FliteTest Podcast 011 - Being A RC Noob

by FliteTest | January 27, 2014 | (29) Posted in Podcasts

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1. Being A RC N00B!

The great thing about this hobby is that everyone is repeatedly a noob. There is so many aspects to the hobby, it seems like every time you move to a new segment of it, you are a noob all over again. So I think something that’s good about FliteTest is that it’s perfectly okay to be talking about being new at something. In fact, it is encouraged!

So today we discuss a few questions related to starting off in a new part of the hobby:

What’s something you wish you knew before you started out?
What’s something that is really difficult and how did you overcome it?
What is something that you figured out that really caused you to excel?

And much more!

Also we want to give a big thanks to FT AfterHours, the FliteTest podcast is now going to be weekly! Think of it as the same podcast but with alternating formats every other week. We will probably stick to this main format for our particular week and Chris Roncaglione’s podcast will take more of an open conversation format. In the future it will perhaps have some sort of live element which everyone is really excited about.

-Austin

Our podcast host, Max, Bixler's pup :)

What’s New In RC?
World's Toughest Action Sports Drone - Kickstarter
3D Robotics - PixHawk
Makezine.com - Homegrown Drones
The Pocket Drone - Kickstarter


Hang out with us around the web!
Facebook: facebook.com/flitetest
Google+: google.com/+FliteTestHQ
Twitter: twitter.com/flitetest
Vine: @FliteTest

Alex's Instagram: @zvada
Austin's Instagram: @austinj_f

Links

ReadyMadeRC’s Starter FPV Kit
Beginner Series: Batteries and Safety


Want to leave us a voicemail? Click here!
We just might play it on the next show! If you don't have a computer microphone, you can also download the SpeakPipe app for iPhone or iPad and leave a message that way. Remember to leave your name, where you are from and your question/discussion topic in under a minute to have the best chance of being played on the show!

Have a thought about the show?
Rate us in iTunes! It helps us out a lot. :)
flitetest.com/itunes

- Find this article & others like it at www.FliteTest.com -

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COMMENTS

Benskoning on January 27, 2014
It would be FANTASTIC if you went to oshkosh... I know that ama brings a trailer each year...

{BTW I live in oshkosh so I would definitely go}
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carsonpauli on January 27, 2014
love it. I'm a noob so this helps a lot.
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Imaxinar DM on January 27, 2014
We enjoy the podcasts a lot, but they could be even better if you did like some others do and Video it at the same time. No fancy video production.. just live and uncut. Seeing you guy just talking / chatting is cool.
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timography on January 27, 2014
yeah i agree - that would be all kinds of awesome. you guys already record video for the podcasts anyways - can you please make it public!!
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onemoreflite (John Michaels) on January 28, 2014
Totaly agree
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Captain Crash on January 27, 2014
i love FT podcast !!!!!!!! :)
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MentalWhiplash on January 27, 2014
A big THANK YOU, FLITETEST from a 20 year fixed wing rc pilot who has rediscovered the joy of "noobness"...starting with small multirotors at the Horizon Indoor (still want to see that video, Josh Bixler), then building a larger tricopter inspired by David, and I just received my Fat Shark Attitude V2's today, a purchase I probably wouldn't have made had I NOT had the chance to get a taste of the view firsthand thanks to Chad letting get a look through his while at the Horizon Indoor. Your gracious attitudes are both inspiring and humbling at the same time. This hobby could not ask for better ambassadors!
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F2G2Corsair on January 28, 2014
If you're going to reenact Star Wars and Star Fox 64, you have to do Ace Combat 4, it's the game that taught me how to fly.
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doensi on January 28, 2014
Hi FT
great Podcast
about the PID and all this stuff I think it is about setting controller equations. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller
And it is alien stuff because it nearly caused me quit studying engineering
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bitogre on January 29, 2014
I loved studying PID Controllers and using them on the CalPoly Rose Float. Just wish I did more with them in my job.
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godonholiday on January 28, 2014
Some info on traveling with your RC gear would be great. What do you carry them around in when you go cross country or even on planes? What is allowed on a plane and what needs to be checked in?

I live on a small island and have trips planned to the UK and Japan this year. I was wondering if I can take my quad with me?

Does flighttest have any tips?
Thanks
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Go-Up-Rc on January 29, 2014
I was wondering something like this too.
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liveyourdreamsRC on January 29, 2014
Hi guys! I have listened to all the podcasts and they addressed this question (well at least what they take on an airplane) and I recall that you can but you need to follow the airline's standards for how your lipos are carried. I remember David saying that on his trips from Sweden to the U.S. he has to get his hands "swabbed" for flammable chemicals or something to make sure he isn't a terrorist. He also said that he wrapped his tricopter in his clothes (for protection) with a note explaining what it was and in his carry-on he kept his transmitter. Furthermore, make sure you know how much lithium you can bring on the plane. David said I think it was 3-5 batteries was safe but he took 9 batteries once! I believe that this was somewhere in podcasts 002-005. Lastly I recall hearing that David said he calls the airport where he will be checking in and ask about their standards/what he can bring. Hope it helps, and sorry I don't remember the exact podcast.
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Imaxinar DM on January 28, 2014
I used to travel all over the globe with equipment.

You should be able to bring it - but always check - don't depend on answers from us. The rules can change (fast). Generally just remember to declare to customs you are taking it out of country so you are not charged on re-entry. Always check what the "free" value is to bring in something to another country. If you are Over that, some will require a Bond to make sure you take it back out (ie don't sell it). The Bonds can be outrageous... trust me.

So simple answer... do your homework With the Customs office for each end... ALWAYS.
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godonholiday on January 28, 2014
Thanks for the info. Ill do a little research.

Practically though, do you have special cases to travel with? Batteries? And do you check in or take on?

Thanks
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RotateB4TheEnd on January 28, 2014
In response to Greg's question on worn out transmitters: The only issue i've ever notices was my Dad's Hitec Prism 7x. This transmitter is probably anywhere from 10-20 years old and spent quite a long time not in use. Over time, some dust has accumulated and last summer i noticed the controls were acting weird. I could blow out some of the dust and get it to function fairly well, but not good enough to fly my .46 glow plane. However, I'm sure i could clean it out after popping the back case off and it would work fine again.

Long story short - if it's acting up don't fly that day and go clean your transmitter out and it'll be fine. Otherwise these things last a pretty long time.
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jakrabit on January 28, 2014
I might only be speaking for myself, but y'all really don't need to apologize to us fans for long podcasts. I must admit, some of the segments I wish were longer.

Keep up the good work! thanks for the inspiration.
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austinfurey on January 28, 2014
Noted! Thanks for the kind words. -Austin
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Nightfox7 on January 28, 2014
Funny Josh mentions StarFox! I just got done with an Assassin build and I went with a simple starfox theme :D

Here's a pic of the finished wing:
http://static.rcgroups.net/forums/attachments/3/9/7/4/1/4/a6365618-171-IMG_8625.jpg

And here's a pic with the LED's on :D
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VOdjQkEYLp0/UsC-uSUO3mI/AAAAAAAAAKU/eqymhSnnMJU/w714-h533-no/IMG_0286.jpg

More info on this wing can be found at crashtesthobby.com
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Go-Up-Rc on January 29, 2014
As to an answer for that guy with the HAM license. I think you can use UHF (70 cm/420-450 mhz band in the U.S) systems because of your HAM license with power levels up to 1 watt in the US. It's in the exemptions for unidentified transmissions (telecommand) part of the ARRL Technician's Class License Manual.
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liveyourdreamsRC on January 29, 2014
I have been looking around and most sources say that you need a HAM license to even use any of the available video frequencies legally- in the U.S. anyways... Could you tell me if this is true? Thanks!
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Go-Up-Rc on February 3, 2014
To my current knowledge, yes. It doesn't hurt to get one just in case though. Plus you get the added knowledge of radio physics and electronics. I haven't flown fpv yet, but planning to. After passing the licensing exam of course.
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Go-Up-Rc on January 29, 2014
Hey Flite Test! You guys never answered the question about whether you guys have HAM licenses or not in the podcast.
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liveyourdreamsRC on January 29, 2014
Yes, I asked that I think three times about a year ago and never got anything back about it ever. I don't believe that they do, but I also would like to hear this answer!
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Kiwiflyer on January 29, 2014
For the person asking about ham radio and rc flying go and listen to some of the old podcasts on The crash cast.
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jamiedco on January 29, 2014
you guys have lost your mobius's . i had mine for 8 hours and it was dead . i agressivly landed in a river after an hour of owning it and smashed a tree 7 hours later with my micro quad. the new one is almost here . they are awesome and i cant wait for it to arrive again . but having said that the gopro is the way to go if you can afford it .

regarding the camera question about cameras . the live out on a gopro is no better than a decent board cam . in my opinion the board cam is the way to go because you can tune it for different light condition .
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austinfurey on January 29, 2014
More mobius's are on order I believe :) -Austin
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johnossi19 on January 29, 2014
How much of a noob are you if you have to look up what a noob is?
On a more important note - Most solid state electronics is happy with running a colder temperatures. What is the effect of cold temps on the gyro and accelorometers? This ST Micro gyro says that it "can function" down to -40 degrees Celsius. Interestingly this is the only temp that has the same value in Fahrenheit. See
http://www.st.com/web/catalog/sense_power/FM89/SC1288/PF252443?s_searchtype=partnumber
If you have perfected your controller board tuning at 50 F, should one expect to change settings on your controller when the temp drops to the single digits F. ????
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bitogre on January 29, 2014
Ok, I got a kick that the people were talking about P Gain and I Gain but did not know what they were. The different types of gain are referring to the fact that the Quad is based on a PID Controller. PID stands for proportional-integral-derivative. These controllers compares the input to a senor (in this case, a gyro) and uses the proportional (P), integral (I), and derivative (D) gains to calculate the output that should be used. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller for more information.

Given that you only talk about P gain and I gain, it sounds like they are not using the derivative in the calculations which does simplify setup and makes the system less sensitive to noise in the sensors.

I hope this helps. If you need more information, I would be happy to answer additional questions (I took 3 quarters of classes in college on control systems and used them for animating CalPoly's float in the Tournament of Roses Parade: http://www.asi.calpoly.edu/rose_float).
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nasaguy86 on January 29, 2014
Here's a great FPV camera on a budget:
It's called the 808 #16 V2 -cost is $43 on eBay
720p HD recording and simultaneous NTSC video output
here's the eBay listing -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/180937263580
Also a link to this gentleman who has written free super simple software
and has all the information you might want about this camera -
http://www.chucklohr.com/808/C16/index.html#111126C16

Note- Do not be fooled by cheaper similar looking cameras on eBay, they are cheap older versions.

Happy FPV!!
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ssimonson on January 29, 2014
Thanks FT guys for all that you all do! I have 3 little girls (4, 2 and 2) and they have enjoyed hand chuck gliders made from dollar tree foam board. I would love to see your design that you all talked about in the podcast, if available. However, below is a link to the design that I have used and they fly descent, just keep the scotch tape handy for repairs.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5299094
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JamesWhomsley on January 30, 2014
Haha, love how Max has his own microphone.
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Christian Jeppesen on January 30, 2014
Hey FT thanks for answering my voice mail. Maybe ill try to make an article called "Review Tips" to remove some of the weight of your shoulders. Normally this would not be relevant on a RC community site, but I fell that a little bit of KNOPTOP/INDYMOGEL tips could be very use full for many on this site :D. Best regards from Denmark.
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austinfurey on January 30, 2014
Thanks Christian! -Austin
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ttprigg on January 30, 2014
Another great show! Thanks for all your energy and commitment. Our weeks are regularly measured by FliteTest... "Today's Wednesday --- New Article tonight!"
I thought that you mentioned the you would post a link to the Akron "Alternative OPEN HOUSE" event in March. I did not see but searched the web... Is this it? http://www.ohioelectricfly.com/
Hope to be able to make it.
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austinfurey on January 30, 2014
Opps! Yes, that is the link :-) -Austin
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Milk Man 1954 on January 30, 2014
Please ask Josh B. to speak-up or talk to the mic. I had to turn my radio up all the way to hear him and when someone else would talk it almost blow out my speakers . love the podcasts and hope you keep them about 2 hours long.
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kaptain_zero on January 31, 2014
I like the 1 podcast per week! As mentioned above, maybe put a posted note on Josh B's mic with the words "Speak here" on it or something.

Idea: I would LOVE to see a foam/electric LINE CONTROL plane. Some have limited resources, perhaps not enough for R/C, but as a kid a long time ago, line control was all we could afford and we had a lot of fun doing it! I can just see Josh B. and Crazy Swede battling it out in the circle.

Chris
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cmavr8 on February 4, 2014
Hey FliteTest, great podcasts, show etc, congrats!

Regarding mobius/808 cameras falling off, you should try sticking velcro with CA + kicker. It works great. Haven't lost any like this.

Also, salt-water discharging of lipos is not enought by itself. Shortcircuiting and probably puncturing with extreme care & measures are the best. Salt-water is first though.
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Sammy on February 9, 2014
Hey guys,

I just wanted to leave a quick note on the LiPo disposal method you described. Putting the batteries in a bucket of salt water will start the discharge, but may end prematurely, due to corrosion of the battery leads/connector, leaving the battery in a non-discharged (i.e. dangerous) state. I remembered reading about this a while ago, and a little googling brought up the page I recalled had good info on how to properly do it. The guy even shares the plans for his own home made lightbulb discharger, so you can build it too. Check it out @ https://sites.google.com/site/tjinguytech/charging-how-tos/lipo-disposal
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Ghost on March 30, 2014
I think that would be a great idea to find too starting settings for your multirotors; I am a fairly good pilot especially on multirotors but do not understand P and I settings enough to tune as well as I would want. That idea I think would benefit a lot of people starting up in DIY multirotors and not buying fully built up ones. Thanks anyway great podcast and lots of fun to listen to!
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FliteTest Podcast 011 - Being A RC Noob