Quanum Overlord Six Way Diversity Racing Receiver | IN FLIGHT REVIEW

[@qcsupport2594]

Love the "wear it like a crown and dance around and round" test! Great idea! We need third person footage of that. It would also be fun to inset overlord's display of diversity switching. (I actually like watching the ClearView OSD in JB's tests, knowing that it will always switch and hunt at specific locations like that one corner of the fenced pasture.)

[@ericmaggard6182]

Holy cow that quad is tuned like a beast! Those quick 180s were flawless

[@leetpg]

been waiting for this one. awesome.

[@kydawg1684]

Awesome review, Thanks.

[@banditmr2975]

Good Vid. Losing picture in mid flip is disturbing. Glad you were able to pull out of it. just curious.. were you using the Runcam Eagle in this flight? There is a lot of aliasing in the footage..

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Yes.

[@M1America]

I noticed that the video cut immediately after your punchout. Your battery voltage rose from 14 to 16 volts during the glitch. Sometimes switchmode regulators struggle to deal with noise and transients on the input like this. In addition I believe that you use blheli escs with the using active braking spinning heavy props. I wouldnt be surprised if there is a surge of some kind. Worth looking into I suppose. I have an oscilloscope and will do some tests when I get back to school from the holidays! I just got an overlord for christmas and im getting pretty good results. Although my only refrence is a nexwave beta band module. Happy flying! Keep up the good videos!

[@Kabab]

thoroughly enjoyed this video. thank you. can you discuss if you can change the antenna easily? maybe the center clover isn't so good? maybe in some radio dead zone too low between all the patch antenna?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Kabab FPV you can change them easily. Check out my first look video.

[@Kabab]

Thanks. It's unfortunate they didn't put just a bit more thought into the user experience of this thing.

[@NickGrumpy]

I suspect flying close in will give a strong signal to multiple antennas and possibly result in a lot of erroneous switching, also the clover leaf antenna at the centre will be deaf directly over head and possibly allow all patch antennas to play ring a ring rosy. you could try swapping the clover with one of the patches just to see.

[@alexg9522]

The antennas used in the overlord I believe are an improved version of the aomway patch antennas that Bruce tested. I have used the original Aomway patch and the new ones in my diversity setup and from my experiences the new ones performed much better. the originals have the coax pointed downwards whereas the new ones have the sma plug on the back. otherwise good video

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Alex G glad to hear you chime in, Alex. I have suspected this, but without hard data, didn't want to speculate.

[@trif55]

@@JoshuaBardwell Hi Joshua I just got recommended this but it's 3+years old which is a long time in this hobby, would you still recommend it?

[@basstrom88]

Just an idea - could that dropout after you inverted be caused by the omnidirectional antenna/receiver module being faulty? You may have gone outside the beam pattern of the patch antennas, switched to the faulty omni and then when you inverted the carbon frame could have partially blocked/reduced the remaining signal from your TX antenna. Have you tested flying outside the directional beam patterns, i.e higher altitudes than you were testing at to test the omni? I would imagine that the beam pattern is not going to be very hemispherical - you would have strong signal at low altitude at a large radius (donut), however I'd imagine that the transition to the omni when you gain altitude isn't seamless (lower signal strength) due to the sudden reduction in gain.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

The transition should have been way more seamless than it was. I couldn't say whether the omni module was faulty; I haven't done that sort of testing.

[@billybbob18]

I looked at the footage of that punch out and remembered what I first thought about the overlord setup. The giant null zone straight overhead. There's also the diversity algorithm "fight" over which module is strongest when the signal is low and equally strong across all the antennas. I think this needs a better "good enough" portion of the switching algorithm that allows for it to NOT switch when the signal is strong and equal across all antennas. Basically telling the switcher to take it easy when it has a good lock on its current antenna regardless of the relative strength of the other antennas to a point. I noticed this kind of algorithm in the eachine pro58 with achellez firmware. If I'm fairly close to the Tx and cover antenna b, the diversity won't switch even when I cover the other antenna completely. It stays locked until something like 85 percent rssi. I think that what we were seeing was the "diversity switch of death"....I coined that phrase lol

[@billsomrak]

Just out of curiosity, I wonder if you've ever tried the "Birds Eye View" panel antenna and/or their mini cloverleaf? I have a set of those on one of my camera birds, and have had solid signals out over 1KM with just a 200mw VTX. Just curious. I have a matched set of IB Crazy (Airscrew/MadMushroom) and the B.E.V. setup seemed to perform better .. although its panel is somewhat directional compared to the IB Crazy antennas.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

I'm not familiar with that antenna, no. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@Jrod_FPV]

thanks the video. what mW Vtx were you testing with? I've heard talk of "over loading" Vrx but don't totally understand when it happens- I wonder if that could be what's going on with such high gain antennas and close proximity? Also I'm wondering if the punch out could have gone out of vertical range of the antennas? such high db antennas usually are very narrow in their "FOV" or field of reception. if so this would explain why the guy with an omni on fat shark goggles never lost signal.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

200 mW vTX. Yes, I was out of range if the patch antennas but the diversity receiver should have switched over to the cloverleaf on the Overlord. That's why it's there.

[@billybbob18]

Maybe the need to add a bias to the clover lief in the algorithm?

[@tommysmith2908]

I'm maidening my overloard today. How far was your quad from the overlord when you did the punchout? I'll try the same. Thanks for all your work.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Tommy Smith I couldn't say but you can eyeball it. I'm sure it will work fine most of the time.

[@tommysmith2908]

I spend 5 hours flying my new Overlord Satruday. I have 13 lightly wooded arces with 2 clearings like Joshua's field. I had the "glytch of death" one time and thanks to Joshua's video I stayed with it and recovered. The rest of the day was great, 15 packs. I only get to fly once a week:( I had no problem with punch outs near the Overlord. The patch antennas do not have the penetration my 5 turn helical does. But, I have never been able to fly the whole property before either, with my duel system. All-in-all, I like it. Note: It seems to switch antennas alot. Thanks Joshua, your video saved me one crash... I managed many more on my own.

[@crimebydesign5797]

I'm starting to think that they don't test these things like you do and just release them based on numbers that are supposed to work. Thank god for your reviews so we aren't wasting tons of money lol

[@amjtech]

Those Glitches when the Diversity Change I think could be cleaned up on any diversity setup by putting a Timebase corrector inline.. I've been really wanting to try it and have suspected thats what the clearview recievers have that give them an advantage.

[@thenatedog]

the hole in a cp antenna is directly out the top right? so that cp antenna should be 90 degrees. the current setup stock has a huge hole is reception right over your head. the hole in the cp should be pointing the same direction as one of the direction antennas.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Correct. I wouldn't say "huge hole" though because the CP antenna is only like 2 dBi of gain. It's there, but it's not massive like it would be if the antenna were 8 dBi or something.

[@michaelbrewer7259]

Joshua, what VTX are you using? Your DVR footage is crystal clear and minimum breakup.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Same vTX as always. The good DVR footage is due to the Overlord.

[@michaelbrewer7259]

Joshua Bardwell, I think I missed that video. What's it again? Thanks.

[@piman3072]

FR632 is a great little receiver and only $52. You can easily cover a track with two X air antennas, or an X air and an Omni

[@mattozx6rr]

Thank you for this. My opinion is I would not buy it. will stick with my current setup. Will give them a couple generations to get it up to snuff. Price is right if they can get it sorted out. Great video!

[@NickoFishing]

the antenna shown is the one Bruce tested but not the same as the antennas on the overlord. the construction with the sma on the back is very different internally to the one pictured with the cable out the bottom

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Yes, that's what I've learned.

[@djklermundable]

good info thanks

[@notcranium]

Switching time and sensitivity are [supposedly] adjustable on the Quanum Overlord. Did you play with these settings to see if it helped at all?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+notcranium They are adjustable but I did not play with them.

[@patrickcol]

Do you have any test equipment at work that can measure the Aomway panel's effectiveness Joshua?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+patrickcol not really. But field testing should be useful.

[@Charles-Darwin]

the comparison would be great! it would be good for us that invested in hardware other than fatshark but want a better signal

[@quadplay2591]

Be intrested to see if RSSI is the same level from each rx unit (for a set input), since the switching decision is based on rssi level they need to be balanced / matched on all 6 units. I have come accross diversity units with different rssi levels for the same RF input, this was not obvious in normal use since it was just 2 antennas but I suspect it will be vital in a 6 way unit since some antennas are in opposite directions. I managed to fix it by adding an smd potiential divider to the rssi line of the 'better unit' thus balancing the rssi levels. Not sure how you could measure it Josh, not without some RF lab kit, but it's possible to rig up a field test using one rx antenna and a distance Tx, the rssi level should be fairly equal when averaged over time. Ideally you need to place a 50 Ohm termination on the other 5 receivers but its not essential if you use a fairly distant tx source to simulate ~ minus 80 dbm... just food for thought, the cheap Chinese rx units are fairly crapy tbh (just mass produced and tested to fairly wide tolerances) so i'd expect to see some variation unless the makers are sorting and paring the rx units which is possible but I suspect not happening, or else they could be storing rssi offests in a calibration table.. also possible but I'm thinking no.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

I hope that they come calibrated from the factory, because I don't think there is any calibration method in the menus.

[@serverboyuk]

wonder if audio is supported ?

[@A3Kr0n]

It there any reason why the date uploaded isn't being displayed? It think it's important.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

I don't know what platform you're on, but on desktop, it's right underneath the title for me.

[@MU-xh8fu]

Do you sometimes see the straight lines are jagged/pixelated? My nexwave wasn't the best receiver but shapes looked better IMO. Maybe it's because I'm a tad colorblind and need that distinction between shapes but it bothers me. Been trying out a Dragonfly receiver that seems to get decent signal BUT lines have that blocky(don't know what it's called) look at times. Don't remember if you ever mentioned or reviewed the Dragonfly, have any info on it? They're only $20+.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Flyin Mikey that's the runcam eagle, not the Overlord doing that.

[@MU-xh8fu]

Joshua Bardwell Not with the two receivers I have. I just uploaded two videos if you have a minute. Also the Dragonfly creates interference/lines when I turn it off and try to watch my DVR footage or navigate the menu. Nexwave give me a better image. I saw color/line differences in your uploads also. Thoughts? It is not all a camera thing.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Flyin Mikey the jagged lines are definitely the Eagle. The rolling white lines in the Armadillo video are also due to that copter. 100%.

[@MU-xh8fu]

Joshua Bardwell Not talking about signal lines or noise, I get some difference while motors are disarmed using different receivers. Might be a colorblind thing.

[@7demo7review]

I just published a distance test on my channel-

[@jamble7k]

Joshua you need to make a hat with the overlord on top... then you have all the benefits of goggles and 6 way diversity!

[@gonun69]

thats a cool idea! maybe make some kind of sci-fi helmet with lots of antennas, bateries and video goggles, that could look awesome!

[@benjaminmcdonnell7167]

Why does FPV video sometimes go to almost black when you crash, is it becasue the ground obstructs the antenna? Thanks in advanced.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Benjamin McDonnell yes. The antenna is upside down right against the ground.

[@SickocrowAU]

Could it possibly be the plate focal angle might be a little tight and in close it loses a bit of reception, but out further where the tight focal isn't a issue it works better? Maybe 5 lesser focused patches would do better in closer.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

This overlooks the fact that there is an omni antenna on the Overlord, which is basically the same as was on the LaForge. The Overlord's omni antenna is specifically intended to cover close-in and overhead situations where you are outside the coverage of the patch antennas.

[@SickocrowAU]

I'm just trying to figure out why when you did your 200m+ spin test watching the other pilot it actually looks cleaner than when you were flying closer in.

[@PeterKornum]

I have notized that mr. Steele and stinger swarm has som sort of hand scanner where they Can spot a "clean signal" i have not yet found the correct search term in Google.... But i have not given up yet!!! Any input here would be appriciated!!

[@JoshuaBardwell]

It's probably just a handheld spectrum analyzer.

[@PeterKornum]

Joshua Bardwell this Got me thinking... If i Can find a handheld spectrum Analyzer at a fair Price it would be at handy tool.. BUT if i put an highly direction antenna on it i could use it to find a lost quad (if the vtx is transmitting??) dont you agree? And can you tell Im trying to justify buying One??? 😜

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Yes, absolutely. This is the one to look at: rfexplorer.com/models/ But honestly, a LaForge or True-D or RealACC will do the same thing at 1/3 the price, and a diversity receiver to boot.

[@Bruno-cb5gk]

I think you should just make some crosshairs/pepperboxes, those things are way better than a patch, albeit a bit larger.

[@awokenfpv3887]

I had the exact same glitch on my realacc diversity(using a questionable firmware) and I did the exact same punch out and then went inverted. I was flying over a parking lot and the glitch stopped 2 meters above ground :) Damage report: Lumenier QAV-X frame broken, 2x t-motor F60 exploded, 1 runcam swift broken, 1 xiaomi yi exploded. End of rant, life goes on :P

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Good joke. Everybody laugh.

[@awokenfpv3887]

What kind of answer is that? :O Did I offend you or something?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Awoken FPV no, it's a reference to Watchmen. The end of your story reminded me of it that's all.

[@awokenfpv3887]

Alright, after watching the scene it makes sense :)

[@MrStevegibb]

i thought Bruce said that patch antennas have poor polarization characteristics. helicals would probably be better.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Someone by the name of Alex G says that the patch antennas on the Overlord are not the same as the ones Bruce tested. The ones Bruce tested have the cable coming out the bototm; the ones on the Overlord have the cable coming out the back.

[@RobB_VK6ES]

Any possibility of user firmware updates ? Seems to me if HK listened to the feedback and released better software it could be a real winner.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

I assume there is a way to update the firmware, but it isn't immediately obvious what it is, at least not from the outside of the unit. Has HK released a firmware update for any of their other Quanum receivers? That should be a good indication of whether we will see an update for this one.

[@stephenwilley]

When you said the menus are a bit annoying, I had a little chuckle. Have you got your 2pinapples yet? If you ever do a 'which is the worst imaginable menu' comparison, the 2pinapples will win that hands down.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+cerealkillers yes, definitely.

[@stephenwilley]

Yeah, bit of buyer's remorse there. Think I'll be trading in for one of your recommendations soon.

[@PiManASM]

wonder how it would do with 5 True RC X airs and a Mad Mushroom

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Funny that you ask that. I just happen to have five True RC X airs.

[@doupnetwork]

I'm having the same drop out with my fr632 and now I'm not wanting the overlord if it will do the same. Don't have fatshark goggles. So what would u recommend? Thinking bout Clearview but it so expensive.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Clearview is clearly the best ground station you can buy but yeah it's super expensive. FR632 is considered by many to be a pretty decent ground station receiver. Surprised you're having problems with it. If you have some kind of goggles, it's possible to hack RealACC or True-D into them.

[@doupnetwork]

Joshua Bardwell Yes I have Eachine VR008 box style goggles(first pair) and a couple VR006s for my kids. Think I could hack the True D into the 008?

[@JohnFHendry]

4:55 high gain antenna and carbon fiber frame... my guess is you are flying in too close and you aimed it just right to where the signal was blocked to the high gain antenna but not the other lower gain antenna in another location. You said you were not far out... where high gain antennas work best. But then again you would think the center low gain CP would be picked in close unless it was overhead... I'd play with the settings, antenna angles, and try another center low gain antenna. Read some good reviews on it and like the concept better than using an antenna tracker.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+John F Hendry but none of that explains why a LaForge with the same cloverleaf had no problem.

[@JohnFHendry]

Agree unless the settings had it picking the high gain antennas or you were in it's null zone. I take it these are a different patch antennas than RCMR reviewed a while back... they're a different size I think.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+John F Hendry yes, the antennas are different than the ones rcmodelreviews reviewed.

[@JohnFHendry]

Joshua Bardwell Hobby King should point that out as there's a lot of talk it's the same patch antenna and they do look similar. But this 6 VTX idea is looking good if you are going to have a ground station and it costs a lot less than the Clearview system. What's funny is where I fly a 4.5 gram 25mw FCC licensed 5.8 gHz tiny whoop VTX and a FS RACE goggle VRX with a Mad Mushroom is out ranging my DX9 and a UMX Radeon's RX that passes a low output range test great. I recorded video at about 75-100 ft up gliding with the motor off in bubbles of lift getting lower almost half a mile away with metal buildings in the way so having that height to broadcast from makes a big difference. Second time I recorded losing the 2.4 gHz control link LOS while I had 5.8 video from a 4.5g tiny whoop cam VX showing me where it went.

[@AnotherLameYTchannel]

Been waiting to hear about this. Think I'll pass and stick with my furious Fpv true d. Or at least wait for v2 or update.

[@PowerScissor]

I've plugged a friend's "OVERLORD" into my Walkera Goggles2 and it had infinitely more glitches at my usual flying course where the built-in receiver in Goggles has never glitched once that bad in the years I've flown there.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

If you are flying with a non-diversity receiver, you will have zero glitches because there is no diversity switching. If you could be sure that you would always fly within range of a single cloverleaf antenna, then a non-diversity receiver would give the best image quality. The point of diversity is that you accept a bit more glitching in exchange for being able to get much greater range or penetration.

[@madmarty7103]

If I remember right other diversities don't show glitches when switching!?

[@PowerScissor]

Mad Marty I have a diversity monitor that doesn't glitch like I experienced. I'm talking about flight ending blackouts of ½ a second. I didn't crash, but easily could have if it happened during different parts of the flight. I thought it was the cable I was using...until I just saw the same type thing in Joshua's video.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+PowerScissor ah yes. That's definitely not normal. But I only experienced them infrequently.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Mad Marty they all do, to some degree.

[@lcurole]

Compared to the clearview?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Logan Curole I'm terms of range, time will tell. In terms of ease of use, Overlord wins because it has proper menu and screen vs annoying single button press OSD. In terms of video quality, Clearview wins all the way. Clearview NEVER glitches. It fuzzes out eventually but you never get surprised by a dropout.

[@mattozx6rr]

Leaning towards the clear view. Cant spot the money for the racing version but the other is within reasonable reach. Will wait a bit and see if HK can sort out the Overlord. I don't race but I do play around trees and objects so a reliable receiver is a must. Easy transport and setup is also a must. I like to be in and out in some of the places I fly Which means it will have to stay on the tripod with cables and antennas during transport.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

+Twisted Bones the racing version is the cheaper one FWIW. The pro version is the expensive one.

[@mattozx6rr]

Joshua Bardwell My bad. I thought the racing was the more expensive. thanks for the correction. have not looked at them for a while.

[@Renegat4]

As by now the price reduced to quite an attractive level, I am thinking about getting one and build some kind of realy overkill Antennatracker with it. For this, I need an Audiooutput from the VTX, as I transfer the GPS position over the audio channel on my current tracker setup. Now I found different Informations whether this unit has an audiooutput or not. could someone give me a veryfied (tested) information about this? Thanks in advance!

[@SvPVids]

you used the force Joshua to control that quad blindly.

[@XtianApi]

You should put one circular on that for the punch outs Edit :oh there is one

[@GrantCassar]

it doesnt inspire me as much as i thought. It may have a secret menu like the dual diversity receiver has to adjust the diversity switch timing.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

You can adjust the diversity switch timing, exactly like the dual diversity receiver.

[@mueller9539]

that glich must just be software and "probably" would be fixed. but would wait for the fix before i put my money down

[@thetomekyo]

Seriously, these blue Aomway antennas are really crap. I bought two of those and tested them against my self made SPW and helical. The Aomway performed even worse than the SPW. I wouldn't be surprised your drop out had something to do with those...

[@JoshuaBardwell]

It doesn't explain why the Overlord didn't switch to the cloverleaf though. Aomway cloverleafs are fine. I've flown on them for a long time before I switched to Foxeer.

[@thetomekyo]

I can imagine that if you are right above the cloverleaf with another cloverleaf (more or less) you're going to lose reception ... even if the distance is not really big ...

[@tma450]

a bit overkill for me