Wireless Ground Control Station, RC and Photo Equipment on Mast and Blimp

The benefit of having a wireless ground station for mast or blimp systems is that the cables are not getting tangled around the pole and are not getting in the way when the mast or balloon as it goes up or down. Our system is clean and cable free making it looking professional when on site.   Especially for balloon photography it is essential that you have a wireless ground station. Can you imagine handling 300 feet of copper cable being tethered to a balloon?  If so, then I may be rediscovering electricity with Ben Franklin, if the weather should change quickly.

We use a Full 360 degree Pan and 90 degree Tilt Unit which sets no limits to the range of motion.  We can aim straight down and turn as many times as you wish in any direction, keeping the photos and/or video clear of any entanglement and eliminates use having to Photoshop out cables.  We use very light weight durable plastic for the Pan/Tilt/Yaw unit and mount a Canon T1i or T2i depending upon the type of shoot.   In all we can carry about 6.8 pounds with the blimp and about 8 pounds on top of the 60 foot mast.  This is wear it can get real tricky with lenses for the cameras they have to be light weight however correct for the type of shoot.  We use a 10-24mm F/1.4 lens for most of our shoots however when we need to capture more detail we use a 17-40mm F/4.

For our camera triggers we use specialty LANC and direct to RC triggers via the remote access ports on the Canon camera.  It gives us more control and better accuracy to when we want a picture taken.  And because our systems are custom designed by either a cable-trigger or infrared signals on the pan/tilt unit, it can allow us to stay in the air longer without using a great deal of battery life.

 Mast Camera Systems

Aerial Photography using a mast or pole is the most efficient means of getting a photograph from 50 feet and below. Setup time is fast and the mast is light enough to carry to locations without easy access with a vehicle. The poles weigh about 65 pounds and are approximately 8.0 feet tall when collapsed. The camera quickly gets to 50 feet by manually lifting each section.

(Click picture below to enlarge)

There are two attachment options, the tripod or a hitch mount. The hitch mount is the easiest to use when on site and moving around between jobs. The tripod is great for the back of the house shots, or at golf courses and places to which you can’t easily bring your vehicle.  The tripod takes about 30 minutes to setup however can only go to 30 feet for safety and stability reasons.

Balloon Camera Systems

These are commercial systems intended for daily use can are filled with helium gas and can lift payloads 5 to 12 pounds.  It typically takes about 1.5 K bottle tanks of helium to fill the blimp and once filled it can remain full for months with as little as 1.5% loss of helium per month.

The Blimp can fly between 50 feet to 1000 feet and we have discovered that the most desirable images can be achieved around 250 feet, with the added benefit of reaching 1000 feet if really needed however due to FAA regulations we should fly above 1000 feet AGL.  The real advantage is noise control, RC, planes and helicopters make noise however the blimp is quite, eqo-friendly and don’t cause the problems that motorized craft do.  Our really know limits is mother nature and not being able to fly in winds greater than 10 knots or 11.5 mph.  We do have the ability to fly in higher winds up to 40 mph using another type of balloon technology if needed.

Now with the balloon and the wireless ground station coupled together, you capture the picture exactly as it appears on your ground station monitor.  Because your time limits are only limited to battery life of the pan/tilt/zoom unit you can fly at any given height for hours quiet and undetected if needed.