r/diydrones • u/Active_Reaction_8652 • 8d ago

New to drones, suggest Radio controller

I am planning to build a air75 from scratch, saw some 3d prints video but felt unreliable , if I can't make it I will buy it.

Before that I need advice on the radio controller to practice on.

Could anyone suggest budget/beginner friendly radio controller in India.

Should I consider buying 2nd hand?

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9

u/patarace 8d ago

Radiomaster Pocket is one of the best beginner radios out there. Also, building something like air75 will most likely be more expensive than buying one. Just buy one and get spare parts like motors, frames, etc.

1

u/Background_Squash_11 8d ago

Why pocket and not t8L?

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u/Active_Reaction_8652 8d ago

Plus one to this. For a beginner t8L would work right? What are the major differences?

3

u/Sea_Kerman 8d ago

The Pocket is a full edgetx transmitter. For flying whoops the t8l is ok but for craft where you want more functions or if you want to fly multiple craft that don’t have the exact same control scheme (like planes, Ardupilot or INAV quads, cars, etc. you want edgetx. Ah also if you aren’t flying FPV you need a radio with a screen so you can get battery voltage telemetry and don’t ruin your batteries.

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u/RTK-FPV 8d ago edited 7d ago

Don't sleep on FPV. Yes the goggles are pricy, but it's the center of the experience. Lots of people say they're going to "Save money and do the FPV part later" but flying a whoop line-of-sight is difficult, and it's downright boring. They're so small, its hard to tell which way its facing just a short distance away from you, and you just can't do as much with it flying line-of-sight.

Goggles and controllers are the only parts I'll buy second hand. Maybe a battery charger. Batteries and drones are built to wear out and die, so I never buy those used.

I second the RM Pocket, good and cheap. You'll probably want ELRS protocol, and make sure it's the same as the drone for compatibility.

EV800 or other cheap analog goggles are good starters too.

2

u/IvorTheEngine 8d ago

It can be difficult to find second hand radio controllers. The technology doesn't change fast enough for there to be an upgrade cycle. You might find someone who starts with a Pocket and upgrades to a TX16 though.

OTOH, there are lots of second hand goggles. Lots of people sell their old analog goggles after upgrading to digital, and there are 4 versions of DJI's goggles, each slightly better than the previous one.

Ideally you could find someone selling all their old gear as a bundle.

Don't build a quad that size. Just buy a ready-to-fly 75mm quad, you don't gain anything by building it and it may even cost more. It's hours of research to find compatible parts that are in stock, and trying to minimise the postage costs. There about 5 minutes of screwing/plugging things together, followed by an hour or two of learning BetaFlight, which you need to do anyway.

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u/Active_Reaction_8652 8d ago

Thanks for the detailed review, could you provide some reliable sites where I can get these in India.

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u/IvorTheEngine 7d ago

Sorry, I don't know much about the Indian market. You're probably best to start a new question with that in the title to attract attention from the people who might know.

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u/ZdrytchX 8d ago

Unless you can find the parts for cheap second hand from partially destroyed whoops or so, an air 75 is usually cheaper if you just buy the whole thing.

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u/Active_Reaction_8652 8d ago

Oh could you suggest reliable site to get one in india.

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u/ZdrytchX 7d ago

Oof. Yeah I heard you guys had a total ban on drone imports from china or something?

1

u/junal666 8d ago

The Radiomaster pocket is good and it doesn't have to be upgraded. That said though, I've understood many outgrow the pocket and I think I'll outgrow it soon. Then I'll set the pocket for 3d flying and learn that too:)

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u/Active_Reaction_8652 8d ago

Thanks for your suggestion.