How to Configure RSSI in ArduPilot

I. Principle

RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) is used to monitor the strength of the RC signal, helping pilots judge signal quality and avoid losing control due to signal loss.

II. Equipment Preparation

Hardware

1. Flight Controller: CoreWing F405 WING V2 / CoreWing F405 WING MINI V2 — either one is suitable for this tutorial.
2. RC Transmitter: RadioMaster TX16S, RadioMaster Boxer, or FrSky X9D as examples.
3. Receiver: SpeedyBee ELRS Nano 2.4G, TBS NANO, or FrSky R-XSR as examples.
4. High-Frequency Head: Built-in ELRS module or external ELRS high-frequency head, TBS high-frequency head as examples.
5. Computer: Used to access the web interface for configuring the high-frequency head or receiver parameters.
6. VTX: Analog VTX / HD VTX.
7. VTX Monitor: Analog goggles / HD VTX goggles.

Software

Mission Planner ground control station

III. Specific Operations

OSD Settings

Open Mission Planner → enter Config/Tuning → enter Onboard OSD → check Link_Q and RSSI → click Write.

Method 1: Get RSSI via CRSF Protocol (ELRS High-Frequency Head and SpeedyBee ELRS Nano 2.4G)

1. Set RSSI parameters: Open Mission Planner.

   ① Click Config/Tuning;
   ② Enter the full parameter list;
   ③ Search for rssi;
   ④ Set the RSSI_TYPE value to 3;
   ⑤ Click Write Params.

2. Check the analog goggles / HD VTX goggles screen, look at the RSSI display item, and observe whether the RSSI reading changes with the signal.

Method 2: Get RSSI via PWM Channel (TBS High-Frequency Head and TBS NANO Receiver)

1. Set the RSSI transmit channel in the RC transmitter

1. Power on the RC transmitter → open the SYS menu → navigate to the TOOLS page → find the TBS Agent Lite script and click to enter.

2. Find XF Nano RX and enter Channel Map.

3. Select the corresponding channel as the RSSI channel (TBS typically sets it to CH12).

Important

If you want to transmit both RSSI and LQ, select the channel as RSSI/LQ** and set RSSI_TYPE to 3.

2. Flight Controller Settings

1. Set RSSI parameters: Open Mission Planner.

   ① Click Config/Tuning;
   ② Enter the full parameter list;
   ③ Search for rssi;
   ④ Set the RSSI_TYPE value to 2;
   ⑤ Click Write Params.

== ※ Restart the flight controller after writing the parameters ==

2. Set the RSSI_CHANNEL parameter:

   ① Click Config/Tuning;
   ② Enter the full parameter list;
   ③ Search for rssi;
   ④ Set the RSSI_CHANNEL value to 12;
   ⑤ Click Write Params.

3. Check the analog goggles / HD VTX goggles screen, look at the RSSI display item, and observe whether the RSSI reading changes with the signal.

Method 3: Analog RSSI Transmission (FrSky X9D RC Transmitter and FrSky R-XSR Receiver)

1. Receiver Wiring

1. If your receiver is a FrSky receiver, or has an RSSI port as shown below, you need to wire it up to see the RSSI strength on the OSD.

2. On the flight controller board, find the RSSI port. Solder a wire to it and connect to the receiver's RSSI port as shown above.

2. Flight Controller Settings

1. Set RSSI parameters: Open Mission Planner.

   ① Click Config/Tuning;
   ② Enter the full parameter list;
   ③ Search for rssi;
   ④ Set the RSSI_TYPE value to 1;
   ⑤ Click Write Params.

IV. Q&A

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