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General Topics => RC General Topics => Topic started by: dunder93 on November 21, 2014, 12:34:11 PM



Title: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: dunder93 on November 21, 2014, 12:34:11 PM
Starting this New thread so that flyers who are seriously engaged in FPV in India can share there setups and also help the less experienced or newbies get started as well as help expand this aspect of the hobby here in India(too few fpv flyers here  ???).Mr Anwar Could we have dedicated FPV section PLEASE???  8-)

There are always going to be questions like best FPV plane, how much range do you get,which goggles do you use and i feel they can be addressed here by users with first hand experience as getting into FPV requires a lot of investment both from the financial and effort side.This will save new users from making bad decisions while selecting their setups.
I will start by putting up my setup here and will try to put as much information as i can. ;D

Planes:
Custom built 52" wingspan flying wing(see attachment below for pics)

Power system:
5000 maH 3s
1200mah 3s to provide 12V to camera and Vtx
turnigy air 1100kv motor
12*6 prop

FPV setup
800mW RMRC 1.3 Ghz vtx (vtx-video transmitter)
Lawmate 1.2 Ghz vrx(vrx-video receiver)
Antennas:
Custom built half wave dipole antenna on the Tx tuned to 1120 Mhz (Tutorial: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1159968 (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1159968))
Custom built Patch antenna on the Rx also tuned to 1120 Mhz (tutorial: http://www.rc-cam.com/gp_patch.htm (http://www.rc-cam.com/gp_patch.htm))
Camera:
Sony Effio 650Tvl
RunCam PZ0420 600Tvl (best camera for its cost  (:|~ )
Sj4000 HD camera
Boscam HD 19 explorer
There are a lot of cameras you can buy for fpv and what i have found is that DO NOT go ahead and buy from online RC stores, if you want to save money and you are just getting into FPV you get these cameras for like 1/3rd the cost of what you would if you bought from an online Rc store by just purchasing these locally from CCTV camera sale shops here in india.Choose The Effio series as this is what you commonly get here.I use a dedicated camera for Fpv and for recording i use the SJ4000.Several reasons for this.Dedicated FPV cams respond much more quickly and perform better in changing light conditions and at night and do not have any latency/lag in the video you receive.I think the sj4000 is best for its cost if you dont want to purchase a GoPro (Gopro is the best but its too damn expensive  :'( ).The boscam HD 19 is a little more expensive than the sj4000 but i didnt like it a lot.

Long range RC setup:
Immersion rc EzUHF Tx
EzUHF diversity 8-channel Rx
Couldnt be more happy with this 433Mhz tx.Its very simple to use and setup and RANGE!!! (:|~
Flight controller/OSD
APM 2.6
Minimosd (havent been able to test it out fried it  :'( )
The apm is one of the most versatile Flight controllers FC out there.Takes time to get used to it and is a little hard to use for newbies who have no electronic and FC experience before but once you get used to it and figure everything out this little thing can do wonders and is reliable.Haven't been able to test the minim OSD as it stopped working when i finally decide to use it  :banghead:
I have no problems flying without an OSD.
Goggles/Screen:
Headplay Goggles
There are quite a lot of goggles out there but i chose the headplays cause i have power in my vision and headplays are the only goggles that allow you to adjust the power via an inbuilt slider (the carl zeiss cinemizers also offer this but they cost 800$).I like the headplays but you have to do a goggle mode by putting these into ski goggles to stop light from entering from the side.If you dont wear spectacles or have very low power just go get yourself Fatshark goggles dont think about it.
I had access to a screen but it suffers from the blue screen of death problem(never use such screens NEVER!!)
Endurance and Range:
I get about 20 to 30 minutes of endurance depending on how i am flying.Hence with this flight time i can fly about 10Km one way so thats a 20Km round trip  ;D.
I have flown and tested my FPV setup upto 8 Km!!! without even signs of signal dropping or signal loss.The 800mW 1.3 Ghz tx can give about 50 km easily with high gain antennas on the Rx.The immersionRC long range tx shouldnt have any trouble either going about half that distance.Range depends on many factors- Environment,obstacles,weather,Nearby celltowers wifi hotspots etc.i have flown 8 Km in both rural and urban environment.I would recommend the Immersion EzUHF any day.

So you want to get into FPV? follow this procedure-
1) What is my Budget! (Most important thing)
2) What type of fpv do i want to do? fast and low proximity flying or cloud surfing style! choose a stable plane with a large payload capacity for the latter.for the former go for a flying wing.
3)How much range do i want? your Vtx and RC system selection depends on this.for short range fpv<2.5Km you can use standard 2.4 Ghz tx hence saving you a lot of  :Rs: :Rs: :Rs: :Rs:.
4)when you have finally decided that get yourself a pen and paper and start listing down systems and see their reviews online and select your system.Also check other peoples FPV videos as most give a description of their setup and hence you can see what works best and what doesnt.

Want to get into MULTIROTOR FPV.Well thats an entirely different side of FPV and now with the advent of MINI quads i must say its one of the most exciting FPV things out there.But yes Multirotors cost A lot intially and well even more cause your chance of crashing is more  :giggle:

And yes you may have so many questions but try to GOOGLE your thoughts and questions first and do your research.There is so much wealth now on this on Rcgroups and other forums as well.And yes FPV is one of the best ways to fly i feel.Got bored of conventional Rc flying in a month..thats my opinion atleast  ;D.










Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: SK1701 on November 21, 2014, 02:43:20 PM
This was a really helpful writeup. Even I think that an FPV board would be a good idea. Just out of curiosity, how much power can the Headplay goggles compensate for?


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: dunder93 on November 21, 2014, 03:16:30 PM
Yeah i know and seriously we need more fpv flyers here in india.I dont know why people havent really explored this side yet.The Headplays can compensate upto -6 .The only problem or rather hassle with the headplays is that you can only buy them from rangevideo(i was lucky to get it from someone coming from the US) and unlike other goggles it is tethered to a slightly big box called the liberator that contains the electronic and goggle battery.apart from that the video clarity is great 800*600 =) and you can also adjust the interpupillary distance.


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: SK1701 on November 21, 2014, 03:35:42 PM
Yeah even I think FPV is great. I need to get my quad in the air before thinking about FPV though and plus my power is more than -7 so I don't think goggles would work out for me. Another thing is that flying FPV requires stricter safety measures since it can involve flying out of your LOS. I have watched several videos by Team BlackSheep and though they are really impressive and TBS claim to have strict safety precautions, they still seem to be pretty irresponsible since they fly around heavily populated areas. There also seems to be a general lack of clear regulation on RC flying in general here.  Another factor that I think discourages FPV flying is the cost, though with new equipment like the Quanum DIY FPV goggles, it seems to be getting a lot more affordable.


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: dunder93 on November 21, 2014, 03:54:30 PM
The thing about Team black sheep is that they do what most pilots can easily do but choose not to due to respect for safety.I mean i like their mountain proximity videos etc but in some city videos flying a quad etc at the heights they fly at can be very risky if it falls.And as far i know they dont have return to home option on their planes and even RTL isnt reliable in urban areas crowded with high rise buildings.I have been doing some major UAV projects here in Delhi in my University in association with Lockheed martin and from all the flight testing i know one thing for sure.Anything can go wrong at any moment.I have had mid air motor failure out of nowhere high up in the air and thats the last thing you would expect to fail in a plane.And recently i had an incident where my wing broke off mid air and i was like 6 km out..wouldnt like to go there given the negativity surrounding FPV planes =(.Though i feel now that mini quads are like really changing the game i think most people would just fly these around abandoned buildings,constructions sites etc(I want one so desperately =).
Yeah you should probably just use an LCD.and dont worry if you are thinking you would not get the same experience.its equally fun flying with a 10" or 12" LCD screen and cheaper =).


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: manojswizera on November 21, 2014, 03:57:56 PM
Well sum up Dunder.
would love to fly with birds eye, problem is the costs pull us back each time.


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: rcrcnitesh on November 21, 2014, 04:11:53 PM
But HK seems to have a solution the quanum 5.8ghz fpv combo with goggles vtx vrx and camera only needed is battery.


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: dunder93 on November 22, 2014, 12:26:09 AM
I feel that if you can spare about 10k for a dedicated FPV setup you can have some really nice gear which can get you range of about 10km or more.And once you go up there way beyond you can visually spot your plane you will realise the freedom you can have and you will not regret the 10K.Well atleast till you crash but even then look at the bright side you will just manage to destroy only the camera at most.And you get 650 Rs cameras here locally that are pretty good.


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: AL HAM SHARI on November 22, 2014, 10:43:20 PM
The best way of fpv is two android phones with a considerably fast internet connectivity and a free app called alfred in google play market. You could get unlimited range until it cross the atmosphere! You can use your phone as a camera and someones as a viewer. It costs rs 20 except internet charge. Rs 20 is for a velcro strap.


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: dunder93 on November 22, 2014, 11:09:03 PM
@Al Ham Shari.Have you even tried this? I dont even want to enumerate the problems with this method.
1) LATENCY: Huge latency.cant fly with the lag you get out of this way
2) COST: yeah when you will end up crashing you will lose a $200+ phone instead of losing a 20$ camera in the worst case scenario a 50$ transmitter.Funny how for a 20Rs velcro you will risk so much.
3)Internet connection aint cheap in india.to stream that much you would probably just end up paying 100 times more than your setup on just net data =')

Sometimes you have to consider all factors before you just narrow down the "best" fpv solution.


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: akhilzid on November 22, 2014, 11:34:18 PM
@Al Ham Shari,

i am also supporting 'dunder93'

+ may be that can be done in future but i think now the conditions are too bad to establish a P2P connection between two phones and use as fpv.

fast internet connection is a must factor but also need stable network when switching between tower to tower(and too much tower switching occurs while at high altitude).

Objections are always welcome.


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: samlikespad on November 24, 2014, 12:37:01 AM
Reposting here from http://www.rcindia.org/multirotors/wireless-cctv-as-fpv/msg203666/#msg203666 (http://www.rcindia.org/multirotors/wireless-cctv-as-fpv/msg203666/#msg203666) :

Hi Friends,

I was looking into different fpv options for my new scratch built quad. Then I stumbled upon this idea and would like to know if any one else has tried this. These wireless cctv things are locally available here and pretty cheap.

http://www.shophde.com/h74i.html (http://www.shophde.com/h74i.html)
 
Edit: The electronics seems pretty close to what HK is offering here for a much cheaper price Oops : http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__35009__1_2GHz_100mW_Video_Transmitter_and_Receiver_Combo.html (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__35009__1_2GHz_100mW_Video_Transmitter_and_Receiver_Combo.html)


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: samlikespad on November 24, 2014, 12:46:35 AM
I am pretty new to FPV. Once I flew my friend's bixler equiped with his fatshark over the beautiful area called Shoiba here. The seen vas amazing especially with 3 shipwrecks and the green/blue/turquoise colors of redsea. Ordered the Skyzone 5.8 with Circular Antennas along with Quanum goggles (days before they bundled it togather, there goes $5). It reached Jeddah last week and is held by local Customs :( Once its caught by them.... well you get the picture

any how, I have ordered one more quanum goggle and might order the same items one by one to evade their prying eyes. Mean time I might try the cctv stuff to see whether it has any future in fpvying :)  


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: dunder93 on November 24, 2014, 01:02:23 AM
hmmm yeah saudi customs is pretty strict with everything and you ordered the stuff to saudi? I thought RC stuff wasnt allowed in saudi in the first place.In bahrain it wasn't atleast.Yeah do try the cctv camera equipment and another thing if you do buy those then make custom patch for Receiver and dipole antenna for tx by using the IBCRAZY tutorial on rc groups cause the stock antennas with such systems are generally useless and give terrible performance.And yeah do let us know your results =)


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: samlikespad on November 24, 2014, 01:11:30 AM
Hi dunder93, we have a registered RCclub here and flying is no probs these days. I think I just got my share of misfortune as there is nothing flyable in this parcel :D I am interested in the IBCRAZY tutorial you mentioned. Is this what you meant? http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1159968\ (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1159968\)


Hmm.. I guess its this one http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1388264 (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1388264)



Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: dunder93 on November 24, 2014, 01:23:52 AM
Yes I meant that only.just open his rcgroups blog and you will more tutorials and trust me dont use the stock antennas just make those custom ones for your frequency.I had problems with range at just 200m made the patch and dipole now I have reached 8km and no signal problem at all and can still go way further =).and didnt know Saudi had a registered rc club


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: samlikespad on November 24, 2014, 01:29:16 AM
Thanks.. I have no intention to use this as a primary fpv platform. Have to find a way to get some decent stuff through. But this will  be a side project if I get a chance to experiment with the cctv stuff. and Fyi, saudi has multiple clubs... I know at least two, one here in Jeddah and one in Riyadh.


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: fida on April 23, 2015, 08:19:49 AM
Hey Dunder93,
I was browsing through the RcIndia site after a long time ..... I came across the FPV setup thread that you started and on finishing your first post I see a wing that I have chased in the "Sand Pit"  :giggle:

Nice guide for FPV startup but might be a bit of an over kill going for 433 as a first set up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUkh7eW7xTM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUkh7eW7xTM)


Title: Re: FPV Setups & Guide
Post by: Voice of deaf on June 13, 2016, 10:02:17 AM
Could this rx module be used with a patch antenna

m.banggood.com/FPV-5_8G-Wireless-Audio-Video-Receiving-Module-RX5808-p-84775.html

with this tx on clover leaf

m.banggood.com/FPV-5_8G-200mW-Wireless-Audio-Video-Transmitter-Module-TX5823-p-84780.html

what range could i expect ?