Beginners RC and FPV gear for 2025

Here are some suggestions for the best beginners RC and FPV gear in 2025.

I am recommending radios with EdgeTX operating system and ExpressLRS RF link for the best future proofing.  This gear will be suitable for beginners and basic models right through to advanced users. 

ExpressLRS has now matured enough to be a reliable RC link system with superior range and link security. I would recommend using an ELRS radio with ELRS receivers, then adding an external 4in1 Multiprotocol Module for non-ELRS receivers.

RC Gear

Transmitters

Radiomaster Pocket ELRS

The Pocket is the cheapest and smallest radio but has all the functions and range of much more expensive systems. It has two 3 pos switches, a latching button, two momentary buttons and a slider on the top right. 

The antenna is fixed but able to rotate and fold away.

The screen is quite small which might be a problem for aging eyes.

Maximum output power of 250mW gives range of several km.

Radiomaster Boxer ELRS

The Boxer is closer to a normal sized radio with longer battery life, bigger screen and more switches. Two 2 pos, two 3 pos switches, one latching button, one momentary button and two pot knobs.

Output power of 1W gives range of tens of km. 

Receivers

Radiomaster ER PWM receiver range

The ER ELRS receivers have PWM pins for each channel and are designed to operate servos directly. 

Range of several km is possible with the Pocket and Boxer radios.

4, 6 and 8ch receivers are available, some with a barometer for vario feedback and battery monitoring.

Radiomaster RP serial receiver range

The RP ELRS  Serial receivers are designed for use with Flight Control Boards where a serial connection is required.

Serial connection means all 16 channels are sent down one wire.

Analog FPV Gear

The following gear is all standard definition analog because it is much cheaper than Digital HD. It is best to learn FPV using the cheaper analog systems then step up to digital later.

Goggles / Screen

The dual screen goggles like Skyzone or Fatshark are too expensive for beginners and it's best to save your money for future digital goggles purchase.

Eachine EV800D single screen goggles

These are a good compromise between cost and features. The screen can be detached from the goggles and used just as a screen. It has built in DVR recording and dual antennas.

FPV cameras

Runcam Phoenix 2 

This is my favourite analog FPV camera with 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio and great picture quality. The lens has a nice wide angle view.

There are many other camera options and anything similar will work for FPV as long as you pay attention to the required input voltage. Some cameras can only handle 5V and others can handle a wider range.

I prefer 16:9 aspect ratio and a wide angle lens (2.1 - 2.5mm) for use on fixed wing models.

Video Transmitters (VTx)

There are so many options for VTx that it's hard to narrow down the choice. 

I would avoid the ultra high power VTx. More than 1W power is just not necessary for normal FPV.

Anything with 1W or less is all you need for a few km of range. More range is best achieved with a high mounted directional receiver antenna, rather than pumping out more power.

You may also need to buy an antenna for the VTx. Take note of the antenna connection style such as SMA, RP-SMA, MMCX, uFL.

Here are some suggestions

AtomRC TX800 

AKK TS5832S 

AKK X2 

All-In-One units (AIO)

Eachine TX05 AIO FPV 

The cheapest and easiest entry to FPV is to use an AIO camera and VTx

They are not the best quality or range but you just have to supply power (usually 5V) and find the channel in your goggles.

They can also be easily swapped from model to model.

HD video cameras

For high quality onboard video recording here are some great options. 

Runcam Thumb 1080 and Thumb Pro 4k

The Thumb cameras are small and light weight but can record excellent video. They don't have an internal battery and require 5V input to operate. This can come from the receiver or another 5V source.

They have a gyro built in and can record a motion data file to be used for Gyroflow stabilised video.

Runcam 2 4k

Has a removable battery, so power from the model is not required. If you remove the battery and connect to the VTx it can also be used as an analog FPV camera as well as 4k HD recorder.

Taranis Q X7 Buddy Box Setup

How to connect two FrSKY TaranisQ X7 radios for shared Instructor and Student control

The Instructor and Student radios are connected via the DSC sockets using a 3.5mm stereo audio cable (TRS style) 

Link to 3.5mm TRS cable

Note that RadioMaster radios require different cables. 3.5mm TRRS (Smart phone style) for "Old" radio and TS for "New" radios. Link to RadioMaster Trainer Cable information

FrSKY TaranisQ X7 trainer setup

Instructor radio (Master)

In the Model Setup page - Set Trainer Mode to Master/Jack

Mixer page (Adjust weights and expo as required. Best to be the same as in the Student radio)

Ch1 100 Ail E30

Ch2 100 Ele E30

Ch3 100 Thr

Ch4 100 Rud

In Special Functions page - Select a switch, Select TRAINER and STICKS and tick box

Bind Instructor radio to the receiver

In Radio Setup  > TRAINER page

Ail := 100 CH1

Ele := 100 CH2

Thr := 100 CH3

Rud := 100 CH4

Student Radio (Slave)

In the Model Setup page

Turn the Internal RF module OFF

Set Trainer to Slave/Jack

Ch Range 1 to 8 (just has to be more than 4)

Mixer Page (Adjust weights and expo as required)

Ch1 100 Ail E30

Ch2 100 Ele E30

Ch3 100 Thr

Ch4 100 Rud

Check direction of throws on both radios and adjust or invert channels as required

ExpressLRS for Planes

ExpressLRS is an Open Source RF system with amazing long range and low latency. Flight distances of more than 10km are easily achievable using basic ELRS gear and low power transmission.

It was originally designed to work with multi rotors and flight control boards and uses the CRSF serial receiver protocol.

More recently PWM receivers have been released which allow normal servo connection direct to the
receiver without using an FCB. This makes ELRS a viable system for normal line-of-sight planes and gliders.

However it is essential to understand that ELRS is quite different to the traditional RF protocols like FrSKY ACCST / ACCESS or Spectrum DSMX. To achieve the low latency and solid connection over long range the ELRS devs have optimised the data packets to be as short as possible and included safety checks. 

Below are some of the compromises required for ELRS to function properly

Setup selections are made using the ELRS Lua script on your radio, and some of the default options must be changed for fixed wing models.

Channel resolution

To keep data packages small only the essential data is sent with every packet. This means with some Packet Rates not all channels are full resolution.

Low Latency Packet Rates 

In the ultra low latency modes Ch 1 to 4 are full resolution, while Ch 5 is only 1 bit (low or high) and all other channels act like 6 position switches.

Full Resolution Fixed Wing Packet Rates 

More recently lower frequency Packet Rates have been added, which do give full resolution on all channels and are recommended for fixed wing use. 

Best settings for fixed wing models are:

Packet Rates 100 Full or 333 Full with Switch mode on WIDE.

However Ch5 should only be used for arming, even though it can be full resolution.

Latest list of Packet Rates on GitHub

Channel 5 requirement

To function safely ELRS needs to know when the model is armed or flying. So it looks at the data from Ch5, which is sent with every data packet, to check the PWM value.

Ch5 needs to be in the "High" state, or PWM value above 1500ms, to show that the model is armed or flying. 

When Ch5 is high the buttons on your ELRS RF module are locked to avoid accidental mid air changes, which could cause a loss of control. 

Dynamic Power only works when Ch5 is High. Dynamic Power continuously adjusts the RF transmitting power to the minimum required.

So Ch5 should be set as the arming or throttle cut switch or set as high, and not left unassigned or used for control surfaces or throttle. This applies to any model, even if they don't require arming, including motorless gliders.

Here is a great explanation by RC-Soar - https://rc-soar.blogspot.com/2023/08/an-introduction-to-elrs-including.html

ExpressLRS on GitHub - https://www.expresslrs.org/quick-start/getting-started/

Unusual RC and INAV problems and solutions

This post will be an ongoing log of troubleshooting solutions that I come across in video comments and questions. 

Some solutions are obvious and just require reading the manual, or checking connections. But some solutions are unexpected and weird.

This will document some of the more unusual problems that can mess up an RC setup

List of odd problems and their solutions

INAV

"Pitch / Roll not centered" error message

Cause 1 - Switch mistakenly assigned to Aileron channel in the radio

Cause 2 - Aileron or Elevator trim not centred

Cause 3 - Wrong Stick Mode selected eg. Mode 1 instead of Mode 2

Disarming with any aileron input

Cause - Used an existing model setup in the radio which had aileron mixing on the same channel as Arming in INAV.

GOLDEN RULE - Create a new fresh model for your INAV setup to avoid any leftover mixes

Outputs working in the INAV configurator but actual servos don't move

5V servos used with 6V servo BEC setting. One servo burned out and prevented others from working.. 

AtomRC Penguin on INAV

Turning right and crashing during launch.

Cause -  ESCs were out of sync after lots of INAV VTOL configuration testing.

Recalibrating the ESCs in INAV Outputs Page corrected the problem.

SpeedyBee F405-Wing MINI 

USER modes not available for analog camera switching in INAV 7.0

Cause - This feature missed the deadline to be included in INAV 7.0. Updated firmware available on the Product page and INAV 7.1

Board stopped working after prolonged setup session

Cause - Bent pin on the "between-board" connector after repeated disassemblies.

Board not working at all

Cause - Wrong firmware flashed. The F405 Wing MINI uses the SPEEDYBEEF405WING firmware not the SPEEDYBEEF405MINI firmware

SpeedyBee F405-Wing 

Graphs not moving in Configurator Receiver page, even with properly bound receiver.

Serial Rx was enabled for UART 1 and UART2 in the Ports page. Only one UART can be used for receiver connection.

No voltage on DJI 9V port 

Cause - Bent ground pin needed straightening

No output on S8, no Soft Serial for S-Port function 

Cause - Factory firmware bugs, upgrade to INAV 6.1.1

SIYI F24 INAV - Can't ARM

PWM end points and mid points are 1020 - 1540 - 2040 but INAV expects 1000 - 1500 - 2000

Solution - Adjust PWM values in the SIYI End Point page

FrSKY GRX8 

Receiver unable to enter bind mode 

Cause - Worn bind button contact. Needed to push harder on the bind button

Kootai A505 J3 Cub 

Will not initiate 

Cause - Futaba FASST protocol uses REVERSED throttle channel

Skywalker X8 

Wings out of alignment. 

Manufacturer glued the spar at the top of the channel in one wing and bottom of the channel in the other wing - Cut out spar and foam packing and re glue correctly.

FIMI Manta - Matek F405 VTOL - Ardupilot ELRS 

RC connection won't work 

Cause - SERIAL5 was set to CRSF (Parameter = 23) as well as SERIAL6 which prevented Rx connection.

Only SERIAL6 should be set to CRSF

Simplified INAV

How to simplify INAV model setup and start flying sooner.

The key to simplicity is having a plane that is trimmed and balanced well mechanically, and just starting with the basic INAV modes. The default tuning PIFFs (stabilisation parameters) will be OK for most normal performance planes using INAV 6 and beyond.

The advanced modes like Auto Launch, Auto Tune, Auto Trim and Missions will just complicate your first INAV experience. It is much simpler and safer to get the model flying well first, then add advanced modes later.

This article is intended for fixed wing pilots who know how to mechanically set up a model for correct throws, trims and CG. 

Start with a model that is easy to fly and has adjustable push rods.

INAV manual mode uses 100% weight and 30% expo by default. So before you install the flight control board, adjust the pushrod lengths and connection holes to give reasonable throws using 100% servo travel. 

Aim for about 15mm or 20º max throw up and down. This also maximises the torque and resolution  of the servo.

This usually means moving the pushrod to an inner hole on the servo arm and an outer hole on the control surface horn. 

If possible, fly the model first to check aileron and elevator trims and CG placement. Adjust the trims by changing the pushrod lengths mechanically and don't use the radio trims.  If you can't fly first just make sure the control surfaces are level or have the recommended amount of reflex.

Radio trims should never be used in INAV because they are only fully applied in manual mode. Switching to other modes will give different trims.

The initial setup doesn't have to be perfect and it's OK if the plane is a little too agile with these full throws, as long as it is flyable.

Once the plane is close to good trim you can enable "Continuously trim servos" in the Configuration page. This will continuously save fine adjustments to the servo midpoints for level flight in Manual.

Essential INAV Modes

The only modes you need to set up initially are ACRO, ANGLE, MANUAL and RTH

ACRO is the default INAV mode and is active if no other mode is selected. In ACRO the plane is stabilised against any un-commanded rotations, like a side gust of wind. The model will tend to hold its orientation but respond normally to your stick inputs. ACRO is arguably the best general flying mode.

MANUAL is a mode that has to be selected, it is not the default mode. There is no stabilisation at all in this mode. Stick inputs are passed straight through to the servos, with whatever expo and rates are set up in INAV. It is used to check trim and CG balance, and for safety if something is wrong with other modes. Experienced pilots may prefer to fly in MANUAL mode.

ANGLE is the fully self levelling stabilised mode. It is a mode by itself, but it is also active when any of the nav or GPS modes are used. In this simplified INAV setup it is also used to check board pitch trim. Most airfoils need a few degrees of "nose-up" or "angle of attack" to maintain level flight. This trim setting can be found in the PIDS page - Mechanics Tab - LEVEL TRIM (deg). I usually start with +4 degrees then check if the plane is rising or descending in ANGLE mode and adjust as required.

Flying in ANGLE mode may feel odd to experienced pilots because you have to hold the sticks at the angle you want to fly at and it will self level when you centre the sticks. 

RTH mode uses GPS data to automatically fly the model back to the home location. It can also be set as the Failsafe action, to bring the model back home if RC signal is lost. In the INAV Failsafe screen choose RTH.

The above modes are all you need for a basic setup.

If you have more than one mode selected at the same time then INAV follows the following hierarchy:

RTH is top of the tree and overrides all other modes, then Manual, then all other modes. Angle is always active when any of the GPS guided NAV modes are selected. 

Non-essential INAV modes to add once you have a working model

NAV LAUNCH is fun to play with but I prefer to launch normally with full control. It is easy to muck up the switch sequence and cause a failed launch. 

CRUISE and LOITER modes are useful for FPV flights but not essential.

AUTO TUNE is used to fine tune rotation rates and throws

AUTO TRIM is not needed if  Continuously trim servos is enabled

Mode switches

It is best to have your starting switch positions with no modes selected, which means the board will always start in ACRO

Here are my modes for the simple setup

CH 5 (2 position) Nothing - ARM 

Arming on CH 5 is essential for ELRS receivers

CH 6 (3 position) Nothing - ANGLE - MANUAL

CH 7 (2 position) Nothing - RTH

Extra modes to add once your INAV setup is flying well

CH 8 (3 position) Nothing - NAV CRUISE - NAV LOITER

Note that when all switches are in the "Nothing" range the board will be in ACRO 

BEFORE THE FIRST FLIGHT

Check the control surfaces are responding correctly to stick movements. 

Do the High 5 check.

Check the control surfaces are responding correctly for stabilisation. 

Switch to Angle Mode and roll the plane to the right. Check that the left aileron moves up and right aileron moves down to counter the roll. Lift the tail up and check that the elevator moves up to counter the pitch change.

ACRO Throws

Check the control surface throws in ACRO Mode. They may be too small for sufficient control. Ideally they should be about 80% of the Manual Mode throws. If the throws are too small go to the PID Tuning page and increase the FF parameter for Roll and Pitch, then check throws again. If there is no difference between ACRO and MANUAL Mode throws then FF is too high. 

This will ensure you have enough control to launch in ACRO Mode and some headroom for stabilisation.

First Flight adjustments

On the first flight I will launch in MANUAL then switch to ACRO and fly a few circuits to make sure the plane is flying OK. 

Switch to ANGLE mode. Take note of whether the model holds altitude or climbs or descends. If you haven't entered anything in the Fixed Wing Level Trim window then the plane will most likely descend.

I usually start with +4º and adjust more or less from there.

Launch again, climb to about 50m, fly out a bit then try RTH. Your model should turn and fly back to the arming site and circle above you at about 50m altitude and radius of 75m.

If that all works then you are ready to continue your INAV adventure.

INAV trouble shooting

What to check if your INAV setup is misbehaving

1. Flight Control Board orientation

Check that the model animation in the INAV setup page moves in the same direction as the actual plane.

If not, you will need to use the Alignment tool to tell INAV how you have mounted the board.

Check the little arrow on the board to determine which is front.

2. Radio setup

You must use the INAV MIX in your radio.

Do not use an Elevon or V-Tail mix in the radio even if your plane would normally required it. All mixing is done by the flight control board and INAV.

There must be no reduced rates, no expo and no trims. Just 100% stick inputs for the first 4 channels. 

The selection of plane-type, mixing, rates and expo are set up in INAV, not the radio.

GOLDEN RULE - Don't edit or reuse an existing model setup for INAV. Make a fresh blank model in your radio to ensure there are no leftover mixes, trims, logical switches or overrides.

INAV MIX

Configure your radio mix like this - 

Ch1 - 100% Aileron 

Ch2  - 100% Elevator 

Ch3 - 100% Throttle

Ch4 - 100% Rudder

Ch5 - usually Arming switch (mandatory for ELRS)

Ch6 Ch7 Ch8 Ch9 etc - Mode switches

The model configuration works for flying wings, conventional planes, twins, V-Tails and even quads

Connect your receiver to the board and check that the channel bars in the receiver page move to the right when the 4 sticks are moved up and right. This ensures the stabilisation will work in the correct direction.

If a channel bar moves the wrong way you have an inverted channel in your radio. Go back to your radio and edit your model setup to un-invert the offending channel. This may happen if you have reused a previous model setup.

Note that the Roll Pitch Yaw Throttle bars are not in the same order as their channels. Not sure why the devs chose to display them this way. As long as the stick inputs give the correct response, all is good.

You may need to adjust the Channel end points for 1 2 3 and 4 in the radio so that the AERT channel bars go from 1000 to 2000 in INAV.

3. Receiver connection

If the channel bars don't move at all when you move the sticks: 

Check receiver is actually bound correctly to the INAV model in your transmitter. Look for signal bars on your radio. With ELRS look for "C" in the top right of the ELRS Lua page. Check you have the correct receiver and FC firmware. Reflash if unsure.

Not all boards provide power to the receiver via the USB plug. Some need a battery connected to the FC.

Check your receiver is actually producing a serial signal like SBUS, iBUS or CRSF. Some receivers need to be switched from PWM to Serial output. 

Check the receiver is plugged in to the correct UART on the board and that UART set to Serial RX in the Ports page. Check that only one UART is set to Serial RX.

F405 boards have a dedicated SBUS pin, which is connected to UART2  R2 via a signal inverter. With other boards, like F765 and H743, SBUS receivers can connect to any spare UART.

ELRS receivers can connect to any spare UART. Connect Receiver RX to UART TX and Receiver TX to UART RX

Check the correct Serial Receiver Provider is selected in the Receiver page

CRSF for ELRS and Crossfire

SBUS for FrSKY

IBUS for FlySKY

SRXL2 for Spektrum

Check for solder bridges on the FC and broken receiver cables.

4. Control surface movement

A. Stick movements

If a control surface moves in the wrong direction when you move the sticks - 

For control surfaces on a normal plane you can invert the channel in the Outputs page 

For control surfaces with mixed inputs, like Elevons or V-Tails, reverse the Weight in the INAV Mixer page for the offending control surface mixer line. For example - If the left elevator on this V-Tail is going down instead of up, change the Stabilised Pitch weight from 50 to -50 for S3

If you need to adjust the throws, change the weight in the INAV mixer or Outputs page.

B. Stabilisation

Switch to Angle mode. Roll and pitch the plane in your hands without touching the sticks.

The control surfaces should move to counteract your rotations.

If the control surfaces move the wrong way, re-check your flight control board orientation, as in section 1 above. Re-check the movement of the channel bars in the receiver page, as in section 2 above.

5. GPS

If the GPS icon is greyed out or red -

Check the GPS is connected to the correct UART.

Look in the Ports page for the UART with GPS selected.

Check "GPS for telemetry and navigation" is turned on in the Configurations page

Connect the GPS to the recommended GPS UART (or any spare UART) and select GPS as the sensor on that UART in the PORTS page

Normal UART connection - G to G, V to 5V, RX to TX, TX to RX

Compass connection is not required for fixed wing INAV.  GPS can provide all the required heading data. A poorly calibrated compass will cause problems.

Check the GPS has power. Some boards can power the GPS through the USB, others may require the battery to be connected

Once it is connected correctly and powered up the GPS icon (top of configurator window) should turn blue and the Total Messages number (GPS page) should start counting up.

Now it's just a matter of placing the GPS with a clear view of the sky and antenna facing up, and waiting for satellites to be acquired. This can take from a few minutes to over 10 minutes if this is the first connection.

6. Connections

If you are still having problems it's time to go over your connection again.

Check your receiver, ESC, GPS and servos are plugged in where they are meant to be and the right way around. Look at the wiring diagrams on the product page.

Things that often catch me out are -

SBUS-Out from the FrSKY X8R and X6R receivers are in different places.

Changing from SBUS to ELRS on the SpeedyBee F405 Wing, also have to change from UART2 to UART1. 

Layout of the pins on the Matek F405 Wing is quite different to many other Matek boards.

Also check for bent pins and solder bridges.

7. Correct firmware target. DFU mode

Check on the product page or manual for the correct firmware target for your board. 

The target name is sometimes not obvious. For example for the Matek F405 Wing firmware target is MatekF405SE. 

The SpeedyBee F405 Wing MINI uses the SpeedybeeF405Wing firmware target, not the SpeedybeeF405mini firmware target.

With incorrect firmware, some functions may work OK but some will not.

DFU mode must be enabled on the FC to flash firmware. 

Push and hold the DFU button while connecting the USB cable, or type DFU in the CLI while connected.

8. ESC constantly beeping

If your ESC beeps continuously it either means your receiver is not connected or the ESC needs calibration.

Make sure you have the correct protocol selected for your ESC in the Outputs page. If in doubt leave it at Standard.

ESC calibration in INAV

Connect the ESC and motor to the board

Remove the prop! Disconnect the flight battery

Go to the Outputs page

1. Slide the "I understand the risks..." button to the right

2. Move the Master slider to the maximum 

3. Connect the flight battery and wait for the ESC calibration beep

4. Slide the slider to the minimum and listen for the ESC calibration-done beeps.

Test the motor spin up by carefully raising the Master slider just a tiny amount

9. Motor will not arm

Switch to Acro, Angle or Manual. There must be no NAV modes selected when trying to arm.

If all the control surfaces are working but the motor won't arm, look along the bottom of the INAV window for Arming flags or error messages. 

If the board is configured to use a GPS then at least 6 satellites and 3D position lock are required for arming. If you are not using GPS then the Failsafe setting must be Land or Do Nothing, because RTH will prevent arming.

Check there is no Throttle Cut activated in your radio.

10. Servo voltage

It is safest to leave the servo BEC voltage at 5V for widest compatibility. If you have changed to 6V or 8V on the servo BEC make sure your servos can handle it.

Check that all your servos are functional. One burned out servo will stop all of them working.

11. Board will not connect to the INAV Configurator

Instal the required USB driver on to your PC. See the Configurator front page for Windows PC driver links.

Recent Macs will already have the correct USB driver installed. 

GPS may prevent USB connection with some boards. If you are having trouble, disconnect the GPS and try again. 

Some programs running in the background may also prevent USB connection. CURA is the culprit on my Mac.

SpeedyBee F405 Wing soft serial fix

The SpeedyBee F405 Wing is an inexpensive but fully featured flight control board for INAV or Ardupilot.

The first release INAV 6 firmware for this board did not have soft serial support enabled, so it was not possible to use Smart Port telemetry from FrSKY receivers.

Smart Port connection from an FrSKY receiver allows all telemetry to be sent back to the radio.

Here are the updated firmware hex files to enable soft serial on the T2  pin of UART2:

SpeedyBee F405 Wing INAV 6.1.0 fix soft serial firmware 

UPDATE JUNE 2023

S8 bug fix - With the factory loaded firmware S8 pins did nothing, S9 acted as S8, S10 acted as S9 etc.

This has been remedied with the release of SB F405 Wing INAV 6.1 firmware. 

INAV UPDATE 

Latest firmware INAV 6.1.1 also fixes the "Dolphining" problem which was introduced by INAV 6.1 to all FCBs

Smart Port Telemetry, INAV and F4

FrSKY receivers with S-Port capability can send telemetry data back to the transmitter. The data can come from FrSKY S-Port telemetry sensors but also from flight control boards (FCBs).

SBUS and Smart Port are inverted signals, compared to normal convention for flight control boards and receivers. Flight control boards need to un-invert these inputs to be usable.

F7 boards have inverters on all UARTs which can be enabled in the configurator, so SBUS and SmartPort inputs can be connected to any UART.

F4 boards only have one UART inverter (for SBUS), usually on the Rx2 pin. But we need an inverted Tx pin for the Smart Port input.

So this is where Soft Serial comes in. Soft Serial creates a software defined UART which can be inverted.

By enabling Soft Serial or "CPU based serial ports" Tx2 becomes available as an inverted pin for Smart Port connection.

The steps below show how:

1. Enable "Enable CPU based serial ports" and "Telemetry output" in the INAV configuration page

2. Choose "SmartPort" in the Telemetry column for SOFTSERIAL1 in the Ports page

3. Choose SBUS, OFF, AUTO or OFF in the Receiver page

4. On the F4 board connect SBUS to the SBUS pin and SmartPort into the TX2 pin

5. "Discover new" sensors on your transmitter, and you should see all the extra FC telemetry appearing.

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Read the description

RC, FPV and FCB terms

FPV - First Person View. Flying a model while wearing video goggles or watching a screen showing video transmitted from the aircraft.

VTx VRx - Video transmitter and video receiver used for FPV.

FCB - Flight Control Board (eg. Matek F405-Wing)

MCU - Microcontroller Unit (Main processor chip of FCB eg. STM32F405)

IMU - Inertial Measurement Unit (Gyro and Accelerometer chip eg. MPU6000)

Baro - Barometer Altitude sensor (eg. BMP280)

Magnetometer - Electronic Compass (eg QMC5883)

DFU - Direct Firmware Upload (Processor Mode which allows firmware upload)

MSP - Multiwii Serial Protocol. Communication protocol used by INAV and FCBs. MSP came from Multiwii software, which was derived from the Nintendo Wii Game Controller. 

Serial Port - Pins or pads on FCBs for connecting external devices. Serial means all channel signals use the same wire. 

UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter Serial port. Pins or pads where UART devices (GPS, RC receivers, camera controls) connect to the FCB. Pins labelled - Ground Voltage RX TX. RX from the device connects to TX on the FCB

I2C or I squared C - Inter Integrated Circuit Serial port. Pins or pads where I2C devices (compass, OLED screen) connect to the FCB. Pins labelled - Ground Voltage SDA SCL

SPI - Serial Peripheral Interface. Connection interface for onboard devices like SD card reader and barometer

ADC - Analog to Digital converter. FCB component that converts a varying voltage input to a digital output. Used for displaying battery voltage, current, analog airspeed sensor and analog RSSI values.

Soft Serial - Extra Serial port enabled in software, by repurposing spare UARTs pins. Eg Smart Port telemetry connection to an unused TX pin.

Vbat - Flight battery Voltage. May be filtered on some FCBs to reduce video interference

OSD - On Screen Display

GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite System (Commonly called GPS, but GPS only refers to the US satellite system. Other GNSS systems include Galileo, GLONASS)

OLED - Organic Light Emitting Diode used in OLED data display screens and some FPV goggles

RSSI - Received Signal Strength Indicator. A number representing the strength of an RC signal at the receiver.

LQ - Link Quality. A number representing the strength and quality of an RC signal.

LFR - Lost Frame Rate % - Percentage of lost frames in an RC Signal

PWM - Pulse Width Modulation. Basic RC signal protocol which uses an individual wire for each channel signal. Used for connecting servos to a receiver or receiver to FCB.

PPM or CPPM - Pulse Position Modulation. Serial RC protocol. Used for connecting a receiver to FCB, or RF module to a transmitter. All channel signals on one wire

SBUS - FrSKY and Futaba Serial RC protocol. Used for connecting a receiver to FCB, or RF module to a transmitter. All channel signals on one wire. 

S-Port - FrSKY Smart Port Telemetry system. Extra socket found on FrSky receivers to connect telemetry sensors.

F-Port - FrSKY SBUS and SPort combined. RC and telemetry signals on one wire.

F-Bus - F-Port version 2

Tandem (TD) - FrSKY RC system which uses 2.4GHz and 900MHz RF simultaneously

iBUS - FlySKY Serial RC protocol. All channel signals on one wire.

CRSF - Crossfire. Team Black Sheep long range RC protocol. Similar to FPort.

R9 - FrSKY Long range RC 900MHz protocol 

ExpressLRS (ELRS) - Open Source, Long range, low latency RC system. 2.4GHz or 900MHz versions. Uses the CRSF protocol.

ESC - Electronic Speed Controller

BEC - Battery eliminator circuit. Confusing term for a voltage regulator found on ESCs and FCBs. BECs reduce and smooth out the battery voltage for use by lower voltage devices. Eg. 9V or 5V for FPV gear, 5, 6 or 7.2V for servos. 

Best Cheap FPV gear

Here are my tips for the best cheap FPV gear.  Perfect for entry level or budget constrained pilots, but this gear will still be useful as your FPV requirements progress.

All In One camera and Video transmitter (AIO)

These camera / VTx combos are the simplest way to convert a plane to FPV. They are light and inexpensive and easy to swap from plane to plane.

The down sides are:
- The camera will not be the best quality, with lower dynamic range and large fisheye distortion.
- The range may not be as great as a more expensive Video Transmitter.
AOI VTx power output ranges from 25m to 200mW, giving range of maybe 100m up to many hundreds of meters.
- Voltage input is usually 3.5 to 5V. This means you cant run them straight from your flight battery. Best option for cleanest FPV video is to use a separate 1S battery for the FPV, or you can run it from the receiver or BEC.

Eachine TX02 200mW is my current recommendation - Eachine TX02 Banggood

FPV Goggles / screen

Recommending goggles is more difficult.

- Proper two screen goggles like Fatsharks, Skyzones and Aomway Commanders are very expensive, so I'll discount them for this discussion.
- Single screen box goggles are much cheaper but will not suit everyone. I need +1.0 close-up glasses for reading and I find that I cannot focus on the screen with most box goggles. I have modded some by glueing close-up lenses into the box enclosure.
- FPV screens by themselves can be a good solution but they are often more expensive than the box goggles.

Eachine EV800 goggles combine a detachable screen with goggles mount, so I think these are the best cheap option. The screen part can be mounted on a tripod or directly on your transmitter, and it includes the video receiver, battery and antenna. They also come with good quality antennas.

Eachine EV800 is the cheapest option with single clover leaf antenna - Eachine EV800 Banggood 

Eachine EV800D has clover leaf and patch antennas for greater range, and a DVR for recording the FPV feed - Eachine EV800D Banggood

Eachine EV800 screen on transmitter

Eachine EV800 review