Hi guys,

Just got into this hobby and have currently built my quad from scratch with help from various YouTube videos and the like. Glad I've found this place - nice to know there are plenty of people in the UK who are into it. I'll definitely be frequenting this place! :)

After getting used to the feel of my quad I've decided it's time to delve into FPV (which was always intended).

I've done my goggles research and have decided to go for the Skyzone 02X goggles as they look like they're getting some brilliant reviews and at the moment they're pretty cheap on Banggood... and there lies the question...

I've ordered most of my parts through BG during this build (apart from my TX) but this would be a pretty large purchase. I'm concerned that I'm going to be charged extortionate amounts for import duty as the goggles would be coming from their China warehouse.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Banggood have an option for "Tariff Insurance" which varies from £4.75 on the cheapest shipping method to £19.01 on the most expensive (and fastest) shipping method. Is it worth it?

Sorry for the essay!

Many many thanks!

Liam

I have bought quite a bit from BG over the years and, touch wood, never been stung.
I have been stung with stuff from HobbyKing!

One thing I would say is that goggles are an expensive thing to purchase and coming from a non UK supplier you don't get much in the way of warranty!!! I did have a quick look at uk suppliers but I didn't find any of the usual suppliers with any SkyZones!

By the way if you don't need the head tracker or the external camera then the SkyZone O2C are a little cheaper, not much but you may be able to find a UK supplier?

What quad did you build? Any picys, spec ?

Thanks Ched, yeh like I say, ordered quite a bit from them in the past and never had any taxes so far. I've heard things like that regarding HobbyKing.

Yeh I know they are, been umming and arring about getting it from BG. I've looked at about 4 different vendors here in the UK but only found 1 with any Skyzone goggles... think they were the 02Cs but they were listed at like £400+!! Madness! Also asked the vendors if they were able to get them in at all...
1st said they aren't able to get Skyzone.
2nd said they'd had problems and vowed never to stock them again (sounded a bit bitter haha).
3rd said they had them in stock and would post them on the website next day, which they never did - but then they were the ones selling 02Cs at £400+.
4th... can't remember what they said but it was a negatory.

I saw a video from UAVfutures who said they'd contacted Skyzone support for warranty info and they said there's a year on them. Can send parts (I'd be ok with this) or repair FOC during that time.

I looked at the 02C but quite like the idea of a head tracker for some later projects really.

Built up with the following...
FC: Omnibus F4
Motors: DYS Samguk Wu 2700KV
ESCs: Racestar RS30A Lite 30A
Frame: HSKRC TWE210 210mm
RX: R-XSR
TX: Jumper T16 Pro v2

It's not perfect but it flies! Will get some pics on shortly :)

Sounds like you have done your research 
My first 'fatshark' style goggles were the the ev100 and while they were so much better that my Quanum V2 box goggles they were not great. I managed with them for 2 years and for the money there were great. Then at Christmas I bought FatSHark HDO2 WOW what a difference I was amazed by what I could see that I missed before.

I'm not saying that you need to stretch your budget just that good goggles are very helpful. The SkyZones do get very good reviews and now they have brought out a module bay you are not stuck with the internal module. The internal module does get quite good reviews so you will be fine unless you get into bando or multi story car park flying  I am sure they will be great goggles.

If you can fly Line Of Sight then fpv will be a fairly easy adjustment. Flying in Rate mode isn't easy but is well worth persisting with.

Like to know what I'm getting myself into... for the most part... 

Yeh I'd love to be able to shell out for a pair of HDO2s with rapidfire but the budget doesn't quite stretch to that quite yet. Plus, I don't really know what kind of flying I'd like to get into yet. Quite like the JohnnyFPV cinematic style shots. I think the Skyzone internal ones will be good enough for the time being. 

I can but I'm very linear... I definitely tend to favour using pitch and roll rather than any yaw ... struggle to invert my brain haha. I've been flying in acro-trainer mode with angles set a bit higher than the normal to get used to having to counter everything rather than relying on angle mode to do it for me.

Some quick images...
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

Next bit is choosing a VTX and fpv camera (probably fairly budget)... bit confusing if I'm honest!

I have the 02X's & I think they're pretty nice goggles to fly with, although I've never stuck my head in the top-of-the-line FatSharks.  they're certainly a major step up from the Eachine EV100D's I started out with.

the downside is that I'm having trouble with them randomly powering themselves off   which is not ideal in the middle of a flight like today!  I haven't found (via Google) anyone else with the issue so maybe I just got unlucky, but I am going to have to try to get them fixed/replaced by SkyZone/Banggood & I'm not terribly hopeful, in spite of them being under a year old.

with the DJI digital goggle/VTx system getting quite a fair bit of uptake, you might find that quite a lot of FatSharks come available secondhand.

I highly recommend not bothering to learn to fly Acro LOS!  learn Acro FPV in a sim then jump straight onto the model with goggles.

Well done for learning LOS in rate mode. FPV is so much easier as your view is from the quad so never reversed (well unless you roll and flip  ).

Only reason I bought the HDO2 was we sold our business and they were a reward :-)

Cameras: First off check what dimension is between the carbon bits where the camera goes.
Full size cameras are 26mm wide, micro is 19mm wide, nano is 14mm.
The brands to look for are RunCam and Foxeer, Caddix are a bit budget but are getting some great cameras, their quality assurance isn't quite as good as the other 2.
CCD used to be best type of camera sensor but CMOS is a lot better nowadays so don't get fixated on either type.
Lens size dictates how wide a view you get. I would say 2.1mm is a good size. Much bigger and the field of view is too small. 1.8mm is a bit wider than 2.1mm which would probably be OK but it might look a bit too fish eye.

Some cameras have little boards that plug in so you can tweak settings which is nice. Some RunCam cameras can be connected to the FC (uart) and be controlled via your tx to adjust settings which is better that having to try and plug a little board in when you are in field. That said most of the time once you have an image you like you rarely change it.

There are a few cameras that are very good at producing images at night!! So you can fly in almost complete darkness  Fine unless you crash as then you have to find a quad in the dark 

There are lots of youtube vids comparing cameras. Just make sure they are recent reviews as things come out all the time (well usually, bit slower with the virus).

As for vtx there are cheap ones that are fine and there are the top of the range ones that are better at resisting interferance, or have more power to penetrate dense trees or buildings. Remember that in UK we are legally limited to 25mW  Most vtx have either IRC Tramp or TBS smart audio which allows you to change power channel and band via your transmitter and the OSD.

For a budget but good vtx look at this goes up to 400mW and has FC OSD control all for about £12.
Mid range up to 800mW this is reasonable but it's £31!
I would say top of the range is TBS Unify.

Hope that lot gives you some clues. If you want to post what you are thinking of buying I am sure we can give it a check.

Just an update on Badger1's issue with his SkyZones: he emailed SkyZone and overnight had reply, they are sending him a new power board.
So that does prove that Stu's response was real and not just because he runs UAVFutures 
As Badger1 said a sim is a great help although no substitute to real stick time.
If you don't know you can plug your tx into a laptop/desktop/tablet/phone and play a fpv sim and it helps get used to it. They give you a basic idea of fpv flying but most don't recreate wind and also miss on the effects of the propwash hitting objects. Like when you why too close to a wall the quad gets sucked in!!!!

Anyway FPVFreerider (Recharged version a bit better) has a basic free version to test out but my fav is Velocidrone. Velocidrone runs on non gaming stuff fine and has Nemesis mode which is really great. It basically allows you to race against other people who have flown the track in a similar time to you, so you are competing with others to try and improve your time.

Argh I wrote this out once and closed the tab before sending it! 

@badger1 Nice to know there are people around that use them (and like them)! I'd initially thought about the EV100Ds as the price is so low. Hard to ignore!
That does sound rough! By the sound of chef's update you've had some luck with the Skyzone support.    I also emailed Skyzone overnight to ask a few things...

Quote from: Me1. If the unit fails, what is the procedure for getting it repaired?
2. Is there any warranty included on the unit when bought through Banggood?
3. Are you able to supply spare parts during and after any warranty?

I got a reply at 3:30am today saying...

Quote from: Skyzone Support1, we do all the function test and aging test before shipping, but if the goggles fails, it depends what kind of problem, our goggles is modular design, if we find out which parts is broken(like power board, DVR board or front camera etc), we can send customer part as replacement, also give them detailed instructions how to replace, this is the cheapest way and fastest way. And if the goggles have some badly problem, customer can send back to us, we can fix or replace the goggles.
2, we have one year warranty for our goggles, no matter where did you buy the goggles.
3, yes we do supply parts for the goggles.

Interesting thought about the DJI's gaining traction, hadn't considered that angle 
Glad you say that, because Acro is hard in LOS 


@ched Those HDO2s sound like the perfect reward 

Thanks for all that info! I've been thinking about the following...
VTX: Eachine TX805 (SMA F) - I'm hearing that MMCX connectors are a bit less prone to unseating themselves.
Antennas: 2x Foxeer Lollipop 3 (SMA M) & Realacc Triple Feed Patch
Camera: Thought about the Foxeer Razer Mini but wasn't sure as I feel like I'd like it to have switchable aspect ratio.
Any thoughts on those?

Plugged my T16 in and had a little go on the FPV Freerider demo, feels like I'm flying in space a bit but I guess that might be down to it being a demo. It mentions something about that. I'm one of those strange ones that prefers to use a Mac so might have to get the PC back out to try Velocidrone haha.

Thanks again guys, muchly appreciated.

Update: I did actually order the 02Xs (shipped with Priority Direct Mail - which apparently avoids duty), I've had a dispatched message saying they're currently in Sandiacre (which I believe is Derbyshire!) so they might be here sooner than expected! 

a bit late now I suppose, but ctrl-shift-t (or Mac equivalent) to restore your closed tab - you might even get the text back too. :)

yeh, fingers x'd about my SkyZones.  it was nice to get a quick, helpful response from their support, but I'm reserving judgement until I have mine working again.  until then I'll be back on my EV100's & it'll be like trying to fly looking down two smarties tubes.    I think the trick with goggles is never to try out a nicer set than you can afford!

I learned on FPV Freerider & I found it very useful to get the muscle-memory of roughly how to fly, even if it doesn't fully simulate real flying - it's a bit floaty, no wind, etc.  it did mean that the first time I flew a quad I just put the goggles on & could fly - not super-well, but a *lot* better than I would have otherwise.

I use Eachine TX805 VTx's in a couple of my quads & they seem fine to me.  people seem to get a bit sniffy about Eachine stuff, but I think it's often good value.

I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the T16 - my Taranis X9D is getting a bit long in the tooth & I'm looking around for something new & could be tempted to jump ship from FrSky.

Quote from: LiamHowe89 on Tuesday,May 26, 2020, 17:14:34 Thanks for all that info! I've been thinking about the following...
VTX: Eachine TX805 (SMA F) - I'm hearing that MMCX connectors are a bit less prone to unseating themselves.
Antennas: 2x Foxeer Lollipop 3 (SMA M) & Realacc Triple Feed Patch
Camera: Thought about the Foxeer Razer Mini but wasn't sure as I feel like I'd like it to have switchable aspect ratio.
Any thoughts on those?

All looks good. One thing that is always tricky is making sure the antennas have the correct connectors on. I always have to check images to make sure the antennas will fit the goggles and vtx.
The mmcx are better than ipex.
Foxeer Lollipop are good and cheap but make sure the triple feed patch has the terminating resistor!!!
As for the camera I would say that a 4:3 camera is best. My reasoning is that with a 16:9 when viewed on most goggles you lose vertical resolution and physical vertical field of view (fov). When you start rolling and flipping you use the extra vertical fov to see the ground sooner. The sooner you see it the more time you have to finish the move, well in theory     
If you want switchable 4:3 16:9 then Foxeer Falkor 2 Mini or Caddx Ratel but both are significantly more expensive. The one you linked to should be great.

Fingers crossed your goggles arrive soon as weather is looking good.

As for FPVFreerider yes the free test one doesn't allow you to change things and does feel too floaty.
One thing I do like about Velocidrone is that it has BetaFlight Rates system. Well BF 3.5 I think. So you can play with rates in the sim and then when you find rates you like copy them to your quad and get similar feeling. Rates are a great way to get the quad to be less sensitive to stick movements towards the centre and still give you fast flips/rolls at ends of stick travel.

I have the foxeer razer mini on my quad and am very happy with the image! However take this with a pinch of salt as I have no prior experience [emoji28]

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

Just seen that the Foxeer Falkor 2 Mini Standard Cmos 1200TVL Global WDR FPV Camera is £28 at the moment, down from £52 apparently! Do any of you guys have any experience with it? I'm tempted as it's 16:9 / 4:3 switchable.

@ched I think I've got the connectors nailed down. Can't believe there's like 4 different versions of the same connector 

I like the idea of being able to switch aspect as I can on the 02X's as well, so it'd be nice to try both and then choose.

I've downloaded DRL Simulator (can't really go wrong when it's £7 lol) and actually really enjoying it! It's massively helped me get my head around how the yaw is offset when you're in forward motion. Love how it's starting to become muscle memory! 

@relativenewbyseb Thanks for that info :) Always good to hear when someone has a piece of equipment and likes it.

One thing to be aware of BangGood are not in the UK so they don't follow UK laws re 'sale prices' etc. So don't even look at the price they say it was     
The Foxeer Falkor 2 is about £34 from hobbyrc and quadcopters.co.uk so virtually same price as BG + Vat. Faster delivery from UK supplier, if they have stock! It does seem to get some good reviews and the idea of switching aspect ration is an interesting one.

It is surprising sometimes how UK suppliers are not that different in price to BG. The one thing that sometimes hurts UK suppliers is p&p.
I believe that as China is officially a 3rd world country they get international postage at a very very cheap rate, I believe in some cases cheaper that a UK stamp!!!

The sma connectors it always a tricky one. I have bought the wrong ones on a couple of occasions 

Simulators do help general control but most don't have external forces in like that gust of wind that came from no where or the tree branches that jump out at you      I haven't tried DRL because my pc is not a gaming machine by any stretch of the imagination. I doubt it would play the original Nokia Snake game 
Muscle memory is very helpful, I find it sort of helps lessen the brain load so you can think about other things than just keeping it in the air.

Yeh I did think that was the case tbh  I did have a look at the other suppliers in the UK but found that stock for a lot of things is just non-existent at the moment. Is this normal or because of the pandemic etc? I swear that a lot of suppliers have way more items out of stock than in stock!

I did actually order the Falkor 2 in the end. Figured I'd go for it and used a tonne of BG points to drop the price further. Haha.

Yeh I did notice that P&P seems to be the thing that puts me off a lot of the time with UK suppliers. Especially if it's batteries that RM refuse to take 

I figured that there'd be a difference in variables that a sim could never cater for. But tbh, it's helped me work out the stick control and I'm usually pretty quick at picking things up after the initial steps so think it will have helped :)

mostly because of CV19 I would say.

Banggood seems to be getting more stuff in now (in China at least), so I would guess stock will filter through to the UK stockists soon.

I was hoping that would be the case tbh. Do you know of any lists of decent UK stockists? I've tried a few... Unmanned Tech were good when I bought my T16 & Quadcopters UK seem alright. It's batteries I'm struggling on now that they can't ship from BG.

I use HobbyKing.  they don't do the uber-high C-rated packs that seem popular for quads, but I'm not really into tear-arsing around so I'm not sure I would be able to tell the difference:

Turnigy 1400mAh 4S 65C Lipo Pack
Turnigy 1500mAh 4S 65C Lipo Pack

have a look at hobbyrc.co.uk they no have quite a few in stock.

Cheers for those guys :)

Update on the Skyzone 02X shipping...

They're here!

Came through fine via Royal Mail and they look sweet! Just got to wait for the rest of the stuff to arrive now! 

Walking around with the front camera is weirdddd 

Quote from: LiamHowe89 on Wednesday,June 03, 2020, 12:04:16 Walking around with the front camera is weirdddd

There will be a bit too much latency but the front cam should make it easy to change batteries without taking off the goggles.
Good luck, oh I think you can also plug them into a laptop (hdmi) so you can play a sim with goggles       
If they are like the HDO2 then you can play sim on computer. You can't plug them in to a dvd,freeview box etc as they wont handshake but they do work via say a raspberry pi running Kodi!!!

It's more the lack of peripheral vision I think haha. Latency is minimal in all honesty 

Yeh I noticed the HDMI in! I'll need a mini-hdmi adapter though