new to FPV

[johnreto]

hey guys, i've been flying rc planes for quite a while now, finaly ordered my first fpv set-up, hope it all works out as i imagine
this is the setup i'm getting:

Fatshark dominator v3 Goggle

ImmersionRC SpiroNET V2 5.8GHz RHCP Diversity antennaes

ImmersionRC Tramp HV 6-18V 5.8GHz 1mW to>600mW Video Transmitter.

RunCam Split Mini with hd recorder module

FuriousFPV True-D V3.6 5.8G 40CH Diversity Receiver System

am i forgetting anything?
hope its all compatible.

if anyone has tips n tricks they wanna pass on, go right ahead
my plan is to fly some canyons and wooded areas at a distance of ca 1 km.
cheers and fly on

 

[cranialrectosis]

Mind the long distance and flying through canyons. If your video signal gets blocked it gets pretty hard to fly.

Start short range and move out a bit at a time.

Record your video feed so you can play it back and use it to help you find a lost copter if things go wrong.

Have a blast and post video so we can all ooohhh and ahhh at the mountains in Switzerland!

Welcome to FliteTest!

 

[johnreto]

The idea with the canyons is more like standing on/beside them and flying along/down them, not deep and not far.
You reckon the rocks/terrain would still affect the video reception?
Definetly recording my flights in HD with the runcam and/or gopro to show the world
I got the 600mw transmitter so that i can go a bit further but definetly gonna practice close by first.
and you can already get a small taste of my swiss mountain valley on my youtube channel youtube.com/grpvideoproductions
cheers and thanks for the welcome

 

[PsyBorg]

High power in that particular type of flight may be worse then say 200 mw. Depending on the antenna's and other factors like rock density or minerals you may get a lot of reflections. Start out mid power and closer in then work your way out to find possible blind spots. Then adjust power or flight patterns as needed.

 

[johnreto]

So possibly a transmitter with, lets say, 200mw would be better then a 600mw for flights like that?

 

[cranialrectosis]

There are lots of variables at play here. There is no one, set, best thing to do. Every situation is unique.

What we are suggesting is go slow and be prepared to adjust on the fly.

Recording with a GoPro is great. Recording the video transmission so you can replay it when you crash to help find your copter is totally different.

Crashing in FPV is disorienting. When I crash, I have a hard time remembering where I was when I hit the ground. Because I record the feed, I can play my video back on my monitor and watch where my copter came down after the crash to help me find the copter.

Recording my transmission has also allowed me to identify, and later avoid, places where my video reception gets interfered with such as around tomato cages, steel reinforced walls, rocks, chain link fences, and dense trees.

One last tidbit... put a bit of tape over the sdcard on your GoPro or Runcam or whatever. It is amazing how easily these eject during a crash and how hard they are to find if they do.

 

[ElectriSean]

So possibly a transmitter with, lets say, 200mw would be better then a 600mw for flights like that?

One of the nice things about the Tramp is it has adjustable power output, so you can tweak it to your environment.

 

[johnreto]

One of the nice things about the Tramp is it has adjustable power output, so you can tweak it to your environment.

ahaa, so thats why the description for the tramp says 1mw-600mw, ok, thats good. hope i get the ordered gear in the next days, then i get to figure out how it all fits together and if i got all the puzzle pieces hehe.
thnx

 

[johnreto]

ok, so def taking it easy and flying fpv in open spaces first and gradualy get a feel for it and fly a bit farther everytime.

Guess it would also make sense to first fly at my planned fpv spots by sight and maybe have someone else wearing the goggles to see how the vid reception is?

recording the video transmission, that only works with/in the goggles? right? i think the dominator v3 can do that if i read the specs correctly. So that should be ok, good idea to retrace the route n find the plane/copter that way.

thnx

 

[PsyBorg]

I usually fly only on 25 mw or 200 mw on my 5 inchers or for my Gremlin I use the 50 mw setting in areas I know. No need to go higher as that just makes it too darn far to walk and find my gear when I crash. When I am in new areas I start out by doing circles around myself up close then work my way out from there in the direction I want to fly. I will also yaw the quad around making sure to put batteries or frame in between the quad and my goggles and try to force signal break up. That is how I find my limit and then explore where I wanted to fly in the same way for a bit before ripping holes in the universe.

Having decent FPV gear specially antennas makes the best experience. After all if you can't trust the gear you use no sense even flying until you can. Power is not the all situation fix and in some cases can cause more issues.

 

[sprzout]

One of the other things is to look around your flying area for anything electrical that could generate something to mess with your signal.

I'll fly at a baseball field on occasion (early mornings or late afternoons on the weekends, when there are no games and thus nobody around, in case I crash; it means I don't have to worry about potentially hitting anyone), and I've discovered that flying around the field light poles REALLY cut into my signal. The poles aren't large in diameter, by any means, but as soon as I loop around them, my signal will cut out completely for a split second and come back. Be aware they can generate interference with the video signal, and it can potentially cause you to crash if you're not expecting it.

This is part of those "limits" that people are talking about; it may not be more than 50-100 feet away for a light pole, but if your signal cuts out when you're not expecting it, it can mean disaster.

Something else I'd recommend, since you mentioned flying line of sight and having someone else check the goggle feed - keep them around when you're flying with the goggles on, so they can act as your spotter. This is important if you go down, they can help you to find your quad and say, "It's at 11 o'clock from you, about 50 feet out."

They can also warn you of people coming up around you; this happens with a range of people who want to tell you that they don't like you flying where you're flying or even just curiosity seekers, wanting to know what you're doing. Remember, you can't see everywhere that the quad can go; you can only see where the camera's pointed. If there's someone out of view and you make a hard left or hard right, you could slice them up pretty badly with the blades of your quad. A spotter's just a good idea, especially if you're learning to fly FPV and aren't familiar with the area.

 

[johnreto]

true, gotta be able to trust your gear.
think i'll run some ground tests first, distance and transmission n all
thnx

 

[johnreto]

One of the other things is to look around your flying area for anything electrical that could generate something to mess with your signal.

I'll fly at a baseball field on occasion (early mornings or late afternoons on the weekends, when there are no games and thus nobody around, in case I crash; it means I don't have to worry about potentially hitting anyone), and I've discovered that flying around the field light poles REALLY cut into my signal. The poles aren't large in diameter, by any means, but as soon as I loop around them, my signal will cut out completely for a split second and come back. Be aware they can generate interference with the video signal, and it can potentially cause you to crash if you're not expecting it.

This is part of those "limits" that people are talking about; it may not be more than 50-100 feet away for a light pole, but if your signal cuts out when you're not expecting it, it can mean disaster.

Something else I'd recommend, since you mentioned flying line of sight and having someone else check the goggle feed - keep them around when you're flying with the goggles on, so they can act as your spotter. This is important if you go down, they can help you to find your quad and say, "It's at 11 o'clock from you, about 50 feet out."

They can also warn you of people coming up around you; this happens with a range of people who want to tell you that they don't like you flying where you're flying or even just curiosity seekers, wanting to know what you're doing. Remember, you can't see everywhere that the quad can go; you can only see where the camera's pointed. If there's someone out of view and you make a hard left or hard right, you could slice them up pretty badly with the blades of your quad. A spotter's just a good idea, especially if you're learning to fly FPV and aren't familiar with the area.

does a light pole cause that much trouble? wow, ok, def keep an eye on that.
do you think its a better idea to fly with a display then with goggles? for sure gonna have someone with me when i'm practicing fpv flights.
any tips to test the reception of the gear in certain areas?(besides having the spotter with the goggles to test) ground tests n such?

 

[sprzout]

does a light pole cause that much trouble? wow, ok, def keep an eye on that.
do you think its a better idea to fly with a display then with goggles? for sure gonna have someone with me when i'm practicing fpv flights.
any tips to test the reception of the gear in certain areas?(besides having the spotter with the goggles to test) ground tests n such?

Flying with a display vs goggles is a tough call. I personally prefer flying with the goggles on vs. a display because I'm not distracted by other things, nor do I have to tell my brain to switch from flying line of sight to first person view. For example, if you're headed towards yourself and you're looking at the display and then you look up to see it flying towards you, you might correct the wrong way, thinking "right is right" based on the display, but with it coming towards you, "right is left". Again, your preference, and what you feel comfortable with; I just think it's a little hard on trying to get my brain to switch between the two.

As for flying around with interference, it's one of those things that you just kind of have to try and see how it'll affect your signal. Concrete walls might not allow you to have a good signal for flight controls, let alone video feed; if you're not sure, power up but have your power to the motors cut, and have your spotter walk through the areas you're going to fly while carrying your drone. If your video cuts out, you'll know. It's not 100% perfect, but it's the next best thing to flying it and losing signal when you don't expect it.

And you will have moments where the video might blink out on you only to come back a split second later; it's something you get used to while flying in some areas. It's kind of one of those given things you face while flying FPV.

 

[cranialrectosis]

Chain link fences at ball parks are just evil to video signals.

 

[sprzout]

Chain link fences at ball parks are just evil to video signals.

Ahh, the good ol' Faraday cage effect...LOL

I don't fly behind them...I try to keep out in the outfield, for the most part; more room, and the grass is fairly cushion-y if I have to touch down hard...

 

[PsyBorg]

Chain link fences at ball parks are just evil to video signals.

Then how would you describe how they are to props?

Any structure made of metal will be grounded. This will make it so it acts as an antenna with a higher gain due to its size and will absorb the signals before they reach your fpv gear if you put it between you and your craft. Light poles that use high current AC (stadium/field lighting) will have a magnetic field around the areas where that high current flows. That can scramble or reflect radio signals. They also usually have huge metal reflectors that are grounded and they will be like antennas and absorb radio signal and sink them to ground. Expect the signal loss in certain areas and it becomes a minor issue if you know when you power loop that light fixture you lose signal at this angle for a brief second and just power thru the maneuver like normal most times you will be fine. Just know your gear and that only comes from continual use under varying situations.

Most of the FPV things you need to know are common sense once you understand how it all works. There are simple things you can do to avoid most of it. First off is to look at and PAY ATTENTION to your surroundings before you fly. That means putting away your cell phone and any other distractions that are not involved with flying your craft. Flying should be your ONLY focus when you are in the air. Second is to not just toss your craft in the air and see how far you can go. Start close and slow and work your way outwards.

If you fly the same place for practice you will learn over time what areas to avoid and these checks won't need to be done all the time. If you are flying a new area you should be starting your session every time like this. Also do NOT go by "My buddy flys here all the time with no issues" mentality. Each piece of gear is just a tiny bit different and will act in different ways to various things. Just be smarter then the gear you are using and make sure you know its quirks and limitations.

After that the flying becomes seriously fun because you can relax and trust your gear. If you do not trust your gear then you should not be flying in that place or at the very least adjust what you are doing so you can trust your gear. Simple things like an antenna change or a channel change can make far more difference then just cranking up the power.

 

[sprzout]

Then how would you describe how they are to props?

Any structure made of metal will be grounded. This will make it so it acts as an antenna with a higher gain due to its size and will absorb the signals before they reach your fpv gear if you put it between you and your craft. Light poles that use high current AC (stadium/field lighting) will have a magnetic field around the areas where that high current flows. That can scramble or reflect radio signals. They also usually have huge metal reflectors that are grounded and they will be like antennas and absorb radio signal and sink them to ground. Expect the signal loss in certain areas and it becomes a minor issue if you know when you power loop that light fixture you lose signal at this angle for a brief second and just power thru the maneuver like normal most times you will be fine. Just know your gear and that only comes from continual use under varying situations.

Most of the FPV things you need to know are common sense once you understand how it all works. There are simple things you can do to avoid most of it. First off is to look at and PAY ATTENTION to your surroundings before you fly. That means putting away your cell phone and any other distractions that are not involved with flying your craft. Flying should be your ONLY focus when you are in the air. Second is to not just toss your craft in the air and see how far you can go. Start close and slow and work your way outwards.

If you fly the same place for practice you will learn over time what areas to avoid and these checks won't need to be done all the time. If you are flying a new area you should be starting your session every time like this. Also do NOT go by "My buddy flys here all the time with no issues" mentality. Each piece of gear is just a tiny bit different and will act in different ways to various things. Just be smarter then the gear you are using and make sure you know its quirks and limitations.

After that the flying becomes seriously fun because you can relax and trust your gear. If you do not trust your gear then you should not be flying in that place or at the very least adjust what you are doing so you can trust your gear. Simple things like an antenna change or a channel change can make far more difference then just cranking up the power.

Good point on the channel change and the antenna change. I've seen people use the regular Fatshark mushroom style antennas and have great luck with video signal, and not even need a patch antenna; yet the same equipment with a pagoda style or cloverleaf antenna yields poor video signal.

Oh, and one other thing to be aware of when you fly somewhere - overhead wires!!!

I went to visit my mother in law last year in May, and went to the Diablo Valley Fliers field in Pittsburg, CA. The guys warned me of some pretty nasty overhead power lines that were about 150' up from the very end of the runway; they've had several people hit them with their fixed wing aircraft and it's never pretty.

At my field in Fallbrook, CA, we have 2 power lines, both about 30 feet off the ground - one over by the heli field, that runs off of the corner of the field, and a second power line that runs at the end of the field, just parallel to the 15 freeway. Apparently, people have hit both, destroying copters and fixed wing aircraft alike. The one that runs parallel to the freeway is a good warning to turn before you get there, because you shouldn't be flying out above the freeway, but nonetheless people have clipped it and shorted all sorts of things out...And flying FPV, you don't necessarily see those wires until the last possible second, when it's too late to adjust.

Definitely, as Psyborg suggested, look around your field before you fly, take note of things like broken tree branches that are hanging down, power lines, new fences...Some of it may just be obstacles to fly around (we have a "breakaway" fence in one of the ball fields that splits one of the outfields in half for Little League/T-Ball/girls' Softball, and I use that along with the posts to fly around), others may be problems that you can run into.

 

[johnreto]

Flying with a display vs goggles is a tough call. I personally prefer flying with the goggles on vs. a display because I'm not distracted by other things, nor do I have to tell my brain to switch from flying line of sight to first person view. For example, if you're headed towards yourself and you're looking at the display and then you look up to see it flying towards you, you might correct the wrong way, thinking "right is right" based on the display, but with it coming towards you, "right is left". Again, your preference, and what you feel comfortable with; I just think it's a little hard on trying to get my brain to switch between the two.

As for flying around with interference, it's one of those things that you just kind of have to try and see how it'll affect your signal. Concrete walls might not allow you to have a good signal for flight controls, let alone video feed; if you're not sure, power up but have your power to the motors cut, and have your spotter walk through the areas you're going to fly while carrying your drone. If your video cuts out, you'll know. It's not 100% perfect, but it's the next best thing to flying it and losing signal when you don't expect it.

And you will have moments where the video might blink out on you only to come back a split second later; it's something you get used to while flying in some areas. It's kind of one of those given things you face while flying FPV.

i would also prefer the goggles, mainly cuz i wanna feel like the pilot hehe but also so i dont get distracted and can stay concentrated on my flying.
not planning on flying behind walls, but good to know.
thanks for the infos n tips

 

[johnreto]

Chain link fences at ball parks are just evil to video signals.

unfortunatly, or fortunaly, we dont have baseball fields here in my area, we just have BIG fields of grass
mostly owned by farmers for their cows or cutting grass for the cows (now worries, i wont fly around cows, respect
animals and nature) and so no chainlink fences