FPV Flying, Where gamers go to die, reality.

One Battery: 14 minutes with the TBS G2 - Fly more!

Bruce did a review on the ZOHD brand AIO camera that comes with some of their FPV version models like the nano talon, dart and drift. This is why I always use a heat sink and I'm thinking about a small switch on the side of the craft to switch on the vtx at the last moment. I have a couple of similar kinds of camera transmitter combos, they are cheap ($20 US) and simple way to FPV anything. This camera comes as an option on some of ZOHD's planes, or you can use it on any model.

Many better quality FPV cameras today that run on a wide range of battery voltages will show the battery voltage in a built in OSD, That's the most important information if yer flying using electrons.
Review: ZOHD VC400 FPV backpack

Here is a smart young fellow from Poland, who happens to have a wonderful location for long range flying, this is from 2 years ago and it's probably gotten cheaper and easier to do this since then. He didn't even use a ground station either.

Across Chimney and 2 Rivers - 6200m Long Range 7" drone FPV

Wonderful trip. So many points of interest. And the light on take off, clear. Only after the tall chimney did I see bits of low cloud. Return with sunset hues from the left. Wonder if his other flights came together as well.

end_of_the_tunnel said:

Wonderful trip. So many points of interest. And the light on take off, clear. Only after the tall chimney did I see bits of low cloud. Return with sunset hues from the left. Wonder if his other flights came together as well.

Click to expand...

Yep it was a nice flight from a quiet location, long range "exploration" flying is appealing to me, He would have had a much better FPV video signal at range with a ground station antenna and if he used Li on batteries ( high C types used for vaping) he could have doubled his flight time at a cost of performance.

Long range quads offer more freedom than planes for take offs and landings and are a better, more stable FPV and HD camera platform than planes, which tend to roll and are more affected by wind. That's why the fellow didn't stick around at the summit of the volcano, it was blowing a storm up there and he didn't wan't want to end up behind terrain. Since the Gopro 7 with image stabilization, plane and even wing flight footage looks much smoother. I'm waiting for the split style HD FPV cameras (not the fpv part!) cheap action cameras to have gyro based image stabilization too, it's kinda the gold standard for HD action cameras today and is driving Gopro's sales and recovery. They can record the gyro info along with the video too and provide software to do it in post like reel steady go does for their older cameras.

end_of_the_tunnel said:

Wonderful trip. So many points of interest. And the light on take off, clear. Only after the tall chimney did I see bits of low cloud. Return with sunset hues from the left. Wonder if his other flights came together as well.

Click to expand...

I have lots of places around here with high hills and cliffs overlooking a sheltered inland saltwater loch, (The Bras D'or Lakes), along with high spots along the harbors and coasts, hence my interest in an RC rescue boat! I'm liking the idea of putting the transmitter module on a 1 or 2 meter mast with a magnetic mount (I got a couple of microwave magnets that would be perfect). Then putting the FPV ground station on a tripod a few feet away and either sit in the car, or on a lawn chair under an umbrella, next to the car. I could even make a small bungee launcher and sit it in front of the car.

I figure an ethernet cable should carry the digital signal from the transmitter for at least 10 feet to the antenna mounted Frsky 900 mHz module and allow remote mounting. It's cold here much of the year and standing still outside flying FPV is not a pleasant experience for the most part and you don't want to FPV with goggles on a summer's evening when the air is still and yer surrounded by a fucking swarm of mosquitoes and blackflies! (Been there done that!).

I want "comfort" options! A remotely mounted transmitter module and a tripod ground station will give it to me! If I had such a setup I could fly my long range drone from my back deck and if I mounted shit on a high enough mast, sit inside the house. I'm looking for all the info I can find on remotely mounting transmitter modules, I figure it would be useful to me and others too, I've seen it done in videos, so I know it can be done.

Here is the Frsky R9M 900 Mhz transmitter module I want to the pole mount.

Here is a micro FPV camera review done today, this one will sell for around $10 US and weighs just 1.5 grams. I prefer better cameras with a higher quality image for planes and quads, but if you're looking at a sub 250 gram craft this will keep it light with a good quality image. It's bigger brother, the Caddx ANT, goes for $20. US now There are a few FPV camera experts on YouTube and this guy is one of them, he also seems to have Asian connections, check his Youtube description for deals, discount coupons and other related videos on this camera. This product is just being released.
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Caddx ANT Lite FPV Camera Review

MINI QUAD LONG RANGE RC OPTIONS: TBS CROSSFIRE & FRSKY R9M

"For long range flying, RC link is just as important as your FPV video link. In this review we will have a look at some long range RC options: the Frsky R9M and TBS Crossfire. These are the two most popular TX modules compatible with the Taranis X9D transmitter.


TL;DR – R9M or Crossfire?
Update (Jan 2020): For now, I recommend the Crossfire over R9M, because it’s just so much more reliable, and easier to use. I was hoping the R9M could be a good contender, but Frsky’s recent development on the product, and lack of backward compatibility have been extremely disappointing.

The Frsky’s R9M is so much cheaper, the receiver is only half the price as the Crossfire as well. The Crossfire was released in 2015, while the R9M was only released in 2017, so the Crossfire is leading in terms of feature and reliability.

For those interested in an affordable alternative to crossfire, the R9 system is an excellent choice."

Here is something I ran across in my research on a ground station. Just $18 US! I dunno much about this kind of tracker, but I'll bone up and see what the full costs are, but this is stupid cheap and one is going in my shopping cart for now
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AFPV SN-AAT FPV Ground Station For RC Airplane Fixed-Wing Model - GPS Module


AAT - Auto Antenna Tracker.
SN-AAT uses an efficient video signal superposition algorithm,SN-L(Airborne module) superimposes information such as GPS onto video,then transmits the video to AAT through the video transmitter,completes information encoding-transmission decoding; AAT aligns the antenna with the aircraft in real time based on the acquired aircraft position information,and outputs its information according to mavlink protocol or screen output.

This article got me thinking, if I could make something like this with a $20 2.4 Ghz Sbus receiver and my 900 Mhz R9M transmitter module. If this were possible I could put the module almost anywhere high up with no wires to worry about. I'm gonna look into repeaters, maybe there's something commercial


FPVlongrange.com 433 Mhz FPV Repeater System
Ground station separation and multi-transmitter control.
Article By Matt Gunn | Sep 11, 2013, 06:53 AM
Get some separation between your video antenna and LRS transmitter

The FPV Repeater System from FPVlongrange.com is unique-to-the-hobby device that allows you to remotely mount your 433Mhz LRS and get some distance between it and the video receiver/antenna in the process.
The idea is simple: use the native control-frequency from your transmitter (35/72Mhz and 2.4 GHz), plug the FPV Repeater's input into your transmitter's receiver, and the output to your 433Mhz transmitter of choice. It's known in the hobby that most long-range systems can interfere with video frequencies, effectively reducing overall range. Add in the fact that you are probably not holding your 433Mhz antenna vertically all the time, and now your limiting your control range as well. But with the FPV Repeater, you can now distance yourself, your ground station, and video receiver up to a whopping 3000 feet away (if you felt so inclined). Place the repeater up high and clear of obstacles for increased transmission distance, or outside your house while you fly from inside. The repeater system is well tested with Dragonlink & TLRS & EzUHF systems.
Another great feature is the use of two separate controllers. The FPV Repeater can accept receivers from multiple rc transmitters, allowing you to use one for aircraft control and another for gimbal/camera control.

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Here is how to do it for a 450 Mhz long range dragon link system (expensive), shouldn't be much different for my module.
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FrSky to Dragonlink Repeater

I wanted to relieve the stress on my neck from carrying the Taranis with the Dragonlink on the back to I built this FrSky to Dragonlink repeater. It uses PPM to take my control signal via the FrSky protocol to my FrSky receiver and down to the Dragonlink. The whole system is standalone and is powered by a 3s lipo. I used a stepdown voltage regulator to take 3s voltage to 5v for the FrSky receiver. Here are the parts I used: DIY FrSky Receiver - http://goo.gl/s4wEvR Mini Step Down Voltage Regulator Module - http://goo.gl/dFY002

Fly by night or at sun up or sunset? Using the right camera you can fly in very low light levels and get an excellent picture during the day too. I have a Caddx Ratel and if there is ambient light like in an urban area or even a full moon, you can fly by night, provided your craft has lights and an LED strip can take care of that. If you do fly by night, a landing beacon and a powerful flashlight are recommended as a FPV navagation guide, incase you become lost.

Don't expect to shoot any HD footage though, your camera will see mostly black. Here is a good comparison of low light level performance of popular FPV cameras.
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Foxeer CAT 2 Micro Starlight camera - low light test vs Caddx Ratel, Baby Ratel, RunCam Nano 2, 3

In this video I tested the new Foxeer CAT 2 Micro Starlight FPV camera against the Caddx Ratel, Caddx Baby Ratel, RunCam Nano 2 and RunCam nano 3 camera in low light.

The CAT 2 is an amazing new camera which almost deserves the name starlight camera. It performs really good in low light. I expected more from the Caddx Ratel and Baby Ratel. The CAT 2 plays in another league.

The RunCam Nano 2 and 3 are great overall light weight cameras and the Nano 3 is my favorite Tinyhawk cam. Very light weight (about a gramm), excellent and sharp picture and acceptable low light qualities

One Battery: The Antuco Challenge - 7.8km+ with a TBS G2

Can I summit the Antuco Volcano in Parque Nacional Laguna de Laja? Does the G2 have enough battery to get me there and back? Will 5.8ghz video hold out until I get there? Find out now in today's exciting episode of the One Battery series!

Here is something under 100 grams AUW with a flight controller, the one in the video even has GPS! Batteries would be cheap as dirt and ya could probably run it on a 2S Li on for double the endurance. Comes almost complete for $81 US and it's small enough to fly at a local park or soccer field.

KINGKONG/LDARC TINY WING 450X 431mm Wingspan EPP FPV RC Airplane Flying Wing Delta-Wing PNP With Flight Control

Only 99g ! inav KINGKONG/LDARC Tiny Wing 450X

INAV LDARC 450X -- How far can it fly with 200mW VTX ?

I got 4x 1300 mAh batteries delivered today for the racing quad and I've decided to put the micro form factor Caddx Ratel into the frame, but I need to use an adapter to fit it into a full sized FPV camera slot, it's quite a bit smaller. Finding 1.5 mm screws in my junk box was a pain in the ass and took the most time! Now I've just got to solder up some camera wires and put it back together again. The camera I had in the thing was shit with a narrow FOV, the Ratel has far superior image quality. I figure more appropriate batteries and perhaps some better props should do the trick. I'm gonna take it out to the park for a test flight in the morning.

I got the racing quad together and bench tested, batteries are on charge and the weather is looking good in the morning for a test flight. I've got 2 x 3S and 2 x 4S 1.3 amp batteries, first up the 3S packs cause I'm rusty. I got 4 charged for the long range rig too so I'll take that along too.

I took a picture of the new configuration ready to fly with a runcam2, I'm not gonna put the runcam2 on until I have a few test flights first though.

One of the things that was introduced last year was a quality digital FPV and HD recording system for drones and aircraft by DJI. There were other efforts at digital FPV, but most had issues, byte shark is another recent digital system that has been just introduced. These systems produce much better image quality and FPV experience, but are expensive when compared to existing 5.8 GHz analog systems and have some drawbacks for very long range people. If ya got the bucks and enjoy the FPV experience then this might be an option, but it is also lowering the price of good analog 1200 TVL cameras and transmitters, if you are just starting out go traditional analog and then upgrade, if you find you like it.

A good set of analog goggles can be had for as little as $85 US and a basic AIO camera/transmitter only costs $20 and can FPV anything, a good quality camera and video transmitter only cost about 50 or 60 bucks.

Here is a review by someone who has used the system for a year and has extensive experience with traditional FPV systems. DIgital systems are primarily aimed at the quad market or closer in plane flyers for now.

1 year later w/ DJI HD FPV System

We take a look at how DJI's system has changed a year after it's release.

SAFETY:
If you use Lipo batteries there are fire hazards and batteries have been know to catch fire and burn houses down. If you burn your house down, you wife will be pissed! Follow all relevant safety precautions and if you are not using batteries for awhile put a storage charge into them and charge fully before use. Here are some basics.

Also buy a cheap lipo battery tester I have several of these, one for the flight bag and a couple on the bench, you can use it as a low battery alarm or even drone finder.
RC Beginner Series - Lipo Battery Safety / Basics

Here is how I deal with batteries, though I'm looking for a better metal box, for most beginners a metal cake box should so do. I bought this metal cash box for a buck at a good will store for lipo storage and bought a cheap Lipo Bag on ebay.
The charger is a cheapo from ebay and it does everything I need for now. I use a separate cheapo charger to charge the fpv goggle batteries through the balance leads. Fully charged Lipos can be dangerous, they hold a lot of stored energy, don't forget fire safety, you can even turn a disused fireplace into a charging station if you're creative.

Another popular FPV expert, this guy focuses on drones, but is a great source of information on cameras etc. FPV drones are all about proximity flying so the video image is important, both for flying and especially for HD video. Here is a cheap quality HD camera for those starting out or anybody who is on a budget, high quality video doesn't cost much.
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Runcam 5 Orange EIS is a legit GoPro alternative

The Runcam 5 Orange is the first entry from Runcam that I would consider to be a legit GoPro alternative. Is it as good as GoPro? No. But it's at least 1/2 the price of a GoPro, and it finally produces a natural-looking image that GoPro fans may be able to tolerate, instead of the hyper-saturated wide-dynamic-range image of previous RunCam HD cams.

A new product review, $38 US, mostly for beginner drone or wing pilots.
SINGLE BEST PRODUCT I HAVE REVIEWED IN 5 YEARS - betafpv Lite Radio 2 review.

The LiteRadio 2 from betafpv is the ultimate beginner radio for drone racing. It feels great, binds to d8 and d16 modes, has usb charging, comes with a 2s battery, decent range AND IS ONLY $39 link - https://bit.ly/Betafpvradio2

And before people get all upset that it's not better performance wise vs a tango 2/ radio master etc. yes I agree. This is the best radio I have seen at getting people to try fpv at an affordable price point. My number one goal at uavfutures is to get people flying and I couldn't be happier to see a product like this exist for people to get in, have fun and start flying.