3.5 or 5inch drone? How do they compare?

[@Nous_nous_amusames]

Really love that you are doing narrated (commented) fights again with out music. They have always been my favourite. I still watch all your narrated flights from years ago, in a playlist of mine, regularly. Great Vid. Thanks as always. Might look into getting a 3.5. Have a great day.

[@Rcschim]

Thanks for the feedback! Sometimes music also sets a good mood for nice scenery... I will try to improve my mic quality tho, the lark150 is a bit disappointing. Maybe just a lag mic on my phone.

[@u250_fpv2]

Sub 250 definitely has some downsides due to the missing inertia but you cannot hear them from too far away and I always get positive comments from bystanders even when flying a little closer to people - they are simply not afraid of them. This makes flying more relaxed for me and thus more enjoyable.

[@Mastertech6]

Thank you. I really enjoy watching someone that flies like me. And not dizzy head stunts. Very smooth.

[@xjet]

DJI Flamewheel 450 for the win? I'm loving sub250g because it's more "carefree".

[@Rcschim]

hehe, Flamewheel ;) that brings back memories. I'd still have it in my hangar I think with a pixhawk as experimental platform. little outdated tho :)

[@grabejud]

Ive been flying my 3.5 inch non stop too, i tried and fly back to back my other 3 inch but i keep coming back to 3.5 due to its power to weight ratio and i carry a insta360 go2 and can fit inside my small fpv bag. 3.5inch is more silent to fly but its more fast cruising speed than 3 inch. I love it very much.

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

Great video. Here in the UK the weather is often less than ideal. Often however the windy days are great for flying as the wind can mask the noise additionally theirs generally less people out and about. So I’ve got a toothpick style drone a 3 inch freestyle ripper and the 4 inch Flywoo hexplorer and finally a 7 inch build. I definitely prefer my 7 inch. Very quiet when cruising and a lot more stable in the wind. Anyway…..always enjoy your flights and your commentary. Always relaxing to watch. Looking forward to the next.

[@Rcschim]

Still not sure if I should get another copter, a 7inch this time. Guess it would be good for my type of flying. Now I fly the Geprc mark 4 again, a 5inch 6S copter with good speed. Have installed rpm filter today now it flies great. These type of copters alway perform, no matter the wind... greets!

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

@@Rcschim yes I agree, I remember somebody telling me that as long as I had something to lean on or sit on, or even sit in then it’s never too windy for a five inch! I’ve had a few 5 inch builds, no BNF’s but only self-built this time I’ve opted for efficiency rather than raw power. My flying style is very similar to yours so the 7 inch is great for tree top surfing.

[@toolmakerdave5287]

i'm so jealous of the scenery where you're at. it's beautiful

[@KonstantinFPV]

Totally disagree. 1. Tune your quad and you would get more fly time. 2. Standard 6s pack for 2306 motor is 1100mah, 1300 is on the heavy side. 3. Standard sized lipo are more durable and heavy duty than those small/light packs. I spent more on small packs and I kill more light liposuction than 5 inch. 4. Inertia is good, it make wonderful freestyle moves, that lightweight quad can’t get. 5. You 5inch acts more like a racequad, get a lighter bat and burn it for 2-3mins

[@verdi6092]

I made a 3.5inch prop arm for my cinerat, it now flies super stable and long flight times. Still able to freestyle 2203.5 motors.

[@lastepisode8118]

hello can i know which propellers are on geprc smart 35? T3.5x2 5x3? T3.5x2x3?

[@Rcschim]

HQ Props (if you dont find the Emax Avan Scimitar): HQ 3bladed T3.5X2X3 HQP0760625796350 bit.ly/3qbECtq

[@mbezik]

are those GPS or bluetooth trackers on the quads?

[@cloudpandarism2627]

thought about same. i am using small motorbike GPS trackers on almost all my quads with a 4G SIM card and tiny 60mah lipo build in. the lipo getting charged each time you connect the battery to the quad and on my phone app i can check the exact location on map of each drone even is the main lipo getting ripped out in a crash. the whole things weight is like 15 grams or so. totally worth it. the backup lipo transmit GPS data up to around 2-3 hours over 4g network

[@Rcschim]

This is the tile Bluetooth beacon. Search my channel I did a review. 4 things how to get your copter back or so, was the title of the vid. They are cheap, but have low range. Idea is to find the spot via video and for the last 50m you can use the Bluetooth and beeps.

[@mbezik]

@@Rcschim ahhh I've been looking at the tiles but they look so much bigger than I was expecting on your quads, yeah that was my thinking using the tiles, as long as you can get close enough they will be good. I'll go watch your vid on them, thanks!

[@MCsCreations]

Awesome flying, Mario! 😃 But yeah, the new quad sizes are messing with our heads! 😂 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@gargolaconrad3188]

I haven't flown a 3.5 yet, but they look like fun, and some of them are efficient on battery usage. I saw one get 17 minute flight times, on cruising speed. Are you allowed to fly over trains in Austria? It's against the law in The United States, and they're really strict about it too. Thanks for the comparison video.

[@Rcschim]

yep, with a bit bigger LiIon you can fly them quite long ;) but also the normal 650 or 750mah 4Cell lipos give me nice 7mins with this copter... not sure about flying over trains with sub 250gr to be honest. of course it should be avoided. Nurk got a quite hefty fine for his flight over, under and thru that train in colorado, right?

[@gargolaconrad3188]

@@Rcschim Oh Yeah, I forgot about Nurk's incident. It was a pretty cool video though. I thought the Train Conductor was pretty rude when he shut the window. If I was the conductor, I would've waved and given a thumbs up, but maybe the conductor would've got in trouble from his boss if he did that.

[@Marcushin]

Excelent! From Argentina, very expensive drones... You say me 3,5 it is ok for starting? I have radio master zorro elrs. Only with simulator I fly. Thanks

[@Rcschim]

Yes, 3.5 class I would consider perfect to begin with. Smaller props often are noisy. Larger copters will carry more weight but also more expensive. 3.5 crashes are normally not to much damage...

[@Marcushin]

@@Rcschim “A 3.5-inch drone instead of a 5-inch drone on a windy day makes a big difference.? The other thing I want to ask is the battery life is the same or not.” in your video, is same... Thank you

[@Rcschim]

@@Marcushin with 750mah 4cell packs I flew average of 5:30 in many flights with my GepRC Smart35. That's good flighttime considering low weight of pack. Packs are cheap as well... Wind? Maybe that's one downside of the smaller 3.5°ers. But not so much... Freestyle pilots also will tell you: if a drone is heavier, it will freefall longer (if you punch the copter in the air it will fly for some time without throttle, that's called "hangtime". With a lighter copter this is not so long. but this is nothing a beginner will have issues with ;)

[@gadgetman404]

Can you help I've got Diatone Roma L5 with Express LRS module onit Trying long range get 800 to 1000 meters that's not long range 400 mw max power on stock vtx I've fitted ufl connector to sma connector looking for anttena for long range rig can you help 5.8ghz sma style please ones you use or have at least tested thank you thank you from uk cool video

[@Rcschim]

try to use an VTX antenna WITHOUT an adaptor (loss). especially the cheap adaptor cables are lossy... Also make sure that you don't mix polarization (for example DONT use a LHCP - DJI style VTX antenna on your analog setup - and on the goggles an RHCP). Get for example a TBS triumph antenna - with the right connector (UFL?) to directly connect to your VTX. Also make sure to get a long antenna version - so it sticks out of your copter enough... if you need to upgrade your goggles antenna - check for a 3.5 turn helical antenna (not a cheap chinese one)

[@gadgetman404]

@@Rcschim ok please send me links of good ones please or makes of good ones so I can get one many thanks from uk Cheer's

[@humblemumble1]

Such beautiful scenery! May i ask what camera is the smart 35 recording on? Thank you!

[@Rcschim]

here I just used the DVR footage, but the DJI camera used here is not the original Neblua but the currently hard to find "Nebula pro" which is almost the same as the DJI original cam (which can do 120fps and lets you choose more options like 4:3...)

[@YaegerFPV]

Hauptsache fliegen :-), Das sehe ich genauso, mit dem 3,5 Zoll kannst halt "überall" fliegen ohne andere zu stören und nicht so laut

[@pritchfpv6070]

very impressed with the camera quality from the 3.5 inch, did you use distortion correcting software?

[@Rcschim]

Thanks, glad you asked. That inspires me to make the tutorial on that soon. It's described in one of my last videos infoboxes. It's a simple lens distortion filter effect in premiere. Quite easy but effective.

[@rfly-fpv]

Wow, Amazing review, amazing area to fly, already a subscriber :) I love how to comment your flights! :D One thing that I find disturbing is when you shorten the units and say "750 mah" ;) :) It should be said mili ampere hour (mAh) - let's give Mr. Ampere a credit ;)

[@Rcschim]

Thanks for the positive feedback! Good to know the commenting the flights (while flying) adds to the "experience" - I've done a few more flights recently with comments. I'm so used to call it "mahhh" and asume that anyone using lipos know's what I mean ;)

[@patview6545]

Good evening Mario, Thank you for your video which is interesting and relaxing. I am following you since the tests of your funcub with its floats. you convinced me to buy the smart35 multitasking, however I have a question: which propeller did you install during your last one and what do you think? thank you. good evening pilots. Patrick.

[@Rcschim]

Hi Patrick, thanks for nice comment. I found the HQ Props (if you dont find the Emax Avan Scimitar): HQ 3bladed T3.5X2X3 HQP0760625796350 bit.ly/3qbECtq they are ok. Maybe the AVAN SCIMITAR (which originally come with the copter) are more agressive, but HQ is good for me.

[@patview6545]

@@Rcschim Great, thank you very much for your quick response, I'll test that. Good continuation and do not change anything.

[@TheMadmacs]

i think its clear now i need a little beasty, would really love to buy a ready to fly smart 3.5 if only to feel what a tuned quad feels like, and its way passed time to start using a proper 5inch frame to carry a gopro,

[@Rcschim]

I'm looking forward to the caddx peanut (should get one in a few weeks). Also the DJI Osmo-action2 with its almost gporo10 features in 45gr? You can try to buy one of these 3.5"ers in analog and use an existing DJI airunit light to safe bucks... also because you can hardly get a HD version with a decent camera at the moment... anyhows, the 3.5"ers are really fun!

[@onlybattery]

I also like 3-inch copters to fly better, take up less space, though until now there really wasn't a fw that worked well

[@MindRiderFPV]

Beautiful place to fly.

[@davdaya]

I love to use Ummagawd's 4 blade props.. they're not so noisier.. than other 5" props, almost like you're flying a micro..

[@Rcschim]

a friend showed me his 3inch copter using a 8 blade? or however much it was. looked like a ducted fan prop :) was ultra silent ;) maybe not so efficient. normally on longrange drones, they say 2blades are most efficient, but of course not powerful and maybe less stable...

[@EnglishTurbines]

I'm only here for the scenery of FPV heaven..Golden Hour early morning...🤔🤔😳🇬🇧

[@olivierf.4931]

Hi! I was hesitating between the smart 35 and the Reckon 4 inch freestyle. I bought the reckon and for the moment I regret it. It is strangely built and doesn't give me a very good flying experience. It's very inefficient as soon as I freestyle it which is a bit counterintuitive! Question: how do you manage to trust your link quality this much? My Tango2 is a pain in the ... after 500 meters! Interesting video anyway. Actually in my situation now I'm asking myself if the 4 inch class is really a good choice. It can't carry a full size go pro, it doesn't have momentum to freestyle and it is not very discreet to fly over ass kissers ;-)

[@Rcschim]

I have the Chimera4 which might be compareable to the Rekon4. I admit this class is not really tempting now. They are longrange copters, so use a liion 3000mah and fly it gentle and far... For freestyle I like the 3.5" however I re-discovered the 5" with 6S. More powerfull - but already got a bad comment yesterday in a park about how disturbing it is ;) I upgraded my Tango2 board (34$) to version 3 - now it can do dynamic power from 25mw up to 1w! this is super confidence building. Never had an issue since then. In the logs I see it's mostly in 25mw - but if you're out far or behind stuff, it increases power. Sometimes this is when it looses telemetry data because the way back to your radio is only very limited RF power... Anyways, if your current board is v2 I think you can go to 500mw - Bardwell has a good video about it of course...

[@olivierf.4931]

@@Rcschim Hi! Thanks for your detailed answer. I have a recent tango so I guess I could go for the 1W hack but for the moment it is set to 250mw and I don't understand why it should not be enough to fly at least 2km without telemetry troubles... Did you also have these issues before upgrading your board?

[@Rcschim]

@@olivierf.4931 just ignore the telemetry sensor lost messages. I get them as well... look at the lq. I have it at the telemetry screen. Also the tx power. So I see exactly what is going on. I even disabled telemetry alerts. But I have followed Oscar Liang blog to setup an logical switch alarm when lq is low for some time...

[@olivierf.4931]

@@Rcschim Great! Thanks a lot I'll check that out as soon as possible :-) If I can trust the LQ then I can fly a lot further with confidence because it's super high when the alert kicks in. I'll keep you informed ;-) Your channel is one of my favorite FPV channel. I also like your motorbike but that a different subject...

[@Rcschim]

Yes, audio-alerts on Tango2 are my preferred way. On some of my copters I dont have the 2 signal wires for DJI - so I dont get OSD. As a workaround I setup telemetry on all my crossfire quads - and have crucial infos there. Oscar's blog post made it easy to follow. On my own I would have taken long to understand (you create a logic switch and wait for a delay until the trigger plays the audio file for a warning. I took it one step further and created custom audiofiles (with a text to WAV website) and now I get nice voice alerts from my Tango ("It is time for you to land..." LQ low, critical... ) and I NEVER heard the LQ low warning. But the RSSI values for Crosfire on the DJI OSD - they are always low for me (30-40?)

[@nullx8]

not bad, yes gravity help doesn't really exist, but that maybe make it a good bando-basher ;) i ordered me a Roma F35 to test just that.

[@Rcschim]

At least a crash thru a lot of branches (from 15m down to the green) did not break it - so they take some beating - and there's not a lot of kinetic energy on those lightweight things! Crashing into concrete tho... don't wanna try it on purpose :) (I remember tommy ummagawd doing it - full frontal into concrete :)

[@nullx8]

​@RCSchim yeah i am more the "floaty type" myself, i don;t really like it when the quad moves like a robot (like those tiny thingies do) .. i think the F35 is a good "in between" plus it looks like my F5's had a child :P

[@cloudpandarism2627]

oh nice! haben grad mit geprc boss gesprochen.

[@cloudpandarism2627]

nachdemn ich jetzt das video vom 5" gesehen hab mussich echt sagen das der EVOQUE um welten besser fliegt. ich hab 3 verschiedene 5" hier und war total gechockt als ich den F5D erste mal geflogen bin - da siehst du kein wackeln selbst bei wind. kann ich nur empfehlen. mein zweiter evoque F5D kommt heute abend an hoffe ich. die polar aufname der brille sieht bei dir echt super aus. bei mir dreht die cam jedesmal durch wenn weissabgleich wieder mal depressionen hat und das gras ab und zu lila färbt.

[@Rcschim]

Ich hab DJI cam hier bzw. nebula pro. Die kannst fix auf WB Stellen anstelle von AutoWB. Meinem geprc makr4 hab ich heute Jesc firmware und rpm filter spendiert, damit fliegt der auch gut!

[@cloudpandarism2627]

@@Rcschim der mark 4 is der neue den sie in entwicklung hatten die monate?

[@Rcschim]

nein, den Hab ich im Feb 2021 bekommen und da war er glaub ich schon nicht mehr ganz frisch auf dem Markt...

[@cloudpandarism2627]

@@Rcschim ne den meinte ich nicht. die haben einen neuen 5" und ich nerv die seid monaten mir ein prototypen zu geben. aber nix! haha

[@rctom1]

super low delay for 50mbit. Nice vid as always.

[@Rcschim]

50mbit in low latency mode here, shouldn't be slower than 25mbit low latency btw. Maybe you mixed 50mbit mode and hq vs low latency

[@rctom1]

@@Rcschim Yes ou´r right

[@BrainDeadEngineering]

Two blade props are more efficient by far . The third blade takes air away from the other two blades ! Nothing to see 30% more air time )

[@Rcschim]

guess you're right. the Rekon6 I currently fly has 2blades. this is my most efficient copter...

[@Dronesteve-72]

Super super flying mario

[@pirateradioFPV]

Yeah, they're pushing the 3,5" because they have the tooling for the 1404 motors. It's shit compared to a pure 4" acro build, doesn't have the power and turns like a 2". Hated mine, I'll swap the hardware back to 4". Only thing I can think 3,5" good of is being a beginner quad because the throttle management on it is so easy and it probably feels lot more like the mobula kind of quad than a bigger quad.

[@Rcschim]

Sounds like you are quite advanced pilot. for medium talent pilots (like myself) the power of the 3.5 RTF quads is more than sufficient :) I just flew it again this morning (with RPM filters now enabled it behaves a bit better). Very much enjoy flying it...

[@pirateradioFPV]

@@Rcschim I wouldn't call myself advanced, Reddit pilots fly like I do on their second FPV flights. I tried the 3520 on three different builds with 1408/3750kv motors, on 4" they all felt fast and fun, on 3,5" they all felt slow and uninspiring, as if I was flying on 3S instead of 4S. It's clearly made for people who don't know how to manage their throttle at all.

[@noisy_boi_fpv_3920]

1.5 inch difference lol

[@cloudpandarism2627]

its not the length, what makes the difference but how you use it. TWSS :D

[@noisy_boi_fpv_3920]

@@cloudpandarism2627 😂😂