24
votes
Accepted
Why is it bad to power up a drone without an antenna on the VTX?
Short answer: Yes, this is very much true. The VTX sends out radio-frequency (RF) energy through the antenna connector and pigtail, and if nothing (or the wrong thing) is connected at the other end, ...
- 2,987
12
votes
Accepted
When flying FPV in a group, what are the best video transmission channels/frequencies to use to avoid interference?
To answer this question, there are two things you need to know. First you need to be able to map the various channels and bands to their frequencies. Second, you need to understand Intermodulation ...
- 1,130
12
votes
Accepted
Can circularly and linearly polarized antennae be used together for FPV?
The compatibility of mixed polarity antennae depends greatly. For a little background in RF polarity, this diagram shows the difference between the four main types of antenna polarization available: (...
- 5,958
11
votes
Accepted
How do DJI drones achieve such long flight times compared to traditional FPV drones?
There's no magic technology, it's just a difference in design goals. FPV drones are designed for speed, performance and robustness, DJI drones are designed for duration and carrying a gimbled camera.
...
- 7,068
10
votes
Accepted
Isn’t flying FPV drones illegal accoding to FAA rules?
FPV is not actually illegal because that document also states:
Part 107 does not apply to model aircraft that satisfy all of
the criteria specified in section 336 of Public Law 112-95.
and the ...
- 5,752
10
votes
What should I look for when choosing an FPV camera?
When choosing an FPV camera, there are several things that you need to look out for:
Sensor Technology
Most modern FPV cameras use a CMOS sensor. These are digital sensors that generally tend to have ...
- 4,422
10
votes
Accepted
What are good specifications for a intermediate medium priced quadcopter?
Okay, as someone who has just recently passed through this stage, here's my take on it. Almost all of the considerations below stem from the maxim that the best drone for you is one that you will fly ...
- 2,987
10
votes
Accepted
USB Webcam Parts for FPV?
These four wires are most likely a USB connection, red and black are power, and the other two are USB data. That means you can't use it neither with today's analog gear, like the VTX that you linked ...
- 2,987
9
votes
Why is it bad to power up a drone without an antenna on the VTX?
Your VTX is a high-power RF transmitter. When operating with an antenna, the RF power of the transmitter is radiated out through the antenna. When the antenna is missing, the RF power is reflected ...
- 411
9
votes
What should I look for when buying FPV goggles?
There are several factors that are important for what FPV goggles are right for you:
Type
The first thing you’ll notice is that there are two main types of FPV goggles: slimline and box.
Slimline ...
- 4,422
8
votes
When flying FPV with a 5.8ghz video transmitter, is an Amateur Radio License (Ham license) required?
No, you do not require an Amateur licence to use this equipment.
Most RC equipment that operates at 5.8GHz (or 2.4GHz) makes use of what is known as an ISM band, a series of frequencies made ...
- 6,026
8
votes
Reasonably priced FPV Drone for beginner
let me clarify a few things that may help you decide on direction, if any, to take. Your question is not really something anyone can objectively answer because you need to consider what your level of ...
- 1,058
7
votes
Isn’t flying FPV drones illegal accoding to FAA rules?
The rules for operating a UAV in the United States have been in a nearly constant state of flux for the past few years with perhaps the biggest changes coming from the FAA Reauthorization Act in late ...
- 1,130
7
votes
Accepted
Calculating the range of an FPV drone
I'm going to give you the answer first:
Yes, it is worth calculating the approximate range if you're building a (very) long-range aircraft. However, theoretical calculations will usually be such a ...
- 2,987
6
votes
Accepted
What blocks an FPV video signal?
Just about anything will block/interfere with radio signaling if there's enough of it in the path between the transmitter and receiver or in the immediate vicinity of them. (sometimes referrred to as ...
- 5,958
5
votes
How to focus a newly-replaced lens on an FPV camera?
I like to set the drone in a window or take it outside. Then adjust the focus while looking through the goggles until I get it where it looks good to me.
You may also wish to print out a focus test ...
- 1,130
5
votes
Accepted
How do I pick my gear when getting started with FPV multirotors?
There are quite a few aspects of FPV, so a I’ll give a summary here. I’ll try to be concise so if any extra info is required or wanted, please let me know.
The first thing to look at when you’re ...
- 4,422
5
votes
USB Webcam Parts for FPV?
This looks like a typical USB pin connection: +5V, Data- (white), Data+ (green) and Ground. This camera uses a digital signal. Sorry, but it can not be used with a analog video transmitter.
- 81
5
votes
Accepted
What is a "mushroom antenna"?
A "mushroom" is just a clover-leaf antenna. Generally they have a plastic cover that makes them look like a mushroom, hence the name.
- 619
5
votes
When flying FPV with a 5.8ghz video transmitter, is an Amateur Radio License (Ham license) required?
Are the rules different around the world? Is a technicians class amateur radio license sufficient? What about the requirement to transmit your call sign every 10 minutes? Is that necessary in this use ...
- 151
5
votes
Accepted
First radio transmitter. Taranis X-Lite, X9 Lite or Jumper T8GS?
At this point I would recommend the radiomaster TX16S. It goes for about the same price as the other radios you list but has everything you need to get you going for a very long time.
FrSky (Taranis) ...
- 486
5
votes
How do DJI drones achieve such long flight times compared to traditional FPV drones?
This is a good question. In short, While DJI drones certainly have a lot of engineering and design put into them, the way they achieve long flight times is no secret. The DJI drones' long flight times ...
- 5,752
5
votes
Accepted
What is the standard setting for the Ele stick in FPV mode
Short answer
The standard is that pulling the elevator stick backwards lifts the front of the quad, the same as an airplane (pull up). This is the same regardless of LOS/FPV/otherwise.
Longer answer
...
- 1,039
5
votes
Accepted
Why do people say flying FPV is harder than LOS?
Because flying FPV you have a limited view of the UAS position relative to yours and because your field of view is limited by the characteristics of the sensor (mainly the camera) that you have on ...
- 471
4
votes
How do I pick my gear when getting started with FPV multirotors?
Here is my advice for getting started in FPV.
Step 1: Get a Radio, Fly a Simulator
The first step is to buy a quality radio. Pilots who are used to video game controllers might like a FrSky X-Lite ...
- 1,130
4
votes
Calculating the range of an FPV drone
I just want to add to FlashCactus's excellent answer...
Depending exactly what you want, you can get some fairly good estimates on range on various range calculators online. You can get them pretty ...
- 1,033
4
votes
How to fix OSD flickering?
I fixed it by adding a common ground between the 5v regulator and the flight controller. I can't explain the science behind this, but I took the answer from this video from Painless360
The flickering ...
- 343
4
votes
Accepted
How to fix OSD flickering?
I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I just had the same problem as you and your solution didn't work unfortunately. What I instead had to do was connect a +5V wire from the regulator to the FC, ...
- 2,654
4
votes
What is a "mushroom antenna"?
Some brand-name antennae actually have the word "mushroom" in their model name. In common parlance, though, unless the model name is spelled out fully (such as "VAS Mad Mushroom"), it can refer to any ...
- 2,987
4
votes
Accepted
Quality of transmitted image and electrical problems
There’s a lot to unpack here, so I’m going to give a general kind of advice that should be helpful for anyone trying to get cleaner video:
Electrical Power
There are two main aspect to the image ...
- 4,422
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