NEW FPV SETUP!!!!

[brosius85]

ok dudes- i have been NOT flying FPV long enough. its time.

i have been lurking like a freak ever since the NY FPV vid.

at first i was like "oh thats cool"

watched it a few more times... read up on how it was done...

then i was like "THIS IS AWESOME AND SOMETHING I COULD GETTT INTOOOO!!!"

so i bought a couple if ritewings and started to take my first steps int RC.

along the way i have come to realise, it is really quite hard to do what was done in NY. you have to be seriously aware of your rc link and video link's capabilities, how the environment you are in affects that etc. you will have had dozens of days testing, experimenting, failing, and improving.

so i am about to step into the big ol' world of fpv.

ideally i would just go to the TBS shop and get everything on the menu... $ are a problem though.

i do have a fully capable zephyr at the moment, -FPV gear. (yes im flying on 36mhz- dont worry about that ;D)

so can you guys give me some direction? this is the list at this stage.


http://www.readymaderc.com/store/bmz_cache/4/48cbb727764cef59f92880cd0e560ba7.image.92x80.jpg (http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=75&products_id=450)
2.4GHz 500mW 8Ch Wireless A/V Transmitter Module (http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=75&products_id=450)


http://www.readymaderc.com/store/bmz_cache/3/3aea25381c6e679d202ec1d29121af6b.image.100x75.jpg (http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=75&products_id=447)

2.4GHz 8Ch Wireless A/V Receiver (http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=75&products_id=447)


http://www.readymaderc.com/store/bmz_cache/4/45acb72f4cfbe36b3b355b0952471e6d.image.100x74.jpg (http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_22&products_id=522)
Fat Shark Dominator Video Glasses (http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_22&products_id=522)


i know i am missing a camera on that list. anyone recommend one?

was hoping to get another receiver, oracle diversity, and an EZosd but they are going to have to wait.

any direction is much appreciated.

[SENTRY]

Do not worry abotu diversity for now - save yout money. I recommend the 420XV from ReadyMadeRC - but he does have cheaper cams that will do well on a wing. For now you have a great list.. once you get going I'd get a long-range system before spending the money on diversity.

[brosius85]

thanks for the advice sentry.

in aus im fairly certain LRS are illegal. so i am slightly apprehensive about getting one imported...

also i am aware of tuned synthesized rx getting 10km of range. not that i have seen this 1st hand but even 5km is plenty at this stage.

i just think having a good omni and a directional combo would be ideal for the type of flying i would do. pretty restrained, but just an omni would fail me im SURE and just a directional could be a slight pain aswell. but not getting diversity anytime soon.

thanks again!! will def. check out that cam.

[SENTRY]

Considering you aren't going to be flying any kind of range anytime soon - trust me, aim your patch and fly will have you covered. You're not gonna risk your plane attempting tons of KMs on 35 or 72mHz. There is LOTS of fun that can be had on 72 and a patch : like so...


http://vimeo.com/20713500
:

and like this :


http://vimeo.com/23103803

[brosius85]

holy SHIT! that is fast! and low! hahahaha awesome work! loving it! BALLS O STEEL!

[Coyote]

Looks a good start you`ve made, again like Sentry said, diverity is nice but not needed yet. You could slap a 8dbi patch antenna on a tripod and have good range, well past your omni`s capability and fly just fine as you build up the stick time and iron out the creases :)

[shonky1]

LRS are not really legal in Oz but I use one and have had no problems yet. If you were meaning they might be a problem getting through customs, dont worry!

[brosius85]

thanks shonky. i would guess operating one in the NT would step on less toes the operating one on the north coast NSW. i dunno if it is worth getting one anyway. 5- 10 km seems like heaps to me. ill see how the synthesized rx goes.

[brosius85]

AN ORDER IS PLACED!!!!

1 ea. Fat Shark RCV922 Aviator Edition 2.4GHz (2010)

Video Transmitter - None

$269.99 1 ea. 2.4GHz 8Ch Wireless A/V Receiver $49.99 1 ea. RMRC-420XV 420 Line 5-15V CCD Camera (NTSC) $79.99 1 ea. JST Female to 2.1mm Barrel Connector
$6.99 1 ea. 2.4GHz 500mW 8Ch Wireless A/V Transmitter Module $49.99 1 ea. 2.4 GHz 8 dBi Flat Patch Antenna - 4ft SMA Male Connector $32.95

anyone got advice as to what other cables i need? i got the power cable for the receiver, and it looks like the transmitter has adequete cables along with the camera, but what about to the goggles? anyone know what cable they use?

also nearly all the 2.4 antennaes are out of stock so i ended up with one of the crappier ones offered i think.

now im off to hobbyking to get some more batteries and connectors. will report back.

[shonky1]

Change that camera to PAL not NTSC (we use PAL in Australia) Tim should pick up on that but mention it just in case. BiQuad would have been better but that will do. Goggles come with all the cables they need.

[brosius85]

why do i need to use pal? i dont on my gopro. it doesnt have to be compatible with anything except the rx and goggles....

[shonky1]

Better colours and it doesnt look like shit if you play it back on a television. Its a better format than NTSC. OK everybody start throwing spears!

[brosius85]

the way think it works is ntsc has more frames, pal has more pixels... time to visit wiki

[shonky1]

ever watched television from USA on our television, looks like crap.

[brosius85]

i think that is a compatibility issue more than anything... i could be wrong of course :D

im not too worried about the flight cam. im sure it will be fine. i hear about more people flying on ntsc than pal so it cant be TOO bad.

[shonky1]

True its a compatability thing, whatever fly's your bike.

[brosius85]

IT ARRIVED! god bless UPS and RMRC. gotta be the quickest delivery i have ever experienced.

took me all of 4 hours to wire it all up install it and test it :D it works :D254725462548

next job is to splice a cable together for the fatsharks...

the av in is a headphone jack, same as the av out of the lawmate receiver. only cables they came with were RCA to headphone jack. grrr

while im here- does anyone know about the 1/2 wavelength mod for synthesized rx? im not sure what wire to use for the aeriel. also i am using a jr synthesized rx... is that a problem?

other than that i will be range testing at first light and maidening shortly after if all goes to plan :D wish me luck!!!!

[brosius85]

all went well.
took it to the beach, had the missus hold the transmitter (aerial in) while i ran off with the plane- got to about 150 200m before she glitched out. then plugged in the VTX and started walking back. got about 1/2 way back before control came back :( . . .
oh well time to fly lol
the bloody go pro wont turn on FFS
too bad. flying anyway.
i got the missus to wear the goggles while i flew LOS as far as i could. to my surprise nearly anywhere i flew she had good picture. behind the antennae (8db flat patch) above... as far as i could see... all good. all this with a stock 3db rubber ducky on the vtx!
came in for a landing and got the goggles on my OWN head this time :D oh yeah :D this is gonna be good :D
pretty much set the ground station up in such a way as i was unable to launch into the wind while plugged in. so i just launched and at the right moment told the missus to put the goggles on me... for me. you know what i mean.
anyway it was quite good! perfect picture and control to about 1.5km (i think). in a horizontal bank there was hardly any drop out detectable. only real concern was the picture quality, and i was crapping my pants.
the picture is just not confidence inspiring. not sure if its the goggles fault or the cameras fault but it is really so much harder to get close to things than i would like.
flying over trees is hard because you cant see them.... its kind of like a dark green fog.. D:

so the first flight was a success.. back home to charge the batteries. (only 1 set left at the moment! hurry up and deliver my order HK!)
second flight....

go pro is working! PHEW!

"ill just launch with the wind this time 'cos i wanna go this way"

nose into the beach

%$#! ^%# !@%$#!!!!!!!

ok nothing broken... just a winglet needing a slight bit of attention.

fixed

re launch INTO the wind

no probs! flew a bit easier in the arvo with a less bright sky washing out the picture. but seemed to be a bit glitchy. not sure if it was the wind knocking her around or glitches. anyway no real problems. i just wish it had more power now. it really struggles to climb with these little old batteries and the extra weight.

i may end up going for a pixim next though cos i really want to go closer to everything!!!
2550

[elvenpure]

wow sounds amazing man.
i cant wait to get going. i see all these videos and hear all these stories and it just gets me more excited.
congrats again.

[Drednox]

How do you keep the sand out of your motor??????

[brosius85]

it gets a bit in there sometiones, but nothing especially fatal. it is just going to shorten the lifespan of the motor a bit not instant death. the motor is mounted reasonably high anyway.

[Merf]

Brosius, I'm about to buy my first FPV goggles. I saw you had the FS Dominator in your initial list, but then bought the older FS 922. Would you recommend the 922 over the Dominator (assuming that cost is not a consideration)?

[Freshmint]

Why does your goggles look red in the picture can you post some close up pictures of it and can you tell me how you hook up the patch antenna to your fatshark

[brosius85]

hey merf i ony missed out on dominators cos they were sold out at the time

i think the 922 have too wide a FOV, the dominators are more like zeiss and have a sharper picture (albeit a bit smaller) i still wish i had dominators.

the fatsharks are cut inside an old pair of safety goggles, i use a lawmate receiver with a patch with the video out going to the fatsharks, i do not use the receiver in the fatsharks.

[Freshmint]

which safety goggles are those? i want to do something like this..
can you show me what the front look like.. you didnt have to hack up your fatshark did you?

[brosius85]

no the fatsharks do not need hacking

they are uvex safety goggles, any ski goggles or safety goggles will do the job

i removed the lens from the goggles, inserted the fatsharks, put them on my face, adjusted them to the right depth, cut the lens so it was just around the fatsharks, drilled holes in the safety goggles to allow for connection of power and video feeds, and then hotglued the feeds in, and hotglued around the fatsharks to secure them in place. i also then hotglued extra foam in the safety goggles to make them more comfy :)