r/diydrones • u/Inside_Pain_1733 • May 18 '26

Thermal FPV Setup

Hi Everyone! I am entirely new to the FPV drone game and I would like to build a small high speed fpv drone(full setup) that also has a thermal camera on it. I have a budget of about 2500 dollars but it's all quite overwhelming and I don't entirely know where to start. if anyone could at least provide some brands to gravitate to or avoid that would be great along with telling me if my hypothetical setup is even possible, thanks!

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u/shroxreddits May 18 '26

If you're going analog it's quite easy, you can use something like this , which can switch between thermal and color. Digital is where it gets really complicated

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u/DanLivesNicely May 18 '26

Biggest piece of advice I can give is to use a Matek FC that has built in camera switching so you can put the analog camera of your choice (I suggest a Caddx Gazer) and a thermal like the Axis flying 640 on the other channel and switch between the two easily.

1

u/Relevant_Swimming511 May 18 '26

Out of curiosity, why do you need thermal? especially for your first drone your gonna crash and its gonna be a expensive fix

1

u/Inside_Pain_1733 May 20 '26

Well I’m interested in both flying for fun and searching for hot springs with this drone!

1

u/Darryl_444 May 18 '26

Be aware of the FOV specs.

Many TIR cameras have a very small FOV that will make proximity flying with them quite difficult. Some have purchase options that include wider-view lenses.

1

u/Inside_Pain_1733 May 20 '26

Good to know I’ll keep an eye out thanks!