GR8 satellite receiver recommendation

[turfdoggie]

Hello,
I have a .60 sized Ultra Stick with an Access GR8 receiver installed. I have the antennas separated and mounted perpendicular to each other, but I'm getting low RSSI warnings on my X9D+ 2019 radio, at pretty short distances from the transmitter. Other airplanes in my stable don't give similar warnings, so I'm guessing I might have an issue with antenna placement.

Just to be on the safe side, I'm considering mounting a satellite receiver in the airplane. This will be my first satellite configuration, and I'd like some suggestions on which FrSky receiver models will work in this capacity, along with recommendations on which one to pick (from the available models). Also, I'd like suggestions on where I can purchase the wiring to connect the satellite Rx to the main Rx. I'll happily purchase the cabling from Aloft, if that's an option.

Thanks in advance - I really appreciate the help!

Mitchell

 

[Wayne]

Mitchell-

Nothing very special needed to connect a second receiver, typically it is a male to male servo extension. If using a really small receiver, it may need some soldering to connect the Sbus-out and power connections.

First off - I'm worried as to why this receiver has poor RSSI. Are the antennas away from metal and carbon and battery wiring, etc? If so, I'd suggest doing some range testing, both with the receiver in the plane and outside. It may be a bad receiver. It is rare but does happen. Could be a bad antennas, etc. The goal would be to fix the main issue first.

Now if you still want/need a second receiver, then most people will go with something like Archer Plus RS. But just about any FrSky receiver can be used. They just need to have an "S-bus out" port, and nearly all FrSky units have this. The Sbus-out will go to the Sbus in port on the main receiver.

 

[turfdoggie]

Thanks Wayne,
I think I might have contact between the leading edge of the wing and one of the antenna leads. I'm going to relocate that antenna so that it has no contact with anything, and do some range testing, as you suggested. I flew this same aircraft a year or two ago, with no warnings, but the wing configuration has changed slightly, and that might be impacting the reception.

For some reason, I was thinking that the receivers needed to be connected via the smart ports, and I know those ports use smaller connectors. Thanks for the pointers on the Sbus connections!

 

[turfdoggie]

Wayne,
Can I use an Archer R4 receiver as the satellite? I looked at the Archer Plus RS, but my soldering skills might not be up to the task of working on such small contact areas. It looks like I could use the standard six connector port on the R4 receiver, and break out the necessary wires from it to connect to the GR8 receiver.

 

[Wayne]

Sure. that should work just fine if you can find one. They don't make that one anymore.

 

[turfdoggie]

I purchased an Archer Plus R6 receiver to use as a satellite to the Access GR8. Can anyone offer any pointers on how to connect the two receivers without involving some micro-soldering? Given that the S.Port Out signal pin is integrated with the Smart port, It isn't immediately clear to me how to make the connection.

I have both the wiring harnesses that came with the R6, and I see that in both cases the S.Port-Out wire is a single pin, whereas the GR8 combines the signal wire into a standard servo connection.

Thanks in advance for any insights on this!