Recommended RF Transceiver for R/C Plane

EDIT - removed because of wrong wrong link

Ham radio operators have been using APRS (Automatic Postion Reporting System) for some time to do something similar to what you propose to do. You do have to have a ham license to use APRS on ham radio frequencies in the US. I don't know about other countries or non-ham frequencies.

APRS takes the GPS datastream and feeds it through a TNC (Terminal Node Controller) to a transmitter. At the other end, a receiver feeds the signal through another TNC into a computer running APRS software.
On the transmit side, instead of using a TNC, you can use a Tiny Track from byonics.com. A TNC is a mostly a modem optimized for interfacing a radio and computer, but the Tiny Track doesn't have all the extras that you don't need for sending a GPS stream.

Some good sites to check for info on APRS are tapr.org (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio), and findu.com.

I also recommend you do a search on Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning, or ARHAB. For years, hams have sent up weather balloons with ham radio packages attached. Many use APRS to track their balloons and recover the payloads. The largest and most active group is EOSS (Edge Of Space Sciences).

As far as small transmitters or radios go, Alinco used to make handheld transceivers that were about the size of a credit card and not very thick. You might be able to pick one up on ebay. Otherwise, check ramseykits.com, or DigiKey or Mouser for kits.

If you aren't a ham, you can become one fairly easily now. The entry level license is Technician class, and it requires only passing a test on theory, regulations and practices. Test sessions are run by Volunteer Examiners, and in most medium sized cities will have at least one session a month. To find study materials and test sessions, go to the American Radio Relay League website, arrl.org. They offer a book, Now You're Talking, that I recommend because it explains things in easy to understand language.

I'm sure you can find more than what I've offered here, but this is all I can think of right now.

keep continue your interest in that. You may get Or may not get help as you want in this competitive world. Because all running for their own interest & they may not hesitate to make your's as their's. I think you yourself will be successful by your own attempt.

Personally I would use some cellular modules. Go to "Sparkfun.com" and look up their cellular modules. You'll need an extra microcontroller on the plane between the gps and the cell module but you can use the modules to "phone" each other like a old-school dial up modem. At this point you can use them like a serial cable replacement and pipe whatever info back that you'd like.

A live-link is necessary if you want steady streaming but, if possible, you could capture just the most important info out of the NMEA stream the gps module spits out and offload the info periodically. Also, if live data isn't necessary, you could capture the info to a memory stick (I program my controllers with the mikrobasika software from mikroe.com and they've got libraries and schematics for interfacing with the flash memory sticks.

By the way, GPS modules generally only update once per second. That combined with the resolution (+-3m with WAAS enabled) makes them only suitable for tracking large "general" movements so trying to capture your best aerobatics will be dissappointing.

I'm not really worried about precise aerobatics. It would be more for large simple racetrack like patters.

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=560

Would something like this work. I like the range and it's fairly inexpensive and small.

Exactly...two would be needed but it's one of many ways of replacing a serial cable. Some of the cell phone modules do the same thing but might be a bit of overkill. Test the system with a cable and then go wireless and test the range. Once your range is known, strap it onto the plane. I'm only throwing out the steps so it's easier to find where problems come into play (i.e. electrical noise from engine/motor causing signal interference). I've read about some people having to use some shielding for the module and cable to the ant' (so they could put it far back on the tail...as far from the interference source as possible).

It sounds like you're doing a project with your plane that I've been wanting to do with mine for a while. I've got a serial gps interface working and a servo controller...just want to strap them together and a primitive auto-pilot is possible. If you go the route of mikroe then you can use their forums to get a lot of code for parsing gps NMEA outputs and stuff...the multi-channel servo controller that I use came from there too.

If you're just recording data...a flash card would weight less and probably require less power than the radio module. For this sort of thing I always check out sparkfun and mikroe since they have a lot of barebones equipment that is nice for these sorts of projects.

Good luck!

In the end, I really just need to send gps data back to the base where the plane will still be controlled by the remote (which is connected to the microcontroller). I think this would be the simplest solution. Being basically invisible, it eliminates a lot of overhead.

I plan on using this device at 9600bps along with a gps module that will transmit at the same data rate.

Sounds like a fun project. Have fun!

I am planning on using these two devices (Two Radios, One GPS Module). Before I order these, I want to make sure I'm not missing anything. Will these two devices work together? I'm worried about the serial data rate. I don't want to have to reprogram the data rate upon startup. The radio is 9600bps by default and the GPS module has a TSIP I/O that will run at 9600bps default. I want the GPS device to be ready to send data when powered on or change minimal settings to the GPS through the radio module at the most.

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=155

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=163

The radio modules really are a swap out for the serial cable (minus the DB9 connectors) so you shouldn't have to worry about any programming or reconfiguring. I would test as much as you can with a serial cable and then swap in the radios afterward, once you're good and sure that the gps module is working and your computer capturing. In the past I've captured with hyperterminal just to see the text streaming out of the gps unit.

The gps module you've chosen looks okay: simple, metal case with mount holes, simple connectors. GPS modules are all about the same. Apply the appropriate voltage along with a ground and it'll start spitting out the NMEA text which contains all the info you want. This data can be parsed on the ground.

If you want a challenge you could parse it in the air (a lot of what is contained is a NMEA steam is a bit redundant if you just want position, heading and speed) with the help of even the simplest microcontrollers and free up radio bandwidth to do other things with (aka like controlling the plane...and then the world! BWAHA HAH AH!)

<*ahem*>

If you really just want to capture, Sparkfun has some prefabbed GPS loggers that are simply a gps module, controller and a FLASH card slot. Ride the roller coaster enough with one of these and connect the dots to recreate the whole ride...

Thanks for the quick reply! I'm gonna go ahead and pick these items up and start testing.

Good luck with the 'taking over the world' thing!