You need to upgrade to ELRS!

What is ELRS and why do you need it? Here is a very brief explanation on why ELRS is a must if you wish to run your XplorerHD on your ground R/C.

The Main Issue

What is the main issue when running the XplorerHD? It will be the range. I am not talking about the video range but your radio link.

Credit: RC_Girl Link

The majority of the 2.4GHz radios on the market uses similar technology as they have less range and penetration than the ELRS.

So what does this mean in plain English? If you use your standard radio that isn't ELRS (doesn't matter how expensive it is), you may lose control of your R/C before the video cuts out.

What makes ELRS so special is it uses the new LoRa technology where the range is extended with using lower power output on the transmission. I believe the two major factors that ELRS does better are:

• Output power adjustment

• Packet Rate adjustment

On average, your standard 2.4GHz radios are limited to anywhere from 125 - 200mW. Certain ELRS systems can transmit at 1000mW or 1W. The MT12 is limited to 250mW but due to the LoRa system, it can extend the range further out than a standard 2.4GHz with the same output power.

Packet rate is the amount of information that is sent from your radio to the receiver on your R/C. You can see the options here under "Packet Rate & Telemetry Ratio": Click Me

Basically, you can lower the packet rate for more range or raise the packet rate for more response time (lowering the latency).

• Lower Packet Rate = More range at the expense of latency (response time)

• Higher Packet Rate = Better latency (response time) at the expense of range

During our MT12 range video, we had the packet rate set at F1000 and reached out to almost 2,200ft.! By lowering the packet rate to possibly 50 to 150Hz, the range could have been better.

What can I expect with the MT12?

One of the perks is that they include a 3Ch receiver that is around bound and ready to go. It also boast 10 channels to manipulate but also capable of handling 16 or 32 channel modes.

It is hall effect on both the steering and throttle (magnetic inputs rather than mechanical for less wear and tear) and is powered by EdgeTX software. (This might be bad for beginners but great for experienced users!)

One thing to note is that the EdgeTX software is not beginner user friendly but you won't have any issues if you plan to use it out of the box. However, if you plan to make adjustments (adding expo, reassignment switches, LED color changes, etc.) this might be a little difficult. Great news is, there are plenty of content on the EdgeTX so if you invest a little bit of time, you will be able to do amazing things with this radio. Also, we will be periodically be adding content related to the MT12 and EdgeTX.

Testing results (MT12 vs TQ 2.4GHz radio and the XplorerHD)

You may have seen our MT12 range and the XplorerHD range test videos but found out the stock TQ 2.4GHz radio outperformed the XplorerHD at 25mW. (800ft. vs 650ft.) However, the test results were not entirely fair.

Radio & Video signal strength are heavily affected by organics (trees, grass, shrubs absorb radio waves), metal, concrete (they bounce off), and other radio waves.

Our test with the ground radios were clear path. (Which does NOT simulate real life use) This is why the TQ outperformed the XplorerHD (Blue indicates radiowave pattern as the XplorerHD had a lot of obstructions "right figure")

Standard 2.4GHz radio systems

The TQ 2.4GHz's performance may represent the majority of radio systems out there in terms of range performance

Your standard 2.4GHz radio you have at the most optimal conditions may get you about 800ft. This is without anything in between the radio and the receiver. However, these radios don't do well in environments with a lot of obstacles and the range will be significantly reduced.

ELRS 2.4GHz radio system

Using the MT12 (ELRS) on F1000 packet rate setting

Using the same conditions and using a unfavorable packet rate setting, the ELRS went past 2,000ft.! It does have room for more as the adjustment to a lower packet rate and potentially adding a ELRS transmitter with higher output power can extend that range further.

I think that's pretty far and you may barely see your R/C (1,300ft.)

For reference, the spot where we are standing to the yellow rectangle is roughly 1,300ft.

Real world testing

I feel bad for the Video Transmitter on the XplorerHD

The most optimal setting to run any R/C is wide open spaces with the radio's antenna directly pointed at the R/C's receiver. However, this will not be case especially when you are in FPV. For our XplorerHD range test, the video signal had to navigate through metal poles, fences, trees, and shrubs. We achieved 650ft. on the lowest (and legal setting if you do not have an amateur radio license) power output setting.

As you can guess, the MT12 with the ELRS connection was still doing very well. (It does extremely well in high demanding conditions)

Longest distance in our XplorerHD testing

Although the XplorerHD range test was focusing on the video range test only, we did not have to worry about our radio link as we did not make any changes to the output power or the packet rate on the MT12.

Please note, we could have went further out as the video signal was still strong (as we were running the max output power on the Video Transmitter) but the point of this post is to highlight the ELRS radio system.

In between the R/C and where we were standing, there were multiple metal benches, light poles, fences, shrubs, trees, and a wooden barrier. The radio link was never lost or had any indications that it was weak.

Final Thoughts

The point of introducing this system is for peace of mind. It can be very frustrating when something does not work when you are trying to just have fun with your R/C. Many of the XplorerHD users have already asked us on which radio system we use as they experienced radio link failures and now you know the answer.

I truly believe the ELRS or LoRa system is the future and as long as you have no reasons to not switch over. We loved it so much, we decided to stock them. You can find it here: https://www.ironquad.com/product-page/radiomaster-mt12-elrs

We look forward to your next adventures and please share your moments with us by tagging us on YouTube or Instagram!