5.8 vs 1.3 for Flite Fest

[bgfireguy92]

Hey Guys So I really wanna be able to fly FPV at Flite Fest this year but if my experience down at E-Fest in Champaign this past January showed me anything is that 5.8 RHCP is so common that I had a hard time flying it during the event. So here's my debate. I've pretty much decided to go with LHCP so that hopefully it eliminates about 75% of signal interference from other people. Now before I order my new antennas from getfpv.com should I stick with the 5.8 or go to a 1.3 system to distance myself even further from other FPV people possibly?

Now I do want to add also that I am considering 1.3ghz for the distance factor anyway for my planes cause we have some seriously flat land around here and I want to safely stretch my legs so to speak. So what's everyone's thoughts on this?

Heck I'll even throw a poll on here. So please leave any and all comments and if you have personal experience please add it so I make an informed decision.

 

[CrashRecovery]

It just took a little common courtesy on 5.8 at flitefest. I didn't fly fpv last year but from what I saw there wasn't many issues

 

[Craftydan]

BFG,

On 5.8 during the day, the freqs *should* be regulated -- if you want to FPV, you fly from the FPV line(IIRC, last year they had 4 stations -- 2 flying and 2 "setup"), you power on your TX there and you pick a channel that's not going to interfere. going 1.3Ghz at FTFF, you'll have less of a chance of stepping on someone, but you're still supposed to fly FPV from the FPV line. flying 1.3 or 900 only means you'll have an easier time picking channels. Dusk and dawn flying while line management is lax (read: gone home for the day) may be a bit more dicey, but without the right gear, dusk FPV isn't very fun, and near a big crowd is a very bad idea.

That being said . . . I wouldn't buy a couple hundred dollars worth of gear for 4 days . . . even a really cool 4 days.

Buy gear that *you* want, that best meets your needs. 5.8 is convenient, but it has it's disadvantages too. Keep in mind RHCP is standard on FS/Immersion gear, but all the boscam/foxtech/skyzone gear (and their cheapo antennas) default to LHCP. LH is a little cleaner, but that is going to even out over time . . . and linear pol antennas are always a mere 1/2 power down from EITHER LH or RH . . . so if you're flying LH on channel 1 and you're buddy is flying RH on channel 3, the noob who just walked up with his rubber ducky on channel 2 can step on both of you. Using LH/RH mismatch is a powerful tool, but it's not a silver bullet.

 

[bgfireguy92]

Well I understand its not a silver bullet but I figure that it would help me get away from the others. But I already own FPV gear though. Fat Shark Predator v2 running RHCP blue beam on 5.8ghz And with wanting to go a little further distance with 1.3ghz flying my fpv planes now I figured 1.3ghz would be good.

 

[knowmercy]

I'm flying both. The big plus that I see for 5.8 is that there are more channels to choose from. A small 200mW transmitter in a big open field should be plenty for lots of fun. They can be had for relatively little money and the fun factor is high! I'm also not sure if it's my equipment or what, but my 5.8 stuff seems to work better than my 1.3. When weaving and smashing into my trees the 5.8 stuff never has any issues. Another thing to think about is that the 5.8 antennas are easier to mount, transport, store, etc. On my 250 size quad the 1.3 RHCP would seem a bit... overkill? Just some thought! Also, you could be like me and bring both! Cheers!