Actually Dent, I'm thinking that if I got a quad, it would be an exclusive photography platform. No need for aerobatics on that one... besides, the Nano QX is a pretty satisfying stick-to-corners fix, and it doesn't seem to break! Not yet, anyway

I've been looking at some heavier lifters that can take a gimbal mount, gps, separate fpv cam, and a biggah battery so I can do a slow cruise around the property line with less worry about running out of juice.

One platform that seems pretty popular is the TBS Discovery. Pricey though!

How do you think the 350QX would do with gimbal mount, fpv, and gps? Would that be pushing its limit, or still in a sweet spot for battery life?

Manfred

I fly with GoPro and gimbal, I get about 4 to 5 minutes maybe a bit more. With out the gimbal I get 7 to 8 minutes. The video is many many times better with a gimbal, way more stable and takes the turn, wobble out of the video. My gimbal is a cheap $88 deal. I tried to go at this as cheap as possible with out going to cheap to see what I thought.. I Like it .. In time I will be buying a better gimbal, hopefully zenmuse. I find that I really enjoy flying the quads even with out the camera and find myself flying them more than the planes now...
I'm still playing with FPV. I flew it twice, didn't seem to take much flying time off. Quad, gimbal, Gopro and FPV equipment all seem to do fine on the 350. I'm now adding OSD, on screen display. This gives you distance, direction to pilot, altitude and some others. It also plots your course on google maps.

I gotta get my butt in gear and head to work... Talk at ya later


Quick Edit: Yes a bigger Quad would be the best . My 350 does fine

Manfred wrote: Dent and Fox,

Are you guys running 2.4GHz RC and 5.8GHz FPV? How is the range with that setup? Is it a complete no-no to go behind something while FPV'g, either for video link or RC link reasons? I've seen videos from someone FPV'g a quad around their yard, and I would love to skulk the circle around our house but that would require going behind a structure.

Of course in any situation, except maybe a long flight away from home (which I'm not inclined to do for liability reasons), I'd range check the entire path. But that's only a loose predictor of what will actually happen with motors running.

Been doing a lot of research. FPV quad, this is really cool.

Manfred

Hey guys.
Sorry im late to the party.
Been busy and haven't been around the forum much, but hope to get back in the groove.

As for your question Manfred......
I fly with a 2.4 radio and 5.8 fpv.
To fly behind objects and keep your signal, you need a low frequency signal. So 2.4fpv is what you need for flying behind buildings. Note, you can't fly a 2.4 radio with 2.4 fpv.
The signals interfere with each other,and you'll get problems.

As for 5.8 fpv......
Just remember, "LINE OF SIGHT" That means that if you cant see your plane, you're signal won't be there when you want it to be!
I know, cuz I found a dead spot behind a bunch of trees in my flying field.

I fly a stock fatshark predator system.
I can get up to a mile range with it with pretty good picture.
If you're really into it, you can buy signal amplifiers. And super fancy ground stations that will get you 2+ miles.

But im perfectly happy with the predators. So i dont need all that fancy gear .

It also comes down to cost.
5.8 is relatively inexpensive make equipment for, in large quantities . Which is why most people use 5.8 .

2.4 is kinda for people who are really into fpv, And want to fly the best stuff. Thus 2.4 is a bit more expensive.

Hope this helps.

Fox,

So if one uses 2.4GHz FPV... what band does the RC wind up on? I've read line items about something like "UHF RC" which sound vaguely like repeating an RC signal across to a different band from its origin. I'm looking at Team Blacksheep's TBS Discovery Pro quad platform, and they sometimes mention this.

Even if I an interpreting the language correctly, something still doesn't jive. I mean, I was kind of young when I got my ham license and didn't really understand the theory (just memorized it lol), but isn't 2.4GHz already considered UHF? I guess there's UHF, and then there's "really" UHF! Heck, we used to call 450MHz "UHF".

Manfred

I know a lot of guys use the old 72. Frequency with their 2.4 fpv.
Let me dig up a vid I that explains the 2.4 thing.

Hears a guy I learned a lot from.
This vid explains a lot of that frequency stuf.
At about 14min. He gets into the 2.4 interference.

I've been rc flying,boating, and 4x4 for about five years. It's cool to see some fellow rc guys. How do you like your yak. Also, I strongly recommend,
if you haven't already, is buy a simulator. It taught me how to hover in a short time. Peace

RC Update:

Been flying the micro Yak a lot. Figured with my limited landing area, I needed the practice. Also figured that I needed to learn Harrier flying. (View in HD if you can - even though I'm closer, it's still tiny!)


$$https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muazN6QNdic$$

Basically I have full back elevator, and I'm feathering throttle to control altitude. Throttle is running around 40-60% here. Steering is via rudder, and ailerons are just for keeping the wings level or slightly (slightly!) banked in a turn. All those years flying helis really paid off in knowing which way to rudder when the nose slips. To the uninitiated, it may look like boring bobbing flying; but this is a lot of work! And these landings are the lucky ones... a bunch weren't so pretty!

In other news... I ordered a TBS Discovery quad! BTW Dent, Mrs. Manfred wants to have you over... or at least that's what I think she said, something about a head, served on a platter,... figured she was thinking of entertaining. Anyway, please check your calendar for free evenings.



Manfred

Fox and Dent,

You guys did this. Not only do I have the micro quad; I just finished building a bigger quad:

This thing is a handful. As I was explaining to Dent, it is quite difficult for me to suck it up and fly in FPV mode. This will take a lot of practice to get used to. But it's a nice quad, very stable in GPS mode, and very smooth. Took a lot of hours to setup though.

Manfred

Manfred wrote: Fox and Dent,

You guys did this. Not only do I have the micro quad; I just finished building a bigger quad:

This thing is a handful. As I was explaining to Dent, it is quite difficult for me to suck it up and fly in FPV mode. This will take a lot of practice to get used to. But it's a nice quad, very stable in GPS mode, and very smooth. Took a lot of hours to setup though.

Manfred

Your allready ahead of me with the building your own. I see you have 2 camera's, Why not FPV from the GOPRO?
What kind of flight time do you think you'll get?
I have 2 blade 350's, lot's of fun but I'm needing something more.... I also need to get my amature radio license....

I pm'd you back. On this quad, the GoPro is on a stabilizing gimbal, so its view is misleading for fpv flying view (no feedback that you are rolled either way, or pitched down or up). Hence the fixed fpv cam.

I'm still wringing out the batteries. Electrics are interesting. With no gas tank to look at, all I have is Rated mAh to go on, and for a machine that doesn't glide deadstick or autorotate, those theoreticals need proving. So I am still logging each flight's mAh consumed, ending voltage, starting voltage on my charger, and mAh charged. I've been flying about 6 minutes, and have a ways to go before reaching 75% of the rated mAh which will be my stopping point. I figure 10-11 mins will be the result. The TBS people are working on better batteries, and motor/prop/batt combos for some serious flight time.

Manfred

Here's an FPV video, first time outside of my neighborhood at a local park.

$$http://youtu.be/loEoMX-aifs$$

(Edit: fixed some video links...)

Hey, huys,

I see you are making some beasts!!! Quadchopters and stuff like flying soucers...

I am a complete ignorant on electronics, woodcraft, soldering, etc.

I just saw some videos like these ones (www.youtube.com/user/tyoukogatalabo - copy and paste in the browser address bar), and fell in love with this amazing indoor-RC-flight thing. I always dreamed on spending money, time and effort to fly some RC. But those "normal" RC planes, radios and stuff were too expensive for me when I was younger. Nowadays, I have the money, but I don't want to spend time messing with "standard" RC planes. They are too big to handle, and you always need a whole day to play with them, and you need to go to an open, "desert" area to play. And the hardest thing: you to begin with training models, crash a lot, lose too much time and money, to get some real fun... So, I gave up on it.

But now, with these mini and micro RC planes with milimetrical brushless motors, LiPo batteries and receivers that weights like a feather, and more important, with the internet giving you all the necessary know-how at a blink of an eye and at a click of a mouse, I see that I found what I always wanted: a way to spend little money, spend less than a daytime building a plane, and instantly flying it (I know, I will still crash a lot - but fixing indoor foan RC planes is way less frustrating and less time-consuming than fixing standard balsa-wood ones).

So, for what I can see from this video (), its just about finding the parts to buy and make my models.

And that's why I am posting: Any tips? I mean, I am a complete noob, I don't even know how to buy and how to use soldering tools, I don't even know how the heck that guy managed to make the rudder move with just a little magneto wrapped inside a copper wire!

So, what next?

(Sorry, I don't have time to read all this thread from the first post, I am too lazy, and in few minutes I will watch Cruzeiro play a decisive match on TV)

Thanks a lot! And congratulations for your flying beasts!

Here is a video from a respected company
In fomies.

"Parkzone". From "Horizon Hobbies"(parent company)

The micro series of Parkzone is quite popular with a lot of people.

I've flown the standard size planes from them, and I can say that they have very good customer service too. I've had parts damaged or not functioning properly been replaced for no extra cost .

The thing I like about parkzones planes, is that they are very adaptable.

My first plane I crashed it until there was not much left to fix on the fuselage.
So I cut a 2" thick fome isolation bored
to the silluete of my plane glued on the tail
servos motor receiver and battery box with
Low heat hot glue! The stuf in the craft store.

I got some fun time with it. Crashed it,made
Another fuselage and bought a new wing
and I was in the air again!

Thats how well their stuff works!

And the micro planes in the video are ready to fly for only $100.

Personally I would recommend the piper cub for starters. Then get more advanced micros as you're skills improve.

Hope this helps.

Hi Ped,

I don't know much about indoor feather-light models. But there sure seem to be a lot of them, although "indoor" usually refers to a gymnasium-sized room. Still, there are some tiny little floaters. I don't think you will need to solder, as these planes are very plug-and-play-and-fly.

My micro quad is definitely an indoor model. It does not do well in wind, and indoors it flies wonderfully.

We have a large family room with a high ceiling... hmm maybe I need to look into some indoor planes.

Manfred

I missed all this....

Ped There is a Micro vapor in the middle that can be flown in a small room





These are some of my smaller planes. I fly them all outside. The Nieuport, Se5a, Triplane and DvII all fly well and are affordable. Light to no breeze is best for them.






I finally test flew the Camel, what a handfull in a crosswind landing.... Great plane.





These are some other planes that aren't too bad in price. Fun for outside.





I didn't take any pics of my Quadcoptors. I have a few different ones....

I would stick to something that parts are easy to come by. If you fly, you will land unexpectedly in an area not intended to land in and go home with a bag full of parts.... For the most part they will take a pretty good beating....

Dent, this is the same one I just sent you. Fox, I have been getting way into this! The gimbal mount is a real game changer. Makes my shaky flying look smooth.
Manfred

$$http://youtu.be/AdMhBKyy5Qk$$

Just got my RC chopper out the other night, my older brother wanted to try it so I let him..bad idea.. He lost control of it as it was going up and it flew a neighborhood over and crashed into a tree...last time he gets ahold of the controller...the chopper is ok btw..it will live to fly another day...gonna try to put his Gopro on the bottom of it...I'll post the link once we do it.

Glad it came out ok. What kind of chopper?
Manfred

Its says on the side- R/C Helicopter Volitation, its orange and black..I'll put a picture up later

I met someone in-game who said he flies giant scale RC, named rcguy or something like that. If you see him in-game, encourage him to get on the forum!

Here's one more fpv video. A little pucker factor flying that far out over water. The quad is flying nicely, and I've been pushing distance little by little. Max so far has been 0.6 miles up the beach. Mental note, a marina full of sailboat masts wreaks havoc on 2.4GHz video reception!

Manfred

$$http://youtu.be/Do0WRbs3lIY$$

Been wanting to get my fpv up this year.
But I've been having a crazy spring, and no $400 investment of mine is flying in a 20 mph
Wind.

@Dent is that mig 15 a hobbyking?
And I'm looking for a GlasStar. My dad's first flight was in one. And a lot of family memerys to.
U know if anyone has made one?

Happy 4th of July to you 'mericans! Ironic that on this day of freedom, we have our freedoms taken away, with FAA's June 23 clarification on FPV flight. It is now a fine-able offense to fly your FPV RC aircraft, because FAA deems them to be *not* model aircraft and therefore subject to civil Unmanned Aerial Systems rules.

Jerks! Just when I was starting to have fun. (Now I'll have to have my fun and then drive away quickly.)

Manfred

Dawn at a local flying field.

Hey, I was at Hastings not to long ago and I actully seen alot of ww1 r/cs, including the d.v, dr.1 and many more...some two seaters that arnt in the game aswell. If I had the money I would have bought them all lol

Manfred wrote: Happy 4th of July to you 'mericans! Ironic that on this day of freedom, we have our freedoms taken away, with FAA's June 23 clarification on FPV flight. It is now a fine-able offense to fly your FPV RC aircraft, because FAA deems them to be *not* model aircraft and therefore subject to civil Unmanned Aerial Systems rules.

Jerks! Just when I was starting to have fun. (Now I'll have to have my fun and then drive away quickly.)

Manfred

Won't it be hard to enforce it?
Cuz Whoes to say if that plane flying in the park is fpv or not, provided your not standing in a crowd with your goggles on.

Mr. Serious wrote: I have always wanted an r/c airplane but could never find one that I wanted. Someday maybe...

i know this is an old post but i just now looked at it, mr. Serious ever considered building your own rc plane there are kits to build balsa models that can be for show or for flight

Here are some views from last Sunday, sunrise over Oceanside Pier. All shot with a GoPro Hero 3+ on my quad copter. A bit grainy because I underexposed - too heavy of a neutral density filter for sunrise lighting.

For the onerous government authorities, no animals or humans were harmed or endangered during the filming of these clips. Flown line of sight, well out of the way of full scale planes, etc. etc.


$$http://youtu.be/71zeRd4vlxI$$

oops





alway's fun, now almost on the side of illegal





rebuilt, ready to test fly

Yeah, baby! That's a mighty big hexacopter. Bet that's got some lifting power.

I flew my quad around the yard last weekend and took some aerial shots of the kids playing. First recreational (non-testing, low pucker factor) flights since my battery dumped and I augered into the side of a mountain.

Looks like Freddie got a hold of your cub.

A dog jumped up and bit the tail off my UMX Yak. Downside of flying around a popular dog walking area.

Manfred