First Person View (FPV) is a revolutionary phenomenon that offers a thrilling realistic experience in the RC hobby arena. Brought to life by the drone industry, this cult, some might say, is not a fad nor novelty but something that has and will influence the way how humans play, work and operate.
So if you’re contemplating about elevating your RC car to the FPV level, here are some things you should know before you invest in an FPV system.
FPV Lets You Drive Beyond The Visual Range
Surprisingly not many people notice this advantage that FPV brings. One of the major reasons to FPV your RC vehicle is to allow you to break out from your traditional RC track and drive beyond what you can normally see. Imagine driving in a park with trees, benches and bushes. It’s not easy to constantly keep an eye on where your car is going. FPV helps in this aspect by extending your visual range, just like what it does on drones.
FPV is Not Expensive
Cost concern is a common way of life and the same is true for FPV. Some may think that a complete FPV system is too expensive for mainstream RC vehicles but they may be wrong. FPV system is only expensive if you choose the digital models especially the ever popular DJI system which can cost around $800 for a basic rig.
However, there’s always the affordable analog system which uses the traditional analog TV (cathode-ray tube) technology that costs as low as $120. This low-latency system consists of a mini FPV camera with a video transmitter that transmits its video data wirelessly to a remote FPV headset.
A further cheaper option is to replace the goggles with a smartphone video receiver that only weighs in at under $60 in total.
Thus, all in all, you could be investing only sixty bucks. You can eventually upgrade to a better system once you realize the thrill of FPV. We wrote a detailed guide on how to FPV an RC car that offers different setups – from combining digital and analog video to using your good ‘ol GoPro as FPV camera.
It’s Not Complicated to Set Up
If you refer to our comprehensive guide on FPV setup, you’ll realize that installing an FPV system can take as long as only two hours. In fact, the most time-consuming aspect is thinking about where to attach your camera to your car and the wiring-soldering work. Yes, you may need to do some soldering but this depends on the type of connectors that come with your camera and video transmitter. If you purchase them in a set, they are usually all wired up for you to just plug and play.
You may even purchase an FPV camera that has a built-in transmitter. They are so tiny that they can fit virtually anywhere in your RC vehicle.
FPV Goggles/Headset Is Not a Must
Yes, you read it. You may experience FPV without having to use an FPV headset by simply attaching your smartphone or GoPro to your RC car and blazing the track. It may not be a live FPV experience but you’d still get a nice HD recording of you sitting in your RC’s cockpit, just like in F1 or NASCAR.
Your smartphone may also come with a video stabilization function (all iPhones and most Samsung Galaxy series) which makes it fitting for off-road use and for GoPro, stabilization is always built-in with their newer models.
It Keeps Your Heart Racing
Some RC car owners fear that they can’t handle FPV driving style because everything zips past so fast in a blurry manner. This is true! But it’s also the most thrilling part of the FPV experience. You could literally feel your heart pumping faster than the usual RC driving. It is something difficult to explain and the only way to understand is to strap on a pair of goggles and rev your RC car away. The video below could not do it justice but it gives you some idea what it feels like.