Setups FPV Setup in near future

Derek

Derek

Well-Known Member
Recently, I bought a Futaba 6 channel 72mHz Tx from a guy I know. I know him very well and I trust him very much. He told me that he has flown his FPV ships with this Tx out to a bit over 1 mile. I've seen some of his flight videos and they are awesome. However, I have some questions and unfortunately he is out of town for a few months for family issues so I can't ask my questions to him. That being the case...here I am to ask RCH, lol.

I know very VERY little about FPV setups at the current moment. My friend sent me an email a while back saying that I should get a 1.2ghz setup. He said something about a 200-600mw power output.

What is the difference between 200 and 600mw power output?

Let me do this...I'll tell you all what I'm hoping to do and maybe you all can give me suggestions and reasons as to what to be looking for.

I have 3 FPV ships that I'm really wanting to fly and if I can get out to 1 mile and back, that would be just fine for me. I also have some property that I have permission to fly on (anytime I want) and there are some trees on the property. I've seen alot of "tree-dodging" videos and I wanna do that, too. What kind of 1.2gHz setup should I be looking for to accomplish this?

I appreciate the help!!!
 
Tony

Tony

Staff member
Difference in 200mw and 600mw is the power of the system. The higher the power, the longer the range. Well, theoretically anyway.
 
Derek

Derek

Well-Known Member
Ok...so the 200 and 600mw is the power of the system....the 600mw would have longer range. And the 1.2gHz would be the radio (wireless) frequency, just as the 2.4gHz is on my DX6i, yes?
 
Tony

Tony

Staff member
That is correct. mw stands for milliwatt. No, not million watt's lmao. a milliwatt is 1/1000 of a watt. So 600mw is 6/10th's of a watt. Or 3/5th's. Or 60% of a watt. However you want to look at it lmao. The higher the wattage, the more power you will be pushing and the longer range you can achieve. However, if you go too high, the FCC can start to track you down and fine you for not having a license. Doesn't happen much, but need to mention it.

And yes, the Ghz is the band in which the Tx is broadcasting on. Or Mhz in the case of a 900Mhz and so on.
 
Lee

Lee

Well-Known Member
Each frequency has its pros and cons. Also you have to take into consideration the legal side. Some frequ are banned in some countries but not in others as is the power out put. In the UK 25mW is the legal limit unless you have a HAM licence. Here in Europe you cannot use 433Mhz for the Radio (Dragon Link). Funny story, my friend had it, and when he turned it on, nobody in the carpark could open there cars with there key fobs :D
Here is a great little video explaining the differences of the systems.
 
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Derek

Derek

Well-Known Member
Thanks, Lee, for sharing that video from FliteTest. I love those guys!

I think I have made my decision on the equipment that I want. Now I just gotta work on getting it all.

Also...is it complicated, at all, to hook up an OSD? I've read that beginners (ME) shouldn't use OSD's because it just complicates things. Personally, I really want the OSD so that I can monitor the signal strength as well as the battery voltage. Actually...how does an OSD get hooked up to an FPV setup?
 
breeze400

breeze400

Spagetti Pilot
I don't know if I would feel comforatbul using one yet and I have a few flights down now. Lol if I were you, I wouldn't worry about it till I was an accomplished quad flyer. You really don't need one till your flying great distances. It's just an add on to your tx. Then it comes thru your monitor or goggles.
 
Tony

Tony

Staff member
The OSD is setup between the camera and Tx. Pretty much, it intercepts the signal coming from the camera, adds the info you see on teh screen, then allows it to go to the Tx to be sent to your goggles or fpv screen.
 
Lee

Lee

Well-Known Member
Its totally unnecessary at the beginners stage. I don't use one. For flying around the local field or park its very much over kill. If you start to fly long distance and need voltage, signal GPS etc, then yes its cool.
 
wolfman76

wolfman76

Well-Known Member
what are you recomendations for a decent beginner setup Lee i pplan getting my setup real soon also as soon as i get my taxes back(soon) i am purchasing the QAV 500 i also have a 7ch futaba conquest tx FM frequencie i can use for it... and would you recomend a video screen or goggles for fpvi am going to make a 3 element antenna i have the video that shows how and the material to do it i will take a photo of it when i am done...
 
breeze400

breeze400

Spagetti Pilot
Just plan on some fat shark goggles. I use the Dominators. So dose Lee. The fat shark immersion tx and the RX for the goggles. Pretty simple set up it will get you going. We already discussed to QAV setup on the phone. Also options for a camera.
 
Lee

Lee

Well-Known Member
Dominator goggles, Internal RX, 600mW TX and a pair of circular polarised Fatshark antennas and you ail be set for a long time to come. No hassles with cables to plug in or trip over. Good for 1.5km at least which may not seem like much, but believe me, thats a long way when getting into FPV.
 
Derek

Derek

Well-Known Member
I've been looking at Ready Made Rc, as well. They really seem to have ALL the equipment needed and it seems that the prices are all pretty reasonable. I'll most likely be ordering from them.
 
breeze400

breeze400

Spagetti Pilot
wolfman76 said:
would you reccomend any of the beginner kits on readymaderc site

- - - Updated - - -

or how about this setup is this what you talking about lee??

Custom Goggles FPV Starter Package: 5.8GHz [5.8GHZGOGGLESPACKAGE-CUSTOM] - $559.99 : Ready Made RC LLC, Your full service FPV and R/C store!
Click to expand...

That's a good kit to buy. One if the other members here bought that setup a couple of months ago. I can't remember who it was. But that's all you'll need for a good FPV set up.
 
Derek

Derek

Well-Known Member
I am very very new to the whole FPV concept, but the way that I understand it (and I may be wrong), the 5.8ghz setup gives an excellent video quality but the distance range isn't very much at all. I think I remember the 5.8ghz will also have issues flying around trees and other obstructions.

Is this right?
 
breeze400

breeze400

Spagetti Pilot
While there are some drawbacks to 5.8, it still is a good system to use. You will find that most people use it. That set up is good for a mile or more. The lower band systems are not legal to use here in the us unless your a ham operator! So yes you can go with a 900meg system but well there are drawbacks to them too. Like the antennas are huge for those systems. You are a beginner at flying FPV at best. Use a system that is a good all around system and you will do great. Check out my videos, Lee's videos, and most of Craig's videos. They are all 5.8. Now Criag has gone to the lower bands but he has a long range plane that he is working with. I don't think you want to spend that kind of cash for that long a range system right now! You guys are squawking about the cost of a QAV now let along the cash it takes to set up a umv to fly 5 6 miles or so. Lol

Join FPVLab.com it's where Tim has his qav500 forum. Once your logged in, go to Sponsors gate, then fpvmanuels, and then you will see the qav500 tread. Read it! It's long but read it! The tread will teach you more than I can ever teach you! There is also treads there by ready made Rc and immersion Rc. This form is all FPV. Nothing but FPV!
 
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