Pi Slow Scan TV wins 'Make' contest

The Raspberry Pi contest, sponsored by Make, attracted nearly 40 projects. The panel of judges were impressed by the range and quality of the entrants and while the competition was close, one project rose to the top, Gerrit Polder’s Slow Scan TeleVision (SSTV) Camera.

The Raspberry Pi with the PiCam is used as a wireless camera which can transmit images over long distances, usually tenths of kilometers. Images will be transmitted by amateur radio (ham-radio) using slow scan television (SSTV) on the 2 meter band (144.5 MHz).

Since the Pi can generate the HF FM signal itself, no additional electronics are needed for low power transmissions. For a little bit more power a one or two transistor amplifier will be suitable. Furthermore a low pass filter is recommended to filter out higher harmonics of the signal.

This project also contains a Python script which detects movement. Using this script, the Raspberry Pi can be used as a wireless security cam at distances far outside the range of normal WiFi networks.