OSD for starters?

82ndRCFlyer

Member
Hey im new to FPV, went out on maiden flight and had awesome time. I know i made the mistake of flying to high, also in new area and got disoriented and eventually lost my plane. I found it later but was worried it could happen again. I would like an OSD with direction of home & distance if possible, but also something that is super easy to setup. Thanks guys :cool:
 

squishy

Pirate ParkFlyer
I have tried many OSD's and my favorite by far is the Skylark Trace, but I fly 4 cell FPV at over 100mph with a tracker, and opinions are like assholes, and OSD's have many many many characteristics and features you must consider. Some guys just want a certain layout, others want simple, some want everything under the sun with autopilot and a floating horizon that does nothing to help you or the airplane fly better. It really is going to come down to your own personal preference, but trying them all out gets expensive really fast. I personally tried the DOSD+, GOSD, hk mini OSD, rembezi, skylark tiny II, and the skylark Trace. And out of all of those I love my Trace, for a few weird reasons including the fact that I like 4 cell on my FPV quad and I don't like using noisy regulators anymore (it has a built in 12v and 5 v filtered power output for vTX and cam). So, not only does everyone have an opinion on what OSD you should get, they also have different needs and this changes what is the best OSD for any of us. What is great for me may not be great for you. It sounds to me like you have simple needs, you don't need a fancy OSD. The HK mini OSD is only 24 bucks and will do what you want, if you outgrow it in a year and need a better one, so what, it was only 24 bucks...

It's always good to keep things simple if you can, and it sounds like you still can, so do it. KISS method, and you also save money...

They are not very good OSD's, they are slow (GPS refresh speed), but it will do what you need it to do and you will have the GPS cords of your lost airplane as long as you have video. The best piece of equipment you could buy next is a DVR to record the flight so you can play back the video and get the info you need off the screen. A DVR is not just for making youtubes, it's a safety and recovery tool.

On my Skylark Trace, there is like a radar screen right in the middle and I can watch where my craft is in relation to myself (the center of the screen). Some people like this, others think it gets in the way.

The most important thing an OSD tells you is not where you are, but how much juice is left in the gas tank. You should always know where you are and retain that throughout the flight, it is one of the harder FPV skills to gain but like anything it gets easier the more you do it. In the future as you get better, you will not rely on the OSD to tell you where you are, you will be checking to see if you have enough battery to get back from where you know you are, which is more than often, too far...
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__29798__Mini_OSD_System_w_GPS_Module.html
 

82ndRCFlyer

Member
Thanks bro lots of info and much appreciated definately gonna check out the OSD you recommended and like you said its only $24
happy flying >--/-