Getting a bit hacked off at the expense

[6lennn]

Im having a low day, feckin hacked off at the unforgiving nature of this hobby, every mistake is meet with shelling out more bloody money

I now need to replace my lipos, arghghghh

My own fault tbh, i shorted lipo while trying to get 3s power from a 4s battery, didnt realise at the time that I had killed a cell. cant get it back, tried charging the individual cell but it visibly drops voltage in front of your eyes. so its goosed, my other pack is bent and not safe as the foil is damaged, did this while maidening my zeph, so needing another $100 worth of lipos

I lost a £90 flight cam the other week by putting 12v through it, i now have a cheaper board cam
I lost £700's worth of skywalker and all the toys because of a 1mm grubscrew
I keep snapping the plastic tubes on my antennas and now dont know whether to trust them

And all this for a 10 min blast around the sky where I sh1t myself if I have to turn right
cant get away from the fact I have another £700 +(and thats without the gopro2) in the air and there is no f-in insurance policy that covers what i do as my model weighs more than 1.8kg

seriously hacked off!!!

[Balders]

I know what you mean, I haven't lost anything like that value of kit, but I did lose my original tricopter, and that really hurt (not in a financial way).

So far I've gone about FPV in as inexpensive a way as I could manage (Easystar, $12 camera, cheapish Vtx and Spektrum radio) which got me confidently flying around.  I've since upgraded the key component (ie UHF) so have confidence that my Tx range far outstrips my video range, and so I build distance.

I'm hoping to put the Vega airborne soon, which I will get very familiar with (especially take-offs!) before I put the GoPro on.  Where I live does not lend itself to extreme height/distances so I'm hoping I will be well within the limits of my equipment.  I know that doesn't preclude equipment failure but hey...one of the inherant risks of our hobby I guess.  You do what you can to mitigate the risks, but accept that there will be losses from time to time.

What lipo's are you using?  I just bought some more 2300mah 3S's from Giant Cod and they were about £11 each.  Parallel running them on the Vega.

[Dusty]

Why does your model weighing more than 1.8kg invalidate your insurance? [is this the exemption?]

I agree, this hobby has sooooo many hidden expenses. 1 person says "buy this, they're really good" then when it arrives you realise that you need something else for it to work. whether that be a new tool or a really small part that they only sell in bulk quantities. even the small things add up.

we say we have roughly £700+ in the air... but dont forget the hundreds spent on tools/parts/materials.

The advice from the "other" place, usually comes from people who have all the kit. Expensive soldering gear, CNC machines, laser cutters full blown workshops etc... of course its "easy" for them. but what about the people who have to make do with using their dining room as a workshop, that needs 100% clearing up before you go to bed? or those who have basic tool kits? it all adds to the expense.

I can confidently say I've spent close to £2000 since starting FPV. and where am I now? stuck on the ground STILL waiting for parts to complete what "some" people would say is a basic build and should be done in a single day.

Only thing cheering me up is the awful weather.

[6lennn]

Why does your model weighing more than 1.8kg invalidate your insurance? [is this the exemption?]

I have the FPVUK insurance, its only valid if you are compliant with the ano and the exemtion

exemption is for models under 1.8kg

Ano says los only, the bmfa tried to help with the buddy box thing, but doesnt help me

What lipo's are you using?  I just bought some more 2300mah 3S's from Giant Cod and they were about £11 each.  Parallel running them on the Vega.

2x 4000mah 4s nanotechs in parallel, my plane is built around them being that size and weight for cg


Dont get me wrong, I love the tinkering/building and learning but why does every mistake or ignorance of stuff you never knew you needed to know get punished by shelling out more cash.

I have 4 platforms good for FPV, but am now having to share a camera on as Im all outa fun money
 only have 1 2.4 vtx, 1 5.8 vtx, 1uhf rx and 2 2.4 rx, so its hardly practical to be able to fly more than one platform in a session.

spect Ill be feel better tomorrz, she just feels like an evil vengeful mistress today

[Balders]

If it was easy/cheap, EVERYONE would be doing it, and where's the fun in that

Just think, if you were into racing motorbikes, or cars, or something like that, your expenses would be FAR higher every time you put a ding into it, so pound for pound, I think our hobby is not too expensive.

It's the same reason why I fly heli's....not because it is easy but because it is hard

[Cupid Stunt]

KEEP IT SIMPLE !

Go back to the very very basics...

Plane, camera, vtx, nothing else

A working, well balanced plane that flies line of sight almost on it's own, don't just test it once get used to how it flies LOS lots and lots

Then add a camera and VTX, test LOS again with someone observing signal/screen/goggles to watch for any drop-outs or of course record the transmitted signal

Take it all home, check the video footage, make sure all is OK

Out again and fly LOS for 5 minutes just to check, then switch to goggles/screen

Been there and done it, all the tech for a newbie just spoils the enjoyment of flying

[6lennn]

Yup I agree cupid, my phoenix is about a simple as it can be, trouble is if a seagull farts near it the gust of wind blows it all over the place.

Im on the coast so even on a no wind day we have a sea breeze

Probably going to move all the gear onto my little wing and just flap that about for a bit

[Cupid Stunt]

Just keep practicing with the basic gear mate

After a while you find it amazing just how much wind these floaty planes can cope with

It helps to have an experienced pilot with you as they already know how much wind is too much and they can fly your plane giving you the confidence to have a go, that's how it worked for me anyway

[Chris R]

Mistakes can be expensive! remember keep it simple and attention to detail.