I've been looking into Hexacopters with the view to recording some footage with my GoPRO. I'm a complete beginner when it comes to r/c flight but have been racing r/c buggies for years. I am looking for something easy to fly out the box and was looking at Helipal and the storm Drone 6 with GPS, based on the Naza system.
However I've been hearing alot about the APM system, but after looking through the forums, it appears to be more suited to experienced users and requires more tinkering and configuring. Although I'm happy to learn all about settings and control, to start with I would rather have something that can fly out the box and is fairly stable for beginners. Is it correct that the naza system doesn't have an autopilot ? would this be important for a beginner ? or would I manage with a GPS system that can loiter and hold altitude.
One other thing is the different in radios, the Helipal offer a DEVO 7 - 6 ch radio from Walkera, whereas I see alot of mention about the turnigy 9x 8 ch radio system.
I am looking to spend no more than £550 on a RTF setup with GPS and still a bit confused weather to opt for a Storm Drone 6 GPS or go down the route of a custom build based around a DJI 550 Hex with Turnigy 9x and APM 2.5/9.
Any advise or guidance would be most welcome.
Thanks
Raymond
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For what it's worth. I started RC flying about a year ago with a Walkera Hoten-X quad. I had never flown anything prior to that.. The Hoten has no fancy modes. You just fly it around manually.
This was my learning platform.. I crashed it quite a few times while I was getting my thumb coordination right :) It took me a few months to get to the point where I could fly it without thinking about what I was doing with the transmitter controls. (But the learning period can vary depending on one's hand eye coordination).
Although it is small, the Hoten can lift a GoPro and I made quite a few videos with my Hero 3. Here is one I made last winter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZApb8vZqrA4
I moved up to a 3D Robotics Hexacopter this spring with the APM2.5 controller, GPS, FPV video and Telemetry. I manged to get it flying without any major problems. I went with the APM controller because it's open source and you can talk to the developers directly on this forum.
There is a very BIG learning curve. On top of figuring out everything the controller can do, you also need to figure out the Mission Planner programing software. You'll need to do a lot of reading. Fortunately the documentation is pretty good and you can always ask questions of the DIY forum. You'll usually get a quick answer.
There are bugs with the APM system and there have been crashes reported because of them.. But, from what I've seen of the other automatic controllers, they all have their share of problems. I've followed a few NAZA threads over on the RC Groups forums where people are discussing the same sort of problems. I don't think one is that much better than the other.
You won't need a Hex to carry a GoPro. ( A larger quad (with 10 inch props) will lift one with no strain at all.. I got my Hexacopter specifically to carry my Canon 7D DSLR camera. The camera and lens weigh a little over 2 lbs (1 Kg). I've managed a few test flights so far.. I have a wireless remote shutter release that lets me take pictures remotely at up to 1000 feet. I only use it for still shots. I use a Fat Shark FPV system to point the Hex in the right direction for taking my DSLR pictures.
On the transmitter... My Walkera Hoten-X came with a Devo 7 transmitter. I bought a Devo receiver for my Hexacopter and I've used the Devo 7 on the Hex with great success. It has pretty good range, (over 500 meters or 1600 feet). It may go farther, but I've never tried it.
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