Posts

Showing posts from March, 2026

Understanding the 25mW cap on Analog Video Transmitters or VTX - Why it is there and What is the situation in India?

 VTX is the most important component of an FPV drone. It helps transmit the image as seen by the camera back to the pilot who views it on an FPV Goggle or Monitor. Usually it will be a single tiny chip with a metallic heat sink and will run warm. It consumes lots of battery power. As the distance between the Video Transmitter and Video Receiver increases, more power is required by the VTX to transmit the image till a point that there will be a break in transmission.  The most popular FPV systems are the 1S Tiny Whoops which come with an AIO board containing the Flight Controller, Electronic Speed Controller, Receiver, Video Transmitter and On Screen Display are on a single board. Best example of such a system is the BetaFPV Meteor75 Pro ELRS.  Such a system has the minimum power requirement of the VTX at 25mW giving a range of 100 to 200 meters, perfect for indoors, parks and spaces around a house.  Pushing the output of 100mW is easy and many brands allow it. This w...

PNP, BNF or RTF - Deciding on the best drone with DJI O4 Air Pro unit for India

 With most of the Drone models and Drone parts imported, we have to juggle between choices of going for the PNP version or the RTF.  Let us first consider a formidable contender. Date of calculation - March 2026. BetaFPV Pavo20 Pro Series Pavo20 Pro ELRS FPV. The original website gives rates in INR, the rupee.  O4 Pro PNP version comes without the Air Unit and without ND filters. That costs 10k Rupees.  O4 Pro with the Air Unit has ND filters and will cost 34k Rupees Going for a separate Air unit will cost anywhere in the region of 30k to 35k on Indian websites. Right now the original website shows Pavo20 Pro with the O4 as out of stock. You can try your luck with the Indian Website who can import for you.  There is also an upgraded version, the Pavo20 Pro II with two versions, O4 Pro and PNP. Converted price by the original website is showing Rs 34k and Rs 10k respectively.  https://betafpv.com/products/pavo20-pro-ii-brushless-whoop-quadcopter?variant=4241...

Which drone to choose for flying practice in India?

First let us narrow down the categories and rules. You want to get some hands on training on a drone.  You want to keep it small and cheap so that the frequent crashes do not burn a hole in the pocket. You are in India, where people are over sensitive.  We shall stick to the sub 250 grams category of micro drones which do no require a license to fly in India and do not require registration too. PNP or BNF or RTF  RTF or Ready to Fly is a fully assembled drone with a dedicated transmitter provided. It might come with the FPV Googles too like in the case of the Aquila 20 HD by BetaFPV. The best examples of low cost RTF are as follows. This one takes the cake as far as the lowest cost is concerned.  https://www.drkstore.in/rh807-2-4g-6-axis-mini-quadcopter-drone / I have no idea how well this flies, but online videos are encouraging. Finally opinion will only come after I test it myself.  Cost Rs 1999 On number two for being cheapest is this one.  It comes in ...

What is the difference between XH and DC Versions and Pro and Advanced versions of SpeedyBee Mario 5

 Traditionally we have the x frame for a Quad Copter as the most basic, simplest and stable version for any type of frame. This type of frame however comes with a disadvantage that the propellors get visible in the camera field. To take care of this problem, the camera mount is moved a little forward. That disturbs the stability but will now give a better video.  SpeedyBee Mario 5 XH O4 Advanced Version XH is Squashed Head and Advanced Version is actually the basic version of this variation. This particular variation will be the least expensive among all the four versions. SpeedyBee Mario 5 DC O4 Advanced Version DC stands for Dead Cat where the front arms are pushed apart giving a propellor free view. Since there is a slight change in the propellor size and layout, this version will be a bit more expensive than XH Advanced Version. SpeedyBee Mario 5 DC O4 Pro Version It is somewhat difficult to visually see the difference between the Pro version and Advanced version. Most evi...