=== Let's Drone Out — Episode 507 === Title: LDO 507 - Germ bags Recorded: 2025-05-15 Hosts: Wayne "CurryKitten" Andrews, Stephen "Belrik" Howell, Jack "Brightontillifly" Nash, Andrew "Frank" Hyams Guest(s): (none recorded) Total audience: 917 Platforms: YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH53XWnwwaQ); SoundCloud (http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2097436407-letsdroneout-ldo-507-germ-bags.mp3) ===================================== Subscribe to weekly edited episodes of Let’s Drone Out on your favourite podcast platform Help support LDO on Patreon: / letsdroneout Join our Discord: / discord Get our merch here: https://letsdroneout.com/shop Get our merch via Paypal: https://paypal.me/letsdroneout/GBP Email us at letsdroneout@gmail.com Follow us on Facebook: https://fb.com/letsdroneout Let's drone out is; Jack - / brightontillifly Tony- / @thetonstar1 Andrew Hyams- / @andrewhyams CurryKitten- / currykitten Koel- / @koalafpv Please consider becoming a Patreon and help the show keep running. Thank You! / letsdroneout [0.0] Jack: Hello and you're listening to Let's Drone Out and special thank you to our lovely patrons [6.28] Jack: that help donate so that we can pay the editor to remove the swear words and silly things [11.36] Jack: we say. [13.0] Jack: Massive thank you to… [14.4] Jack: Carlos Campos! [16.0] Frank: Art Faulkner. [17.84] Frank: Sam Dahmer. [19.68] Frank: On with the show. [20.68] Jack: Hello and welcome to Let's Drone Out. [55.02] Jack: Tonight you are joined by everyone's favourite Kerry Kitten. [59.42] Jack: Hello. [60.9] Jack: The man who made the thumbnail, Stephen. [64.26] Jack: Hello. [65.26] Stephen: A man who got the thumbnail wrong I suspect, but if it's smeary and poor quality you can [70.26] Stephen: thank me. [71.26] Jack: And the man who apparently can't measure things. [75.26] Jack: Not even with calipers. [77.06] Jack: Mr Digger Curry. [78.58] Curry: I said I believed you and yet you're like oh no I sent photographic evidence. [84.3] Curry: I'm joking. [87.18] Curry: Usually get in trouble for that these days Kerry. [90.78] Curry: I should explain what we were talking about. [92.3] Curry: I asked Jack if I sent him my old beta FPV meteor 75 and he said no you sent me the [100.1] Curry: 60 from it. [101.1] Curry: I was like oh where's the old 75 gone because I've got the new 75 and I wanted to compare [106.58] Curry: the two because the new ones got like just a single board for everything and I think [110.7] Curry: the old one had an external BTX and I couldn't find it to check it so I thought if I sent [116.74] Curry: that to Jack and then he started sending me pictures of him holding calipers up to prove [121.14] Curry: it. [122.14] Stephen: They released the old one I think about two weeks before they released this super AIO [128.1] Stephen: board with ring on it. [129.3] Stephen: So I was actually hovering over thinking oh I might get a new WOOP as a bit of a faff [136.3] Stephen: to repair and they don't last forever. [138.46] Stephen: And then I noticed that the AIO had just had the I think they did it with a separate [144.1] Stephen: receiver or something they had like a board with the VTX and the motors but maybe the [150.94] Stephen: receiver was separate something like that. [153.94] Curry: I think it might have been it might have been an SPI receiver and they've upgraded it to [159.7] Curry: like have a proper receiver and they definitely had a separate VTX I think because it was [166.14] Curry: like it went up to 350 milliwatts and now the inbuilt one goes to 400. [171.66] Stephen: It's so nice to have those proper UART receivers on the tiny all-in-one board so you get like [177.54] Stephen: the Wi-Fi upgrade and everything so nice. [180.9] Jack: You did give me a red 75 frame that I used to build Coles one. [190.18] Curry: Yes I've possibly given it to someone else or it's lost in the cupboard. [194.86] Curry: The trouble is with B to FPV they've got I've got like a whole if you look back here those [199.86] Curry: are B to FPV boxes stacked up like there's six of them there and I was like where is [204.3] Curry: it? [205.3] Curry: It's not this one it's not this one it's not this one. [207.1] Curry: It's gone. [208.1] Curry: It just means I won't be able to hold one and say here's the old one here's new one [212.3] Curry: what's the difference? [213.3] Curry: I'll have to I'll have to try and remember. [217.34] Curry: Our age memory at our age can't be done it's gone not there anymore. [225.66] Jack: Oh you went to pop them. [228.7] Jack: I saw the pictures. [229.7] Jack: Yeah I know Frank photobombed me I look terrible in that photo. [235.06] Stephen: Well yes typically photobombing anyone wearing goggles they're not exactly at their best [241.94] Stephen: they're usually staring at their own crotch. [246.66] Jack: Yeah it's like a country move up. [249.46] Jack: They're sort of like folding the thing yeah everyone's like gathered around me it's an [254.78] Jack: awful photo and he's released it out to the wild. [258.98] Jack: I'm like damn you, don't you Frank? [262.34] Jack: I know me and my wife are in the BMFA magazine if anyone happens to have a spare copy of [267.78] Jack: that please keep it for me. [271.38] Jack: I didn't get I did not get the copy of my flight bit in the from the mini air show where [282.7] Jack: I was FPV around FPV around that plane. [288.3] Jack: Frank included my thing as an article and that as well but yeah it's nice to it's nice [296.98] Jack: to see. [299.73] Jack: So what was popping like then what was going on? [304.29] Jack: I mean to be fair I got Mona for showing up so late they were like you should have come [310.29] Jack: Saturday and that's kind of my only real experience but all the guys are lovely Jagger FPV was [320.17] Jack: kind enough I brought my whoop I bought my boxer and I bought my goggles and I did not [328.49] Jack: bring a goggle battery I bought a charger for the whoop I did I of course didn't bring [334.89] Jack: my power supply to charge the whoop either and I didn't bring my like field pack either [344.25] Jack: so that was clever so I had to borrow I just had to borrow things off people but they were [351.53] Jack: lovely they're lovely enough for very accommodating and I didn't partake in any of the whoop racing [361.17] Jack: we waited till they kind of like shut up early because I'd finished all their rounds and [367.93] Jack: we descended three of us Jagger and Matt from the drone racing we descended upon the drift [379.57] Jack: cars and we were just chasing them around and it was an absolute hoot what kind of scale drift cars [388.69] Stephen: are we talking about I don't know big ones big yeah for some of those drift cars these days [401.25] Stephen: they're really tiny I thought even in a whoop it might be a challenging to yeah but um I think [408.69] Jack: because I've been around people I've uh I've now got a bit of lurgy so I'm not feeling that great [415.97] Stephen: rough yeah that's people for you germ bags hurry I saw your van review that's a mighty impressive [425.17] Stephen: van you have oh thank you very much young man it's got a whole lot of bits and pieces [431.57] Curry: it's got bits and bobs all the and that are good for most I didn't I didn't make a review to uh [439.41] Curry: say hey look at my van it was it was purely on the basis that other people like me might find it [444.53] Curry: useful but what I've had mostly is like as if I was trying to sell it to people and there's [450.93] Curry: lots of people complaining about the price of it it's very expensive I certainly said the base [456.93] Curry: price for a transit north of 60k with all the bits and pieces yeah once you get things like [462.53] Curry: you know the automatic transmission and some of the comfort packs it's like well yeah that's [465.97] Curry: expensive yeah an old transit that's that's what your other option is buying old transit [472.29] Curry: cut holes in it and do it yourself which I was quite interested in doing and then my wife reminded [477.97] Curry: me that I am the worst DIYer in the world and I usually just get frustrated and hit things [484.45] Curry: when it goes wrong also unlike we did have a somewhere to put it [487.73] Stephen: transits are generally driven by people that don't own them and are perhaps not the gentlest of [492.85] Curry: drivers yes there's not many like considerably like carefully driven transits there's normally [501.97] Curry: belong to delivery drivers that yeah sling parcels at your door and transit drivers [506.13] Stephen: fugue on speed bumps is normally a mild irritation that might spill their drink [510.05] Stephen: but not necessarily something worth slowing down for for the sake of the vehicle [514.05] Stephen: yeah oh this is a very cool track isn't it that's awesome yeah those are pretty big dress cars they [519.09] Jack: look like made out of is it is it it's like plywood and plastic and it was all set up hang on let me [527.97] Jack: let me find let me find a good run hang on as I'm kind of that one if you noticed I crashed in [536.45] Jack: and got caught in my own hair but oh my god the trouble is is like the DVR of some of the [547.49] Jack: the fat shark DVR Jesus it's got a lot to answer for oh fat sharks the worst factor sub what the [555.97] Stephen: hell is this about oof that's some psychedelia going on there mate I know it would be like an [563.49] Jack: early 90s rock but the DVR has been on ease it's terrible isn't there so we're looking at drift [571.81] Jack: cars and it's just basically black and white and then it just pulses green that's the thing it [580.98] Curry: seems like it is very clever that they fit everything in a very small frame like that but [586.02] Curry: the vtx has seemed to not handle any sort of other RF traffic very well it's like oh my god [596.16] Curry: there's another signal here I'm just gonna go black and white and green and all sorts [600.88] Curry: even on the very impressive f5 oh my god all my DVR is garbage don't feel bad you were there [608.64] Curry: you enjoyed it it's not all about getting the videos it's fair to say you're never going to [613.36] Curry: get like oh my god I got some amazing footage on my analog tiny loop I must yeah publish it and [620.32] Curry: cut it with that's why you need to get a curry DJI 4k tiny loop yeah although that is bloody heavy [628.08] Curry: for a tiny loop your throttle management will be like this your fun will be worn out trying to [633.68] Curry: try to balance the throttle and you'll be changing batteries every 90 seconds that's true yeah I think [642.72] Curry: I think I know like a tiny loop is officially 65 mil but I have to say I felt well the 75 is the [649.28] Curry: right sort of size it just lasts a little bit longer it's got a bit more power you don't have to um [655.12] Stephen: unless you're like an elite racer who's hitting tiny tiny gaps I think 75 yeah I mean there's [662.32] Curry: there's definitely a difference you want to like a really light 65 mil loop those fly well but [669.84] Curry: yeah let's face it those those little motors are sort of going so fast you still don't get much [675.04] Stephen: of a you still got the same weight like receiver camera aio you might get slightly lighter motors [682.24] Stephen: but pretty much all the guts of it are the same between the 65 and the 75 so you just benefit a [687.84] Stephen: lot from the prop size increasing yeah you shoved it off the track then didn't you no these guys [697.06] Jack: weigh loads I think they're like 120 of the track yeah yeah landing on the roof and going for like [706.02] Stephen: a two amp hour 2s inside it that's going to be enough to knock that whip all over the place [714.29] Jack: but they were they were they were rude they were like laying like the other two guys with so much [720.21] Jack: better than me they were like landing on top of cars and that that's sweet and jack is this one [726.69] Stephen: of the founders of the whip racing club so he's probably got some practice right yeah and he's hd [732.45] Jack: as well what is it h hd zero is it yeah I think he's hd zero that's the uh that's the way for [742.05] Stephen: whoops isn't it you can keep the weight down and still get decent video quality yeah unlike the [747.73] Stephen: dji ones that are definitely a bit for whale because they've got that aio board out haven't [754.05] Stephen: they has been out for a few months and surprisingly no one's kind of complained about by any product [764.29] Stephen: quality things which is almost unheard of aio's like they've been out there and from what I can [771.57] Stephen: see people are just getting on using them which is great to see but the trouble is the more crap [777.17] Curry: you put into one board when it breaks the cost is high I think so but I think we're sort of lots [783.25] Curry: of iterations into these what you can fit on a a single board now so it's like it's it's starting [788.69] Curry: to get there what I liked about when I looked at the latest uh this beta fbv meteor 75 is if I had [797.97] Curry: to replace anything obviously if the board went or some component on the board replaced the board [803.73] Curry: but it is completely solderless it's just like you put the board in you plug the motors in you plug [809.41] Curry: the camera in and you're off off so if you need to change frame or something very easy it is nice [814.85] Stephen: and if you're an advanced user and you want to save 0.5 grams you can take the plugs off and [819.73] Stephen: spend three hours trying to solder tiny wires if if you hate your life and you want to make it more [825.89] Stephen: difficult yeah do that want to cry out your soldering iron for a while yeah but yeah there's [833.65] Stephen: definitely a few obsessives who've done that I think if you are into the racing scene it's like [837.81] Stephen: that every gram counts attitude right where you just push it and push it try and lose all those [843.09] Curry: little tiny slivers of weight I think so and Martian that's in the chat there likes to wind [848.93] Curry: his own motors because that that looks like sick man yeah what are you doing nothing [857.33] Stephen: you've got a problem if you're winding around motors you need to see some sort of specialist [861.65] Stephen: and you know just fess up to it I've been sitting home I've taken to winding my own motors I've got [869.52] Stephen: 15 different grades of wire and a whole load of specialist tools I think life might be a little [875.6] Stephen: bit too short for winding motors if you if you get a knack for it I've heard it's really good [881.04] Stephen: but it's it's like with a hot air soldering like I'm sure there is a way to get a knack for it [886.8] Stephen: but I think my hands are just like giant clumsy hands [893.28] Stephen: my DVR does work oh it does work once and then it tripped out on my spicy on you [901.44] Stephen: yeah oh that's that's how I remember you flying jack you like this is this is not a fully charged [907.28] Jack: battery I just kind of wanted to that's what my woop would work so this is like a storage battery [914.4] Stephen: 3.3 is your take off the voltage that's the way it works I remember jack gave me one with [919.44] Stephen: like some little puffazilla death battery and was like here fly around the pub [924.4] Stephen: sweat straight to the back of some of his head [930.83] Stephen: I mean I'm not a great pilot to start with I was a little bit nervous as well but yeah the battery [935.15] Stephen: was a surprise I hadn't reckoned I'm glad you got to pop them it looks like there's a fair [939.55] Stephen: amount of people there and uh was there any struggles this time I'm I'm guessing if there [944.75] Stephen: wasn't a full-size FBV racing line the woop guys had most of the day up and flying right [951.47] Jack: yeah they were all good man that's cool oh well yeah it was fine as far as I know there was no [957.95] Jack: problem we went out to the field saw some helicopters we were picking up water and [963.79] Jack: dumping it on flop on somewhere with the helicopters and we saw a bit of smoke from from a plane [971.63] Jack: got a little pyro pyro kit and that was about it really and we just kind of caught up [980.51] Jack: me Frank menace sorry sweet how's menace doing yeah all right as far as I can tell um yeah it's [990.59] Jack: just nice it's you know some exciting new stuffs coming out you know stuff that me and Frank have [996.27] Jack: obviously been nagging in full for ages which part of the quest for antenna perfection have [1002.43] Jack: you been nagging about uh it's not it's more uh it's more the the burninating something to do with [1011.71] Jack: smoke pyro triggers yeah nice yeah so that's kind of what we're looking forward to I don't know [1021.87] Jack: Frank's obviously if you're following Frank on instagram uh you'll see a lot more a lot more [1030.83] Jack: stuff but yeah he's um old frankleton's been playing with uh he's got the the new board and [1038.99] Jack: has been tying little smoke grenades to his uh his cub which is interesting yeah apologies [1048.19] Curry: I don't do instagram so it's always yeah would you like to see the interesting results of my [1053.55] Curry: flying bear in mind I've already shown you guys do it what we what we can call my squeaky bum time [1061.15] Stephen: which oh yeah but you had gps uh and also there's the fbv was purely a luxury on top of that wasn't [1068.91] Curry: it yeah there's still a bit like oh I don't like this because you're not sure at this point if [1075.31] Curry: it's already like crashed or it's happened so what was happening I was flying the wing [1081.87] Curry: that I showed last week with me throwing it into the ground I threw it into the ground once and [1086.67] Curry: then I decided that the center of gravity wasn't right moved the battery back a bit [1090.67] Curry: and then it launched and I was trying to fly it um right and I was out just about 2k and I'm [1098.27] Curry: thinking to myself well this this is a rubbish picture no you've got the interference lines [1103.47] Curry: you've got speckly stuff so I turn around to come back lose picture here and it is a good [1110.91] Curry: 30 seconds now obviously I had returned to home and I have on there and off you go right [1117.47] Curry: when you switch it on and like then you like okay come back then come back then [1122.67] Curry: at this point you're like did it just dive into the ground and die or is it actually coming home [1128.51] Curry: and it's it feels like a very very long time in the field because you're like well I was just [1134.11] Stephen: flying out that way and I wanted to why is your antenna placement but it's amazing in one direction [1139.95] Curry: an absolute turd 180 degrees it's it's on the front so it should have been worse going away [1146.99] Curry: and then when I turned around to come back should have been okay so it's a bit of a bit of a mystery [1152.11] Stephen: that one yeah that's funny who knows maybe someone flipped their microwave on I don't [1159.15] Curry: it seems to be there's certain dodgy areas around there we I was flying there with a friend one [1164.43] Curry: day and we were both sort of flying out about a kilometre and a half sort of following each other [1169.07] Curry: and we both lost complete picture and lost the RC signal just like that like something had just [1175.55] Curry: turned on and it's like a good 40 seconds later before the planes came back which was a bit weird [1183.15] Jack: it reminds me of the old flight test days where they would randomly fail safe and they could [1190.83] Jack: never work it out and it turned out that there was some sort of weird beaconing up date thing [1198.35] Jack: where it wouldn't transmit all the time but then at random points in the day so to send some sort [1208.03] Jack: of telemetry update or status report this little transmitter would power up on 75 or whatever the [1220.99] Jack: old yeah and it would just blast for a minute or two and then turn off did you use RC link as well [1233.63] Curry: Kerry or was it just the video uh no it said lost telemetry I couldn't tell if I lost the RC link [1240.83] Curry: or not wow because telemetry these days is fairly bulletproof so yeah yeah that thing that thing [1248.51] Curry: would just like chuck onto a one watt power if it needs to whilst we're flying around I mean [1254.99] Jack: if you even get telemetry back for a while either that was the scary part yeah yeah well no it said [1262.19] Curry: telemetry recovered and it's like with no video yeah zero video it's like you've got telemetry [1268.75] Stephen: you can at least look at GPS updates on your radio and be like well I guess it's gonna set that up [1274.75] Stephen: I've never got that back that's that's really you never set telemetry GPS as a like telemetry [1280.19] Curry: view on on your radio I used to have that no no I do have that on on most of I've tried setting [1286.83] Curry: my radio up like properly now so I've got just profiles for GPS quad regular quad on both like [1294.19] Curry: eight six eight and two four this this plane because it's iNAV I actually I couldn't remember [1298.91] Curry: what to do and because I'm using my um where the radio is with the little buttons at the bottom [1304.19] Curry: because it runs out of switches I've put loads of voice things on about like what these buttons do [1308.59] Curry: you know the five buttons on the front can't remember um so it was up quite well now but um [1316.83] Curry: yeah there's there's loads of things in I know that it worked for me like [1319.79] Curry: trying to use auto launch didn't work so I just turned that off and just chucked it myself [1324.11] Stephen: but yeah I haven't got around to operating just sitting here I think I'm still on iNAV [1330.75] Stephen: two and they're like 17 or something by now at least eight or something isn't that [1336.91] Stephen: and yeah one of these projects that went like 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 30 40 50 [1347.79] Curry: yeah they decided major releases were the new way forward [1351.95] Stephen: oh did we tell people that I got a display like yours currently broadcasting cat memes downstairs [1357.79] Stephen: but um one of those places yeah it's down in the kitchen I should probably pop it up here but I [1363.31] Stephen: think the cat it need to be bolted to the wall because the camera angle is a bit weird but yeah [1367.79] Curry: it's working a treat yeah fun aren't they yeah I've got this is what I was messing with today [1374.19] Curry: that's causing me problems it is basically an esp32 and lots of bits on it with uh [1382.35] Curry: that sounds cool display and I've got this horrendous little piezo speaker on it [1387.79] Curry: because I was testing if I could um stream nmp3 is it ink or proper proper screen now that's a [1396.03] Stephen: regular screen that one so I had an ink one and it did like a weather clock a quite detailed cool [1402.51] Stephen: looking weather clock for like two years that next inexplicably just stopped updating one day [1407.79] Stephen: and I don't know why but the good thing is that last forecast is there forever yeah right that's [1415.23] Stephen: it's like oh the battery is 80% I don't think your battery is 80% right I think it did [1422.19] Jack: somewhere around it anyway yeah they're quite fun one of those augmented like mirror [1428.27] Jack: uh sci-fi mirror ones with like the weather on it and stuff oh yeah I kind of wanted that on one [1434.35] Stephen: of the inside of a cup of doors in my bedroom so I could like get your clothes out and there'd be [1439.39] Stephen: like a mirror there that would give you status updates and stuff it was fairly straightforward [1444.67] Stephen: to do you basically just got a crap old tv and slapped it on the back of a mirror and that was [1450.03] Stephen: it much easier than a crap old tv it's a nice thin panel like you've got there yeah they're quite fun [1460.35] Curry: although there's quite ridiculously involved to like this is like a review thing another tech [1465.55] Curry: review and it's like okay well it's going to take me several weeks just to program something [1469.95] Stephen: interesting on it but you mean beta testing they're going to be like oh thank you for your review we [1474.67] Stephen: really appreciate it have this uh 50 quid display and thank you thank you for spending 10 hours [1481.55] Stephen: programming the example that's going to sell our project they certainly didn't organize their [1486.19] Curry: example code very well it's been like hours and hours like looking at what you mean you've got [1491.07] Curry: this and then it's like i do not have the drive for this thing and i could not it literally two [1496.43] Curry: hours to get the hello world example working because the driver that talked to the usb [1501.95] Curry: portment it just would not appear as a thing and i could not find out why ages which was not much [1509.39] Stephen: fun pain yeah i do wonder how that they often say all these things they're good for children age [1515.63] Stephen: five to seven there's no way that a child age five to seven is going to install a serial port [1520.99] Stephen: driver on their computer maybe they'll be able to deal with the simplistic drag and drop programming [1527.63] Stephen: interface like scratch or something once that it is actually connected but the fact you have to go [1532.83] Curry: through this rigmarole before you can actually connect to a thing it's like a jack torture device [1538.19] Curry: you send it to him you say jack install this by the command line probably use the word just [1544.83] Stephen: jack can you just upgrade this to make it seem simple and then he'll be like oh that sounds [1550.83] Stephen: simple i'll do that as indeed anyone would and three days later no sleep full of caffeine [1558.11] Curry: yeah twitching yeah twitching are you ready for my other bit of flying [1565.23] Curry: i've become an expert helicopter pilot oh yeah do you see this helicopter is inverted and i'm [1573.95] Stephen: flying it in a circle wow it's important of which direction you're flying it you're maintaining [1581.55] Curry: height quite nicely i'll give you that so it's all gone i've i've got sent a little helicopter [1588.67] Curry: which is on the i would call it beginner toy zone so it's like it does 3d it kind of does 3d but [1597.31] Curry: cheats so it's kind of hard to activate because it's like press this button and do this and it [1602.35] Curry: should roll over and it's like press it lots of times eventually rolls over and then it um [1609.31] Curry: it sorts it out so your directions of flight are the same as if you're the right way around [1615.47] Curry: which is fun so then you can fly around this thing and it's all stabilized and you like [1618.99] Curry: look at me i'm flying upside down except it's a little bit funny about well at first i couldn't [1626.11] Curry: quite work out what it needed to actually turn back over so i had this thing upside down for [1630.51] Curry: about five minutes saying press the button do the thing and it's just blown around being [1636.03] Curry: upside down trying to fall into a bush and stuff turns out you have to have it like three meters [1641.55] Curry: or so high because it's got a branch in it and it's like now it's at least one fresh high yeah [1649.15] Jack: that was fun so curry's going to be doing this demo is now he's going to get his b-cert [1655.23] Curry: uh as as i i say too many times about the bfm as like i wouldn't join any club that would [1662.91] Curry: actually have me as a member because for all clubs really not just the bnfa yeah i'm firmly [1670.43] Stephen: opted out of that now i've got got my cert and then uh i've got a few copies of a paper magazine [1675.87] Stephen: i don't remember subscribing too and uh i think it's one of them their member benefits [1682.19] Jack: how did you get certified how did you find that [1685.79] Stephen: i uh asked people i i talked to the head office and they were pretty much no help [1692.03] Stephen: and then frank was able to like find a club and point me to them and and that that was what did [1697.39] Stephen: it really because the head office was like oh just talk to your local club and i'm like i don't [1701.71] Stephen: have a local club oh well join a club i'm like but i don't i just want to do this and they're [1707.79] Jack: like oh well i don't know wonderful thanks guys what what level certification are you a b or c the [1718.5] Stephen: fpv racing one i think there's only one oh do you race no but i did the fpv racing cert because it's [1728.58] Curry: the only fpv cert available does this thing you didn't actually have to do any niner sight flying [1733.46] Curry: because they're all their normal quad stuff and things it's like yeah i think i could have [1740.58] Stephen: but i didn't have to and the line of sight stuff's just horizon mode anyway so like come on like if [1746.82] Stephen: you can't hold for a quad in horizon mode go back by some forwards and that land again that's why i [1751.54] Curry: did not understand when i read it i thought you couldn't use any stabilization to do i thought it [1757.86] Stephen: had to be essentially it lets you use a dji dji like you can get a mavic and do that test okay [1764.9] Stephen: that sounds different exactly now we can reconsider the whole qualification criteria [1774.58] Stephen: because they don't draw any differentiation between like a five inch racing drone and a mavic [1780.66] Stephen: as far as they're concerned they're both drones and you can do the test on either so you can do [1785.78] Curry: your fpv racing cert on your mavic if you want to yeah as well as you can yeah but the fpv racing [1794.18] Stephen: cert isn't the drone flying cert the main drone flying cert the one that you're talking about [1798.1] Stephen: where you do line of sight is the one where they don't really have an audience in mind it's like [1805.78] Stephen: for flying a mavic and you fly a figure of eight pattern can you do like nose in nose out stuff [1812.58] Stephen: like you would if you're on the heli and that type of thing it's not exactly difficult when [1818.66] Curry: your quad will just sit there if you get slightly confused about which way you're pushing the cup [1823.7] Stephen: if you're feeling a little bit nervous in the middle leave it hovering come back [1830.18] Stephen: do you idea yeah it was interesting it was nice to see that the association catered for [1836.1] Stephen: drones to some extent but yeah kind of so i forgot i didn't believe [1842.5] Curry: stand where to go from there so i just dropped the membership if you were a joiner with that [1848.1] Curry: it was the idea that that would then let you fly at a club but presumably you'd have a spotter [1856.66] Stephen: although i kind of suspect that most drone racing clubs wouldn't object to someone turning up and [1863.38] Stephen: thrashing the pants off everyone if they didn't have a cert from bmfa so yeah so curious one [1872.58] Stephen: i think there's still a bit of a split between the bmfa and like drone racing at large as far [1877.7] Stephen: as i can make out maybe i'm wrong please come on and correct us and tell us more about how the [1882.26] Stephen: bmfa is doing racing it would be interesting but yeah it wasn't really well it's like you know [1886.82] Curry: most of us don't don't necessarily want to race we just want to fly around and you know do flippy [1892.9] Curry: floppy stuff around a tree or something like that but i just visit a couple of clubs but they're [1897.3] Stephen: all out in the middle of big empty fields and i didn't want to i didn't want to fly in a big empty [1902.02] Stephen: field or to fly somewhere a bit more interesting so that's the norm they like big empty fields for [1909.14] Curry: flying their um big scale things round and round it makes sense for that sort of thing [1916.9] Frank: this episode was recorded in front of a live online audience downloaded and edited to make [1921.46] Frank: sense when it played audio only censored to please the itunes people hosted on the internet [1926.5] Frank: forwarded through to your podcast provider downloaded playing on your device and is now [1930.82] Frank: playing in your ears all thanks to our patreons consider joining them and you'll also get other [1936.26] Frank: online benefits find out more at patreon.com forward slash let's drone out i see what though [1943.62] Jack: i do feel like i am the only person i'm like i'm dreading it when the classification comes in [1951.46] Jack: and you know and that like people look at me like what you know i said well because of the legacy [1956.9] Jack: stuff and i'm just thinking the legacy self-built what a great way for them to make money [1964.34] Jack: do you know what i mean like if you build something yourself you got to get it certified [1969.46] Jack: you got to send it in do all this so you can't you know it's an illegal drone [1976.66] Curry: i haven't bothered reading it because i've decided i'm just going to ignore it [1980.74] Curry: because that seems like it made me really depressed and to be honest [1985.22] Jack: it's not looking at it it's not going to happen like that there'll always be self-built stuff [1989.22] Jack: and i'm like yeah i know but i don't want self-built don't i i'm gonna go on variations on the same [1997.94] Stephen: builds because it might be conceivable that the parts are restructured from one model into another [2003.78] Stephen: and does that at what point do you have to recertify it for example could i certify [2009.38] Stephen: my battery strap and then fly that battery strap in a number of configurations with different [2014.9] Jack: prop sizes probably not you'll probably have to but yeah i don't know i just i don't know maybe [2024.02] Jack: maybe i've hung out with Tony too long and i'm so cynical and then if i fly a drone and i have to [2030.18] Stephen: replace the battery strap and it's no longer ostensibly the same build because i use a [2034.18] Stephen: different make a battery strap yeah what if you change the props yeah well if you change the props [2039.78] Stephen: what what happens if you need to swap the motors is that now when you build what happens if you're [2044.18] Stephen: fc or asc goes bye bye and change that and you maybe change the stack size while you're at it [2049.62] Stephen: or if you break the frame and you can't get exact frames you get something that's close is it and you [2054.66] Stephen: build and if you voluntarily take the components of one drone and put them on a different frame [2060.5] Stephen: is that still the same drone it's just how how much change is accepted it's like when you have [2066.74] Stephen: a computer if you've run the windows licensing darts be like yeah you you build a desktop and [2072.74] Stephen: you like swap your cpu and microsoft it's like oh you've built a new computer and you have to do [2078.34] Stephen: this song and dance with like a help support team where you tell someone in another country with [2084.26] Stephen: broken english that no this really is just the same computer and you just upgraded the one thing [2088.98] Stephen: and they go okay then you just get your license back and carry on with your life yeah i think [2097.26] Jack: i love being like nope you're recertified i think um yeah i forgot what the uh the phrases what's [2105.42] Curry: the phrase for like purposely breaking the law uh because you've decided the lure is stupid um [2114.14] Curry: they did it nice yeah they did it um way back in the 60s or 70s about the right to ramble [2121.9] Curry: oh yeah that was the thing where people wanted to walk everywhere yeah so they just um they just [2126.86] Curry: all sort of broke the law um conscientious objectors or whatever and and did it their [2134.06] Curry: way and then they're like oh okay yeah the laws didn't change open up we'll open up all these uh [2140.14] Curry: okay routes to to walk through this land to other things that's what we just should do carry on [2146.14] Curry: flying because we object what the law is because it's stupid and that's what we're doing anyway yeah [2154.62] Stephen: i must i must say i the latest iteration this i started trying to look up the uk classes for drones [2160.62] Stephen: and it's not google like that the documentation they put out there on the classes they're they're [2168.38] Stephen: not searchable like you have to read everything the caas put out to find out the one thing you [2174.22] Curry: need to know um so yeah so phases to ignore carry on carry on doing what you're doing don't crash [2181.5] Stephen: into equal buildings with cars magical pencil anytime let's say you calibrate your accelerometer [2187.1] Stephen: read register this is now a new drone you've changed the parameters [2193.42] Jack: uh it wouldn't surprise me and you know like frank frank and menace looked at me with like [2199.66] Jack: i had two heads and i was just like i don't why am i the nut i'm like i bet you any money i like [2207.26] Jack: that i you know they're just like i mean they've they've produced it from 250 to 100 grams [2217.9] Jack: yeah congratulations target now you're just taking the piss it's not even 125 [2225.98] Curry: they found out people are still having fun with quads under two well this is what i was saying [2231.02] Stephen: and i was in a bad mood the other day but it does feel that they're systematically trying to stop us [2236.38] Stephen: doing this hobby and that is the strategy they're going to just carry on squeezing and it's going [2241.98] Stephen: to be 50 grams next time you look at it and then it's going to be just you know anything that's 25 [2247.82] Stephen: grams or over has to have remote id and the lightest remote id tag that certifies 30 grams [2255.1] Jack: just gonna be ludicrous i'll tell you what if it does get down to that i'll register my cock [2261.1] Curry: i'll get the the number tattooed to it that doesn't weigh 25 grams don't worry yeah [2270.22] Stephen: i'm i'm hoping that the the beacon stuff just gets put into an express lrs uh receiver like [2277.02] Stephen: i was saying before because from what i can make out the expressive chips that they're using on [2282.62] Stephen: the receivers all of the new generation seem to include hardware that you'd need for this so [2288.94] Stephen: you know fingers crossed it's just a case of upgrade the receiver it's going to be challenging [2293.9] Stephen: for on a loop but hopefully that you have enough of a window before it slips under 100 grams and by [2298.7] Jack: then whoops will be able to do it too at some point i got hit with a wet organic grown a wet leaf [2307.73] Jack: it needs to be registered and like we fill in the bmor does it apply to wings yet because they seem [2316.61] Stephen: to have this extraordinary grace period where they're somehow you know like a one kilo wing is [2322.13] Stephen: not as dangerous as a 110 gram quadcopter well did the last time the bfma kind of did a bit of [2331.25] Curry: set out thing didn't they where they're like oh we've got a good deal where you can fly at our [2336.85] Curry: clubs for you and you don't have to like have all this documentation or stuff it it'll be that thing [2343.57] Stephen: again so if it turns out that was a mistake it'll be okay was it what was there was no free pass [2351.81] Stephen: for bmfa members that was just yeah yeah and there was a giant person to hand over everyone's [2360.53] Curry: information oh it gets a bit weird doesn't it when something lighter than the football [2368.05] Curry: um needs to be registered maybe the key is here that they define a drone as something under control [2375.73] Curry: so let's just have free flight models let's plug them in and press a button and goes [2379.41] Curry: whoosh and then the fun is more rocketry say a rocketry you can put cameras in rockets but [2388.37] Stephen: if it's not under your control that's fine right i think so yeah cool it tell me again find find [2394.61] Stephen: the quad that's i'm actually has quite a few good value rockets what with the global situation being [2399.17] Stephen: what it is they've probably uh probably got the production lines up and running pretty well now [2404.29] Curry: but i mean i i had a great day flying this week i have to say because i love last time i went out [2410.53] Curry: everything went wrong and this time only one thing went wrong which is like this a sodding thing [2420.98] Curry: i'm just trying to make it work so the the gps can keep it single dinky it's it's lovely it's [2430.18] Curry: a little four inch vulnerable quad and it came with an spi receiver and the gps and i was flying [2437.06] Curry: along and then suddenly the whole gps disappeared not it didn't go to zero it was just like [2442.9] Stephen: what gps we don't have one we no longer have enough uh brain capacity to deal with the serial [2449.06] Curry: port as well as that's basically what it was therefore i know i'll put um a proper receiver [2454.34] Curry: in it and the gps will work so yeah we got gps lock flying along and it's like goes from eight [2462.5] Curry: to five to zero it's like what's going on maybe the receiver sending telemetry back is having an [2468.98] Curry: issue with it so i tried moving the um receiver antenna over here didn't make a difference so i've [2475.06] Curry: now put in this is a old team black sheep gps and i went to test it out again and it went up to eight [2482.82] Curry: satellites which is not amazing and flying along and it's down to seven and back to eight and then [2488.34] Curry: a six and back to eight and it's like what's going on why can't i get this thing working i've got like [2493.62] Curry: 15 hours of footage of me flying this without being trusted doing anything something's new [2499.3] Curry: satellites they'll give you like 23 locks and inside of a minute it's crazy yeah it's like [2506.1] Curry: whenever i fly anything on on a plane it's like yeah we've got like 25 satellites and we've just [2511.46] Curry: been sat here for one minute i get like quads a bit just screwed in and everything's everything's [2519.54] Curry: in this bit here but oh this is just because it's a really like nice little quad it's an f4 11 by [2526.98] Stephen: any chance might be don't know f4 11s are pretty much cursed right now they are like it's like [2534.98] Stephen: buying a an f303 like you just don't want to they're basically cursed i know like ff4s are [2542.82] Stephen: yesterday's yeah does bfl still support f4s f4 11s are like the super slow f4s that don't have [2549.3] Stephen: many serial ports so they're basically cursed and any f4s now it's basically you're going to be [2554.9] Stephen: running a 4k and you might have to drop down to 2k pit loop because they just can't keep up with [2560.9] Stephen: the calculations that the flight controller needs to do for filtering now there's too much filtering [2566.66] Stephen: basically to keep everything in and people are obsessed with like lowering the latency for the [2571.46] Stephen: control inputs which means there's less and less margin to get the calculations done before you [2576.18] Stephen: need to process the next controller but so um yeah it's um that's a shame because i want to check [2583.78] Curry: i i thought let's take the little mini dji 04 out of that whoop and stick it in here [2590.9] Stephen: they are for the little funny silver ones darwin fpv this is darwin fpv i've got those motors i [2599.3] Stephen: didn't put them on a build yeah i bought the motors because they were so cheap they were like [2605.78] Stephen: like six quid a corner they were so stupid cheap i don't know where they got them they look really [2612.26] Stephen: odd they're the ones that like plain steel cans aren't they yeah that's what they look like yeah [2618.34] Stephen: they're like unmarked at 1504s or something yeah i've got a set for those because they were going [2623.54] Curry: stupid cheap i find it quiet reasonably efficient not if you want if you want to slam [2630.9] Curry: it around and stuff it's not so good it's the idea is it's like a little stealth long range [2635.14] Stephen: quad that's that's its idea but it's not working 1404 is a bit anemic like you can't do anything [2643.38] Stephen: but going up to 1504 or 1505 on a four inch especially a bio blade you just have enough [2650.1] Stephen: kind of headroom where you can start to have a bit of fun instead of constantly [2654.26] Stephen: watching yourself during maneuvers so you don't hit the ground so it's nice i like it but i you [2662.74] Curry: know i had a good day when i went out it was yesterday it was blazingly hot the wind was [2669.62] Curry: blowing in the right direction so the wing actually got in the air through that two batteries about 15 [2674.98] Curry: minutes each aside from like having that complete loss of signal it also does exciting [2682.1] Curry: thing when i go full throttle the OSD disappears completely there's um this this was i literally [2690.26] Curry: got an ESC to test one year ago and i sort of installed it and like i'll have to take this [2695.22] Curry: wing out and i i just haven't done because it's slightly cursed but having got it launched it's [2700.02] Curry: like maybe maybe it needs like some capacitors i noticed when it's sold now it includes a capacitor [2706.74] Stephen: with it it's like oh that might be it yeah there's so many boards out there like that where just like [2713.62] Stephen: yeah just ship it it's great value great value and then people get it they're like i can't use [2719.78] Stephen: the SD card and the OSD at the same time or when i go full throttle this happens i don't think [2725.86] Stephen: that's but yeah there's so many boards for those like let's squeeze all the components on the board [2732.5] Stephen: without like any care and attention and let's try and plug everything in even if some things don't [2737.38] Stephen: work at the same time as other things even if some things are slightly too close to other stuff [2742.02] Curry: and they just kind of kill them with noise it's kind of impressive that the 70 amp ESC i've got [2747.54] Curry: is about half the size of my 50 amp ESC however all that mass was probably built up in nice [2754.1] Curry: capacitors and things to stop the power leaking out and dirtying up my vtx in terrible ways but [2761.86] Curry: it got it got full throttle it goes very fast it's very bumpy i was going to send you the video [2767.14] Curry: Stephen because it's like this will convert steve onto wings and bumpity bumpity bumpity [2773.7] Curry: roller coaster vibes he'll love it i don't know how much you love that bumpiness in wings [2779.86] Stephen: oh it's wonderful yeah i love it especially from a calibrate servos that's my other favorite thing [2785.3] Stephen: i think is just like so much fun makes me think i should go and get one calibrate [2791.38] Curry: and that's the calibrate then you just have to turn them on get the center point and then install [2795.86] Curry: your servo horn it's all good it's true and then trim them trim and that's where you have auto trim [2804.5] Stephen: steven doesn't like me because it's not digital you can't get a digital servo i can see the appeal [2809.7] Stephen: it's just i'm so used to quads now and they fly so nicely it's kind of difficult to choose something [2816.42] Jack: that doesn't fly as well no why no i need to stick you on the tricopter if you want [2827.06] Jack: i think you misunderstood what i said there chat i did i'm nervous will sort of willfully [2832.98] Jack: misunderstood don't forget to bring the historical quad for coal to have a go oh yes [2839.78] Stephen: well we're cold flies that on a regular doesn't it should be refined it's just an octave [2844.18] Stephen: cold frame analog system like old kiss not anymore he's dji now dji boy i saw when i saw [2853.22] Stephen: the picture of gold was as he actually got it yeah as far as i know it's got the n3s you got [2859.38] Stephen: the n37 you're coming no i've got the integrity oh integrity yeah this is where it gets to like a [2866.82] Curry: bit like how many goggles are there now and there's this weird matrix spreadsheet of like [2871.62] Curry: what goggles are compatible with what you're like oh man this is hard yeah it's challenging [2878.18] Jack: it's kind of a mess a little bit and um i was surprised you went for the integral because [2886.34] Curry: don't you need like diopters just to see uh yes bear in mind this was uh sort of gifted to me as [2894.5] Curry: a review thing so you know i can't be fussy but the integral does come with a whole pack of diopters [2899.94] Curry: from like plus two down to minus eight so you just get the ones that right and shove them in there [2904.66] Curry: obviously if you've got a very strong um astigmatism you will need to get your own diopter but [2911.06] Jack: mine works my mind is fixed fine yeah that's that's where i'm that's that's where my problem lies [2918.5] Curry: just close one eye close the eye that's the problem that reminds me there was actually [2924.98] Curry: this was an actual product there was a um fpv monocle so it just did one eye and the idea was [2931.86] Curry: that like your fpv and your line of sight thus you can fpv without a spotter that was a thing [2938.9] Stephen: i forgot who produced it it was hilarious you know the maximum height for kites according [2944.58] Stephen: to spv the maximum height for kites in the uk is 60 meters so if you see anyone going around [2951.78] Stephen: you've got to get your protractor out you've got to say right that now if we if we measure the [2957.14] Stephen: angle of your string how much string have you spooled out how high are you now a higher now [2963.22] Stephen: you know start doing your right angle triangle calculations yeah i thought they set the um [2973.7] Jack: all the power lines and run it all across the country at 61 meters [2980.5] Jack: power lines are much less i don't know why you'd fly a kite directly under a power line [2985.22] Stephen: even the best will in the world that's uh because we're the uk intelligence there was literally [2991.14] Jack: i mean absolutely the drone over 100 grams what you on about in in my youth there was literally [2996.5] Curry: a public information film about flying a kite near a power line and kids getting electrocuted and [3003.22] Stephen: killed don't do it i mean yeah don't do it but the same time if you did do it [3010.98] Stephen: yeah but the world's probably a better place for you in the picture that's the darwin it'll be [3016.58] Stephen: playing on train tracks would you want to work with this type of person that would like [3023.78] Stephen: play on a busy train track or fly there quite underneath the power line [3028.18] Stephen: i want to be in the same building as someone who did that i find it disgusting that we breathe the [3033.86] Curry: same air those sorts of people maybe maybe it's like mountaineer they say why did you fly your [3044.9] Curry: kite there because it's there and i needed to conquer it by flying my kite next to it [3051.3] Curry: these are the type of people who don't bother shutting the car door before they drive off you [3054.82] Curry: know yeah that's the way i'm suddenly reminded of my friend's um video that i shared one week [3067.44] Curry: where maybe it was one of the the halloween like um disaster specials where he lost he was like [3075.2] Curry: this was back in um the free sky days he had his tyrannos 9d and he had his ardu pilot plane [3081.92] Curry: flying around and he was like oh my god my radio is beeping i need to change the battery it's okay [3087.68] Curry: because my my plane will go return to home and go in circles so he took out the battery started [3094.8] Curry: installing new ones and it found out apparently that plane wasn't set to return to home in this [3099.52] Curry: case it was set to fly by wire a or whatever they call it an ardu pilot so it just flew on [3106.16] Curry: for 10 kilometers or so and it's got this when he found the footage that there's this brilliant [3111.52] Curry: video where somehow he goes in between these power lines that like this bar apart and gently [3118.16] Curry: lands in the field afterwards and we showed that figure on the show yeah there's this there's this [3124.64] Curry: halloween clips yeah there's this awesome noise when he goes through the power line [3128.24] Curry: you can just use a buzz of the power that was amazing i can't believe how he managed to [3136.72] Curry: not only he managed to retrieve the plane obviously as well that was the amazing thing [3141.2] Curry: because it was like completely out of battery just flying on its own at that point fun times [3145.6] Jack: that's incredible should we call it there lads yeah i feel exhausted now after curry told that [3151.2] Stephen: story i think i need to go and have a lie down breathe deeply this is this is what you're messing [3156.72] Curry: out on just imagine flying a plane you lose picture you lose signal everything so what do [3161.52] Curry: you do take the battery out the radio immediately throw your radio on the window until the plane [3168.0] Jack: comes back he's literally one of my most favorite light videos and i i do love that video i think [3182.77] Curry: it's great it's a fun one it wasn't shared anywhere else because it was like playing the [3188.61] Curry: flew away completely and out of control for 10 kilometers yeah i think you can watch out [3195.73] Stephen: all these type of uh fixed wind videos to ensure they don't get distributed through the media [3201.09] Stephen: so yeah the shadowy hand of bmfa keeping fixed wind fliers safe [3205.25] Jack: disclosure that was a joke i know anyway right thank you to all our wonderful patreons [3214.85] Jack: who help keep the show going and help frank caught some money back from us bleeding him dry [3226.85] Jack: we do apologize frank frank he's on the splatigal so that he doesn't murder us [3232.05] Jack: um yeah if you do enjoy listening to this all edited and nice and neat and fantastic [3241.73] Jack: lovely then please consider becoming one of the wonderful patreons and get your name read [3247.65] Jack: out we in this show and we'll play a little banner with your name at the end of the show [3253.01] Jack: uh on youtube we're live every thursday 8 till 9 p.m and you've been listening to let's show it [3262.29] Jack: you're by everyone's favorite [3268.45] Jack: who am i again play it again everyone's favorite bunny why uh the man with my stars [3276.21] Stephen: stephen not a fluffy bunny apparently but yeah more stoked stoked now completely [3286.85] Stephen: and i am your honey budger bright until i fly thank you good night chomp chomp telemetry 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