Ditto on the avoid the Walkera 110.
I posted this in the Mavic forum about a year ago:
"Walkera Rodeo 110 RTF drone. Present cost about $180 on Amazon. I loved it and it's a lot of kit for the price, but, I wouldn't recommend this either. After about 4 months of beating the living daylights out of this poor drone one motor stopped working. I crashed this thing HARD every time I used it and it kept coming back for more. I was tempted to try and fix it with about $60 worth of parts, but I opted to spend that money on another drone. My reasons for not recommending this are as follows:
- It is a proprietary system (as DJI owners we are VERY familiar with that....). The Walkera TX that comes with it isn't bad, but it can only be used with other Walkera drones.
- Although repair parts are available, they too are Walkera and cost more than comparable products.
- The camera on it is pretty bad.
The Rodeo 110 served me well and I hate not being able to recommend it, but, if I had to do it again I would probably save a little more money and buy a separate TX and a more "universal" drone."
Presently I fly the Fullspeed Leader 3 with a base model Taranis Q7. For that quad, that receiver, and batteries for both you are looking at about $300. (I replaced the Walkera with the Leader 3 and I am VERY happy with the Leader 3.) If my internet search is accurate that's about $65 more than the Walkera RTF kit. Here's why it's a better deal:
- The DEVO 7 rc isn't terrible, but the Q7 blows it away.
- The Leader 3 flies way better than the Walkera and I find it easier to control. It's also faster and has a WAY WAY WAY better camera than the Rodeo 110 which is just bad.
- I can use my Taranis Q7 with my other drones.
As for goggles the EV800 is reportedly fairly good, especially considering it's price, however I bit the bullet and bought Fatshark HDO's with a Rapid-fire module. This is a fantastic (and expensive) setup and I am pleased with them. However the goggles and module ALONE costs almost 4 x your budget. (In addition, people are raving about the DJI FPV goggles which are comparable in price. I love my Mavic Pro, but, I'm not super crazy about DJI's lack of openness.) I will mention that you won't crash your goggles or TX, so if you are looking to overspend, that's where you should do it.
I have found that I now own two of each of my current FPV drones. Once I smash up the first one enough to kill it and need parts I buy another one. My old one becomes a parts bank and this has worked out well.
Another great recommendation is to get your TX first and get a computer simulator. Fly the simulator for a month or so before you get your actual quad. It will delay (but not eliminate) the ultimate destruction of your first drone. You will crash it......alot.....and you will need parts for it (especially props). You may also wish to save up for a decent soldering station.
I love my Mavic and it's fantastic at what it was built for, but with FPV you are truly piloting your rig. If I get in trouble with my Mavic I release the sticks and it waits for me to get my act together. If you get in trouble with your FPV quad and keep letting go of the sticks....at all.... you will understand why I recommend saving for the soldering staion.
Have fun, FPV is fantastic!
Peter T
