.

You tin can test VTX output using an antenna also, by merely placing it close to the transmitting antenna. However I constitute this way of measuring unreliable and inconsistent. The value tin can fluctuate a lot with a tiny bit of movement, and the upshot is often under-estimated compared to measurement from direct connection.

Update: every bit pointed out past Mr Joe Scully in the comment, with antenna to antenna measurement, you lot demand to calibrate the power meter for the attached antenna by adding attenuation. According to him viii.5db to 9db is a practiced range to get started.

Mode two – Power Telescopic Manner

The PowerScope fashion shows an oscilloscope-like display of measured power over time: a duty cycle and packet intervals. Resolution settings are 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms and 160ms.

This is great for testing radio transmitter, only not that useful for video transmitters which emit a adequately abiding power level.

Fashion iii – Sniffer Display Mode

You lot tin cheque a VTX confronting a benchmark to see if the transmitting power is too high or also depression. For instance, this characteristic can be useful for the race managing director in a racing upshot to walk down the starting line, and make sure all the quads are transmitting on the aforementioned power level.

Yet it’s non super precise. The measurement varies depending on where the sniffer antenna is placed relative to the transmitter antenna. But with a scrap of practice information technology can exist a very useful tool for races.

Update: Mr Joe Scully commented below with a video how you tin can brand certain of this way more finer.

Is Attenuator Required?

In the older version, you had to go a split up and expensive attenuator for the power meter. Fortunately in the ability meter V2, there is a built-in 30dB attenuator!

However, co-ordinate to the datasheet, the accented power limit you tin can plug into the meter is 1.3W (1300mW), anything higher might cause harm. For anything higher than 500mW, you shouldn’t accept it connected for longer than 30 seconds to avoid overheat and harm (e.grand. losing accurateness more speedily over time).

You are recommended to use an external attenuator if y’all want to exam anything more powerful than 500mW for a longer menstruation of time. I was suggested past Sander from ImmersionRC to use a 2W 10dB 18GHz attenuator, for example:
https://amzn.to/2KLVbGs.

My plan is to test VTX with no more than than 1500mW, so that should be good enough.

Note that when you lot make such measurements it is skilful exercise to calibrate out the attenuator and whatever extra adapter you use. According to Sander:

Best way to do that is to apply a lower power VTX on the same band and channel as the higher power VTX you plan to test and mensurate it without the attenuator, note downwards the exact output later it has settled (higher temperature might cause output to driblet). Now attach the attenuator and hook up the same, lower power, Vtx and mensurate the output once more and adjust the attenuator value in the menu (Attn option) to best match the value y’all measured without the attenuator. Now you lot tin go alee and measure the college ability Vtx and get an accurate reading, as yous’ll have calibrated out the attenuator’s tolerance, which can be as loftier equally several dB.

Power Meter V1 vs. V2

If y’all already have the V1, should you upgrade to the V2?

For racers, definitely aye. It’due south more portable with the congenital-in attenuator, and it’s besides more than accurate. If you only employ it on the demote for testing, V1 should be good enough IMO.

How reliable/accurate is it?

Unfoturnately I don’t have the right equipment to compare to. But according to ImmersionRC, these are individually calibrated in mill to within 0.5dB confronting a NIST certified laboratory class musical instrument.

I approximate the answer really depends on what you compare to, and what sort of level of accuracy you are looking for. But if race events are using these as the standard, then in that location isn’t really much to worry virtually.

As for consistency, information technology’southward really good! I repeatedly tested the same VTX multiple times and every fourth dimension I go the same measurement.