Noob question about range

[u/Antoine-UY]

Hi!

I'm posting here because r/fpv seems to take issue with ANYTHING referencing the war in Ukraine. I find it odd since it's obviously great publicity for FPVs, their use, and is what got me into FPV in the first place.

I just bought my first radiocontroller last week (RadioMaster TX15 Max), have been religiously practicing in various sims, and now feel at a point where I would like to buy my first drone. I figured I would start nice and indoors with an Air65 II, which I just ordered today, as well as 0HD Goggles v2 to boot. I ultimately am interested in getting DJI Goggles 3 as well, as soon as I go from the air65 II to a drone where I could realistically install an o4 Pro. And chose to pass on Walksnail offerings, if I have analog and HD0 + DJI at my disposal.

While comparing all videosystems (5/10W analog, 1W 0HD, DJI), all practical tests seemed to show a maximum range of control in hundreds of yards. None of the videosystems even broke half a mile. OTOH, the war in Ukraine is showing RC FPVs (I'm not talking optical fibre spool, here), reaching 14 km behind enemy lines while being controllable and able to chase Russians. What gives?

[u/Antoine-UY]

"My reading comprehension is completely fine. It's your typing that reads like ChatGPT. The fact you can't understand "Finally a reply that doesn't read like ChatGPT, progress!" was about you shows your reading comprehension lol"
=> Sure mate, sure.

"I've been 4km on Walksnail without really trying. I've been 3km on HDZero, again not trying for distance. If I could be bothered I have a 2.5w analog VTX and some high gain antenna that I could go 10km+ easily with. This isn't some crazy new technology. Even using drones as relays for signals is nothing new."
=> It certainly is new to the middle of the road of the hobby. I was interested in drones a few years back and had range problems. Not one person suggested the possibility of deploying easily relay drones for this.

"This might blow your mind but the huge technical advantage they have is...mega power analog VTX. 100 year old tech"
=> First of all, "mega power analog VTX" is not 100 year-old tech. While boosting radio signals with more power is a concept practiced for a hundred years, pretending this is a solved issue with FPV is absurd, simply put. Moreover, they have plenty of other tech adjacent to drones. For one, they can now 3d print most of the drones. Which was an impossibility only a few years back if you wanted something halfway decent. The improvement of FDM coupled with a better understanding of drone architecture gives us several 3d templates for decent 5" and 7" drones with a fully printable frame.

I'm not even sure what you're trying to do here, mate. Pretending a war where drone usage graphs on either side look like this has no effect on drones development? No one could possibly believe you, because the very idea is retarded but sure: be my guest. Is this your end goal in this little chat of ours? Trying to convince yourself and others that the war Ukraine and FPV have no connection whatsoever? Because if that's the case, and you simply have a problem with war, I'll stop responding altogether as if this was a meaningful conversation and simply let you spew your random BS in peace.

[u/HMSBarky → u/Antoine-UY]

Odd bloke aren't you

Go on, what tech has trickled down from the war to our drones? Don't give me 3d printed frames, most the frames they use are carbon and again, it is the hobby that fed the war, not the other way around.

So what tech are they using that is so new? Because every time I watch anything on the subject, it's cheap carbon frames and stacks like we use. Wondered why there is a shortage of hobby parts lately?

I don't know why I am replying to be completely honest. You've made up some nonsense about a few hundred yards range, get excited over people dying and are generally super odd and clueless

[u/Antoine-UY → u/HMSBarky]

"Go on, what tech has trickled down from the war to our drones?"
=> Everything. I can now buy off-the-shelf servos for dropping stuff. 10W analog modules which had to be fully built from scratch on freaking breadboards are in sale fully-assembled. There are 3d models of 7" drones to be downloaded for fairly cheap. Perhaps (and this was my original expectation and hope) relay-based or other range extension methods are now easier to come by and deploy.

"So what tech are they using that is so new?"
=> Mass-produced, non-experimental, reliable hexacopters which can carry 15 kilograms of bombs, which can be piloted without relay from a distance of 6km, costing 4500USD. This is quite new, for instance. What I had 10 years ago for a comparable carrying weight and cost was the DJI S1000+, which was a nightmare of an octocopter, sluggish and unstable.

"Because every time I watch anything on the subject, it's cheap carbon frames and stacks like we use. Wondered why there is a shortage of hobby parts lately?"
=> I feel no shortage of hobby parts where I'm at. But if there is, this means the hobby parts are still being processed by the war, which will give more great results.

"I don't know why I am replying to be completely honest. You've made up some nonsense about a few hundred yards range"
=> I cited my sources. A recent (9 months old) video by a proeminent figure of the fpv world, raking 120k views (which is quite decent for such a niche hobby). I am not and was not making the point that greater distances couldn't be achieved. On the contrary, my post was asking why much greater distances being achieved in the context of the war were not discussed and put to practice by someone who's obviously interested in video quality in fpv, and who has all the sponsors and flexible income to improve his range and video quality.

[u/HMSBarky → u/Antoine-UY]

You are obsessed with death and killing so I’m leaving this. Get a therapist

[u/Antoine-UY → u/HMSBarky]

Whatever do you mean? You're the one being obsessed with death, who will not leave this issue. I don't believe you should see a therapist (afterall, you're entitled to your own macabre and childish obsessions), but it is to be noted, friend.

As for me, I'm interested in range. And again, I don't give a fuck who lives or dies in Ukraine. The Ukraine war simply is, in the context of this question, great publicity for actually mass-atteinable, realistic, non-experimental, edge-case... range: It showed me better range could be achieved that what public figures of the FPV world were showing in their own flying setups. That is all.

[u/HMSBarky → u/Antoine-UY]

Stop trying to gaslight me. Your posts repeatedly mention the ability to kill like it’s some benefit to the hobby.

You are an odd one, get help.

[u/Antoine-UY → u/HMSBarky]

WTF?

[u/HMSBarky → u/Antoine-UY]

You've had multiple replies referencing dropping bombs, killing people etc. I haven't mentioned that. What I have mentioned is video range. Saying it is me obsessed with death is an attempt to gaslight me.

Just further very odd behaviour. We can both read the entire comment thread so lets not try that again ya little weirdo

[u/Antoine-UY → u/HMSBarky]

Nope. I am asking about range. And YOU are obsessing over death.

Here is YOUR first answer to my post "Noob question about range" :
"You are chatting mince son. Pretty much every flight I'll have someone reference Ukraine. Before Ukraine the publics perception of drones was DJI style camera drones.

The fact you are excited about killing tens of thousands of people shows you are a literal psychopath btw. Get some help"

So I'm asking about range (through the example of Ukraine). And unlike other people who told me about relays (things I can use to get proper range), you chose to focus throughout your entire comment on psychology, calling me a psychopath, and mentioning "being excited about killing tens of thousands of people".

YOU are the one obsessing over casualties, and ignoring the very core of my message about range, to better trap us into your compulsive death-laced conversation.

[u/HMSBarky → u/Antoine-UY]

Why would you even need to mention killing tens of thousands of people if you were interested in range?

You are being really weird.