UAV Systems Engineering · M6-L3 · Hands-on lab (runs on your machine)
Connect PX4 with QGroundControl
The ground station is your window into the vehicle: connect it, read the telemetry and plan a mission.
What you will do
QGroundControl (QGC) is the standard PX4 ground station. In SITL it connects automatically over UDP, using MAVLink. You will observe live telemetry, inspect and change parameters, upload a simple mission and fly it.
Before you start
- Lab “Run PX4 SITL” completed.
- QGroundControl installed on the same machine or on one on the same network (see the QGC download page for your platform).
- Lesson M6-T7 (MAVLink) and M6-T12 (QGroundControl).
Steps
- Start PX4 SITL. Start QGroundControl: it should connect to the simulated vehicle automatically (PX4 SITL sends MAVLink to the standard ground-station UDP port).
- Open the Fly view: confirm attitude, altitude, battery and flight mode readouts update.
- Open Vehicle Setup → Parameters. Search for
EKF2_and note three parameters and their values (do not change them yet). - Open the Plan view, add a takeoff and three waypoints around the vehicle, and upload the mission.
- Return to Fly, start the mission, watch the vehicle follow it and land. Open Analyze → MAVLink Inspector and note the rate of at least three messages.
Questions to answer in your notes
- Which MAVLink messages carry position and attitude, and at what rates?
- What is the difference between a mission waypoint and an offboard setpoint?
- Which flight mode did the vehicle enter for the mission?
How to know it worked
- QGC shows the vehicle connected with live telemetry.
- You uploaded and flew a mission autonomously in SITL.
- You recorded three message rates from the MAVLink Inspector.
If it does not work
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| QGC does not connect | Firewall, wrong network, or SITL on another host | Allow UDP; when SITL runs elsewhere, configure a UDP link or the MAVLink target as in the PX4 docs |
| Mission upload fails | Vehicle not ready or home position not set | Wait for the estimator and home position; retry |
| Vehicle does not take off in mission | Arming checks failing | Read the QGC messages; resolve each pre-arm failure |
References
Record your progress
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