Glad to hear you were able to get all that equipment for relatively cheap. Hope the build goes well and let me know if you run into any problems. Good luck.
Thanks and you're absolutely right. The minimum operating voltage for this transmitter is 7V so a 2S lipo will work, but the recommended operating voltage is 12V so a 3S is the way to go. I only had a small 2S at the time of this video, but since have been using a 3S instead. I haven't measured the difference in range between 2S and 3S, but would be interesting to do.
I like the receiver kit suggestion. I've been wanting to design and print one. I should've mentioned that the bottom of the LCD screen has a thread that I put onto my tripod. Now I just need a nice shield for sunny days. Thanks for the suggestion.
Thanks for the feedback. While your cable will be different for the H3 you can still use this same TX/RX setup to broadcast video to your monitor or goggles.
Great question. I had researched this several weeks ago and never came to a definitive answer, but this is the closest I've found from IBCrazy in the FPV lab forums: Without HAM: Maximum power level: 10mW (2.4GHz), 25mW (5.8GHz) Available frequencies: 2410-2450MHz, 5625-5925MHz So you're looking at a 25mW TX without a license. I'm actually taking the HAM exam later this month and am trying to learn as much as possible about this topic. I'll let you know as I learn more.
No problem and glad to hear it. I know what you mean by the manual and the stickers. They didn't seem to match up so thankfully I found out from rcgroups how to do the proper channel configuration. Greetings from Texas :)
Thanks for the question. I haven't run into any noticeable delay. I'd have to say if there is any we're talking about milliseconds of delay. I don't know if that will vary as you get further out, but everything is very responsive from my testing.
Thanks for the feedback. I really enjoy the setup but the HobbyKing camera mount isn't the greatest. I guess you can't expect too much for something so cheap. It's a great starting place and I've been looking around at some higher end camera mounts. The X468 looks pretty good so I may give that a try. Will let you know what happens.
Yes, you can transmit sound as long as you have a the audio channel from the GoPro hooked up. I only have video mainly because in FPV all you'll hear are the motors spinning. But if you're using this for a different application then you could transmit audio as well.
Yes! It's a 3ft mini-ramp that I skate whenever I need a break :) I live in Austin, TX and do a fair amount of skateboarding at the local parks. I watched a few of your vids and you're an amazing skateboarder! My favorite is your tre flip to crook. Unbelievable!
Jack, thanks for the feedback. I used channel 3 mainly because it's what was recommended in one of the rcgroups forums. You should be able to use any channel as long as you have your TX and RX set the same. In the field I use a 800mA 2S lipo for the transmitter. I feel like I could go smaller because I did a previous test where I got almost two hours of transmit time with it. Hope that helps.
Yes, you can record and transmit at the same time with the GoPro Hero 2. My GP2 used to be my FPV cam, but now I use it just for recording and have a separate FPV cam. I believe the GP3 can do the same, but am not 100% sure.
Now finally an answer that makes some sense. That's really good to know, but I can't get over how the manuals don't even match up with the sticker on the receiver. Thanks for the info and I'm going to try putting the TX/RX on a different channel based on the binary config. Appreciate it!
The Volcom contest was insane. It was at House Park in Austin. Glad to know we share the same hobbies and if you make it to Austin, TX then let's go fly and skate!
Steve, good question and unfortunately I don't have an answer. I'd have to say that the wireless link would definitely support a higher res, but have no clue how to quantify this at the moment. Perhaps in the future I can see what the bandwidth constraints are and will let you know. Yes, the picture is masked with the GoPro output but with my 600TVL FPV cam it fills the whole screen nicely.
Yes, it's definitely possible. Just make sure you check the specs on the camera before you buy. I purchased a good cam from securitycam2000 and use that for dedicated FPV while my GoPro is for recording. You can see the vid titled "TBS Discovery with DJI Naza & GoPro FPV - Upgrade to Dedicated 600TVL Sony FPV Camera". Thanks for taking the time to watch.
Glad to hear it! I'm actually using this setup with my TBS Discovery frame so my video tx is mounted on top of the quad. I have it ziptied with a bit of foam underneath it. I wouldn't say it matters too much where you put it, but just make sure it's well mounted and you try to minimize vibration. If you have GPS I've heard that the transmitter can interfere with the GPS if it's too close, but haven't experienced that personally. Good luck with your setup!
Great to hear you're up in the air with FPV. Yeah it is a very strange feeling. The monitor is tough because you want to keep looking up to see where your craft is. That's why I feel like the goggles will be something I purchase soon.
You and me both! I will get around to that soon. I'm still doing up-close FPV just until I get comfortable with longer range flight. I was going to do a stationary field test with the TX on the ground and then have the RX in my buddy's truck. We'd drive until we lose signal and measure the distance. Just not the same us doing an in the air test. Thanks for the feedback!
Great video, going to make a favorite so that when it comes time for me to set up my GoPro for FPV I can refer back to it. Thanks for taking the time to make and post the video.
I'll see if I can dig up the rcgroups thread, but in the meantime you should be able to set this up if you wired everything up like in the video. As long as you have the proper GoPro cable you just need to turn on your GoPro and it will begin to output live video. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other problems.
You want to use white for audio out on your Ready Made RC cable. That should connect to the audio in cable on your video transmitter. I'm not sure about the Foxtech kit, but the Hobby King FPV kit uses the TS351 transmitter. If you Google it one of the first links is the manual that shows the pint out. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.
I just tested the set-up. It works great! I just had to add lipos and do some wiring! There is a good feed. I'm not sure if your Monitor does, but mine will display the GoPro Hero 3 information, such as the battery life, the camera mode, Rec time and stuff.
If I understand your question I soldered a header pin to my transmitter lead (video and ground) that I could plug into the Ready Made RC GoPro cable. Headers pins normally come in multi-pin configurations and you just break off the # of pins you need. If I'm misunderstanding your question please feel free to follow up and elaborate a bit more. Thanks.
Josh, if I understand your question that cable comes as part of the HobbyKing FPV TX/RX kit. If you click on the link in the description above you should see the cable on HobbyKing's product page. Hope this helps.
Thanks, and my apologies. Several people have posted about this and to be honest I had no clue I was chewing gum. I won't be doing that anymore. I just watched and realized how annoying that was!
I know what you mean. It definitely happens with mine too. I use vibration dampening material under my transmitter, which helps a little bit. I'm trying to find the specific source of the problem. I do have a dedicated FPV camera coming and will post my results vs using the GoPro for FPV.
I wouldn't say it's a necessity if you're doing FPV, but it would definitely help you out if you get into trouble. The return to home feature and IOC (intelligent orientation control) will be extremely useful if you get disoriented. These are only available with GPS. Now if I read your comment correctly and you are just getting started then I recommend flying FPV within line of sight so you can always look up and bring it back home. Until you get better. This doesn't require GPS. Hope that helps
I've heard of some people blowing their "video out" on the GoPro by wiring the cable wrong. This will be very useful to help avoid frying any electronics unnecessarily. Thanks for the instructional video....good job :)
Dang that looks like an incredible deal. I'd like to adapt the mount to fit on my tripod. That would be perfect. I may have to get one and appreciate the tip. Hope to see you on Garage Pilots and thanks for following along with my videos. All the best.
Great to hear and thanks for the feedback. As for your questions... 1. Yes, that's correct. I use GoPro for both video TX and recording to SD. I'm working on a video that demonstrates installing a dedicated FPV cam, because it's hard to fly FPV with the GoPro lens...at least for me it is! 2. I'm not sure what you're asking. What do you mean by charging a receiver? Are you asking how to charge the receiver's battery? I'm assuming you're using a standard 2S or 3S lipo for your receiver?
The red plug is known as the JST connector and the white one is the balance plug. Your battery will come with these connector attached. And on the other end you plug those into your charger. I hope that's what you're asking about. If not, let me know.
That's a good question that I unfortunately don't have the answer to. If there is a wall that sits between your TX and RX your signal will be degraded and could result in complete loss of signal although it's difficult to quantify. I always recommend having failsafe configured in case this happens and your quad can either hover and land or return to launch.
No, but I do plan on doing one soon. I can tell you that you should not expect to get more than 1/4 mile of range with the standard antennas. I'm going to upgrade mine and will do a before and after test.
Good Q. I would have to say I believe this is possible but you obviously need to use two lipos since the TX will be in the air and the RX will be on the ground. Unless I'm misunderstanding your question.
Yeah, that's because this was a build video and I hadn't taken this into the field yet. If you look at the HobbyKing literature it states about 500m range with the stock antennas. I've found that to be pretty close to what I'm seeing.
Thanks dude, will definitely pick your brain not if but when I do run into problems, haha! I'll get on garage pilots asap man thanks for the invite, means a lot coming from you! All the best dude : )
You're welcome and thanks for the positive feedback. Regarding your statement about 720p you are right...it's only 420p. Did I state somewhere in the video that it's 720? If so, I need to get that corrected. I agree it's important to learn about antennae and it's something I'm currently doing at the moment. Thanks again.
No, it's not HD and it's probably like standard def since it uses composite video. Just curious, did I say it was HD out somewhere in the video? If so, I'd like to get that correct. Thanks, James.
Good question. I just realized that the link in the description takes you to a newer version of the monitor. It used to take you to a LCD monitor that doesn't have a TV tuner built in. I need to see if I can find the screen that I'm using without the TV tuner. But to answer your question, the antenna is for a TV signal and is not a FPV RX. Sorry for the confusion.
Good video, thank you for taking the time. You will notice a significant improvement with range (more than double easily) by changing your stick antennas to circularly polarized (CP) antennas. Immersion RC and other companies have them for around 40.00 for both (tx and rx). Just make sure you get the right type SMA connector SMA vs RP SMA in order to connect your system. I got 3.5 Km with a 5.8 GHz 500 mW tx (DJI AVL 58).
On the HobbyKing site it's advertised with a 500m range and up to 1km with a directional antenna. For me, I've haven't gone beyond 250m and didn't lose signal. I feel like I could get close to 500m, but will verify in the future. There are obviously better FPV options, but this isn't too bad for such a reasonable price.
Axel, thanks for pointing this out. Not sure what happened, but I've updated the links to the products so you should be able to click on them now. Yes, you can use your GoPro for FPV or am I misunderstanding your question? This video demonstrates how to use the GP Hero 2 for FPV and video recording.
The label on the receiver says 12V DC, but according to the instruction manual you can supply anywhere from 6.5-12V DC to it. So if you want power the receiver with a 2S lipo that should work. I'm not certain if that will give you less range than a 3S, but it's something to consider. I will do some testing in the future and will post a video that talks about supply voltage as it relates to signal strength.
I'm sure that's possible if you want to undo your connectors and run the leads from the servo connector into the connector for the TX. It was just easier for me to use a header pin and solder. You may be able to shed a gram or two by doing what you suggest.
After soldering some balance terminals, I got the Tx running off the balance on the phantom LiPO and the Screen & Rx running off a single 3S Lipo on the ground (Rx on balance) - - its working great!
Hi, I posted a link to the RC Groups thread in the video description above. Prepare to be confused, but if you mirror my switch settings you will be on channel 3 for both TX and RX. Hope this helps!
Yes, an iOSD for flight data, datalink and Wookong M 5 waypoint. Two tx/rx, one for the GoPro and the other for the ZenMuse. Your video was very handy, got my to go purchase the battery powered LCD monitor.
This video explains using the GoPro for both video recording and FPV camera. I've recently upgraded to use the GoPro on for recording and a separate camera for the FPV feed.
Im not sure why people are saying you were rambling. It was pretty minimal really, you just touched base on issues that other people might have.. Saves me a hell of allot of stuffing around. Cheers!
Hey, thanks for the kind words. I'm by no means an expert but try to cover the areas that I think will slow people down....or at least the areas that slowed me down. I probably do tend to ramble but have been working on getting straight to the point. I appreciate you watching and your feedback. All the best.
I'm anxious to watch your review. I thought about adding a 600tvl, but held back because of extra weight. If you have perfect success, i'll definitely add it to my quad.
You're right. The inconsistency really threw me off. If you look at 5:20 you can see the switch positions for channel 3. This means are switches 1 & 2 are on with both the TX and RX. Hopefully that will get you transmitting.
Let me ask a few questions to get a better understanding of your setup: 1. What resolution are you recording? it may be worth testing your setup with some different resolutions. 2. Where did you get your video plug? Actually I just did some searching. Unfortunately I can't post the link but go to Google and search for "Video Recording Freeze after Hero 2 firmware update " Click the first link and scroll down to the post that is starred about half way down. He talks about formatting.
I don't have the cable in front of me, but an rcgroups thread states the following: Connector tip: White wire Second from tip: Red wire Third from tip: Yellow wire Fourth from tip: Green wire and: Green = Ground Red = Audio Out Yellow = Video Out White = Audio Out Keep in mind that the cable I'm using only has video so you're looking at the third segment from the tip (video) and the fourth segment from the tip (ground). I hope this helps. If I get a chance this week I'll do a test to confirm
Yes, but it depends on your input voltage. So make sure your battery voltage rating does not exceed the input voltage of your transmitter. For example, if the input voltage for your transmitter is 12V then a 3S lipo (11.1V) should do the trick. Just keep in mind this will give your quad less flight time since the motors and transmitter are consuming power. There are many things to consider when evaluating a single or dual battery setup. Google "fpv separate battery" and first link has details.
12 лет назад
Hi Dennis, thank you very much for this great tutorial and links! Really helped me a lot! Today I did my first flight with GoPro on board. As I am amateur and you look like really kind person, please, may I have two small additional questions? 1) So, if I get it right - you use one GoPro for FPV and simultaneously record on the card inside GoPro? 2) Please, do you have a clue how to charge a receiver from a portable battery? Thank you very much again! Petr
Juan, I recommend getting some circularly polarized antennas to increase your range. The default whip antennas don't do very well, especially if you're flying a Bixler where you want to get pretty far out. I'm going to do a range test video soon so please stay tuned. Thanks for the comment.
I normally recommend using the GPS that comes recommended with your flight controller. In the case of APM it's a ublox or mediatek. I believe in the case of Naza it's a ublox.
I love gothelirc. It's so gratifying to order something, pay minimal shipping, and have it in two days! That's my biggest beef with a lot of these parts. I hate waiting two to three weeks for stuff to arrive from overseas.
I've seen guys with good results and DIY CP antennas, but I don't have the time or patience to do it. So I'd probably buy the Immersion RC antenna set. Glad to hear you figured out what the problem may be. What was it?
That's really good to know. Wish you were around to clue me in 6 months ago! I need to test this because if you look at the manuals on the TX and RX they don't match up.
Mine receiver voltage ranges from 6-12VDC. So I use a 3S Lipo to power it. Make sure you check the operating voltage of whatever receiver you purchase because these RC305 have varying input voltages...some only operate on 6VDC. Just don't want you to blow out a brand new receiver :)
That sounds like a fun project. I'm not certain if it will interfere with the Phantom TX/RX. I'm assuming that the Phantom runs on 2.4GHz so you should be okay. But I would do some research before you do. Good luck and let me know how it goes if you decide to upgrade.
The cable I purchased does not have audio, but you can get an AV cable from readymaderc for about the same price. The only problem is that you're going to hear a lot of noise from your motors if you're doing FPV.
Good question. It's been a while since I flew without the FPV gear, but all up with the FPV gear is about 2.7lbs. So without it I'm assuming about 1.5 to 1.7lbs. I hope this helps.
Frame is S800. ZenMuse is very stable but limited to Sony NEX camera's due to weight but that's not a weakness since those cameras are excellent. The GoPro for navigation and Zenmuse for the NEX-7 and controlled by a separate operator.
It depends on the input voltage of your GPS. What flight controller are you using? Regarding police frequencies this will vary from location to location. I would check if there's a local database where you can find out what frequencies are being used by police, fire dept, etc. For example, in Austin, TX the police use 400MHz so 5.8GHz should be fine. But consult an expert if you have any questions about interference.
I've read in several forums about 500m but I have yet to verify that. I'll be doing some testing over the next couple of weeks and will let you know what I find out.
Yeah, that looks identical to the Hobby King setup I have. It should do much better than what you saw. Not sure what is going on. One suggestion is to put it on your multirotor and fly line of sight with a friend watching the signal to see when it drops. I would hope it does better than your test on the ground, but it's hard to say. One question I have is the orientation of your antennae when you did the test. Did you have them both facing up?
The channel setting explanation helped a lot! Thanks for that man!!!
Glad to hear you were able to get all that equipment for relatively cheap. Hope the build goes well and let me know if you run into any problems. Good luck.
Not a problem. Thanks for taking the time to watch and hope it helped.
Thanks and you're absolutely right. The minimum operating voltage for this transmitter is 7V so a 2S lipo will work, but the recommended operating voltage is 12V so a 3S is the way to go. I only had a small 2S at the time of this video, but since have been using a 3S instead. I haven't measured the difference in range between 2S and 3S, but would be interesting to do.
I like the receiver kit suggestion. I've been wanting to design and print one. I should've mentioned that the bottom of the LCD screen has a thread that I put onto my tripod. Now I just need a nice shield for sunny days. Thanks for the suggestion.
didn't your mamma teach you not to say anything if you can't say something nice. The fellow took the time to create this video. I appreciate that.
Thanks for the feedback. While your cable will be different for the H3 you can still use this same TX/RX setup to broadcast video to your monitor or goggles.
Great question. I had researched this several weeks ago and never came to a definitive answer, but this is the closest I've found from IBCrazy in the FPV lab forums:
Without HAM:
Maximum power level: 10mW (2.4GHz), 25mW (5.8GHz)
Available frequencies: 2410-2450MHz, 5625-5925MHz
So you're looking at a 25mW TX without a license. I'm actually taking the HAM exam later this month and am trying to learn as much as possible about this topic. I'll let you know as I learn more.
No problem and glad to hear it. I know what you mean by the manual and the stickers. They didn't seem to match up so thankfully I found out from rcgroups how to do the proper channel configuration. Greetings from Texas :)
Thanks for the question. I haven't run into any noticeable delay. I'd have to say if there is any we're talking about milliseconds of delay. I don't know if that will vary as you get further out, but everything is very responsive from my testing.
Thanks for the feedback. I really enjoy the setup but the HobbyKing camera mount isn't the greatest. I guess you can't expect too much for something so cheap. It's a great starting place and I've been looking around at some higher end camera mounts. The X468 looks pretty good so I may give that a try. Will let you know what happens.
Yes, you can transmit sound as long as you have a the audio channel from the GoPro hooked up. I only have video mainly because in FPV all you'll hear are the motors spinning. But if you're using this for a different application then you could transmit audio as well.
Yes! It's a 3ft mini-ramp that I skate whenever I need a break :) I live in Austin, TX and do a fair amount of skateboarding at the local parks. I watched a few of your vids and you're an amazing skateboarder! My favorite is your tre flip to crook. Unbelievable!
Jack, thanks for the feedback. I used channel 3 mainly because it's what was recommended in one of the rcgroups forums. You should be able to use any channel as long as you have your TX and RX set the same. In the field I use a 800mA 2S lipo for the transmitter. I feel like I could go smaller because I did a previous test where I got almost two hours of transmit time with it. Hope that helps.
Yes, you can record and transmit at the same time with the GoPro Hero 2. My GP2 used to be my FPV cam, but now I use it just for recording and have a separate FPV cam. I believe the GP3 can do the same, but am not 100% sure.
Now finally an answer that makes some sense. That's really good to know, but I can't get over how the manuals don't even match up with the sticker on the receiver. Thanks for the info and I'm going to try putting the TX/RX on a different channel based on the binary config. Appreciate it!
The Volcom contest was insane. It was at House Park in Austin. Glad to know we share the same hobbies and if you make it to Austin, TX then let's go fly and skate!
Got it. That makes sense. Good luck with your search and I'd love to hear what you end up doing.
Steve, good question and unfortunately I don't have an answer. I'd have to say that the wireless link would definitely support a higher res, but have no clue how to quantify this at the moment. Perhaps in the future I can see what the bandwidth constraints are and will let you know. Yes, the picture is masked with the GoPro output but with my 600TVL FPV cam it fills the whole screen nicely.
Yes, it's definitely possible. Just make sure you check the specs on the camera before you buy. I purchased a good cam from securitycam2000 and use that for dedicated FPV while my GoPro is for recording. You can see the vid titled "TBS Discovery with DJI Naza & GoPro FPV - Upgrade to Dedicated 600TVL Sony FPV Camera". Thanks for taking the time to watch.
Glad to hear it! I'm actually using this setup with my TBS Discovery frame so my video tx is mounted on top of the quad. I have it ziptied with a bit of foam underneath it. I wouldn't say it matters too much where you put it, but just make sure it's well mounted and you try to minimize vibration. If you have GPS I've heard that the transmitter can interfere with the GPS if it's too close, but haven't experienced that personally. Good luck with your setup!
Great to hear you're up in the air with FPV. Yeah it is a very strange feeling. The monitor is tough because you want to keep looking up to see where your craft is. That's why I feel like the goggles will be something I purchase soon.
You and me both! I will get around to that soon. I'm still doing up-close FPV just until I get comfortable with longer range flight. I was going to do a stationary field test with the TX on the ground and then have the RX in my buddy's truck. We'd drive until we lose signal and measure the distance. Just not the same us doing an in the air test. Thanks for the feedback!
Great video, going to make a favorite so that when it comes time for me to set up my GoPro for FPV I can refer back to it. Thanks for taking the time to make and post the video.
Glad to hear it. I'll be interested in how your Hero 3 setup works. I've only used the Hero 2, which works great. Good luck with your setup.
I'll see if I can dig up the rcgroups thread, but in the meantime you should be able to set this up if you wired everything up like in the video. As long as you have the proper GoPro cable you just need to turn on your GoPro and it will begin to output live video. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other problems.
You want to use white for audio out on your Ready Made RC cable. That should connect to the audio in cable on your video transmitter. I'm not sure about the Foxtech kit, but the Hobby King FPV kit uses the TS351 transmitter. If you Google it one of the first links is the manual that shows the pint out. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.
I just tested the set-up. It works great! I just had to add lipos and do some wiring! There is a good feed. I'm not sure if your Monitor does, but mine will display the GoPro Hero 3 information, such as the battery life, the camera mode, Rec time and stuff.
If I understand your question I soldered a header pin to my transmitter lead (video and ground) that I could plug into the Ready Made RC GoPro cable. Headers pins normally come in multi-pin configurations and you just break off the # of pins you need. If I'm misunderstanding your question please feel free to follow up and elaborate a bit more. Thanks.
Josh, if I understand your question that cable comes as part of the HobbyKing FPV TX/RX kit. If you click on the link in the description above you should see the cable on HobbyKing's product page. Hope this helps.
Hey Dennis,
thanks for the vid. I was totally confused because of the manual and the stickers.
Now all components work well.
Greetings from Austria
Thanks, and my apologies. Several people have posted about this and to be honest I had no clue I was chewing gum. I won't be doing that anymore. I just watched and realized how annoying that was!
Does this camera transmitter and reciver work in a jammer restricted area ?
I know what you mean. It definitely happens with mine too. I use vibration dampening material under my transmitter, which helps a little bit. I'm trying to find the specific source of the problem. I do have a dedicated FPV camera coming and will post my results vs using the GoPro for FPV.
I wouldn't say it's a necessity if you're doing FPV, but it would definitely help you out if you get into trouble. The return to home feature and IOC (intelligent orientation control) will be extremely useful if you get disoriented. These are only available with GPS. Now if I read your comment correctly and you are just getting started then I recommend flying FPV within line of sight so you can always look up and bring it back home. Until you get better. This doesn't require GPS. Hope that helps
I've heard of some people blowing their "video out" on the GoPro by wiring the cable wrong. This will be very useful to help avoid frying any electronics unnecessarily.
Thanks for the instructional video....good job :)
Dang that looks like an incredible deal. I'd like to adapt the mount to fit on my tripod. That would be perfect. I may have to get one and appreciate the tip. Hope to see you on Garage Pilots and thanks for following along with my videos. All the best.
Great to hear and thanks for the feedback. As for your questions...
1. Yes, that's correct. I use GoPro for both video TX and recording to SD. I'm working on a video that demonstrates installing a dedicated FPV cam, because it's hard to fly FPV with the GoPro lens...at least for me it is!
2. I'm not sure what you're asking. What do you mean by charging a receiver? Are you asking how to charge the receiver's battery? I'm assuming you're using a standard 2S or 3S lipo for your receiver?
Hi John, thanks for the comment. i'm not exactly sure what you're asking. Do you need help with soldering something?
You're absolutely right and I realized this after I posted the video. Also, the video display is SD so no way to get HD out. Thanks for the info!
The red plug is known as the JST connector and the white one is the balance plug. Your battery will come with these connector attached. And on the other end you plug those into your charger. I hope that's what you're asking about. If not, let me know.
That's a good question that I unfortunately don't have the answer to. If there is a wall that sits between your TX and RX your signal will be degraded and could result in complete loss of signal although it's difficult to quantify. I always recommend having failsafe configured in case this happens and your quad can either hover and land or return to launch.
No, but I do plan on doing one soon. I can tell you that you should not expect to get more than 1/4 mile of range with the standard antennas. I'm going to upgrade mine and will do a before and after test.
Good Q. I would have to say I believe this is possible but you obviously need to use two lipos since the TX will be in the air and the RX will be on the ground. Unless I'm misunderstanding your question.
Thanks for this tutorial. It really helps me out in understanding the rx/tx on a different FPV, the iOSD.
Yeah, that's because this was a build video and I hadn't taken this into the field yet. If you look at the HobbyKing literature it states about 500m range with the stock antennas. I've found that to be pretty close to what I'm seeing.
Thanks dude, will definitely pick your brain not if but when I do run into problems, haha! I'll get on garage pilots asap man thanks for the invite, means a lot coming from you! All the best dude : )
Yes, if your television supports composite video then you should be able to connect your FPV receiver to it.
Thanks for the feedback. I had no clue it was possible to do that, but glad I didn't do a demonstration of how to do it :)
You're welcome and thanks for the positive feedback. Regarding your statement about 720p you are right...it's only 420p. Did I state somewhere in the video that it's 720? If so, I need to get that corrected. I agree it's important to learn about antennae and it's something I'm currently doing at the moment. Thanks again.
No, it's not HD and it's probably like standard def since it uses composite video. Just curious, did I say it was HD out somewhere in the video? If so, I'd like to get that correct. Thanks, James.
With the standard whip antennas you're looking at 0.25 miles. You can increase this to 2 or 3X with higher gain antennas, but I haven't tested yet.
Good question. I just realized that the link in the description takes you to a newer version of the monitor. It used to take you to a LCD monitor that doesn't have a TV tuner built in. I need to see if I can find the screen that I'm using without the TV tuner. But to answer your question, the antenna is for a TV signal and is not a FPV RX. Sorry for the confusion.
You got it, Steve. We'll get a setup going for you soon.
Good video, thank you for taking the time. You will notice a significant improvement with range (more than double easily) by changing your stick antennas to circularly polarized (CP) antennas. Immersion RC and other companies have them for around 40.00 for both (tx and rx). Just make sure you get the right type SMA connector SMA vs RP SMA in order to connect your system. I got 3.5 Km with a 5.8 GHz 500 mW tx (DJI AVL 58).
On the HobbyKing site it's advertised with a 500m range and up to 1km with a directional antenna. For me, I've haven't gone beyond 250m and didn't lose signal. I feel like I could get close to 500m, but will verify in the future. There are obviously better FPV options, but this isn't too bad for such a reasonable price.
Axel, thanks for pointing this out. Not sure what happened, but I've updated the links to the products so you should be able to click on them now. Yes, you can use your GoPro for FPV or am I misunderstanding your question? This video demonstrates how to use the GP Hero 2 for FPV and video recording.
The label on the receiver says 12V DC, but according to the instruction manual you can supply anywhere from 6.5-12V DC to it. So if you want power the receiver with a 2S lipo that should work. I'm not certain if that will give you less range than a 3S, but it's something to consider. I will do some testing in the future and will post a video that talks about supply voltage as it relates to signal strength.
I'm sure that's possible if you want to undo your connectors and run the leads from the servo connector into the connector for the TX. It was just easier for me to use a header pin and solder. You may be able to shed a gram or two by doing what you suggest.
Nice to hear. Glad to hear you got it figured out.
After soldering some balance terminals, I got the Tx running off the balance on the phantom LiPO and the Screen & Rx running off a single 3S Lipo on the ground (Rx on balance) - - its working great!
That's awesome. Very well done and glad to hear it!
No problem at all. Thanks for the kind words.
Hi, I posted a link to the RC Groups thread in the video description above. Prepare to be confused, but if you mirror my switch settings you will be on channel 3 for both TX and RX. Hope this helps!
Yes, an iOSD for flight data, datalink and Wookong M 5 waypoint. Two tx/rx, one for the GoPro and the other for the ZenMuse. Your video was very handy, got my to go purchase the battery powered LCD monitor.
This video explains using the GoPro for both video recording and FPV camera. I've recently upgraded to use the GoPro on for recording and a separate camera for the FPV feed.
I hear you. Was just trying to get an understanding of the logic behind the switches since the manual and the sticker on the receiver didn't match up.
Im not sure why people are saying you were rambling. It was pretty minimal really, you just touched base on issues that other people might have.. Saves me a hell of allot of stuffing around. Cheers!
Hey, thanks for the kind words. I'm by no means an expert but try to cover the areas that I think will slow people down....or at least the areas that slowed me down. I probably do tend to ramble but have been working on getting straight to the point. I appreciate you watching and your feedback. All the best.
Good question. I'm doing some tests and will follow up with a video soon.
I'm anxious to watch your review. I thought about adding a 600tvl, but held back because of extra weight. If you have perfect success, i'll definitely add it to my quad.
You're right. The inconsistency really threw me off. If you look at 5:20 you can see the switch positions for channel 3. This means are switches 1 & 2 are on with both the TX and RX. Hopefully that will get you transmitting.
I haven't looked into the technical details of your question, but I can tell you that I was unable to get it to work without grounding the connection.
Possibly. That's when you flip the return to home switch. I also have a second camera now that does the FPV portion while the GoPro records.
Let me ask a few questions to get a better understanding of your setup: 1. What resolution are you recording? it may be worth testing your setup with some different resolutions. 2. Where did you get your video plug?
Actually I just did some searching. Unfortunately I can't post the link but go to Google and search for
"Video Recording Freeze after Hero 2 firmware update "
Click the first link and scroll down to the post that is starred about half way down. He talks about formatting.
I don't have the cable in front of me, but an rcgroups thread states the following:
Connector tip: White wire
Second from tip: Red wire
Third from tip: Yellow wire
Fourth from tip: Green wire
and:
Green = Ground
Red = Audio Out
Yellow = Video Out
White = Audio Out
Keep in mind that the cable I'm using only has video so you're looking at the third segment from the tip (video) and the fourth segment from the tip (ground). I hope this helps. If I get a chance this week I'll do a test to confirm
Yes, but it depends on your input voltage. So make sure your battery voltage rating does not exceed the input voltage of your transmitter. For example, if the input voltage for your transmitter is 12V then a 3S lipo (11.1V) should do the trick. Just keep in mind this will give your quad less flight time since the motors and transmitter are consuming power. There are many things to consider when evaluating a single or dual battery setup. Google "fpv separate battery" and first link has details.
Hi Dennis,
thank you very much for this great tutorial and links! Really helped me a lot! Today I did my first flight with GoPro on board. As I am amateur and you look like really kind person, please, may I have two small additional questions?
1) So, if I get it right - you use one GoPro for FPV and simultaneously record on the card inside GoPro?
2) Please, do you have a clue how to charge a receiver from a portable battery?
Thank you very much again!
Petr
Juan, I recommend getting some circularly polarized antennas to increase your range. The default whip antennas don't do very well, especially if you're flying a Bixler where you want to get pretty far out. I'm going to do a range test video soon so please stay tuned. Thanks for the comment.
I normally recommend using the GPS that comes recommended with your flight controller. In the case of APM it's a ublox or mediatek. I believe in the case of Naza it's a ublox.
Dennis,
Thanks you for this great video. I would love to see the range that you get with this setup. Please do it soon.
I love gothelirc. It's so gratifying to order something, pay minimal shipping, and have it in two days! That's my biggest beef with a lot of these parts. I hate waiting two to three weeks for stuff to arrive from overseas.
A 3S lipo for your 12V receiver would be perfect. That's what I use. Best of luck with your setup.
I've seen guys with good results and DIY CP antennas, but I don't have the time or patience to do it. So I'd probably buy the Immersion RC antenna set. Glad to hear you figured out what the problem may be. What was it?
That's really good to know. Wish you were around to clue me in 6 months ago! I need to test this because if you look at the manuals on the TX and RX they don't match up.
Mine receiver voltage ranges from 6-12VDC. So I use a 3S Lipo to power it. Make sure you check the operating voltage of whatever receiver you purchase because these RC305 have varying input voltages...some only operate on 6VDC. Just don't want you to blow out a brand new receiver :)
That sounds like a fun project. I'm not certain if it will interfere with the Phantom TX/RX. I'm assuming that the Phantom runs on 2.4GHz so you should be okay. But I would do some research before you do. Good luck and let me know how it goes if you decide to upgrade.
I appreciate the offer and at some point will definitely take you up on it. Thanks!
The cable I purchased does not have audio, but you can get an AV cable from readymaderc for about the same price. The only problem is that you're going to hear a lot of noise from your motors if you're doing FPV.
It's actually a DC power supply. Takes 110V from the wall and converts to 12V DC. So when I'm in the field I power the RC 305 with a 3S lipo.
Good question. It's been a while since I flew without the FPV gear, but all up with the FPV gear is about 2.7lbs. So without it I'm assuming about 1.5 to 1.7lbs. I hope this helps.
No problem. Thank you for watching.
I have two RC305s and both operate in the range of 6-12V DC. I hope that helps.
No problem at all and thanks for the feedback.
thanks! I was having the switch setting issues.. tried exactly what you have set up here and it works great!
So glad to hear it. Thanks for the feedback.
Frame is S800. ZenMuse is very stable but limited to Sony NEX camera's due to weight but that's not a weakness since those cameras are excellent. The GoPro for navigation and Zenmuse for the NEX-7 and controlled by a separate operator.
Yes you are correct. I recieved my fpv kit today from HK and i did indeed have it
You're welcome and thanks for watching.
Yes that definitely sounds like it should work. Thanks for clarifying. Makes sense now.
It depends on the input voltage of your GPS. What flight controller are you using? Regarding police frequencies this will vary from location to location. I would check if there's a local database where you can find out what frequencies are being used by police, fire dept, etc. For example, in Austin, TX the police use 400MHz so 5.8GHz should be fine. But consult an expert if you have any questions about interference.
Thanks for making this video! I will use it to make a FPV setup!
I've read in several forums about 500m but I have yet to verify that. I'll be doing some testing over the next couple of weeks and will let you know what I find out.
Yeah, that looks identical to the Hobby King setup I have. It should do much better than what you saw. Not sure what is going on. One suggestion is to put it on your multirotor and fly line of sight with a friend watching the signal to see when it drops. I would hope it does better than your test on the ground, but it's hard to say. One question I have is the orientation of your antennae when you did the test. Did you have them both facing up?