Looks like you did some research, so you've gotten pretty much all the good budget stuff, I'd say. So here's just a few of my opinions on an otherwise pretty respectable setup.

The TS832 is rated 600mW, but from my power meter, it's actually around 300-400mW, which is not really an issue, even 300mW will get you enough range, which has more to do with better antennas. Which brings me to the next point, you'll need some circular polarized antenna.

I recommend aomway as it performs excellent for the money. I have had great luck with these also.

Another point to mention is that the TS832 is a bit larger (physically) than most VTX's, but it's not really an issue unless you are building a super tight fitted quadcopter.

Your camera should work fine, though I recommend maybe something less wide than 2.1mm, like a 2.8mm (popular in FPV). The trade off with wide lens is you get to see more, but at the cost of seeing less clearly, since everything is super tiny and far away. Since you are not doing racing, even a 3.6mm would be nice to have, since you can see much more details. But 2.8mm is a good compromise. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyKSH1blJRc)


You can record from the receiver that hooks up to your goggles, but you'll need a DVR to tap into the secondary RCA connector. Or some people use a laptop with a video-input.

Lastly, you can tap into the battery of the quadcopter as not to require a second battery. To do this, you'll need a BEC or voltage regulator that can supply AND filter out the motor noise in the voltage. But a cheap small 3 cell lipo will do the trick and avoid the noise issue.

It looks like they run anywhere from $40ish up. You'll most likely pay into the triple digits for a higher quality one though.

Something like this would be an example of a cheap one, but I have no idea if it's worth it. It's a chinese rebrand. It's a 4 channel setup, with a 12v input.

I'd most likely go with a name branded one, to be safe.
What's strange is that a lot of these are cheaper than most FPV grade DVRs, surprisingly. Do note though... They aren't quite as user friendly, but they're far more capable. The noise filtering is unparallelled, as well. Crisp, clean recordings.

You'd need any matched pair of a TX and RX as well as a controller. A popular recommendation for beginners is the Turnigy 9x.

If you're just staring out though, many people recommend getting a mini quad to test your hand with to get the basic skills down without investing a lot of money (plus these little buggers are super durable and can take most crashes without incident). They're small enough to fly indoors as well.

Check out the:
Syma X1: http://www.amazon.com/Syma-Channel-2-4G-Quad-Copter/dp/B0096SJU3U

Syma X11: http://www.amazon.com/Syma-X11-Quadcopter-Black/dp/B00L4O3IPK/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1416715324&sr=1-1&keywords=syma+x11

Or the Hubsan X4: http://www.amazon.com/Hubsan-H107C-2-4G-Quadcopter-Camera/dp/B00EXBDYPK/ref=sr_1_5?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1416715349&sr=1-5&keywords=hubsan+x4

I'm back with a couple of extra questions! :)

The gx210 arrives on Friday but after some searching, I'm afraid I may not be ready for it.

It looks like I need to buy a couple more things.

First, the antenna...

***

It looks like the RTF version comes with a mushroom-type antenna, but the ARF version I bought does not. Last week, I bought this on Amazon to go along with the Runcam Swift you recommended to me: AKK FPV TS5828L 5.8G 600MW 40CH Mini AV Transmitter

Do I also need to buy this thing:

Realacc GX210 5.8G LHCP FPV Clover Antenna RP-SMA

...and wait another week for it to arrive from China? D'oh!

Do I need to buy TWO of the LHCP antennas, one for the quad, and one for my Eachine EV800 goggles? (I think I read somewhere they need to match?)

Or EVEN MORE antennas for spares?

EDIT: it looks like this Anbee Circular Polarized Antenna from Amazon might do the trick for me?

Soldering

***

Do I need to do any soldering to get it all in the air on day one? (I assumed that would be the case, hooking up the VTX and the Runcam Swift, but I am not totally sure)

What kind of solder? Rosen core? Do I need a jar of flux? What about water-soluble flux? Is there a safe/environmentally friendly/least toxic type of solder/flux?

Battery alarms, flight time, on screen display, etc.

**

Finally, what about a battery alarm? How will I know it's time to land?? I know you mentioned having a timer, but I'm not sure how you calculate the flight time.

Does the ARF kit I bought have on on-screen display that displays voltage?

Thank you!

edited for formatting and clarity

Thats great to hear! It must've still had moisture under the chips causing a short but now had time to fully dry out.


Get this stuff https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-Silicone-Modified-Conformal/dp/B008O9YIV6/ its modified with a UV dye so you can see where its been applied. You can get a UV led Flashlight for cheap to ensure havent missed a spot.

You can coat everything, even soldering pads. if you ever need to solder anything to the board, the coating just steams away just be sure to reapply the coating in that area afterwards.

The bottle arrived the other day and I took my tinyhawk freestyle apart and desoldered the VTX (same board as the tinyhawk) to fully coat it then also added a larger capacitor. https://i.imgur.com/wYo9Laz.jpg . I did two coats then one more once everything was soldered and plugged in. I'm confident that this thing could survive a dunk in a pond now.

Thank you for all that! That was a useful YouTube video, too.

I had to make the purchases yesterday, since I'll be playing with actors in the studio on Monday. That said, I still have time to buy some things.

It's a comfort that I seem to be on the right track. The biggest difference between what I bought and your suggestions is that you suggested I buy the Dock-Kings and other pricier receiver/converting gear. I'd appreciate if you could look at my list of purchased items to determine if you think it will work, or if you see some some red flags.

I suppose in the long run, if this theatre show concept shows promise, we would then invest in more reliable gear, such as no-compression wireless HDMI tx/rx. For now, here it is:

​

4 cameras:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5D8SPZ/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (1S LiPo)

2 x https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y56RL5P/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (1S LiPo)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0184DVN4G/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (2S or 3S LiPo)

​

3 receivers (should I buy different antennae?):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0774SMGQN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2 x https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H36AIGY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

3 AC/DC adapters for the receivers:

3 x https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ISM267G/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

3S LiPo (for 3S LiPo camera and try battery-powered Receiver)

2 x https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GF63645/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Battery chargers

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00466PKE0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Charger-Channel-Inductrix-Connectors/dp/B074M6G2MD

​

Each receiver has an AV output + AV RCA cable. I'll plug in the RCAs from 2 or 3 receivers into this Switcher:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXVBB7C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Using an RCA cable, connect the Switcher's Output to this RCA to HDMI converter:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KTDG177/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Then HDMI to projector.

​

Ta-da?

Thanks. I was eventually trying to build myself up to getting something like a quadracopter, and I'm well away from that. For a "cheap aircraft," should I start with something like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Syma-Channel-2-4G-Quad-Copter/dp/B0096SJU3U/ref=sr_1_4/185-7407017-7778365?ie=UTF8&qid=1397435935&sr=8-4&keywords=quadcopter) or do you have any other suggestions?

Eachine 700tvl ET200 5.8G 32CH 200mW Mini FPV Transmitter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WQZNZ54/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_lqkoxb5XX7ACR

I have 3 of these and am very happy. 1 day prime, $27, compatible with your goggles and nearly any others. Easy control of channels and bands.

These antennas match well:

Crazepony 2pcs Aomway Antenna 5.8G 3DBi 4 Leaf Clover for FPV Multicopter TXRX (RP-SMA Male) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DBBY456/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_jvkoxbFCH34XZ

$500 is a tight budget. $500 can get you "something that flies" and "something that's FPV." At the $500 level, you're talking 4-12 minutes.

Wind handling comes from "being fast" and "having a decent flight controller". Naze32, Flip32, KK2 2.1, NAZA, etc.. are all good flight controlers.

The big question is, what are you trying to do? Just "get in and have fun?" Well, in that case I'd probally point you at something like a the Proto or Hubsan ready to fly FPV quads, and a second, non FPV quad for bashing around. Buy two of the same brand, and a half a dozen batteries, and a good charger.

Quadcopters break. And they break, a lot. The bigger they are, the more they break. If you oops, you've lost a prop. If you oops hard, you've broken an airframe, bent a motor shaft, popped a battery... something like that.

If you're determined to fly something larger, you're going to eat the budget quickly.

So "the nerobro way"

Hubsan 104d FPV: $150
http://www.amazon.com/Hubsan-H107D-FPV-Mini-Quadcopter/dp/B00GSNWB5K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422240063&sr=8-1&keywords=hubsan+x4+fpv

Hubsan 104 crash pack: $20
http://www.amazon.com/Hubsan-H107D-Quadcopter-Crash-shown/dp/B00FZ9BDMU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422240063&sr=8-2&keywords=hubsan+x4+fpv

Hubsan 107 (non fpv): $54
http://www.amazon.com/Hubsan-H107L-Channel-2-4GHz-Quadcopter/dp/B00IZC6C8E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422240139&sr=8-1&keywords=hubsan+107

4x battery charger: $7
http://www.amazon.com/ThinkMax%C2%AE-X4-Battery-Charger-Hubsan/dp/B00LGWQ4FG/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1422240139&sr=8-13&keywords=hubsan+107

That'll get you something to learn with, and something to fly FPV with for less than $350. And you will NOT be bored. :-) And if you really screw up, you'll have spare parts. Consider adding a few more batteries.

Yep, it was the antenna. I ended up buying these off amazon and got it working perfectly:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LGM2U0E/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am a beginner in fpv flying who just got a maiden flight of my x220 today and here are my thoughts.

tldr; x220 is too dangerous to recommend to a first time flyer so get a Hubsan X4 or similar quad to practice with since it's way cheaper.

This was the first ever drone I bought and is what I started with (Jun 2015). It was way harder than I thought it'd be but I eventually got a feel for it and got a Hubsan X4 (Nov 2015) after researching for a first "real quad". It was a huge step in difficulty but after a year I am very comfortable in the Expert flying mode. I can full throttle it into the corner of my wall and quickly pull back, operate it with the front facing any direction, orbits, yaw spins, etc.

The x220 was a completely different level. During my short flight I had to focus on just hovering and could only move it in the direction I was facing and this was only in angle mode which is basically auto leveling afaik. Regular mode I could just hover. Remember too that this is all LoS and not FPV. I got a pair of FatSharks setup but am not near comfortable enough to use them in flight.

This thing is a beast and super dangerous so I would not recommend it to someone who has never flown a quad before. I'm not sure how good sims are for learning but I would look into a Hubsan X4 to learn with since its relatively cheap and has that expert mode to work up to. You can also fly it indoors during the winter and outdoors when its nice out.

Hmm, what about http://www.amazon.com/RearView-Headrest-Monitor-Support-Rotating/dp/B007SLDF7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404768541&sr=8-1&keywords=fpv+monitor ?

I actually found that Boscam I linked to earlier on Amazon for a little cheaper and it comes with free 2 day shipping. I try to avoid HobbyKing when I can find an alternative. I mainly just search HobbyKing for reviews and discussion on products I can find elsewhere.

Would that monitor be okay? I see it has the required AV inputs, though my confusion would be powering it. I still haven't looked into it a whole lot yet, because I'm on break at work right now and about to go back in but will read up more later.

The whole laptop idea seemed simpler to me, though I did not take into account issues when streaming. My main goal was to just have an easy, portable, battery powered 'monitor' to haul with me.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9E33XA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FJM6ybRDZN741

This is the camera that most people are putting on tiny whoops(really small drones). I've used this exact one, and it works pretty good. It will only give you about 50 ft of range though.


If you are looking for more range, you will have the buy a camera and a transmitter, such as these two:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N948FF7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xMM6ybVKT9E49

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E6GPYS6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wNM6ybJQT95DW


EDIT: you would also need a recover for the video.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H36AIGY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6PM6ybWV3Y0EJ

This puts out RCA to a monitor of your choice

just so you know, this is the quality of an FPV camera and you will be getting breakup lines like this as bodies and stuff getting in the way will cause signal loss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU96HLe-hcs

​

​

Here is stuff you can use from Amazon for the AIO Fpv Camera

​

https://www.amazon.com/Wolfwhoop-WT05-Transmitter-Antenna-Quadcopter/dp/B06XJMQQ6Y/

​

https://www.amazon.com/Crazepony-230mAh-Battery-Inductrix-Connector/dp/B01N0Z0ME2

​

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Charger-Channel-Inductrix-Connectors/dp/B074M6G2MD

​

Here is how to hook it up to a battery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOcxdVX6zYk

​

On the receving end, I assume you will then want to output to HDMI? The best/easiest way to do this is to buy two of these dock kings and hdmi adapters, one for each camera. If you have power nearby you can use a regular 5.5mm DC jack power adapter like for laptops. Or you can buy the battery packs for them. You will also want at least 2 antennas on each receiver, 1 omni and 1 patch antenna pointing in the direction of the actors

​

https://furiousfpv.com/product_info.php?cPath=56&products_id=669

​

https://furiousfpv.com/product_info.php?products_id=704

​

https://furiousfpv.com/product_info.php?cPath=42&products_id=687

​

https://www.amazon.com/Crazepony-Antenna-Protective-Covering-Multicopter/dp/B01N9QM409

​

https://www.amazon.com/RCmall-Accuracy-Directional-Circularly-Polarized/dp/B0772WJB5R

​


You will have to learn/read instructions on how to set each camera and receiver to their matching frequency bands


​

​

Sure!

Eachine EV800D goggles - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B076BWMTL7?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

FrSky Taranis X-Lite Pro - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07QJ38Q1X?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

Emax Tinyhawk Freestyle - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07W4RZYGS?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

6 pack of GN3 450 mah lipos- https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07X1T44QT?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

I love eachines https://www.amazon.com/Eachine-700tvl-ET200-200mW-Transmitter/dp/B00WQZNZ54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474931947&sr=8-1&keywords=eachine+200mw

Yes!
But it isn't perfect...

I grabbed an EasyCap USB Capture Device from to get my video/audio,

and an LM2577 Step-up Voltage Regulator to allow my to power my Rx at 12v from USB.

My entire base station is just powered off of the laptop battery now. Like others have said though there is an issue with lag. There are drivers for the EasyCap devices for both Linux and Windows, and you can use either tvtime or DScaler respectively to view the video with as little lag as possible. Even with this setup though I'm still ~100-150ms behind what is actually going on. You can make the mess manageable by velcroing your Rx and cables etc to the back of your laptop.

When you're decently high up off the ground the lag isn't terribly noticeable as long as it isn't windy and you are just cruising around. Once you get down close to the ground though and have to make quick adjustments you will definitely notice the lag, and you can pretty much forget about doing quick slaloms around trees and such.

Assuming you picked up one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Eachine-700TVL-Degree-Camera-Transmission/dp/B00WJFKXS8

That video transmitter outputs unfiltered (bad) 5v (good) to the camera. You can add an LC filter later if you notice bad signal when adding throttle.

LC Filter: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B018X744TO/

Note that cmos cameras generally have trouble with detail in changing light conditions. Since you are getting 5v out, you can easily upgrade this later to a much nicer ccd camera (though you might need to solder some wires together).

The gold standard of fpv cameras is the hs1177, this one is my favorite:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E6GPYS6/

You have a good working setup though, I would only upgrade as you go

It's the older style pdb. The motors aren't running at the time is the photo. I've slowly been removing more and more of the electronics from the frame during test. At this time only the ESCs are still attached and the signal cables are completely opposite the signal wires. Did you ever clear this up?

I've tried a TS5823 and one of these with no luck. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N948FF7/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501840317&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=akk+vtx

I have another quad with a cheap pdb and fc and vtx that doesn't have these issues.

Oh sure I was honest in saying you will eventually spend a heck of a lot more. Yet my point is that too many people think it's too expensive.

Fpv shopping list for one on a budget:
(Do your own research next time)
Monitor
7" TFT LCD Color https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SLDF7O/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_NxCXub0G1JF6N
$27 hook you TX and a 12th source and you have video.

Now for the good stuff...
700 TVL Surveillance Camera https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GMAAJY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_zACXub1JMVWMM
$30 strip the camera out and hook it up to a 3S battery. Your video. This is your basic over priced $60 Sony board camera.

Now for your TX/RX:
1.2G 8ch video transmitter and receiver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M7TBAZG/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_3FCXub0RC8NSF
$65

I'm at $120 here. All prime and definitely not the absolute cheapest solution.

If you don't have a soldering iron go to harbor freight and pick one up for $10. Get flux and solder for another $10.

Build your own antennas, I did. Lazy people spend $60 on a pair of antennas.

My point is this hobby can be a cheap or expensive as you make it. I'm tired of the misconceptions with "drones", the media portrays us as idiots. Yet many of us are genius.

Use your creativity and build something cheap or buy something expensive but make the hobby what you want to make it. If you lack the technical skill to build, there are plenty of alternatives just be willing to pay.

This how I started it every thing you need to get up and flying an it cost $80 so you both can get one
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GSNWB5K/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487294070&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=hubsan+h107d&dpPl=1&dpID=418eL4vs7cL&ref=plSrch

Also I recommend tilting the camera and mounting the antenna to the top of the quad plenty of videos on this guy too

This is what I will be using. It can run on a 3S battery and is only $26 bucks. Has 2 inputs too. Cant go wrong: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SLDF7O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is more of a complete package for what you want.

http://www.amazon.com/Spektrum-FPV-Ultra-Micro-Camera/dp/B00N3WQVJ6

Don't wear out the USB port on your transmitter, get one of these.

Here is the mobile version of your link

Here is the vtx im currently using on 3s.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WQZNZ54/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1462084772&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=eachine+200mw&dpPl=1&dpID=31Sqdm4AjyL&ref=plSrch#

• Frame printed [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1223111]
  
• 8x20mm Brushed motors [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SKUJL2K]
  
• Spekturm VA1100 5.8 GHz FPV video [http://www.amazon.com/Spektrum-FPV-Ultra-Micro-Camera/dp/B00N3WQVJ6]
  
• Quantum Pico 32Bit Brushed FC [http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__86503__Quanum_Pico_32bit_Brushed_Flight_Control_Board.html]
  
• CleanFlight 10 (LuxFloat)
  
• Walkera Props [http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__64751__Propellers_2_standard_2_reverse_rotation_QR_Ladybird_Micro_Quad_Q_Bot_AR_Warehouse_.html]
  
  Weight with 1S 350mha battery 64 grams.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029KDHT0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GSNWB5K?pc_redir=1413195372&robot_redir=1

What country is that? If you are in the US Amazon has what you are looking for.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008O9YIV6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's for waterproofing electronics.

here

How to you put it in usb mode? I am using the same usb cable I use to connect the drone to Betaflight but no results.

Do you think that this usb receiver is compatible with my controller? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GD6ZLW7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AK3V5KK2JCVKS&psc=1