FPV on a budget ? help required ....

xXolzXx

Member
Heya Fellow FliteTest friends.


Rite i'm guna get this said at the begging. Im new to all this.

I am looking to do some fpv just for fun because i have beautiful scenery around my area but didnt realy now were to start.

The plane i was thinking of purchasing is : http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/..._1_8M_X_Large_EPP_Carbon_Fiber_R_C_Plane.html

(yeah and all the little bits and bobs to go with it...)

But here the point in which i get confuzled with all the many options. I gota pretty tite budget to spend on fpv gear. (at 13 money is scares)

I was thinking of getting a webcam as there cheap ish and finding a way to hhok it up etc.



It would be much apprieciated if some help was supplied.

Thankyou all.
 

lobstermash

Propaganda machine
Mentor
Hi,

The EPP FPV is a decent enough plane, however if you're wanting to keep costs down, I'd recommend going with something that comes with more kit, like a Bixler. The Bixler comes with everything except an ESC. There's also a cheap FPV pod made for the Bixler.

For the FPV system, I can recommend this combo: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=16459&aff=516279. The camera that comes with this is pretty good, and you can add a wider angle lens down the track for a better field of view and low light performance. The stock antennas will get you an OK range - about 500-600 metres. I soldered up my antennas into cloverleaf and skew planar ones using some 1mm copper wire. Haven't tested the range yet, but expecting to be limited to 5km by my control gear. I've never had any issues with this system, which is great value, especially considering the camera alone costs $30. The vrx can also be used with Lawmate 1.3Ghz systems if 900Mhz isn't for you.

For a screen, there are a number of 7" screens on ebay for about $30-40 delivered. I use goggles myself, but I think the ebay store that everyone uses is Tomtop.
 
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Nonamerc

Arman
Note that some people have qualtiy issues with the EPP-FPV. Maybe they fixed the issue but I don't know for sure. The bixler is a great plane and is capable of flying short distances with the basic setup and with a more advanced setup you can fly longer distances. Some people have problems with the FPV gear from hobbyking. I advice you to buy from foxtechfpv.com maybe they are a bit more expensive but the costumer service from foxtech is really good :) I would not recommend a webcam since the signall type is different and also they must be powered from 3.3 volts which is not handy. If you live in the US you should buy the NTSC type but if you life in Europe you should buy PAL cams.
http://www.foxtechfpv.com/fh18c-520tvl-12v-mini-camera-ntsc-p-255.html
or
http://www.foxtechfpv.com/fh18c-520tvl-12v-mini-camera-pal-p-256.html

28 Dollar camera, pretty cheap does not work well in low light situations.

With the right antenna's on 5.8 GHz you can fly about 8Km max. (With a really really really good setup you can fly 20+Km)
NOTE:
When the FPV signal goes through trees/houses you will most likely loose signal!!!