Newbie with a vague plan

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Newbie with a vague plan

Postby rogueqd » Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:23 am

Hi Bruce and everyone,

My Name's Eddie and I live in Sydney, Aust. I'm 40 and finally have enough cash to realize some of my childhood RC dreams. My budget is about $1000 all up, but limited to about $1-200 until June as I'm going overseas in May. I've had a 2ch RC slope glider which has warped wings from bad storage, and a cheap 4ch mini heli that has a lot of control lag. I've also flown MS Flight Sim heaps, but mostly people tell me that's a bad thing.



Anyway, after watching some of Bruces great videos (and yes Bruce, I've subscribed :) ) I've been thinking that FPV totally rocks and I can't wait to get all the gear!!! But which gear? My plan is to buy the transmitter first so I can practice (play) on a sim (FMS), then the plane and basic electronics to fly, then the Fatshark gear to fly FPV and lastly an OSD and autopilot to fly FPV over longer ranges.

A transmitter/controller is a big decision, since the Turnigy 9x ones seem to be unavailable (are they restocked semi-regularly?). The Hobbyking ones don't frequency hop, and so would probably conflict with a 2.4Ghz Fatshark setup, right? I could get a name brand controller but then I'd really have to wait until June to get anything at all. From what I can tell all the name brands are ok as long as you get frequency hopping, and it depends on which menus you like and how comfortable they are in your hands. I'd also like the potential to fly a heli in the future.

The Hobbyking FPV plane seems good enough, and cheap to replace after it get's bashed around by my skillful landings.

For servos and other small things I have no idea about what is good. Hobbyking have suggestions to go with the planes, but are their suggestions good? Should I do a bunch of research on what motor, prop, ESC etc to get or doesn't it really matter too much for a beginner? Batteries seem pretty basic, but chargers could be another whole paragraph. Also, what other small things have I totally not thought about?

On one had a shopping list designed by an expert would be really handy, on the other I'd probably learn more by working it all out for myself. There's a lot to think about, so I guess I thought I'd write all this and see if I was on the right track so far.


Oh, one other thing, what's the go with flying in local parks? I'm assuming it's ok to fly around a playing field as long as no one else is using it, but what about leaving the field and flying FPV around surburban areas? Are there any legalities involved?

Eddie :)
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Newbie with a more solid plan

Postby rogueqd » Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:32 am

Ok, after reading the forums a bit more, I've decided on a budget option, to get the AXN Floater Jet to start off with.

Here's my current shopping list.

AXN Floater-Jet
HXT900 9g (x4)
Mystery 30A BEC Brushless Speed Controller (Blue Series)
AX 1806N 2100kv Brushless Motor
Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx & Rx V2 (Mode 1)
Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx USB Cable

A few questions...
The amp rating of the speed controller just needs to be higher than the expected amps, like a fuse, right? Would having a massively high one (like 60A) make any difference except for price (and weight)?

Is that motor a decent quality one? How do I tell if the prop that comes with the plane will fit on this motor?

Are there any parts I'm missing?

Lastly, Low Price RC has this controller that I like better (has LCD and FHSS) but they are out of stock of the simulator cable. Does anyone know where I can get a cable for it?


Any other comments?

Eddie
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Re: Newbie with a vague plan

Postby disco stu » Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:47 am

You can put in other modules for the turnigy 9x designed to fit JR radios-eg the FrSky which would suit what you mentioned. (also available from HK)

Also, if you put an order in now for turnigy 9x you will get one eventually. They come into stock every few weeks.

Not much help on the FPV stuff etc

Park flying-avoid places with the no flying signs. MAAA insurance is only valid (if your a member) for approved flying spots. Not an issue if your not a member
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Re: Newbie with a vague plan

Postby rogueqd » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:39 pm

Thanks for the reply Stu, the MAA insurance thing opened a whole new can of worms, lol.

Short term I've managed to get an AXN Floater Jet from HK (still in transit), along with their el-cheapo 6ch transmitter. Hopefully I won't be able to do too much damage with that. I've also got FMS, which even using my PC joystick is proving invaluable in showing me how easy it is to crash. :)

Long term I'm now planning on getting some sort of FPV copter. I mainly want to do FPV in my local suburbs, so straight up, look around and straight down seems a little more mundane, but a lot safer, and more discrete. :) A tri-copter seems great, and affordable, but my noobie skillz may not be up to the task of building a KK controller. So if I can't find somewhere to buy a pre-made one I may have to get one of the ARF quad copters instead.

The Turnigy 9x also seems a bit problematic for noobs, so I'm looking at a brand name controller as well. I've arranged a visit to my local flying field where I'll hopefully be able to handle a few different models and see what seems to suit me the best.


My advice for fellow newbies... Have a try of FMS before you even start making a plan.
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Re: Newbie with a vague plan

Postby Szilard » Wed Apr 27, 2011 7:58 pm

Hi,

I'm a fellow newbie, but I do have some experience on electric helis. Bruce's plane vids on his channels infected me too (I've seen 'em all). I initially wanted to build an FPV copter but now I wanna build a plane. I was told that the AXN floater flies well stock and many people turned it into an FPV plane so you should be alright with that.

I don't like FMS. I found that it's easier to fly my own helis than FMS, due to setup difference. Your heli and plane will fly the way YOU set it up. FMS is just the beginning, but it helps you get your orientation right and get the basic idea what you should do to fly.
My suggestion is that you learn to fly the AXN first and when you're ABSOLUTELY confortable with it only then put your FPV gear on it.
Here's why: moving your main battery a little WILL change the behavior of your plane A LOT!
Putting FPV gear on means extra 200grams or so weight on your plane. That's the weight of a healthy battery! You'll have to figure out how to distribute that weight. That's why you must know beforehand what tendencies you like in your plane and how to achieve them.

That's the advice of a guy who crashed a lot because he was impatient. You'd do well to take my advice, so hopefully you'll crash less then I did ;)
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Re: Newbie with a vague plan

Postby pwy » Fri Apr 29, 2011 8:27 am

Hi Eddie,

I own and fly helis, planes, copters and just had my first FPV flights. I'm not sure where your local flying field is but mine is here http://wrcs.org.au. You are more than welcome to visit us and we have many keen modellers which are happy to share their knowledge.

Sometimes it helps if you can see, touch and feel that stuff before you plunge in and drown or spend your money on something you regret afterwards.
I and my fellow RC colleagues have plenty of "toys" to show. :)

PM me for more details or use the contacts from the web page.

Happy flying
Peter
The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys!
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Re: Newbie with a vague plan

Postby mark520 » Tue May 10, 2011 2:25 am

Hi everyone! proud to be the member of this great community !! i am Mark from USA ,Ak,Anchorage,nice to meet you,hope to know more about you.......
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Re: Newbie with a vague plan

Postby rogueqd » Sat Jul 16, 2011 1:31 pm

I thought I'd update my progress since May...

I've flown the Floater Jet around at a few local parks. I eventually stopped expecting to be accosted by the local constabulary and started to relax and have fun. I've got stuck in a tree once, and found that an over weight 40 year old can climb a tree quite well when properly motivated. I've banged the nose up discovering for myself why everyone says don't fly in gusty winds, and been amazed at how well hot water fixes bent EPP foam!!

I bought a Turnigy 9x and found that the menus really aren't THAT bad. Then I successfully followed Burce's footsteps and added the FrSky radio to it, which was kinda fun.

Now I'm working out the best way to mount a GoPro on the front while I wait for Bruces FPV videos. :)

I keep meaning to drop in at wrcs but I work most weekends so I haven't managed to yet. One day.
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Re: Newbie with a vague plan

Postby pwy » Sat Jul 16, 2011 11:50 pm

I like that part....
rogueqd wrote: I've got stuck in a tree once, and found that an over weight 40 year old can climb a tree quite well when properly motivated.


And I can confirm that people of all age and body shapes can be motivated to do a lot of things they would never consider otherwise. On our field it usually involves bushwalking through some of the very dense bush surrounding our field. But if you want to get your plane back.... ;-)


rogueqd wrote:I bought a Turnigy 9x and found that the menus really aren't THAT bad. Then I successfully followed Burce's footsteps and added the FrSky radio to it, which was kinda fun.


Have you upgraded the firmware? Makes it really much more capable than the standard version.
The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys!
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Re: Newbie with a vague plan

Postby rogueqd » Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:22 am

pwy wrote:Have you upgraded the firmware? Makes it really much more capable than the standard version.
No, I'm looking in to that, I'd like to find someone local who already has a programer. I could buy one but I'd probably only ever use it once.
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