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I want to do something long range but I really don’t know much about long range fpv. I know I want to do something crossfire related but what goes into a long range vtx and vrx? I have a rapidfire module in my goggles but is that enough running a vtx at 1000 mW? If I do decide to go with CrossFire then what receiver should I get? Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Hi Emily, welcome to the forum.

Are you looking to fly quads or wings?

You say long range, how far out do you want to fly?

With a rapidfire and a VTX power of 1W you will be able to get out to the limits of most FPV quads

Most of us Crossfire types are running the diversity receiver (running a vertical and horizontal polarized antennas together).  I run the old standard V2 receiver (vertical antenna only).... because I bought a bulk of them and they work fine.  

Also frame choice is something to consider.  This is personal choice, but for me a good LR platform needs to be 7 inch or more, I prefer 10 inch.  And I like a deadcat style to keep the props out of view of the HD cam.  The micro quads are all the rage right now, 3 or 4 inch and under 250g.  They too can be fun, but you will limit your max range with them and they have other limitations as well.

If you only want to fly out a couple miles, anything will do....even a freestyle quad can get you that.

You just need to decide which way you want to do LR.

Hi Emily,

Welcome 

Don't forget a GPS unit.

Hey Emily, welcome to the forum!

This hobby is really a lot of fun.

Unless you live next to Grand Canyon, long range is not REALLY all that great.
I have couple R9M and 7 and 9 inch quads Im not using.. it got pretty boring.

What is your subject/target? A castle. A canyon? A waterfall. Neighbour Farmhouse 5min down the dirt road?

"normal" quad. You drive/hike to within say 200m of castle/waterfall/farmhouse. With 500m of range, you cab easily fly overtop and around (as long as line of sight).

"long range".
You spend hours fiddling with setting, setting up base station etc. You start 3km away. You sit/stand there flying .. flying.. boring.. flying.. ok you get there. You fly around the castle/waterfall/farmhouse...

but wait!!
you cant just "explore". At this range, RF more succeptible to fading, multipath etc - there is higher chance something in way or interfere.

And dont forget, you cant leisurely explore for 10min.. you need to fly 3km = 3min+ back.. + reserve.

Obvious follow up.
why bother with Crossfire than?
or why am I obsessed with ImmersionRC Ghost.

Because you dont want to miss even a few occasional packets when hitting tree gaps and crash. People walking in front, buildings and trees interfere RF signal - failsafe sucks.

I dont care about "best case" 5km or 25km range.
I only need 500m max that NEVER glitches, and is solid regardless where I fly.

Check JoshuaBardwell and Pawel Spycharski reviews on youtube.

Hi Emily,

Romangpro has a point about what your objectives are; or rather more specifically how you want to use the quad.

What is the reason for flying Long Range  

Do you just want to fly long range for the H*ll of it or do you have an objective     Will you be carrying a GoPro 

Do you want photography that you can monetize   

Now, what do YOU consider Long Range     Here, Long Range is 5K {3.1 miles} or more...one way.


Traditionally {in the past}, Long Range pretty much meant building a 7 inch or bigger quad.

On the other hand, the recent craze is 4 inch Long Range quads. 
{this is likely due to the new FAA regulations and Remote ID}

There a lot of good build threads on this forum and a lot of knowledgeable and helpful members.    

LR is a big topic.  Wings go fast, 150mph+ and far, well over 100 miles one way.  Quads, for the most part are pretty much maxed out at 10 miles one way at hobby level equipment.  Commercial, hybrid tech they too go a long way out, but cost big money.

You can fly quads out to 10 miles with no more gear than the freestyle pilot uses, just slightly different choices in components..  So don't worry about needing anything special for LR to start like ground stations, etc.

Yes, romangpro is correct in that if you are living in an area that is uninteresting in its topography, LR with a quad could be boring there.  But even if you are a flatlander, flying deep into triple digit MPH speeds with a wing is far from boring.  And if you live out West, you only have to search YT for LR videos to see the stuff you can fly that is thrilling, like the below video.

The best news is on this forum most disciplines of the FPV hobby are represented.  iFly4rotors, Kaitylynn and a few others are into the micro quads.  Evilsteve uses a ground station and can help you there.  SnowleopardFPV and VooDoo614 are programming gurus and can help you with that.  And others of us have been successfully flying LR for many years.  Also, if you decide you want to do freestyle or racing, there are lots of people that can help you with those parts of the hobby as well.  

So in the end you have come to a great forum with many nice people who can help you be successful regardless what you decide is fun for you.

Hi Krohsis,

That is one  FANTASTIC   video       

You have more guts than I do. I would be on pins and needles  

Maybe some day I will have that level of confidence 

(18-Jan-2021, 04:37 PM)iFly4rotors Wrote: Hi Krohsis,

That is one  FANTASTIC   video       

You have more guts than I do. I would be on pins and needles  

Maybe some day I will have that level of confidence 

LOL, not my video or flight, just a good representation of what can be done in the LR world.   

But I agree, that would tighten me up a bit.  If you go down it would be a definite loss.  But what a rush!!