Discussions

Greetings,

I'm a remote sensing and terrestrial ecology researcher working in at UNM in Albuquerque, NM. I am looking to incorporate a UAS component to the work that I have been doing, and would like some advice.

I see lots of similar posts on the forums, with most folks suggesting fixed wing over multirotor -- I have not written off the fixed wing option, but at this point the areas we work in are fairly small (4 - 6 ha) and a multirotor seemed a bit easier to deploy (limited RC experience at this point, save some small quad rotor trainers).

We'd be looking to fly 4-band imagery (or modified 3 band camera to get some false color NIR imagery) for vegetation status and structure.

My initial thoughts were to build up a 4 rotor system based around the Pixhawk / APM, using a 2D gimbal and a CHDK camera option (not nailed down yet). Rx/Tx options are also something I have looked into extensively, but still am coming up short of a definitive option... many people recommend very high end options, while others swear by the Taranis FrSky for instance.

I have been having a hard time finding information about flight times as a function of payload, elevation, lipo setup, etc. Many manufactures at this point are touting flight times > 25 minutes, with larger rotor arms and props, lower kV motors, and lighter weight frames (e.g., TBS discovery endurance).

Any advice on places to start for spec'ing out a build would be appreciated -- I look forward to interacting with this community, and hopefully contributing in the short term as I start tinkering more and begin to use these systems as vegetation monitoring platforms.

Best,

Dan K