Alrighty then! Just made my first lap without crashing in 52 seconds on Desert. Whoooo Hoooo! Sweet! Literally my first timed lap. Time to go back to work. Here's to progress!

Awesome read! I second the "just fly FPV" talk here. No real reason to fly LOS if you ask me. The thing has a camera....use it.

Welcome FPVdroneshotz, epic story! I had to read it in segments throughout the last day or so.

I agree with your comments on sharing these kinds of stories. There aren't enough out there where folks who are brand new put it all out and explain that experience. I think if people understood that the heartbreak moments always come with a "holy crap! i am back!" moment... they'd keep going.

As for "clicking" I definitely experienced that too. Early on there were those times where for a moment it felt like I knew what I was doing... Then those moments came more frequent... after a while I knew how to control my flights but needed to work on precision (which is what I am transitioning away from now, moving into being smooth and more in control of my movements). The thing is, while they talk about about it like it's one click... I think it's multiple clicks. There are times where the feel of flying acro clicks and makes more sense then anything else you could imagine for controlling the quad... but then there are also points where certain concepts click... like the first time I really understood what a PID loop is doing (I had help from a youtube video... I cant remember which).

You have the passion though, that's for sure! glad to have you in our community

Good stuff!

Yesterday i went out for a few flights, but forgot the battery for the goggles   was still good since i hadn't flown LOS for a long time and took the opportunity for a little training.

My advice for flying LOS - just never go far, and when in doubt, rather let it drop gently than trying to recover at all cost - usually it only gets worse.

(15-Jul-2017, 12:42 PM)fftunes Wrote: My advice for flying LOS - just never go far, and when in doubt, rather let it drop gently than trying to recover at all cost - usually it only gets worse.

Found this out the hard way in week 2 of owning my 1st quad (H8 mini) the search area was about 20x20 meters but really dense bush, lucky I bought 3, luckier still, Christmas hadn't arrived yet so I hadn't given the spares to my nephews yet! (They got E010's instead)

(14-Jul-2017, 01:39 PM)FPVdroneshotz Wrote: Thanks rapidsh0t for the feedback.  OMG!  3 laps in the Garage?  That thing just taunts me...  I haven't even tried The Garage yet.  Two towers is definitely growing on me though.  :-)  I like open spaces.  That Garage just scares me.  :-)  At the 3 laps lithmus test, I'll be here for another 3 years.

(14-Jul-2017, 01:55 PM)FPVdroneshotz Wrote: Alrighty then!  Just made my first lap without crashing in 52 seconds on Desert.  Whoooo Hoooo!  Sweet!  Literally my first timed lap.  Time to go back to work.  Here's to progress!

I felt exactly the same way - I crashed so often in Freerider that I thought this RC thing is probably not for me.

But I took off and crashed, took off and crashed - after a week or so I started to make some progress. For a while the Meadow map was my favourite. But at one point I tried the Carpark map. I crashed a lot at first, but soon I really started to like it. It has been my favourite ever since.

I still crash many times before I get the feel of it and I can make a clean lap.

PS
The Playground is pretty much impossible for me to finish

Wish I could be there to help you out from day one to save your pain LOL
But I guess most of us had to go through similar if not more painful experience

When I started on multirotors a few years back, there weren't any online resources nor help (not many people fly multirotors back then).. I build my first quadcopter (a 450mm with KK2), crashed to pieces in the first 30 seconds. And I was like "okay I've had enough", and those pieces were in a box for 6 months LOL

But the next time I picked it up, everything just seemed to click. Building my 2nd quad (a 2S mini quad), and learning to fly it was so much easier...

Awesome story, thanks for sharing its great to know that its not easy for everybody

I'm just getting to the point that things are starting to "click"
though unlike i didnt start publicly, i quietly and suddenly developed a love of Youtube (research) and man-cave time (building and simulator time) before i was ousted that i had built and was teaching my self to fly/crash small noisy flying craft.

though the dog had seen one of my hover tests in the lounge room, (one of the motors was configured backwards). it took me hours to convince him to come out the bed room and stop shaking.

I'm flew FPV for the first time last night... and still spent more time walking to where i crashed, but WHAT A RUSH...
most sessions end with me having to replace or repair something on the quad.
2 Transmiter antenna's
1 Vtx antenna,
1 'shaped' battery also sliced the balance leads on the same battery.
re solder some BAD solder joints that i dislodged.
but all that means is more shed time

(18-Jul-2017, 07:19 AM)Tinks Wrote: Awesome story, thanks for sharing its great to know that its not easy for everybody

I'm just getting to the point that things are starting to "click"
though unlike i didnt start publicly, i quietly and suddenly developed a love of Youtube (research) and man-cave time (building and simulator time) before i was ousted that i had built and was teaching my self to fly/crash small noisy flying craft.

though the dog had seen one of my hover tests in the lounge room, (one of the motors was configured backwards). it took me hours to convince him to come out the bed room and stop shaking.

I'm flew FPV for the first time last night... and still spent more time walking to where i crashed, but WHAT A RUSH...
most sessions end with me having to replace or repair something on the quad.
2 Transmiter antenna's
1 Vtx antenna,
1 'shaped' battery also sliced the balance leads on the same battery.
re solder some BAD solder joints that i dislodged.
but all that means is more shed time

So glad to hear I'm not the only one.  :-). No offense.  Went out tonight after fixing the snapped bottom plate from trying to fly LOS last Friday and after many hours on the Sim since then and I FLEW FPV FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It wasn't elegant, but it was pretty awesome. I noticed that my reception stinks though.  I tuned the Foxeer HS 1177 to some better settings, since when I first went out everything was WHITE!  And I mean WHITE!  So once I could finally see and I wasn't shaking so bad, I took off.   Man, was I scared....  BUT IT WAS AWESOME!  I only have an omni antenna, but maybe a patch will help.  It was quite static-e (is that a word?).   Anyway, I'll post more later, but wanted everyone to know that I DID IT!

(19-Jul-2017, 03:21 AM)FPVdroneshotz Wrote: So glad to hear I'm not the only one.  :-). No offense.  Went out tonight after fixing the snapped bottom plate from trying to fly LOS last Friday and after many hours on the Sim since then and I FLEW FPV FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It wasn't elegant, but it was pretty awesome. I noticed that my reception stinks though.  I tuned the Foxeer HS 1177 to some better settings, since when I first went out everything was WHITE!  And I mean WHITE!  So once I could finally see and I wasn't shaking so bad, I took off.   Man, was I scared....  BUT IT WAS AWESOME!  I only have an omni antenna, but maybe a patch will help.  It was quite static-e (is that a word?).   Anyway, I'll post more later, but wanted everyone to know that I DID IT!

Awesome! Congratulations on your first FPV flight!

(19-Jul-2017, 03:55 AM)Snuffypot11 Wrote: Awesome! Congratulations on your first FPV flight!

Thanks!  Second flight this morning ended up being so much better, but snapped the top plate now as I was wrapping up a three pack flight.  Video is so intermittent that it makes it difficult to fly.  I got nervous and dumped the quad when the video was glitching and it was getting close to me.  Didn't want to die by "quad in the face".  That would be a tough obituary for my wife to write.     I wonder if anyone has hit themselves in the face with these goggles on?

I now have to troubleshoot my video problems.  Once I have that ironed out and my new plate fixed, I imagine things are only going to get better.  Man was today fun!

(19-Jul-2017, 08:57 PM)FPVdroneshotz Wrote: Thanks!  Second flight this morning ended up being so much better, but snapped the top plate now as I was wrapping up a three pack flight.  Video is so intermittent that it makes it difficult to fly.  I got nervous and dumped the quad when the video was glitching and it was getting close to me.  Didn't want to die by "quad in the face".  That would be a tough obituary for my wife to write.     I wonder if anyone has hit themselves in the face with these goggles on?

I now have to troubleshoot my video problems.  Once I have that ironed out and my new plate fixed, I imagine things are only going to get better.  Man was today fun!

I've flown a Whoop into my head before, but not my 5inch quad, I keep that well clear of people.

As for your video issues, I'm not an expert but I would just start going through a process of elimination on the work bench, it sound like the signal isn't good even when flying close. What sort of antenna's are you using on the quad and googles? if they are circular polarized, are they both Right or Left hand? Are the connections correct ie: SMA or RP-SMA?

(19-Jul-2017, 08:57 PM)FPVdroneshotz Wrote:  I wonder if anyone has hit themselves in the face with these goggles on?

So far I've only had three close calls so far. Interestingly enough I have zero footage (DVR or HD) for any of them.

about 80% of the time (probably more) I fly at an RC park with a sanctioned AMA club and we have safety rules that really keep us from flying too close to anyone. There is a designated flightline that we're not supposed to cross that's about 10-15 yards from the pit area and that buffer can be enough to significantly reduce the risk. 

I've done a few flybys,  but they were controlled and more "showing off" in an irresponsible way than they were dangerous situations. Something could have gone horribly wrong but in my mind it wouldn't and I was willing to take the risk. 

My first close call was at a park where I crashed into a tree as the quad was headed in my direction. I was sitting on the back of my car trunk, and the quad came flying towards me and the car and actually ended up under the car busting some props but otherwise still in good condition. 

The second close call was last Saturday. I was flying in a new spot after having a tough time with a new build, shaking off the frustration, and this location included me flying around trees that I was right next to. One of the times that I was circling the trees I swung a little wide and realized just as I passed myself that I was within about 10 feet or lessof hitting myself hearing the quad close up without planning it gave me the chills after it passed. It was very intense. 

The third close call was my LOS flight on Sunday that killed one of the motors on my favorite quad (bumble bee). I do not really have enough experience to fly LOS very seriously but I was out there and doing flips and going around objects and one of the backflips I did I was misoriented, pointed towards myself, I could see the danger headed my way, got it back upright, and busted it into a tree where it proceeded to chop every branch it could on the way down because I didn't decide to disarm fast enough because I started worrying about it getting stuck in the tree and decided the risk to the motors and ESCs was worth it (I am not sure if it was or wasn't but it did fall all the way out. I am glad the tree got hit instead of me!

(20-Jul-2017, 12:44 AM)Snuffypot11 Wrote: As for your video issues, I'm not an expert but I would just start going through a process of elimination on the work bench, it sound like the signal isn't good even when flying close. What sort of antenna's are you using on the quad and googles? if they are circular polarized, are they both Right or Left hand? Are the connections correct ie: SMA or RP-SMA?

Both of these are important points that are easy to miss (I miss the SMA vs RP-SMA point all the time even though I know it pretty well). 

SMA vs RP-SMA is easy to tell (you would think)... The antenna side with the nut, if it has a "stinger" or center conductor sticking out. That is SMA. If the antenna side with the nut has a hole and is female then it's "RP-SMA" (or reversed polarized). Unlike right hand or left hand, you can have different SMA connectors on your VRx and VTx systems without any problem, but your antenna has to match the device. So for example if you VTx is SMA, then it's antennas need to be SMA. But on the same system your goggles can be RP-SMA, and you just need a RP-SMA antenna(s) for the goggles. Quick way to tell if you have it right... make sure on any antenna install that between the antenna you're screwing in what you're screwing it into that one device has a center conductor and the other has a hole for it to fit in.

(20-Jul-2017, 12:44 AM)Snuffypot11 Wrote: I've flown a Whoop into my head before, but not my 5inch quad, I keep that well clear of people.

As for your video issues, I'm not an expert but I would just start going through a process of elimination on the work bench, it sound like the signal isn't good even when flying close. What sort of antenna's are you using on the quad and googles? if they are circular polarized, are they both Right or Left hand? Are the connections correct ie: SMA or RP-SMA?

O.k., so I have the TBS Triumph SMA Circular on my Quad and on my Fatsharks.  Didn't really know about the SMA/RP-SMA.  I bought them at the drone show and they both came together.  I'm assuming they are a fit?  I'm running the foxeer HS1177 and that's supposed to be a great camera, but man, it's just about unusable.  I did tweak the settings from a Youtuber and it got better when I can see something, but that's about 1/3 of the time.  What should my total range be?  I was flying about 100 yards to my left and 100 yards to my right and maybe 100 yards out.  So about 200 sq. yards in total - is that too far for these?  I'm also not running a patch antenna on the Fat Sharks yet.  Was looking at the Immersion RC  5.8ghz Spironet mini.  Any idea if that would help or is there a better option out there?  Seems to be pretty much personal preference, but what do I know.