Build or phantom 2?

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Originally I was looking at a phantom 2 go pro ready. Since I have my hero 3 this looked like the way to go. But then I saw that the it didnt come with what the vision 2 did, as far as range and such. So now I am looking into a new vision 2 +...

My question is what is better for the money? Let's say I am on a 1500 dollar budget. Bets buy? What can I do for that? Wait for the new blade to come out?

I really like the FPV, but want some serious range. 1 mile? Possible?
 
For a $1500 budget, you can do the P2 & H3-3D combo, add a battery, then p/u either a Fatshark goggle combo or 7 inch screen kit. I think you might be actually a little under your limit.
 
Add iosd for about $69 and upgrade FPV antennas, puts right back on $1,500, but that's a reliable setup with very stable footage.
 
Diesel31 said:
For a $1500 budget, you can do the P2 & H3-3D combo, add a battery, then p/u either a Fatshark goggle combo or 7 inch screen kit. I think you might be actually a little under your limit.

I Am new to this (obviously) so sorry for the newb post questions. I dont want to be "that guy"...

But does the fatshark combo or 7 inch kit come with the gear to stream live to the screen as well as record? I spoke with IDJ they spoke up the vision 2+ and said that as the best option considering the money. MAybe it was just upsale...

What is the difference between teh vision, the 2 and the vision +? Would getting the gimble with the fatshark make up those differences and then some?

I would also like awesome range... I have looked at the tp-link tl-ant2409A upgrades.
 
Considering the Vision 2's RC control operates on the 5.8ghz band, I don't see how it could have more range. The stock Phantom 1 and 2 RC link can achieve 1.5 miles+ Controlling an aircraft with 5.8ghz just seems odd to me, shrug.

Get the Phantom 1 or 2 and add a GoPro, along with a 5.8ghz FPV system - such as the fatshark.
 
Howzit said:
Considering the Vision 2's RC control operates on the 5.8ghz band, I don't see how it could have more range. The stock Phantom 1 and 2 RC link can achieve 1.5 miles+ Controlling an aircraft with 5.8ghz just seems odd to me, shrug.

Get the Phantom 1 or 2 and add a GoPro, along with a 5.8ghz FPV system - such as the fatshark.

THis is great info thanks...

Why does is the phantom advertised as only 300 meters? 500 with the plus?
 
poohbear said:
Howzit said:
Considering the Vision 2's RC control operates on the 5.8ghz band, I don't see how it could have more range. The stock Phantom 1 and 2 RC link can achieve 1.5 miles+ Controlling an aircraft with 5.8ghz just seems odd to me, shrug.

Get the Phantom 1 or 2 and add a GoPro, along with a 5.8ghz FPV system - such as the fatshark.

THis is great info thanks...

Why does is the phantom advertised as only 300 meters? 500 with the plus?

No idea. Perhaps that is worst case scenario? If they advertised 1 mile and some new crybaby bought their Phantom and wasn't able to fly 1 mile in their noisy city, they'd probably throw an online temper tantrum after their 20th call to customer service.

Generally speaking, the lower the frequency, the longer the range as well as the more penetration. There is a reason 1.3ghz video out performs 5.8ghz and why UHF (433mhz) is the go to for long range RC control. 5.8ghz is convenient, but its the worst choice in terms of distance and penetration.

Here is 1.5 miles with the Phantom 1:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuQit6zJQcg[/youtube]
 
Howzit said:
No idea. Perhaps that is worst case scenario? If they advertised 1 mile and some new crybaby bought their Phantom and wasn't able to fly 1 mile in their noisy city, they'd probably throw an online temper tantrum after their 20th call to customer service.

Generally speaking, the lower the frequency, the longer the range as well as the more penetration. There is a reason 1.3ghz video out performs 5.8ghz and why UHF (433mhz) is the go to for long range RC control. 5.8ghz is convenient, but its the worst choice in terms of distance and penetration.

Here is 1.5 miles with the Phantom 1:

Is that all stock though?

So I guess the true "non interrupted" range is a lot higher than I have read.

Run phantom 2, with an FPV unit. Get extra batteries. Though penetration may be important to me Through trees and such. Better to go lower frequency, build my own?

Does the fat shark run through the go pro?

When you run out of range, does the copter return at a straight line? IE if I fly over some stuff, is this unit going to fly into them on the way back?

Prices I have found (please tell me if I am in the ball park)

FPV will run me about 300
the phantom about 700
battery 150 plus charger for 100
sound about right?
 
poohbear said:
Is that all stock though?

So I guess the true "non interrupted" range is a lot higher than I have read.

Run phantom 2, with an FPV unit. Get extra batteries.

Does the fat shark run through the go pro?

When you run out of range, does the copter return at a straight line? IE if I fly over some stuff, is this unit going to fly into them on the way back?

Prices I have found (please tell me if I am in the ball park)

FPV will run me about 300
the phantom about 700
battery 150 plus charger for 100
sound about right?

Yes, that is the stock phantom 1 tx/rx

If you get the Fatshark Predator v2 kit (about $270), it comes with a camera, video transmitter, and goggles. You can use the GoPro for FPV if you choose, but the general consensus is that a dedicated FPV camera is the better choice. Still, lots of people seem to use the GoPro.

Yes, the Phantom will return the fastest way possible back to destination (straight shot). However, once the Phantom has gained some ground, you can regain control by switching to ATTI, then back to GPS if you choose. If you're not at an altitude of at least 20m, it will climb to 20m before making its way back home. If above 20m, it will maintain that altitude.
 
Howzit said:
Yes, that is the stock phantom 1 tx/rx

If you get the Fatshark Predator v2 kit (about $270), it comes with a camera, video transmitter, and goggles. You can use the GoPro for FPV if you choose, but the general consensus is that a dedicated FPV camera is the better choice. Still, lots of people seem to use the GoPro.

Yes, the Phantom will return the fastest way possible back to destination (straight shot). However, once the Phantom has gained some ground, you can regain control by switching to ATTI, then back to GPS if you choose. If you're not at an altitude of at least 20m, it will climb to 20m before making its way back home. If above 20m, it will maintain that altitude.

This brilliant. Thank you Howzit!

I know this may be the wrong forum. But stay away from blade? Other brands I shoudl consider?

How does 900 sound for new phantom 2 with 3d gimble? Is that about the going rate?
 
poohbear said:
Howzit said:
Yes, that is the stock phantom 1 tx/rx

If you get the Fatshark Predator v2 kit (about $270), it comes with a camera, video transmitter, and goggles. You can use the GoPro for FPV if you choose, but the general consensus is that a dedicated FPV camera is the better choice. Still, lots of people seem to use the GoPro.

Yes, the Phantom will return the fastest way possible back to destination (straight shot). However, once the Phantom has gained some ground, you can regain control by switching to ATTI, then back to GPS if you choose. If you're not at an altitude of at least 20m, it will climb to 20m before making its way back home. If above 20m, it will maintain that altitude.

This brilliant. Thank you Howzit!

I know this may be the wrong forum. But stay away from blade? Other brands I shoudl consider?

How does 900 sound for new phantom 2 with 3d gimble? Is that about the going rate?

For an entry level, consumer grade product, the Phantom is probably the better of the 2. There is also quite a bit more aftermarket support for the DJI products.

If you don't mind tinkering, buying a Phantom 1 and transporting it into a Phantom 2 case could also be a consideration. This will allow you to use any 3s battery you wish, unlike the Phantom 2 that requires expensive proprietary batteries. I haven't been keeping up in the Phantom world much lately, so maybe someone has figured out how to use non OEM batteries in the Phantom 2?

Tho, if you don't mind tinkering, building a quad is also a solid option.
 
Howzit said:
For an entry level, consumer grade product, the Phantom is probably the better of the 2. There is also quite a bit more aftermarket support for the DJI products.

If you don't mind tinkering, buying a Phantom 1 and transporting it into a Phantom 2 case could also be a consideration. This will allow you to use any 3s battery you wish, unlike the Phantom 2 that requires expensive proprietary batteries. I haven't been keeping up in the Phantom world much lately, so maybe someone has figured out how to use non OEM batteries in the Phantom 2?

Tho, if you don't mind tinkering, building a quad is also a solid option.

I am not an entry level kinda guy. Maybe a build is the way to go.
 
poohbear said:
\
I am not an entry level kinda guy. Maybe a build is the way to go.
What I mean by this... I want something I can use and use... I dont want to be limited by buying entry level.
 
poohbear said:
poohbear said:
\
I am not an entry level kinda guy. Maybe a build is the way to go.
What I mean by this... I want something I can use and use... I dont want to be limited by buying entry level.

What do you imagine the limits of an "entry level" quad to be? What are you going to use it for?
 
panhygrous pantler said:
poohbear said:
poohbear said:
\
I am not an entry level kinda guy. Maybe a build is the way to go.
What I mean by this... I want something I can use and use... I dont want to be limited by buying entry level.

What do you imagine the limits of an "entry level" quad to be? What are you going to use it for?

I would like some pretty good range. But mostly just go-pro video. Flat track video when I take my motorcycle out to some road courses. That kind of stuff. I will be doing some stuff in the woods though I would like it for. What is the range of the fat shark?
 
poohbear said:
poohbear said:
\
I am not an entry level kinda guy. Maybe a build is the way to go.
What I mean by this... I want something I can use and use... I dont want to be limited by buying entry level.

Well, it's good at what it does - a fly camera. It's easy to setup and quickly get into the air, it produces good, jello free video.

For the money, you could build a similar quad and use slightly better components - probably be cheaper as well.

So, of you're looking for an aerial photography rig that will get into the air quickly, then the Phantom will do the job. Take a look around, some of these guys have produced some amazing video and photos.

If you're wanting a 'pilots' aircraft, there are definitely better quads for the money....especially if FPV is your primary goal.

For me, $700 is a lot of coin for what the Phantom 2 is, especially with its very expensive batteries. But, everyone has their own goals and expectations. If I were getting into the Phantom market right now and wasn't in a rush, I'd 'build' a Phantom 1.5 as mentioned above (Phantom 1 in a Phantom 2 shell).

Plenty of people own the Phantom 2 and are 100% happy with it. For many, its nothing but a tool in their box for the work they do (well, and a bit of fun!) :) if you're getting into the hobby for fun more than you are photography, I'd say use that $1000-$1500 and build a badass quad, like the QAV400, Cinetank, ADS400q, TBS Discovery, etc.
 
Howzit said:
Well, it's good at what it does - a fly camera. It's easy to setup and quickly get into the air, it produces good, jello free video.

For the money, you could build a similar quad and use slightly better components - probably be cheaper as well.

So, of you're looking for an aerial photography rig that will get into the air quickly, then the Phantom will do the job. Take a look around, some of these guys have produced some amazing video and photos.

If you're wanting a 'pilots' aircraft, there are definitely better quads for the money....especially if FPV is your primary goal.

For me, $700 is a lot of coin for what the Phantom 2 is, especially with its very expensive batteries. But, everyone has their own goals and expectations. If I were getting into the Phantom market right now and wasn't in a rush, I'd 'build' a Phantom 1.5 as mentioned above (Phantom 1 in a Phantom 2 shell).

Plenty of people own the Phantom 2 and are 100% happy with it. For many, its nothing but a tool in their box for the work they do (well, and a bit of fun!) :) if you're getting into the hobby for fun more than you are photography, I'd say use that $1000-$1500 and build a badass quad, like the QAV400, Cinetank, ADS400q, TBS Discovery, etc.

Building is looking better. Especially considering I can run the go pro and fat shark.

Good reading material for component builds?
 
poohbear said:
Howzit said:
Well, it's good at what it does - a fly camera. It's easy to setup and quickly get into the air, it produces good, jello free video.

For the money, you could build a similar quad and use slightly better components - probably be cheaper as well.

So, of you're looking for an aerial photography rig that will get into the air quickly, then the Phantom will do the job. Take a look around, some of these guys have produced some amazing video and photos.

If you're wanting a 'pilots' aircraft, there are definitely better quads for the money....especially if FPV is your primary goal.

For me, $700 is a lot of coin for what the Phantom 2 is, especially with its very expensive batteries. But, everyone has their own goals and expectations. If I were getting into the Phantom market right now and wasn't in a rush, I'd 'build' a Phantom 1.5 as mentioned above (Phantom 1 in a Phantom 2 shell).

Plenty of people own the Phantom 2 and are 100% happy with it. For many, its nothing but a tool in their box for the work they do (well, and a bit of fun!) :) if you're getting into the hobby for fun more than you are photography, I'd say use that $1000-$1500 and build a badass quad, like the QAV400, Cinetank, ADS400q, TBS Discovery, etc.

Building is looking better. Especially considering I can run the go pro and fat shark.

Good reading material for component builds?

Well, you can run a GoPro and FPV (fatshark) on the phantom 1 and 2 - things just really start to get cramped inside when you start adding stuff like the PMU v2, iOSD mini, etc.

Building any of these quads will more or less be the same and pretty straight forward. Since it's so popular, there are tons of build logs and videos on the TBS Discovery - all of it transfers to pretty much any quad, however.

http://fpvlab.com/forums/showthread.php ... quad-build
 
poohbear said:
panhygrous pantler said:
poohbear said:
What do you imagine the limits of an "entry level" quad to be? What are you going to use it for?

I would like some pretty good range. But mostly just go-pro video. Flat track video when I take my motorcycle out to some road courses. That kind of stuff. I will be doing some stuff in the woods though I would like it for. What is the range of the fat shark?

What is "pretty good range"?

You can Google the range of the Fat Shark...

If you're looking at "mostly just go-pro[sic] video" then the P2 fits the bill.
 
I got 1.5 miles (unobstructed) with fatshark 250mw and 5 turn helical.

1 mile with SpiroNet (cloverleafs) on both sides.

This was about the limit of both sets of antennas, as I got some decent breakup when turning the quad around (antenna now blocked by the quad itself).

I'm currently getting 2.5 miles with 400mw 1.3ghz, limited only by battery - more or less perfect video all the way out.
 

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