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Neros Archer TAK Setup

Overview​

Covers connecting a Neros Archer UAS ground station to ATAK through the UAS Tool plugin, then configuring that connection to broadcast the drone's video feed to MCHMR so it's viewable in TAK.

Prerequisites​

  • ATAK is already installed on your Android device and you're logged in.
  • The Neros Ground Station is powered on and ready to connect.
  • You know the drone's name (e.g. ARCHER2) — you'll need it to build the broadcast identifier.

Steps​

Part 1: Initial UAS Tool Configuration​

Step 1: Open the UAS Tool plugin​

  1. Tap the hamburger menu, then find UAS Tool in the Tools panel (scroll down if it's not visible, or tap its icon directly from the main toolbar if it's already pinned there).

ATAK Tools panel with the UAS Tool plugin icon among Auth Flow, Data Sync, and Settings

If the Neros Ground Station connection was already set up previously, you can instead just plug the phone into the ATAK port on the GCS, wait a few seconds, and tap the play button that appears — skip ahead to Part 2: Initial Broadcast Setup. Otherwise, continue below to set it up for the first time.

Step 2: Add the drone​

  1. Tap the + icon to add a new platform, and set Platform to MAVLink.

Select a Platform Below dialog, with MAVLink chosen and Network Protocol set to Serial

  1. Set Network Protocol to Serial.

Change Network Protocol dialog with Serial selected

  1. Set Serial Baud to 115200.

Change Serial Baud dialog with 115200 selected

  1. Set Serial Device to Neros Ground Station.

Change Serial Device dialog showing Neros Ground Station selected

  1. Set Camera Component to USB Camera, and Video Source Adapter to USB2.0 PC Camera.

Serial Device, Camera Component, and Video Source Adapter fields all completed

Serial Device automatically populates with Neros Ground Station once the phone is plugged into the GCS's TAK port — you don't need to have it plugged in beforehand, but it has to be connected before you can select it here. Much of this configuration should have options pre-selected or readily selectable; if a field isn't populating correctly, close and reopen ATAK, then unplug and replug the TAK cable. Everything (phone, GCS, ground station) needs to be plugged in with power for this to work.

Step 3: Grant permissions and connect​

  1. Tap OK when ATAK prompts for permission to access the Neros Ground Station.

Allow ATAK to access Neros Ground Station permission dialog

  1. Dismiss any warning pop-ups that appear (see Troubleshooting below for what one of these means), then tap OK on any remaining connect prompts.

Warning dialog: an aircraft was detected using the same System ID as the GCS

  1. Once the platform is listed and shows a wifi/connection icon, tap the Play button and wait a few moments for the video feed to appear.

MAVLink Network UAS list showing UAS-TREND_255 connected, with the Play button highlighted

  1. Tap OK on the camera permission prompt.

Allow ATAK to access USB2.0 PC CAMERA permission dialog

  1. Once connected, the video feed appears alongside the map.

Split-screen view: map on the left, live video feed from the drone on the right

Part 2: Initial Broadcast Setup​

Step 4: Open Video Broadcast settings​

  1. From the UAS Tool, tap the hamburger icon to open the UAS Tool Menu, then go to Settings → Video Broadcast.

UAS Tool Menu showing Missions, ATAK Geofences, Video Overlays, Widgets, and Map Labels UAS Tool Preferences screen with Broadcast CoT enabled and a Video Broadcast entry Broadcast Preferences screen listing Broadcast Size, Video Broadcast Bitrate, Video Broadcast Destination, and the RTSP-Push Configuration section

Step 5: Configure the broadcast destination​

  1. Set Video Broadcast Destination to RTSP-Push.
  2. Set Video Destination IP Address to compass.mchmr.us (the MCHMR server).

Select a Network Endpoint dialog with compass.mchmr.us already saved

  1. Set Video Destination Port to 554.

Video Destination Port field with the numeric keypad, showing 554

  1. Set Video Broadcast Identifier to [drone name]/group/AFCENT — e.g. ARCHER2/group/AFCENT.

Video Broadcast Identifier field showing ARCHER2/group/AFCENT

  1. Leave Video Destination Username and Password unset, and Reliable P2P Connection off.

The Video Observer URL builds itself automatically from the settings above — you don't need to enter it separately.

Other broadcast settings: Video Observer URL auto-populated and Auto Broadcast enabled

To View Archer Broadcasts on TAK​

Once you've verified the remote site is broadcasting, log into MCHMR and select the appropriate image — this links the stream into TAK.

This section is incomplete — it still needs real MCHMR login steps and screenshots before it's finished.

This procedure is complete once all of the following are true:

  • The Neros Archer's video feed appears live in ATAK after tapping Play
  • The Video Observer URL auto-populates with the correct address
  • The broadcast reaches MCHMR and is visible in TAK once linked

Troubleshooting​

  • Video does not show up on the phone: exit the app and forcibly close it from its app settings, reopen ATAK and UAS Tool, tap the + icon to open the setup screen, then repeat the Initial UAS Tool Configuration steps again — even for settings that already appear selected, including the video resolution option. For most other issues not listed here, a forcible shutdown and reopen of ATAK will often resolve it.
  • "An aircraft was detected that is using the same System ID as the GCS": this is an error — the aircraft and GCS System IDs must be different. Change one of them before continuing; the connection will not work correctly while they collide.