simmo8

G-Day everyone
i have been flying for about 4 years and i want to get into FPV flying is there anyone who does it and how expencive is it to get into i have got a plane for all of the gear,, it is an aero cruiser from black horse it has got a bit of power and a nice big clear canopy for a camera.i am using a spectrum DX7 TX and an AR7000 RX.
thanks for any advice
simmo

mbyers1971

I am using a dx7 and have lost 2 planes using a 2.4ghz cam everyone has suggested to me to use 900 mhz so be careful on your choice. I know the fpv from hobby-lobby will not work with these radios and don't really know where to get a 900mhz fpv. I guess i am not much help but my little bit of advice is to stay away from 2.4ghz with the dx7.

tychoc

There's alot more information/activity regarding FPV on RCGroups. Check out: [link=http://www.rcgroups.com/video-piloting-fpv-rpv-469/]http://www.rcgroups.com/video-piloting-fpv-rpv-469/[/link]

RangeVideo.com has a 900Mhz system, however, it's on hold right now until an issue with FCC is cleared up.

-tychoc

simmo8

ok i will have a look on rc groups
does anyone have an idea of what it costs to set up a cheap system
i will look at using a 900mhz camera just incase
thanks guys

simmo

tychoc

I'm trying to set up a system piece by piece right now. So far I have (approx.):

1. 900Mhz Tx/Rx on order from Rangevideo for $130
2. Scandisk DVR for recording $50
3. Cheap 5in LCD display from ebay for $25
4. I'm going to use the video feed from my Canon AP camera
5. I already have an elogger from Eagle tree, and have on order the new eagle tree osd for $45.

I can already tell though, that I want googles, patch antenna, range video OSD, Deamon's atto autopilot etc. etc....

-tychoc

simmo8

it dosent sound as expencive as i first thaught i would have googles and probley wouldent wory about the recording gear.i know some guys use a gps aswell is that just for the speed altitude ext?

tychoc

If you are going to use an OSD (On Screen Display), then you need GPS. The OSD use the GPS for calculating position, speed, altitude, etc. as well as usually showing some kind of "home" arrow. I have yet to fly FPV, but from what I've read you very easily get lost and that's when it's nice to be able to find your way home using this information. Also, recording the flight seems useful if you have this OSD information in case you crash, run out of batteries or whatever that causes you to go down. At that point you go back and look at the latest GPS coordinates and this will narrow your search area.
The bare minimum system though is just a video tx/rx and some way of displaying the signal on the ground (goggles, LCD, laptop etc.)

-tychoc

Spacemonkey71

Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried the FPV on a 72Mhz setup? I fly 72 ( i live in a rural area where I can count the fliers on one hand and still have enough fingers to eat with !) so 2.4 isn't a requirement or even necessary here (the site plainly says "does not work with 2.4Ghz Tx/Rx")

When I 1st saw this item, I was REALLY stoked about it's function and ability to "see your flight". It's no substitute for ACTUAL flying, but then again, when was the last time you pulled an aileron roll in your Cessna172 (...and kept your FAA license if you didn't make a CRITICAL mistake: MOST airplane fuel lines, oil pumps, and fuel tanks are NOT pressurized to fly inverted! ALOT of people have missed this little factoid and the results got UGLY -> like "closed casket" ugly!) Personally, I'd have WAY too much fun using the glasses/video to chase deer and cows around the farm! ->Somewhere right now, a PETA rep is having a stroke [>:] but WOW it would be a HOOT!!!! [sm=spinnyeyes.gif] ( yeah, you guessed it, I'm still a redneck )

I've tried a few headsets for gaming and I've really found them to be lacking in resolution, refresh rates, clarity, etc.... so if anyone has actually tried it out, I'd be really curious to know what the results, resolution, color duplication, quality, etc... of this might be. I fly a whopping 69" Senior Falcon with a .61 glow on it and an 11x8 prop so I don't think power is going to be a problem I swear this thing can almost generate enough lift with it's wing area to give my toddler a ride

Now the REAL trick is going to be telling my wife I'm going to spend $550 on a "toy"..... I'm just glad she always tends to shoot to the left with her Walther PPK [8D]

tychoc

Most people using 2.4Ghz video Tx/Rx use 72Mhz(US), (35,42 Mhz etc. overseas). It's not a good idea to use both 2.4Ghz video and rc together. As far as the quality of the video goggles I don't know since I've never tried it. From what I've read over at RCG, the resolution and quality seems very good (but it costs $$).

You'd get more responses if you headed over to RCG and asked your questions regarding FPV.

-tychoc

Spacemonkey71

Thanks. I wasn't really looking for answers other than to satisfy my curiosity about it. The package is $550 in the states, and right now I'm "between jobs" so tossing around $550 is about as likely as my wife morphing into Heather Locklear

But I still think I could make money with it my inventing "Toddler Cam" with my 17month old

tychoc

Well, on the bright side, being between jobs gives you more time to do research and to be sure you want to invest in FPV when time and money permits

Several seem to indicate that you might get a better "package" by buying the components individually tailored to your needs rather than getting the HL package.

Good luck in your search both for the next job and FPV equipment.
I'm still gathering the components as I can afford them. It will take some time, but it does look like a lot of fun. I must admit that I'm in a little of a lull right now with regular flying to where going out to the field and just flying around doesn't give me a kick anymore. I think this will be a nice variation to put some spark back into the hobby again

-tychoc