Anyone into FPV drones?

[ross_jsy]

Hey guys

I picked up a DJI Mini 2 a few weeks ago and have been having a lot of fun with it, especially for what I paid. But I am already at the limits of what it can do and I keep watching FPV drones on YouTube...you can see where this is going...

Anyone one here into FPV? I don't know where to start to be completely honest. It is all a bit overwhelming with the different vTx options, goggles etc. Anyone have some pointers for me?

This was a little rip I took it on earlier, feels like spring has landed

 

[LipoShirly]

Great vid, thought you were about to fly into the beach a few times..... I noticed the dude near the end walking a little faster as you approached. I started down that FPV path, found that more than anything I just didn't have the time or patience to build my skills to fly a true FPV drone. I continue to fly the SE as a camera drone.

 

[chilly81]

I’ve been doing quads for longer than cars, although just like cars, I’m not the greatest FPV pilot.

They are a lot more complicated, and there’s a lot more soldering and googling and software settings, and tuning and tweaking. I can completely strip and rebuild a typical car without googling or manual. That’s not going to happen with the quad… wiring diagrams, software settings, pin outs, firmware, flashing, PID loop optimizations. But there’s tons of resources out there as you’d imagine… It’s just a bit of a learning curve.

They are super fun to fly though. Definitely recommend giving it a shot.

The best resource is Joshua Bardwell on YouTube. He’s the only person I do Patreon with, and I haven’t even flown my quads in over a year. He’s just very good at explaining and very scientific and has a lot of general electrical RC knowledge to. I would start there.

 

[King blitz]

I have 2 drones and unfortunately I have not been able to use them due to my laws in my town..I live close within 4 miles of a airport and I'm not allowed to fly it anywhere within 5 miles of it . Stupid laws..

 

[Moirae]

we used an air 2s a lot for our yt videos. Bought the avata fpv drone about a month ago but we have yet to actually fly it because of windy weather almost every day and being lazy af if I'm being honest

 

[chilly81]

Keep in mind, there’s a big difference between like a freestyler racing FPV drone and a typical dji cinematography type. There is some overlap in functionality, but they fly very different. A freestyle drone doesn’t just sit and hover with your hands off the radio.

You might check out one of the simulators like FPV free rider… There are a bunch and they are quite good.… But they give you a good feeling of how flying that style of drone is in rate/acro mode and how it’s a totally different experience from flying a mavic or something.

 

[CrashBoom]

I have 2 drones and unfortunately I have not been able to use them due to my laws in my town..I live close within 4 miles of a airport and I'm not allowed to fly it anywhere within 5 miles of it . Stupid laws..

You can use LAANC to get auto-approval in a lot of cases, it's really made the whole mess a lot easier.

 

[Moirae]

Keep in mind, there’s a big difference between like a freestyler racing FPV drone and a typical dji cinematography type. There is some overlap in functionality, but they fly very different. A freestyle drone doesn’t just sit and hover with your hands off the radio.

You might check out one of the simulators like FPV free rider… There are a bunch and they are quite good.… But they give you a good feeling of how flying that style of drone is in rate/acro mode and how it’s a totally different experience from flying a mavic or something.

Thats the nice thing about the avata! it can do a more regular dji drone experience but faster or you can put it in full acro mode and go ham. We really need to start practicing in one of those simulators before we try the acro mode though. Tbh I expect to not use acro mode for a long time. Which is fine with me because the normal mode is already so much faster and better than what the air 2s can do.

 

[King blitz]

Thats the nice thing about the avata! it can do a more regular dji drone experience but faster or you can put it in full acro mode and go ham. We really need to start practicing in one of those simulators before we try the acro mode though. Tbh I expect to not use acro mode for a long time. Which is fine with me because the normal mode is already so much faster and better than what the air 2s can do.

Yeah my drones can hover and go way above 1000 ft. I can do back flips and dives .side way mode . Cart wheel mode night vision mode watch your neighbor taking a bath mode and flame thrower mode and drop off packages for Amazon mode can even grabb small cat mode.yup percent not allowed here ....they both in my basement collecting dust

 

[ross_jsy]

I’ve been doing quads for longer than cars, although just like cars, I’m not the greatest FPV pilot.

They are a lot more complicated, and there’s a lot more soldering and googling and software settings, and tuning and tweaking. I can completely strip and rebuild a typical car without googling or manual. That’s not going to happen with the quad… wiring diagrams, software settings, pin outs, firmware, flashing, PID loop optimizations. But there’s tons of resources out there as you’d imagine… It’s just a bit of a learning curve.

They are super fun to fly though. Definitely recommend giving it a shot.

The best resource is Joshua Bardwell on YouTube. He’s the only person I do Patreon with, and I haven’t even flown my quads in over a year. He’s just very good at explaining and very scientific and has a lot of general electrical RC knowledge to. I would start there.

That's where I am at, it's all a step up in terms of sourcing and soldering the right components, then set up etc. Do you have any recommended websites or forums? As much as I like videos, I pick up things better just reading and reading.

Keep in mind, there’s a big difference between like a freestyler racing FPV drone and a typical dji cinematography type. There is some overlap in functionality, but they fly very different. A freestyle drone doesn’t just sit and hover with your hands off the radio.

You might check out one of the simulators like FPV free rider… There are a bunch and they are quite good.… But they give you a good feeling of how flying that style of drone is in rate/acro mode and how it’s a totally different experience from flying a mavic or something.

I used to fly RC heli's (very low level stuff) and that is the level of control I want, and presume a similar skill level to fly. The DJI is cool but my 6 year old flew it around fine yesterday. I want something I have to fly

 

[Moirae]

That's where I am at, it's all a step up in terms of sourcing and soldering the right components, then set up etc. Do you have any recommended websites or forums? As much as I like videos, I pick up things better just reading and reading.



I used to fly RC heli's (very low level stuff) and that is the level of control I want, and presume a similar skill level to fly. The DJI is cool but my 6 year old flew it around fine yesterday. I want something I have to fly

Sounds like you would have had much more fun with the avata over the mini. A lot more expensive though the dji fpv drone which is older than the avata is a lot cheaper as well.

 

[chilly81]

That does look like a nice set up. All the refinement of DJI with full acro. I’ll probably be afraid to put a DJI drone and acro mode, knowing how many times I crashed, trying to learn. When you build your own, you’re constantly replacing motors, ESC’s’s props boards, arms… Same way you are constantly replacing plastic spur, gears, and an arms on our cars. Except more tiny wire soldering lol.

I don’t know how DJI handles repairs on something like that. You certainly wouldn’t want to be mailing it in every time you crash. They must’ve address that though. Also, a lot of people will use DJI video and goggles with hand built drones. There’s a lot of different video technologies out there right now. It’s really exploded over the last couple years, potentially the most confusing part.

I don’t know of a one stop starter guide, but remember when I was trying to figure things out Oscar liang had some good overview pages. Also rcgroups.com is much more technically flight focused then surface.

You could also try flying then line of sight, which is even harder. This is not me…

 

[ross_jsy]

Sounds like you would have had much more fun with the avata over the mini. A lot more expensive though the dji fpv drone which is older than the avata is a lot cheaper as well.

Ah but the mini cost me 200 sheets with the flymore kit, I'd be lucky to get the goggles for that for the Avata. I have watched a few videos and the consensus seems you have to pay a lot for a drone that is still quite limited, and repairability is low. Not an ideal combo.

My businesses partner actually has an Avata (he's who I bought the mini from) that he has never flown, but that is due to his disabilities (check his drone photography page below) so I am wondering if he will let me fly it...hmmm

https://quadphotography.je/about-me/

That does look like a nice set up. All the refinement of DJI with full acro. I’ll probably be afraid to put a DJI drone and acro mode, knowing how many times I crashed, trying to learn. When you build your own, you’re constantly replacing motors, ESC’s’s props boards, arms… Same way you are constantly replacing plastic spur, gears, and an arms on our cars. Except more tiny wire soldering lol.

I don’t know how DJI handles repairs on something like that. You certainly wouldn’t want to be mailing it in every time you crash. They must’ve address that though. Also, a lot of people will use DJI video and goggles with hand built drones. There’s a lot of different video technologies out there right now. It’s really exploded over the last couple years, potentially the most confusing part.

I don’t know of a one stop starter guide, but remember when I was trying to figure things out Oscar liang had some good overview pages. Also rcgroups.com is much more technically flight focused then surface.

You could also try flying then line of sight, which is even harder. This is not me…

Yeah that is one of the systems I have been looking at, the DJI FPV o3 or something. Then there is crossfire, or analogue or this and that. I'll have a good read through anything I can

 

[King blitz]

Yeah my drones can hover and go way above 1000 ft. I can do back flips and dives .side way mode . Cart wheel mode night vision mode watch your neighbor taking a bath mode and flame thrower mode and drop off packages for Amazon mode can even grabb small cat mode.yup percent not allowed here ....they both in my basement collecting dust

Any other modes I missed?