OT - RC Airplanes

That night vapor will be fun :)

The 25% off sale at PAC was awesome. The Laser 200 is almost ready to to now, got everything installed this weekend, just need to order a receiver and a few props and it will be ready to fire up :)
 
Deep Thief said:
Hey all, Just started in on this hobby. Bought an Ember2 from my brother for cheap. Most days are way too windy for it. Now I am looking for something else to get that will handle some wind so I can get some stick time. Are there any stores in the Nashville area? None up here in Ky, maybe one mom and pop shop but nothing serious. Looking at the new eRC J-5 trainer. Pretty sweet looking for a noob like myself. Anyone with a 6ch tx for sale? The J-5 comes with a 5 ch but a nicer 6-7 ch would be awesome. Mark
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There are three stores in the Nashville areas. The first is Danielle's Hobbies. I've not been there, but from what other people have said and from my experience with them on the phone, they're a great hobby shop. The other one is PAC Hobbies in Smyrna. The two people who own this shop are top notch and are really helpful. They also have great prices. Most everything is right internet prices. This is the store I go to most often since it is close to the field we usually fly at. The third is just about 10 minutes from my apartment, and that's Hobby-Lobby. They're well known in electrics because they do their own models as well as resell other manufacturers. They're also fairly helpful and they have a TON of stock. However, their storefront is rather small, so unless you know what you want to get and can ask them to get it from the back for you, its not worth a trip over there just to look. Great store, though, and very knowledgeable staff.

And that leads us to your J5. :) It looks like a great plane. I'd just buy it and fly it if I were you. It will be able to handle more wend than your Ember for sure, but still won't handle a ton of wind. Probably no more than 5mph max. If you really want to resist wind, you'll need to move up to a .40 sized trainer at least, with .60 being even better.

If you decided to really get into the hobby, Futaba, JR, and Spektrum all make great radios for an upgrade. A Spektrum DX6, DX7, or DX8 would all make great radios, as would a Futaba 6EX, 7C, or 8FG. A JR 9503 would also be a great option. To choose, you will need to have an idea of what you want and where you would probably like to go in the hobby and how much you can spend. Then look at the feature sets and pick one. :)

There's also the older, used radios that you can sometimes pickup as 2.4Ghz or can modify them to be 2.4Ghz. I have a Futaba 8UAS which is a GREAT 8 channel radio that can be picked up for around $100, and then add another $100 for the Spektrum module to go 2.4Ghz or $250 for the Futaba module if you want FAAST. Good stuff! :thumbsup: I'll be holding on to this radio for a while as it does more than what I need and is very economical. :)

Hope this helps!


ZachB said:
That night vapor will be fun :)

The 25% off sale at PAC was awesome. The Laser 200 is almost ready to to now, got everything installed this weekend, just need to order a receiver and a few props and it will be ready to fire up :)
Click to expand...

I think it will be, too. :) I went ahead and ordered 5 extra batteries last night and a parallel cable (for a whopping $15 for all of it shipped) last night which should be here about the time I get back from my second Florida trip. :D

And that sale was awesome. I couldn't believe it! I'm glad we went, though.

Brandon
 
Well, I've been wanting to find a cheap way to charge 4 of the micro flier batteries at a time independently. Eflite makes a 4 port charger that does all 4 independently, but its $40. However, I started looking at the Blade mSR today... and it comes with one of those chargers for $104. :D I'm thinking birthday present... haha!

Brandon
 
I got my Dragon Link today finally. I had been watching the FPV classifieds on RCGroups but finally gave up and ordered one from the guy that makes them. Not that I had a problem with that but the waiting list is probably a month and a half. Within 30 min. of ordering it one showed up for sale in the classifieds. :o I canceled my order and got the one from the guy in the classifieds. It was the same price as a new one but it was unused and I wouldn't have to wait so long. He sent it from Oklahoma City. From there it went to Virginia before it came here.:confused: I hooked it up and it seems to work well but I probably won't get to test it until next weekend since I am heading to Las Vegas tomorrow.

I do have a couple of better videos I need to upload. I set the camera to 1080 and everything looks much better. I had it on the 720 widescreen setting before. I am also getting used to the surroundings at the field so I know where I am. It makes for a much more enjoyable flight when you don't think you are going to crash and don't have a clue where.:worried: At least with the Dragon Link radio range won't be an issue.
 
Nice! Have fun in Vegas. I'm headed to Ft. Lauderdale today. You wouldn't happen to be at the airport right now, would ya? ;)

Keep us updated on your Dragon Link.

I picked up my Night Vapor last week. It is a BLAST! Really slow flying, almost won't stall, and the LEDs make it really easy to fly at night. I'm getting the Blade mSR for Christmas with the T-28 next on my list, probably followed by a P51 or the Sukhoi XP. Fun stuff! These little planes rock. Its awesome to just be able to go outside and throw something up. The Blade mSR includes the charger that does 4 batteries independently at a time, too. I should be able to stay in the air continuously as long as I can stand it with that setup. I ordered a 3S lipo and BEC from HobbyKing to power it with, too, since its designed to be powered by D cells. :) Can't wait!

Brandon
 
The dragon link looks interesting. What transmitter will you install it on?

What did you finally end up using to to transmit video from the plane?
 
Brandon, we left Nashville at about 2:25 I think. That Vapor looks pretty fun.

Zach, I put it on my 9C. Installation was pretty easy. I took the insides out of the module and glued the connector that came with the DL into it. I then just double sided taped the box to the back of the module case.

I am using a Sunsky 1.2Ghz video TX and RX. I made an inverted v antenna for the TX and have ordered a patch antenna for the RX so I should have pretty good range now. Hopefully the weather will be nice next weekend and I can try it all out.
 
Very cool, thanks. So what's the resolution like over the transmitter? The Go Pro does HD but can it transmit in HD or are you recording in HD and transmitting at a lower res?

Making a shopping list :)

Have fun in Vegas!!
 
The live output is normal resolution and pretty much looks like most of those small cheaper cameras. If you aren't planning on recording in HD than there really isn't any reason to get the GoPro since the other cameras are much cheaper and have the same resolution while flying. With the Dragon Link you are pretty much limited by your video range. That depends a lot on your surroundings and what kind of antennas you use etc.

This is the Sunsky I am using.
http://www.sunsky-online.com/view/1...igital+Wireless+AV+transmitter+&+receiver.htm

A lot of people are using 2.4 as well but I think 2.4 radios can cause interference. Check out RCGroups in the FPV forum if you are looking to get into it and of course check with Troy. He knows a lot about it and has helped me out a bunch.
 
Thanks Mike - I wonder if there are any HD transmitters. I am planning on recording in HD, and would rather pay $250 or so once than buy multiple cameras. The 1.2 2,500 mW looks reasonable.

http://www.sunsky-online.com/view/13089/1.2GHz+2500mW+8+Channel+Digital+Wireless+AV+transmitter+%26+receiver.htm

Also, instead of a TV, I'll just use my MacBook and a USB video input device - that way I don't have to worry about a TV, etc.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...Design_VIDREC_Video_Recorder_USB_Capture.html
 
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For you electric guys ... what would be a good, inexpensive brushless motor set up for a 1.20 size plane? I'd be putting it on an Ultra Stik 120 lite.
 
From what I understand, there aren't any HD transmitters yet. From what I have read, it takes quite a bit of processing power and there would be quite a lag in the video as well.

Several people have asked about that TX and RX but I think it really doesn't perform that much better and draws quite a bit more power and it also larger. I have seen where people have went 10 miles on the 800mw.
 
Cool, thanks for the tip. I'll order the 800mW.

I'd like to get the electric conversion setup ordered this week for my UltraStick 120 as that will be my FPV plane. Foamies are cool .. .but I already have the stick and an electric setup on there would be good, I think.
 
The only thing about using a larger, heavier plane as an FPV plane is that if you loose video or RC it can cause quite a bit more damage than a foam plane if it goes in. I really like the Skywalker since it is large enough to carry the extra weight and I was surprised at how good it flies. You can hardly stall it. Also, the prop is in the back so it doesn't show up in the videos.
 
Yea, I had thought of that. I don't really intend to do much distance though (for now, at least), and would likely fly it over in Columbia and not at Smyrna so I wouldn't be around as many houses, or people to harm if it goes down. Also why I'm going over to the "dark side" and doing electric, so there's much less chance of a power failure. I'll mount the camera on the wing slightly to the side so it won't be picking up as much of the prop.

I can always transfer equipment over later, this plane needs a power source anyhow, may as well give electric a try :)
 
ZachB said:
For you electric guys ... what would be a good, inexpensive brushless motor set up for a 1.20 size plane? I'd be putting it on an Ultra Stik 120 lite.
Click to expand...

Zach,

for that conversion you would be looking at at least this:

Castle Creations 85 amp HV Controller (you could prob use the built in BEC for 4 servos, but might want to get a seperate BEC)

2 x 4S 5000mah batteries

17x10E Prop to start with.

and motor is kinda up to you (too many options :D) but it looks like a 295Kv
motor that can handle 2000W :eek:

The E-Flight Power 110 this is a good place to start and you could prob find a hobbyking one for cheap.
 
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