First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

Revomikey · Nov 22, 2014

Hi all, I have a new fc40 sitting on a shelf waiting for Christmas day with my name on it. Cant wait.

I don't fancy not having sound on the camera though and not being a fan of the overpriced go pros I am considering the sj4000 camera.

I don't plan on going full fpv for a while so wonder what kind of WiFi range these cams are giving compared to the stock 100m range. Anyone got one? Also, would I need anything extra to mount it under the dji?

Thanks, Mike

CarlJ · Nov 22, 2014

Re: First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

Most of us avoid the sound during flight. Lots of buzzing, and wind, and not very pleasant to the ear.

You really should consider a cheap GoPro, can't beat the image quality.

Torquetube · Nov 22, 2014

Re: First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

I'm in the same boat, have an FC40 waiting for its maiden flight on Xmas day, I was considering an SJ4000 camera plus a gimbal, also there seems to be lots of fake SJ4000's on the market. I opted for a Go Pro hero 3 White edition as Amazon had them £149, that way it will balance nicely on the gimbal.

CarlJ · Nov 22, 2014

Re: First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

Torquetube said:
that way it will balance nicely on the gimbal.

Well worth the money for this alone.

CityZen · Nov 22, 2014

Re: First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

Regarding range, see http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=6866&start=160

lake_flyer · Nov 23, 2014

Re: First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

I had a SJ4000. It didn't have any wifi.
Just got me a AC5000W (looks almost the same, like a Gopro) and that has Wifi. However the range is less than the FC40 camera. Also there's a bigger lag. Also tried my Gopro H3+SE with wifi but the lag is even bigger, more than 2 seconds, and the range is only about 30 meters.

There's a reason for not having sound and just 720p on the FC40 camera Less lag and longer range. Around 100 meters isn't that bad for this small camera.

lake_flyer · Nov 23, 2014

Re: First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

And compared to my Gopro, these camera's are just look a likes. Nice but certainly not very good. Gopro H3+SE might be twice as expensive as a SJ4000 but is indeed at least twice as good. There's been put a lot more thought in the Gopro firmware and hardware design. And you get Gopro Studio software for free, which I do use quite a lot to edit my Phantom shots. I did like the little color screen on the SJ4000 back though.

Revomikey · Nov 23, 2014

That's some great advice everyone. Thank you. So to summarise the sj4000 isn't a suitable fpv replacement then. I might get one for recording but also use the fc for fpv through the phone then.

So how are you guys getting fpv as all the fat shark set ups seem to be 5.8ghz the same as the tx?

I see loads of you tube vids of them working in the phantom but I would expect a big frequency clash?

CarlJ · Nov 23, 2014

Re: First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

Revomikey said:
That's some great advice everyone. Thank you. So to summarise the sj4000 isn't a suitable fpv replacement then. I might get one for recording but also use the fc for fpv through the phone then.

Yep, most just use the stock camera for FPV.

Revomikey said:
So how are you guys getting fpv as all the fat shark set ups seem to be 5.8ghz the same as the tx?

We aren't, FPV is a pickle for the FC40.

Revomikey said:
I see loads of you tube vids of them working in the phantom but I would expect a big frequency clash?

If it's an FC40, it's been heavily modified...as in swapping out the radios and receivers to 2.4ghz. Not all Phantoms use 5.8

Revomikey · Nov 23, 2014

Thanks for that, cant we just change the tx and rx then to 2.4? With all my other rcs I could pick which system I want to run and fit it, like a spektrum?

lake_flyer · Nov 24, 2014

Re: First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

Sure, you can put a 2.4GHz Rx in the FC40, no problem, many people did that and I'm going to do the same some day. I want to be able to use my 5.8 Fatshark on both my quads.

zerodb · Nov 24, 2014

Re: First post, new fc40, need to upgrade

Revomikey said:
Hi all, I have a new fc40 sitting on a shelf waiting for Christmas day with my name on it. Cant wait.

I don't fancy not having sound on the camera though and not being a fan of the overpriced go pros I am considering the sj4000 camera.

I don't plan on going full fpv for a while so wonder what kind of WiFi range these cams are giving compared to the stock 100m range. Anyone got one? Also, would I need anything extra to mount it under the dji?

Thanks, Mike

I've got an SJ4000 wifi on my FC40 and sadly the wifi range doesn't nearly match the FC40 camera (but I think it's still better than the wifi on the Gopro Hero 3). Not sure why, but it breaks up a lot earlier. I've been flying with my Kindle Fire HD tablet and the FC40 cam will get me 200-250m pretty easily in open spaces, I just have it stuck to the battery door with 3M DualLock megavelcro. I'd like to see if I can piggyback it onto my SJ4000 and gimbal though so it will show me where the camera is actually pointed. If FPV is really a priority, you're going to want to look into a dedicated FPV transmission setup rather than any of these cludgy wifi situations.

Revomikey · Nov 25, 2014

Thanks again for the advice. Fpv is a priority and I plan on fitting a fat shark system, in time of course.

So if I can fit an alternate dji tx and rx does that mean I can fit any 2.4 system like a spektrum?