Drones, not just for .gov surveillance anymore

BigRedDog

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And they will crash
 

Ratdog68

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Out burning some batteries at lunch today.

Nice... are you recording to an SD card onboard for the clarity, and viewing from a transmitted (lesser grade) signal? Or, recording the HD transmitted signal? Reason I'm asking is, I'm picking up on a delay that can happen between the transmitted signal and the received signal during FPV flight if the HD signal get transmitted.

I need to know-up on the FPV facet of things. There appears to be varied grades of Fat Shark goggles/gear? Is this one of those "buy once/cry once" type things? I'll be recording to my Go Pro 3. Do the Fat Shark goggles tap into and talk to the Go Pro's wifi capabilities? Or, will I need to be sure my bird has a separate signal transmitter to feed the goggles?
 

Oso Grande

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Nice... are you recording to an SD card onboard for the clarity, and viewing from a transmitted (lesser grade) signal? Or, recording the HD transmitted signal? Reason I'm asking is, I'm picking up on a delay that can happen between the transmitted signal and the received signal during FPV flight if the HD signal get transmitted.

I need to know-up on the FPV facet of things. There appears to be varied grades of Fat Shark goggles/gear? Is this one of those "buy once/cry once" type things? I'll be recording to my Go Pro 3. Do the Fat Shark goggles tap into and talk to the Go Pro's wifi capabilities? Or, will I need to be sure my bird has a separate signal transmitter to feed the goggles?
I view my flights from transmitted video that is captured by a dedicated camera. The GoPro or other HD recording camera is literally just along for the ride. http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/RunCam-600TVL-Plastic-Housing-FPV-Camera-%2d-US.html is the camera that I use. There is a delay as well as other problems that can come from using the output of a HD recording camera.

I highly recommend the use of a dedicated FPV camera.
 

Oso Grande

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Sometimes things don't go as planned and as I've said repeatedly, sometimes you crash......

Well today was a pretty spectacular one! Still doing damage assessment, but some parts just don't like water much.

IMG_6424.JPG IMG_6427.JPG IMG_6433.JPG IMG_6435.JPG IMG_6442.JPG

 
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Ratdog68

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I view my flights from transmitted video that is captured by a dedicated camera. The GoPro or other HD recording camera is literally just along for the ride. http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/RunCam-600TVL-Plastic-Housing-FPV-Camera-%2d-US.html is the camera that I use. There is a delay as well as other problems that can come from using the output of a HD recording camera.

I highly recommend the use of a dedicated FPV camera.
Otay, that's what I was expecting to hear. Am I going to kick myself (later) if I don't pony up for the $500 set of Fat Sharks? I know some are plastic lenses inside, some are glass and net you better resolution. Same for the little board cameras... a glass lens (wide angle) is about a $10 upgrade.
 

Ratdog68

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Oso Grande

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Stick with the model PZ0420 board camera which is the one I linked to. It comes with a glass lens, I'm not sure where you're seeing plastic lenses unless they are sacrificial for the glass.

As for the money on the goggles, I'd skip the Dominator HD's. Lots of people have problems with them. I'd recommend the Dominator v2's, the original Dominators, or the Attitudes. I wouldn't waste my money on the lesser ones. And hold off until you get comfortable flying it LOS in front of you before dropping the big $$$. You may find you don't like this stuff afterall.....
 

Ratdog68

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The plastic lens ones were what I saw shown as the cheap route while watching a Flitetest YouTube the other day. Focus the lens by turning it in/out. Replacement glass lenses were an upgrade. Those didn't even have a housing. I like the looks of that PZO420, will have to eyeball that one a little more.

I'm kind of surprised to hear the Dominator HDs aren't up to snuff. The technology used in them must not have the bugs worked out of 'em yet. I'm just trying to get a learning curve established as I go. I've planned to learn the LOS skills first. My little Blade Pico QX should be arriving any day now.
 

Oso Grande

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There was a lot of disappointment in the community that the HD dominators didn't work out. I had a chance to try them myself, but they had a lens focus issue where the outer edges either weren't in focus or you were seeing too many pixels or to be clear. They were usable, however given their drawbacks they really were not worth the extra cost over the dominator V2's
 

Arnold Galvan

Mckinney, Texas
Wow....great videos. Been wanting one myself and really like the ladybird. Oso, you posted a video of a ladybird, what type of camera are they using and what mount?
 

Arnold Galvan

Mckinney, Texas
Nice...i can do electrical tape. LOL

Had a friend bring his out this weekend, he bought it at Radio Shack right before they closed the store. I will try to load the take off video I have.
 

Ratdog68

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Woo Hoo !!! My Blade Pico QX arrived to the job site a short time ago. Too close to shift change to unbox/charge it (dagnabit). Gonna have to wait until I get back to camp and charge it up while doing laundry this evening. It's a tiny little bugger.
 

FrankT

Destin FL
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That for indoors RD? 30MPH winds would blow it away
 

Oso Grande

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Glad to see your quads are starting to show up guys!

Here's the quad that took a mud back the other day back up in the air.
If I hadn't landed in the water, it would have been a single prop change and back in the sky. Instead it was a new ESC and motor for one arm.
 

FrankT

Destin FL
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looks faster!..got to be a hoot looking thru goggles and seeing the view live.
 

Ratdog68

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That for indoors RD? 30MPH winds would blow it away
Yeah, to tinker with in my room after shift. Didn't get a chance to mess with it last night, someone thought they saw a polar bear just after shift change (20 miles away). Never found what they were looking at, it was 2000 before I got back to camp. Ate some chow and went to bed. But, it's charging up now !!!
 
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