Beario, I know you are one of the group.
IIVII, you without a doubt can do it with your eyes closed.
Who else can suggest a video which will make FPV and OSD a piece of cake on the FC40?
Many thanks go out to all who contribute.
I'm definitely all in as one of the group
Added a 3rd FC40 to the mix. I am tinkering with the one that I installed the OSD on right now. I'm trying to say I can suggest a video that will show an easy install, but I have only seen part installs like the OSD and telemetry. The install will also be different depending on the OSD that you install. I have the MINI-SOSD. and here is the install guide here. His name is Tony and he helped me out a lot getting things to work because the OSD came without instructions ---->
The N1 OSD looks to be the easiest to install, but it is not in English and I wanted to have it in English. There are extra cables for power coming from the Phantom, but you have to power the OSD, telemetry, and possible the camera if you are not using a gopro or SJCAM for FPV. Right now I am using those cables for the OSD and using a smaller battery attached to the back for the telemetry. Advantage here is that it somehow balances everything having a battery back there, but there is more weight added. Not a major concern since I have a 4000 mah battery.
I have tried 2 different FPV setups so far. One with 2 cameras and one with only one camera. I liked having a dedicated camera for FPV and one to record, but now I am going to switch back to one camera and use the SJCAM for FPV and recording. YOU have to be careful with them because getting the wires crossed can fry your cam, but if you use a cheap 12 volt cam they are tough and you cannot do anything to them with the battery, not in my experience so far anyway. Keep in mind these components are not coded exactly. again the above video helped me a lot setting up everything.
Telemetry Antennas
I did loads of research on antennas for the telemetry and the results were a bit surprising. The antennas that came with the telemetry system were grade A+ super duper garbage
Cloverleafs are best and help eliminate interferance a bit. Also, I point the antenna on the quad down it seems to help when you are up high.
Telemetry Range
The range is not as advertised. You have to be out in the middle of nowhere to get the advertised range. If you are in an urban area you have to set the telemetry to the least used signal. I carry a laptop running InSSIDer to see what channels are being used most on people's wifi in the area. By far most people are on channel 1, 6, and 11
The telemetry comes preset to channel 1. A perfect recipe for disaster especially if you are far out and suddenly static or video goes. Channel 4 and 5 seem to interfere with Satellite reception (no idea why) which leaves you with channels 2, 3,7, and 8. I like to use 8 in my area so far it is free of inteferance, but the range is reduced (again no idea why)
Soldering
I tried to avoid soldering, but in this hobby you can't avoid it if you want to upgrade. All of the OSD's require a connection to the battery or power source. If your OSD has weak power or it was not secure and comes loose, then you have nothing and you are DONE!
Your GPS and compass are connected to it so think about what happens if you lose those. I highly recommend watching some soldering videos for beginners on youtube.
Monitors
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071I0P9U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It has a built in battery and why dont they all have a built in battery. Lasts 2 hours. Ignore the rating we are not watchin tv we are flying FPV.
Summary
There have been threads before on OSD installations. I made my decision after researching an OSD recommended by TallyRver and IflyinWY. It has a lot of connections but it was made lots easier after I found the video I posted earlier in this post. I think it is a great OSD but in truth any OSD you buy is going to require opening up the quad and making connections. Maybe you guys can watch Tony's video and give me some feedback if you think it is easier or no?
) My question is, since my FPV on the FC40 is 2.4 and the FPV I plan on installing on the P1 will be 5.8.... If I'm fling one of them and let a friend fly another would the different frequencies of the different FPV's interfere with the Phantoms? Should I be concerned about flying both birds in close proximity to each other?
