Long-Range Gateway

All Verge Aero drones contain a long-range, low-bandwidth radio that is used to send mission-critical messages. The radio, in practice, is very low bandwidth and the data rates that we use are in the low, single digit kbit/s range, or even less. The upside, however, is that the drones are essentially guaranteed data reception in line-of-sight scenarios. The technology has a theoretical range of more than 10 Km, but this has never been tested in practice with the Verge Aero platform. In practical scenarios, there has never been a hardware-driven loss of the long-range data link.

The X1 and X7 integrate a long-range radio to support mission-critical, broadcast data payloads. This is the only link necessary to successfully execute a show. A loss of all other data transfer methods after a show has been launched will still lead to a successful mission.

The radio module provides continuous frequency coverage from 150MHz to 960MHz, allowing the support of all major sub-GHz ISM bands around the world.

Region	Center Frequency
United States	915 MHz
Europe	433/868 MHz
China	470/779 MHz

What It Is Used For

Given its robust nature, Verge Aero uses the long-range link for mission-critical, transmit-only data. It is used for trigger events, and for RTCM data. Some examples of trigger events include:

• Launching the show

• Aborting the show (via land all or RTH)

• Setting drone safety states

• Setting drone light modes

Console

The long-range radio is also not absolutely necessary for a successful show. Configuration tools in the Verge Aero Console allows all long-range data to intead be transmitted over the telemetry gateway. This alternate module has lower range, but is still sufficient for the majority of operating environments.

The long-range radio channel may be configured from the Verge Aero Console in software by using the network configuration wizard. Total number of channels available differ by region.