Getting Into FPV
I often get questions about how to start FPV, so I thought I’d put together a little “guide/shopping list” on the way I would do it today if I was just getting started.
Now this is simply my opinion and a bit of advice I’m trying to give to newcomers, some other pilots may have other methods/advice different gear but this is what I would recommend.
First you buy the radio.
You should get this guy.
Then you can train on a simulator.
I would recommend:
– Liftoff
Once you’re feeling good with that…
Time to build your first drone!
Before I start, for transparency reasons, you must know that I am sponsored by Team Blacksheep, T-Motor, Flyduino, PiratFrames, CNHL, GetFPV and MenaceRC. I’m sponsored by them because I love their products and not because they “lured” me in. This doesn’t mean I’m gonna force their products down to you, you’ll see that for the frame, ESC and flight controller for example, I won’t recommend you my sponsors products because I believe they might not be suited for beginners or not easily accessible to everyone. I don’t benefit from any of this, apart from helping you guys out.
Ok! On to the shopping!
All links are from GetFPV as I had good experience with them and they ship worldwide they have a ton of stock on everything and I wanted you to have a “one stop shop” to go to on that list but you might also wanna check out Pyrodrone or RaceDayQuad too all shipping from the US. If you’re in Europe you can also check out Quadcopters.co.uk or Drone-fpv-racer.fr, also have a look at the TeamBlacksheep store, shipping worldwide from Hong Kong, and I guess I have to mention Banggood too, it’s got a lot of stuff, from branded to knockoffs and ships from China (wouldn’t recommend it too much though and if you think a deal is too good to be true, it probably is). Enough rambling!
Quadcopter Parts:
Xilo Flight controller + ESC combo (x2)
Source One Frame (x2)
VTX (x2)
Crossfire Nano (x2)
Antennas pack (x2)
Batteries (x6)
Props (x10)
Pilot Gear:
There’s some stuff you don’t wanna go cheap on and that is the goggles and your radio link! They’re gonna last you YEARS anyways so you might as well go with something quality.
Essentials:
Parallel boards (x2)
Once you’re comfortable with the drone you can put a GoPro on there with a mount like this
And there you have it! It’s a lot of stuff! For the sake of transparency again: all the links above are affiliate links which means if you buy through these links, I get a small portion of the purchase to support what I do. So thanks if you do! If you don’t, no worries, this doc is only here to help you 🙂
Cost?
This whole particular whole kit will cost you around $1950 and will be a full future-proof system that you can grow from and without leaving anything, with this kit, you’re sorted and for a long time with spares and all. It’s definitely a budget, but I tried to keep it as low as possible with gear that you can keep for a long time or upgrade when the time comes without being completely lost.
If you want it cheaper, you can save on the goggles and get the Fatshark Attitude V5 or get less spare but you might regret it one day.
Need more info?
Alright! Hope you’ll give FPV a go. If you want more tips, you can check out my man Mr. Steele’s series on how to get started in the hobby
And then, every time you’re confused about something: Google is your friend! Just search for it and you’ll find it! Usually, if you’re confused about how to set something up on your gear, Joshua Bardwell will have made a video about it (it might be someone else too).
Last but not least: CONNECT
Also, connect with your local FPV community.
There are lots of Facebook groups all around the world and big ones like Rotor Riot Facebook group or Team Blacksheep, Drone International, but there’re lots of local ones too.
It’s always best to have someone physically with you when you’re trying to learn so that you get all the flying etiquettes and help on your gear. So try to figure out where FPV pilots are around you (I’m sure they’re here somewhere) and try to go fly with them!
Good luck!
© 2019 YawSpin