FPV on a budget. What to buy?

[coltmart]

Hi all. I have been looking for a good deal on some FPV gear for my quad but I still have a few concerns with a lot of the stuff I have been looking at. I would want to keep my budget under 100$ if possible but still want to get good quality video and have decent range to go with it (800 feet or so). Can I get that from something that is under 500mW? also which brand of video TX/RX could I consider to be reliably compatible if I was to mix and match brands? I already have a Run Cam so it's mainly the video TX/RX, and goggles that I am looking for.
I am looking for any suggestions on gear and all feedback is appreciated, thanks.

 

[rockyboy]

Without a HAM technician license here in the US, you can't go over 25mW legally. With a decent circular polarized antenna, you can get way over 800 feet with that much power still. Here's a video of a test going over 1500m with that much power, which is also way out of LOS for a spotter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNrvW2-t4po

 

[coltmart]

I am surprised with how well that 25mW worked in that video! any suggestions and a 25mW video TX/RX combo? maybe some goggles that could work well with them too?

 

[ageorge]

Hey there!!! I posted a forum just about this a week ago.some of the results I got may help you.if u scroll down to my thread called getting into fpv under a 100 bucks.from the results I got I chose to buy the eachine TX 03 which is a cam in built with a antenna and a quanum cyclops or eachine vr 009.i have not bought either of them as I am deciding which is better.eachine is more expensive thought however shipping g for cyclops evens that out.if u search the eachine cam and goggles on Banggood u should get a decent price.about91$ for me including shipping.if u intend on buying the cyclops and the listed cam they have to be bought separately.quanum cyclops goggles cheapest on hobbyking.this adds for me to a total of 70$ without shipping h and 91$ with shipping as I live in Vietnam.the camera has switchable power of 25/50/200mwso u can choose the power as time comes.hope this helps

 

[coltmart]

That all sounds pretty good for pricing! I had been looking at those eachine goggles but they are 100 on their own plus the shipping. Those hobby king goggles on the other hand seem very nice as far as price but I am sure the shipping will be quite pricey for me. I do think I will get that camera but I will have to research the goggles
Gives me a bit to think on. Thanks for the response!

 

[rockyboy]

I like the TX 03 just fine - the TX 01 it was difficult to switch between channels, but the 03 is much better for that. I'm using the Quanum v2 Pro goggles, and also having a good time with them. One big difference between the Quanum v2 and the Cyclops is the included receiver on the Cyclops. Don't forget you need one of those as you're balancing out costs!

 

[CaptBill]

Rockyboy.
That vid is a great demo of the lithosphere 25 mw. The quad was 1700 meters out when the video single was lost. 1859 yards.

Can you tell more about the circular polarised antennas? As in pointing a couple good ones out?
Thanks

 

[rockyboy]

Anything by VAS aka IBCrazy is really top of the line - but the Aomway ones work surprisingly well too! The key thing to look for making sure you keep the right or left hand circulation the same on the transmitter and receiver, and make sure the connector type - SMA or RP-SMA - matches your transmitter or receiver you need to screw it into.

As long as the circular direction is the same and it will screw into your equipment, all 5.8 antenna's are compatible with each other. Running a Mad Mushroom RHCP on the transmitter and a Aomway RHCP on the receiver works just fine (I have used that setup myself). Even a homemade linear antenna is compatible with a circular polarized one - with some effective range reduction - but I run this exact one indoors and it's just fine for ripping around the house. But a right and left hand circular antennas are almost totally blind to each other, so keep those circles twisting together the same way.

For a really detailed walk through the different antenna types, and why some are better than others for different applications, there is a great site at http://www.dronetrest.com/t/the-complete-guide-to-fpv-antennas-for-your-drone/1473

Lots of stuff in there that will apply to your HAM license test too

 

[coltmart]

The camera that was recommended earlier (Eachine TX03 NTSC Super Mini 0/25mW/50mW/200mW Switchable AIO 5.8G 72CH VTX 600TVL 1/3 Cmos FPV Camera) was that a left or right rotation on the antenna?

 

[ageorge]

for that camera the antenna is already soldered on i think it is not twisted onPlease correct me if i am wrong i am not a 100% sure but from the pics it looks like a clover leaf just soldered on with some liquid tape.

 

[rockyboy]

Correct - that's a soldered on right hand polarized antenna. A pretty good one to - I like the TX03. I pair it up with a hand twisted RHCP antenna I picked up from a forum member at FliteFest last year, and a 5.8 directional patch antenna on a diversity receiver for my goggles. Great signal indoors too - I don't have any problems seeing myself crash into door frames on the second floor while I'm sitting down in the living room.

 

[coltmart]

Whats the biggest difference between the Eachine TX03 NTSC Super Mini and the Eachine TX02 NTSC Super Mini?

 

[rockyboy]

TX02 is locked at 200mw of power output - the TX03 is switchable between 0 / 25 / 50 / 200

 

[Duck]

Coltmart,

Keep in mind that while you may make it to the field the first time for 100$, other costs will come up. Antennas, cameras and TX get damaged. I had to buy spare connectors to make a power tap for both my RX and for my TX, first for XT30 then with XT60 when I built my bloody barron. Then replace the antenna to avoid dropouts.

By far the cheapest route is to buy one of the prepackaged cameras with Camera, TX and Antenna all in one. Yes they are all 25mw and you can't really expand them at all. They have everything you need on the plane side (besides the power tap). They sell for the same price as each peice does individually. You can keep your runcam on there if you want to record but hooking it up as the FPV camera means buying each other part by themselves.

For RX, again an all in one solution will be the cheapest overall as you won't have to buy extra parts that you missed. You limit your expandability a bit by doing this but to get up in the air the first time it is your best bet.

 

[Craftydan]

Hey Duck!

Might want to take a look at what's recently added to the market. The new-ish TX02 is an all-in-one module that transmits at 200mW, the TX03 is all that and transmits at 0(VTX off)/25/50/200mW (depending on settings), and the DVR03 will do all that and record 720p to an SD Micro.

. . . any one of them is under $35, and the performance is respectable. They don't directly support OSD, but with a bit of hackery one can be inserted inline.

Brave new world . . .

 

[coltmart]

Thanks for the advice. I think I will order the TX03. I will ad a video soon as it gets here and I get a chance to take it to the field

 

[Duck]

And I learned something today!

 

[jackyoung]

Only $100 but you need goggles and camera, Maybe it will let you feel disappointed. You can build a mini FPV (100mm) without goggles.

 

[pulak#koley]

Just watch this:
https://youtu.be/FLBHBqMoa7c

 

[coltmart]

After a long wait on shipping I have my camera. I got the Eachine tx03. Also bought a pair of the fatshark teleporter V5's after watching some reviews. I have to say I am not disappointed at all with these goggles so far using the Eachine tx03. I certainly see the value in these small cameras too and understand why they are so highly recommended.