Optimal Memory Card Placement for Drones: Directly on the Drone or the Remote?
When it comes to recording footage with drones, the question often arises: should you place the memory card on the drone itself or in the remote control? While both options are viable, the choice depends on your specific recording needs, the quality of the footage you desire, and the power management of your drone.
Understanding the Role of Micro SD Cards in Drones
Most civilian drones are equipped with a micro SD slot on the drone itself. This feature is crucial for maintaining the quality of the footage, as the video captured by the drone can suffer from compression during transmission from the drone to the remote control. By recording directly to a memory device on the drone, you ensure that you receive a copy of the intended quality. On the other hand, drone remotes typically do not have a micro SD slot since many rely on a smartphone as the display and controller. Consequently, only a cached version of the footage is saved to the phone, which is usually lower in resolution.
While you can download the footage from the drone to your phone, you need to land the drone to ensure that it has the necessary battery life to transfer the data. This adds an extra step to the process, making it less convenient for quick data retrieval.
Choosing the Right Memory Card Slot
The drone's SD card slot is designed to capture high-resolution videos, ensuring that the footage taken by the drone's camera is of the best possible quality. In contrast, the SD card slot on the remote control, if present, can be used to store the screen recording as viewed on the controller. However, this option is generally not recommended for video recording due to quality limitations.
For flight paths, drones are primarily designed to follow a line-of-sight (LOS) protocol using inertial guidance. If a loss of signal is detected, the drone can retrace its path back to the launch point (LP) using this technology. This capability is essential for hover missions in windy conditions, where the drone can maintain its position and orientation effectively.
Record Where It Makes Sense: Drone or Remote
While inserting the memory card directly into the drone offers higher-quality recordings, it is not the only option. You can also use the memory card slot on the remote control, especially if the drone is being used as a flying wireless camera. However, this setup often limits the quality and functionality of the captured media, making it less ideal for high-resolution video recording.
Typically, you would use a cell phone as both the screen and the controller link for the video and might choose to record the footage there if you need easy access to the data. After all, you are still the pilot with the remote control, and the drone is a Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV), just like any other aircraft that you control.
Conclusion
In summary, the choice between placing the memory card on the drone or in the remote control depends on your specific needs. For high-quality video recording, it is generally better to insert the memory card directly into the drone. However, if convenience and ease of access are more critical, using the memory card in the remote control is also an option. Ultimately, the quality and functionality of your recording will depend on the specific features of your drone and your goals for the footage.