RC heli pilot, transitioning to FPV

[balmy fern]

Hi,

ive flown a small 250 size helicopter for some time now and was curious about FPV flying. so i bought the cetus X and i love it, but its very small.
for now im gonna fly it regardless and get some hours on the sim (thats something i learned from heli fyling xD)
im on a very beginner level, i dont do flips or stuff like that atm 😄 and even sometimes use the postion/altitude hold function the cetus x provides

but very soon i want to invest into a proper drone... my budget is around 800-1200€
and i want to fly freestyle for now... i wont mount a gopro for now (but probably will at some point in the future)

after doing some research, i found the nazgul evoque F5 v2 and the geprc mark 5... i would go with the X version, as i dont mind seeing the rotors... leaning more towards geprc mk 5

what im unsure about:

1. do i go for the 03 air unit systems and get a dji controller and goggles ? a lot of guides suggest going for ELRS ? but the 03 air unit from dji gives the best picture quality + low latency, right ?

2. if i happen to buy an additional drone in the future, it must have a dji system then too, right ? where as with ELRS i have a bigger selection ? do i understand that correctly ? 😄

3. do analog systems provide lower latency, or why would ppl still use it ? whats the advantage ?

4. why do i need a GPS system on my drone ? is it for recovery purposes only, or does it do something while im flying (beside a return to home functionality) ?

5. whats the difference between ELRS 2,4ghz and 868/915 mhz ?

6. what should my expensive drone have as a beginner ? mods, like a gps system with a seperate battery ? in case i crash and the lipo gets disconnected, i can still get coordinations from the gps and recover my drone (im flying open field or woods mostly)

7. can i buy the 6s version and fly it with 4s until i feel more comfy (i want to avoid upgrading in the near future :D)

8. glad about any additional tips u can give

cheers,
banx

[regal fjord]

so ELRS is different to video system, elrs is the signal from your transmitter (radio) to drone and analog and dji (o3 unit) is video transmission.
ELRS is the best compared to others
Im not sure how dji would fit in your budget as goggles take up 400 of it.
Analog has the lowest latency however hdzero is also good as it is lower latency than dji but still digital.
DJI goggles do have a module for analog but trust me, after u go digital you probably wont want to go analog.
if its a 6s drone it wont fly with 4s, so what you can do is limit your throttle
GPS can be used to find drone if crashed if ur flying far (long range) and it can have a return home, so if u loose video you can have the drone fly back
another recommended mod is a beeper to find drone in long grass

so the radio and drone talk with eachother using ELRS, Crossfire, FlySky etc. ELRS Is the best option as it has long range and its cheap

[soft patio]

6s will fly with 4s batteries but ok

Just wont fly good

!elrs

[hollow lotus]

Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Saviour, ExpressLRS?
ExpressLRS is the latest and greatest in control link protocols.
It is Open Source made by people from the community, for the community.
It has the longest range, the lowest latency, is easy to use and on top of that is also the cheapest option available.
It is absolutely a win/win!

[regal fjord]

yeah probably not the best idea tho

!flysky

[hollow lotus]

Drone Community

Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Saviour, ExpressLRS?
ExpressLRS is the latest and greatest in control link protocols.
It is Open Source made by people from the community, for the community.
It has the longest range, the lowest latency, is easy to use and on top of that is also the cheapest option available.
It is absolutely a win/win!

[balmy fern]

if the budget is 200€ more, its whatever... as long as im making smart choices about what to buy, in order to avoid upgrading in the near future

i thought the 03 air unit does also work as a receiver, mb. but this makes things easier. i can then e.g. go for a ELRS combo and use 03 air unit and dji goggles for high quality digital video signal

[regal fjord]

ye that would do, just so you know dji has. more latency than analog

[balmy fern]

limit throttle with 6s is also good advice, didnt think of that 😄

[regal fjord]

so do you want like a list of things to buy?? or??

and what drone did uu want, btw sim helps a lot

[balmy fern]

any digital system will be with more latency right ? but i understand, as long as im not racing through some parkour or the woods, i should be fine with a digital system, right ?

[soft patio]

Yea

[balmy fern]

yeah im downloading velocidrone rn 😄

[heady stag]

HDZero has lower latency than analog

[balmy fern]

what are really good future proof goggles when i want to look into HDZero ?

[regal fjord]

yeah but if ur not racing u rly dont need that lower latency tbh imo

[heady stag]

$600 goggles though, while DJI goggles are $350 or less if your in the US

[balmy fern]

i think ill go for a gepRC mark 5, or a nazgul evoque F5.... either one in X version, as i dont mind seeing the rotors in the picutre

[regal fjord]

the mark 5 has a 4s option btw

[heady stag]

I recommend the Nazgul5 instead of the Nazgul Evoque F5

I wouldn’t get 4S

[regal fjord]

yeah

[soft patio]

I’d get the mk5

[regal fjord]

so i dont see a reason not to go for dji btw

[balmy fern]

yeah, if its cheaper compared to HDZero AND i dont need the lower latency, im leaning towards dji too

[soft patio]

I’d go walksnail or dji

[regal fjord]

if im not wrong dji goggles can get a module for analog too

so u do have variation ig

[heady stag]

I prefer the latency of HDZero but for 95% of people it doesn’t matter, DJI is probably best for you

[soft patio]

Just the v2

[regal fjord]

but i doubt u go analog after digital

[heady stag]

I’ve used walksnail which has a bit more latency than DJI and I can fly just fine with it

[balmy fern]

so there are two dji goggle options ppl talk about ... dji goggle 2 and the FPV v2 (i hope i got the names correct :D)

one is newer, costs a bit more and can only show 100fps right ?

which one to get (might go for a refurbished one)

[regal fjord]

its not fpv v2 its just dji goggles v2

[soft patio]

It’s goggles v2 and goggles 2

[regal fjord]

and theres dji goggles 2

[heady stag]

The DJI Goggles V2 are a lot cheaper and can support analog, only real advantage or the goggles 2 are that it works better with O3 and how small they are, I recommend V2

[balmy fern]

ok, so we got the drone, we got the goggles... radio wise, id like to test the gamecontroller style, even though im used to the classic design from rc helicopters

is the radiomaster zorro a good choice ?

[regal fjord]

it is

especially if.u like gamecontroller style

[balmy fern]

ofc im going for ELRS version... will this work with the geprc mark 5 ? how do i know what receiver the geprc mk5 is using ?

[regal fjord]

you can choose what reciever it is

[balmy fern]

perfect

u guys helped me A LOT !!

[regal fjord]

np

u need batts and charger btw

and spare props

[heady stag]

Hota D6 pro and Ethix S5 for charger and props

If you are in the US I recommend CNHL Green 1300mah 6S, you can only get them from flyhighfpv

[balmy fern]

from germany sadly 😄

would any other 1300mah 6s do ? or are there brands to avoid/prefer ?

what props should i get, or they dont matter much ?

oh i didnt see the props, mb

[regal fjord]

uhm

chech cnhl website see if its in stock in eu

[heady stag]

CNHL Black is the best in my opinion

[hybrid atlas]

Not sure if this has been answered, the o3 does also work as a reciever for the DJI remote. But it's unreliable and not very good for range.

We recommend getting an ELRS and be set

[hybrid atlas]

Any other 6s will do. CNHL is has a good price/quality proportion.

Other recommend brands are Tattu R lines (and I personally really enjoy Dogcom)

Since you are German, droneshop.nl does sell the Dogcom and R line batteries

Also sorry for 2 taggs 😅 forgot to turn it off

[balmy fern]

this is my complete list... the goggles are 2nd hand for ~300 bucks

i did put cnhl black series 6s 1300mah on the list

[soft patio]

looks good

[balmy fern]

im at 1,4k total... if i go with the normal zorro version, i can safe 50 or something ? but other than that, i dont see any potential to lower the costs, given that i dont want to upgrade in the near future 😄

[regal fjord]

uhm

u have 10x for props

do they sell per 1pcs?

cuz that might be 40 props

and check if u need adapter to charge the batts

[soft patio]

They don’t

from what I can tell they are xt60 batteries

[hybrid atlas]

Looks good, you do wanna pick up a prop tool tho, so you can actually swap them 😅

Or if you have a toolset at home those might work.

[balmy fern]

i still have tools from my heli hobby, ill see if they work 😅

spent a few hours in the sim now too... what are your betaflight rate/expo recommendations for freestyle flying ?

and can u recommend any video tutorials on drone flying... from basic to advanced manouvers

coming from helicopters, it feels harder to just hover, which gives me the feeling i dont have it under controll somehow 😄
if i knew how to stop properly and at any time, my confidence would boost... currently doing akward turns to drain speed, but im still moving a few mph afterwards

[dusky moat]

you can learn it all intuitively from just flying in a sim

[regal fjord]

There arent too many tricks tbh

[balmy fern]

aight, ill just keep flying arround 😄

one more thing, as i want to minimize chances to lose my drone, i want to invest into a gps, so i can use "return to home"
which one to buy ?
and how does it work ? i connect the GPS unit to the FC and then i can assign a button on my radio to use its functions ?

also, is there a way to read speed/altitude while flying and displaying it on goggles ?

btw i got these instead of the max version 😄 i think they look decent enough and i saved 100€, without losing any functionality 👍🏽

[regal fjord]

ye with gps u can display altitude

[hybrid atlas]

If its the ELRS then that is totally fine

As for the gps, you can setup return to home, but betaflight is not the best at that kind of thing afaik.

And yes you wire it up to your FC and set it up in betaflight (or any other software you use) most common is betaflight for FPV

[soft patio]

yea its not the best for rth

[meager wave]

yeah, you can read a ton of info from the OSD (On-Screen Display)

and you can customize it to your own liking

some people like it cluttered, some like a simple crosshair in the middle and the battery voltage in the bottom left

[soft patio]

id reco the foxeer m10q (the 3 digit number determins the size so it depends on what quad) and yea just solder it to the flight controller and then you can set a rth button and more

[balmy fern]

thanks guys!!

is this from a dji fpv goggle v2 ? i like the extra information
does this come stock, or do i actually need a GPS to display that ?

[soft patio]

Any goggles can show that as long as the drone has gps

[meager wave]

Yep, goggles v2

[balmy fern]

would i be able to do SIMPLE/BEGINNERTYPE freestyle with a long range drone like the moz7 ? cuz i also like the idea of flying for 20-30 minutes 😄

[soft patio]

Yea you could build a 7 inch

I’d reco staying with a tiny whoop

[balmy fern]

there is almost no difference in price, as the moz7 comes with gps

why would u recommend staying with 5" ? just trying to understand 😉

if i can do a simpe flip or roll with the moz7 and fly 20-30 minutes, same price, id want that one... thats how i see it, but im clueless xD

also this guy talking about the moz7, says i need some modul to make the 03 air unit work with the goggles v2 ?

https://youtu.be/PU7FHwq_Q9k?t=201

[heady stag]

I haven’t watched the video but please don’t take anything captain drone says as fact

[balmy fern]

hahaha ok xD

the long range from the moz7 mainly comes from it being able to use li ion batteries, right ?

[heady stag]

yeah, allthough bi-blades usually are more efficient so I dont get why GepRC has tri-blades on there

[soft patio]

I’d reco the iflight chimera7 instead

But I wouldn’t start with a 5inch or a 7 inch

[heady stag]

yeah it looks like GepRC was tryna copy Iflight

I dont like that

[soft patio]

I’d start with a tiny whoop

[balmy fern]

i have a cetus x which i use to learn flying.. also spending 4-6hours in the sim daily

[soft patio]

Oh alr

Then yea ig you could get a 7 inch

You wont be getting 30 mins flight time and freestyle tho

Bc 30 mins flight time is liion

That’s not enough output power

Closer to 15 mins

[heady stag]

if you want to move up to a 5" I recommend the Nazgul5 (not the evoque), you cant really freestyle a 7" like you can a 5"

[soft patio]

Yea

I’d go Nazgul5 for 5 inch or iflight chimera7 for 7 inch

[balmy fern]

why chimera7 over moz7 or other 7" long rangers ?

[soft patio]

Moz7 looks to be a knockoff chimera7

[heady stag]

I know that the Chimera 7 is good, I do not know about the Moz7

[soft patio]

And the chimera7 is crowned as the bnf 7 inch

And there really aren’t many 7 inch bnf

The tyro 7 inch lmao

Or the Darwin

(The tyro and the Darwin suck)

[heady stag]

actually I did notice a tiny bit of jello on the moz7 in the video

I might just be imagining it but if it is then that means either the frame or the tune is causing a bit of vibration

damn that things flight time kinda sucks

3 minutes on an 1800mah lipo

yeah get the chimera

[balmy fern]

its funny how i started this thread thinking im gonna spend 800-1200 😄 now im about to buy the chimera which is 900+ with the 03 air unit... god damn 😄 but looking at videos flying arround for 20 minutes... i think thats for me xD

[regal fjord]

Well ur choice of going digital

[soft patio]

my starting was the exact opposite

i started with 1000

and my budget had to drop to 350

and then i added slowly

by building a 3 inch

[balmy fern]

there is somebody selling the chimera 7 pro (ELRS) with dji goggles 2 and a commando 8 ELRS radio, lipos etc for 1k here.... im rly thinking about getting it, but those are the goggles 2 and not the goggles v

are the goggles 2 worse than the v2 goggles ?

[soft patio]

techniclly no

they have higher specs

but they cant do analog

[balmy fern]

mh, that would be fine for now ... damn this might be a good deal

what should i look out for when buying used drones ?

😄

[soft patio]

make sure they fly

[balmy fern]

im a total noob xD

[soft patio]

always get rid of any batteries

used batteries = bad

send pictures that they have liste

and the comando is a meh radio

not bad

people like the zorro better

[balmy fern]

alrdy ordered the zorro, so prolly wouldnt use the radio

but even then i save so much money

chimera7 brand new with 03 is 900 alone here

so 1k for that set is insane

[soft patio]

wait so they are selling a chimera7 o3 and goggles + comando for 1k?

if so thats a steal

just make sure it all works

[balmy fern]

yeh, there is a hota d6 pro included aswell + 2 lipos and a metal lipo box

[regal fjord]

Dayum

[soft patio]

ok damn

thats a fire deal

maybe you can even keep those batteries

as long as tehy arent puffy

id swoop that up asap

[balmy fern]

👍🏽