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Registered Member #1394
Joined: Sun Mar 16 2008, 06:18PM
Location:
Posts: 111
I was looking at Xbee units on Sparkfun and came across this one
It gave me a bunch of ideas for some super long range projects but then I looked at the price tag $185 which is really steep (plus I would need 2). I mean I would like too buy them but its just way to expensive and I am on a limited budget.
But then I looked at this one.
They operate on the same frequency but the second one has one tenth the transmit power. So I wonder why I can't just amplify the output signal 10 times to 1 watt using external circuitry.
Registered Member #56
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445
I wouldn't recommend trying to amplify the signal from the xbee, since it can be quite tricky, but I recommend checking out the modules that Radiotronix has. They have a module that can be had for about $40 from places like mouser, that has .5w transmit power and better receive sensitivity than the maxstream/digi module. The only tricky part is that they come in a quasi-smd package that you could solder leads to quite nicely if you wanted to, but would really benefit from a real board.
As a side note, the xtend module really is a nice modem, worth every penny of that $200, I have bought 5 of them now (eek!) and haven't had issues with any of them, not even the one that hit the ground at about 400mph when the parachute in the rocket it was in came down ballistic.
I am working on porting my designes over to use the radiotronix ones, but haven't had time to do full testing with them yet.
Registered Member #162
Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3141
Never used Xbee but the (up to 15 miles) part in the advert is a bit misleading, you'd need both 'ends' at about 25 feet high, or one 'end' at about 50 feet high, have a look at
Registered Member #1394
Joined: Sun Mar 16 2008, 06:18PM
Location:
Posts: 111
I have a few applications for these in which the radios will always have a line of sight.
For starters I am on a rocketry team and we have to build a rocket to deliver a robotic rover that deploys upon landing and autonomously ventures out. If we have the cash we will be throwing a high power Xbee in the rover for live diagnostics and logging of sensory data. In this case a direct line of sight will always be present since the launching area in a wide open flat area.
Thanks for telling me about the Radiotronix units, I am getting a nice hot air rework station on free day from Sparkfun so once I have this using SMD chips won't be a problem.
BTW, does anyone know if this rework station is good? I am in the market for a nice one with a soldering iron (mine crapped out) and this one is the most expensive they have.
Registered Member #56
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445
Its interesting that you are using these modules for a rocketry application, that is predominantly what I use mine for
As to the soldering, the radiotronix module can be done with a normal soldering iron (although rework would be best done with a hot air station), as to the sparkfun one I have never used a real hot air station so I can't really say.
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Amplifying an Xbee signal?
