Intro to FPV — Video Transmitters

Your video transmitter (VTx) is vital to your FPV experience so isn’t the place to scrimp to try and save a few quid.

Cheap ones (typically from China) give a poor signal & bleed over other channels. A good one, from a known brand, will give you (and your flying buddies!) a much better experience. Luckily a quality VTx (one of the best in fact from Team BlackSheep) from can be had for under £22.

A VTX has two important specs: The channels it supports and its output power.

Channels

Look for 40 channels which will include Raceband. This is the most commonly used set of frequencies in use today and was first devised by ImersionRC. It’s not technically a band or even a new set if frequencies, it’s just the entire 5.8 band cut up into evenly spaced chunks.

Power

The output of a transmitter is measured in milliwatts (mW). An output rating of 25mW is used at most races and is the legacy maximum we are allowed to use. Many transmitters go do higher though.

200mW gives you more range & if you really want to get out there, or fly behind trees & other obstacles while you’re freestyling a 600mW or even 800mW VTx will give you range for days. Lucky you don’t need to choose one or the other these days — the majority of VTxs we stock can switch between power outputs.

Smart Audio

A great feature to have is SmartAudio. It allows changing of VTx settings via the OSD of your flight controller or via LUA scripts running on your radio. Much easier than faffing with with tiny buttons on the VTx itself!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, leave them below. You can get in touch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and our FPV shop is at airjacker.com

Happy flying, Simon