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Was thinking of building up an FPV racing drone with my boys. I only want something entry level. Cheap, but not rubbish. A while ago I was recommended the following drone (and various other bits). Is this a good starting point or is there something a little newer/more appropriate?
Diatone 2018 GT-M3 FPV Racing Quadcopter (Normal X model)
Anybody have any views on this?
This is probably not much help but I have several friends who are seriously into fpv quadcopters, they don't race them but are using the same type of drones. They build and program them from scratch and from their descriptions it is not an easy thing to do for a beginner, and they frequently need to be rebuilt after crashes which happen a lot ( from flying thru trees and abandoned buildings at 60mph). I know the batteries last around 5 mins and they all take quite a few when they fly as it takes a while to charge them, afaik they are not cheap to build and not easy to fly, ie nothing like the things they sell in the gadget shop etc
But take note of pothead, they are fast, complicated and very difficult to control. You'll also need FPV goggles/controller etc.
If you click on the video description above theres loads of links to parts
I was never seriously into it, but have played about with it with a Walkera Runner 250. I found it a lot easier than flying an RC heli, when you crashed it was easier to repair and cheaper! I'm not saying its easy, definitely harder to control than a super sensitive RC nitro buggy.
You will need spare batteries, rotors, arms, etc. FPV goggles will be needed at some point, once you get the hang of flying. You might be able to get a USB adapter for your tranny so you can practice on your PC.
Whatever you are spending on your drone, double it for accessories/spares/batteries.
It’s a great hobby but I eventually packed it in after being fed up with being sent poor components. 99% of parts come from China and seemingly there’s no quality control over there. It’s frustrating waiting weeks and weeks for parts to be delivered only to be sent something that doesn’t work.
You can find a few UK based companies but you’ll pay a huge premium for the privilege (but most stuff still originates in China anyway).
So whatever you order. Order two and then two more! It soon gets expensive.
You’ll also spend twice as much time fixing it / shouting at a PC trying to tune it that actually flying it.
It’s bloody good fun if you ignore the above though.
Final note - members of the public will hate you and think you’re a pervert spying on them with it. Drone pilots rank lower that cyclists in the public eye. IMO
Thanks for the replies. It does seem that more of the kit seems to come from China. I had heard that the tuning can be a bit of a headache too.