Guide for Drone Race Organizers

Equipment designed BY organizers, FOR organizers…

An Organizers Nightmare

Drone Racing exploded in 2016, with hundreds of events worldwide.

Most events suffered from the same problems. Problems that ImmersionRC’s team of engineers, pilots, and event organizers would like to eliminate.

All organizers and race directors can relate to most of the items in this list (and can probably add a few more)

‘WHO TURNED ON IN THE PITS?’ Commonly heard, and disrupted many events
 Dip Switches, ‘Button Menus’, Inaccessible Video Transmitters
 ‘But the label says 25mW’… Uncalibrated transmitters (almost all of them)
 Pilots have control of their Tx at events, not the organizer
No way to work around interference at an event site. Hotel Wifi,  Microwave Links, etc. etc.
No way to run equipment inspection and pilot registration while the event is running
 No way for a pilot to safely test his equipment while a race is running
vTx’s overheating while sitting on the grid, waiting for a race start
vTx factory calibrated to within +/- 1dB, 25mW is 25mW
 vTx placed in ‘Race Mode’ upon arrival at an event (now ‘owned’ by the organizer)
 Touch-free channel assignment before heats start
 Trivial to change power levels and channel frequencies between heats
 CE-Legal EU and AUS vTx ‘unlocked’ by race organizers according to laws in the hosting country.
 Entire band from 5.2GHz to 6GHz available to organizers, if appropriate license available (> 20 full-width channels, with standard antennas!)

The ImmersionRC Solution

ImmersionRC was present at most of the major races in 2015/2016. We listened, learned, and innovated. The ImmersionRC Touch’n’Race solution is the result.

TNR Mini-Wand

Race Organizers/Directors are empowered by this device, turned into conductors of their own orchestra.

Touch-free control of all quads at a race event using TNR technology.

Use multiple wands, programmed for different channels, to run simultaneous flight-lines.

The wand defines frequencies for each pilot seat, switch frequency during an event to avoid on-site interference.

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TNR MiniWand
TrampHV beside US Quarter coin

TrampHV Video Transmitter

The smallest direct-Lipo powered vTx on the market.

Flexible power levels from 2mW -> 600mW. Power levels are factory calibrated, every batch is controlled (rare in the business today).

Quiet 5V switcher to directly power a camera.

Thermal protection, 600mW, No Cooling, No Antenna, No problem!

$39.99 USD street price, subsidized pricing for event organizers.

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LapRF vTx Timing System

ImmersionRC’s LapRF vTx timing system uses custom timing modules, to time up to 16 quads, using only the transmitted power from their on-board 5.8GHz Video Transmitter.

Planned availability, April 2017 (Race Event version), earlier for the personal system (4-8 quads).

lapRF Logo
FPVAirShow Logo LePlanet 2016

Great Track Record

The Tramp and Wand system was first introduced at FPVAirShow, France, 2016, with over 173 pilots equipped with the technology. Inter-heat times were lower than ever seen before.

Second major event using TNR was the Swiss Drone Nationals, Payerne, Switzerland, 2016

The ERSA Euro-Cup event, Ibiza, Spain very successfully used the technology (before a tornado unfortunately terminated the event early).

The first indoor race using the tramp was Futurapolis 2016, Toulouse, France. Lightweight 130-size quads could easily carry the transmitter.

These are just some of the major races that made the headlines. Smaller regional races use this technology continuously.

 

Legal at home, Unlocked for Racing 

A Tramp HV installed by a racer in the EU, who travels to a country with less restrictions on frequency or power use, can be unlocked by a race organizer for the duration of an event.

As an example, CE legal units sold in the EU are restricted to 25mW output power, and channels within the EU ISM band. The Race Directors, after race-locking the device, can select channels and power levels unavailable to the pilot when at home.