Exploring the boundaries of HD Zero and DJI O3 system

Flying an office park is something many FPV pilots do every weekend, but how far do HDZero and DJI let you push your flying. With loads of concrete, plants, RF interference, etc, this is a surprisingly challenging environment to get solid range with a video system. While this is not a scientific test, I want to show a representative example of the range and penetration of HD Zero and DJI with common/popular setups for the antennas. settings, and power levels.
Latency testing video is here: • My first time putting ...
If you want to see the video from KMart FPV where he has a very similar experience: • I did HDZero Dirty...L...
FPV Drone kit used in this video:
Transmitter/Remote: Radiomaster Boxer ELRS: amzn.to/3ZBpoyt (the ELRS version, the CC2500 and 4in1 are also options on the page)
Radiomaster AG01 gimbals: amzn.to/3Z4b81b
TBS Crossfire Micro Module - amzn.to/3Pkh3d3
TBS Tracer Micro Module - amzn.to/3ANHaoO
Radiomaster Pocket: amzn.to/3Zrbpwg
The "yellow" shell: amzn.to/46fZxiE
18650 Cells: amzn.to/45SQvIN
(amzn.to/3w6UjW2)
HDZero Goggles: bit.ly/47IMxm5
TrueRC antennas for HDZ Goggles: bit.ly/3HnC592
Drone: Custom Built drone with a DJI O3 Air Unit - amzn.to/3OuS9II
Freestyle 6s - amzn.to/3nUUTT1
Ethix P3 Peanut Butter & Jelly: amzn.to/3Y7sMzX
Ethix P3.5 Radberry: amzn.to/3kBUsz1
Action Cameras:
GoPro Hero 11 Mini - amzn.to/41zIfeX
GoPro Hero 10 Black: amzn.to/3HgRKWP
DJI Action 2: amzn.to/3xnVXTV
Camera Butter GoPro Hero 9/10/11/12: bit.ly/3LMHglt
Camera Butter O3 ND filter: bit.ly/45hNLU4
Backpack - amzn.to/3ayrFGw
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[@xjet]

DJI's RF performance is unchallenged. Just a shame they're the Apple of FPV 😕

[@Nathan_Adams]

Too true, their proprietary and closed nature really feels out of step with the rest of the FPV hobby. Apple, DJI, and Traxxas. Thank you for the comment Bruce!

[@JDDupuy]

The differences in the 2 systems has been made clear time and time again over the past 1 1/2 years +. I fly all 3 HD systems and what and where I intend to fly dictates what quads and goggles I take. And yes antenna selection is key. You will never get the same results with all 3 systems. New comers continue to get confused when buying their 1st HD system and clearly expect the same performance from HD Zero, Walksnail and DJI. They all have their positives and negatives when it comes to features too. One does this while the other one doesn't.

[@Nathan_Adams]

100%. It is not like a "Coke & Pepsi" comparison, It is almost like wine vs bourbon, both are adult beverages and both have their place, but they are very different at the same time.

[@JDDupuy]

@@Nathan_AdamsLol thats a great analogy!

[@krish3033]

If my main concern is penetration and goggle image quality, I grab my Dji goggles and o3 quad. If my main concern is fun, I grab my hdzero goggles and hdzero quad. If my main concern is flight performance, I grab my hdzero goggles and analog quad. I find myself using my Dji gear less and less…I’m much more willing to try new things and take risks with my analog and hdzero quads. I believe the difference is the latency, but replacement cost probably factors in as well.

[@Nathan_Adams]

I am feeling the same way. Part is because I am flying whoops more and more (RaceGOW is addicting), part is the simplicity of the smaller drones and being able to sneek in sessions during the average week day. My DJI setup normally comes out on weekends to fly bigger spaces.

[@krish3033]

I’m with you on whoops. Another big factor for me is noise.

[@JonFloFPV]

Appreciate you taking the time to do this as it helps guide some of my future decisions

[@Nathan_Adams]

Absolutely. There has never been more good choices when it comes to FPV video. Between Walksnail, DJI, Analog, HDZero, you can find a system for every flight style, drone type, and face fit. That said, I have yet to fly a system that is the best across the board which is why many fly more than one, especially when it comes to whoops.

[@CostaFPV]

It's definitely a fight between latency x range. Thanks for sharing 🙂👍

[@Nathan_Adams]

Thank you 🍻🍻

[@ShebanFPV]

Great test, thanks very much

[@Nathan_Adams]

Thank you, I just finished shooting the follow up videos testing channel range and antenna comparison.

[@ShebanFPV]

@@Nathan_Adams thanks, will have a look. I wish they did the new DJI googles 3 using same design as googles 2, I am not a fan on that new forehead system 🙈

[@Nathan_Adams]

@@ShebanFPV yeah, it is not nearly as compact as the G2, but the G3 is incredibly comfortable and may be the best fitting goggles DJI has released. You win some, you loose some I guess.

[@crash_lander]

Nice comparison man. I recently started flying HDZero and I realized that the trueRC antenna’s are ultra crap. I tried with the Lumenier AXII’s and VAS antenna’s and noticed atleast 30% improvement in the penetration. Im doing some testing on this stuff and I will post a video on my channel within a couple of days.

[@Nathan_Adams]

Very nice, I'm curious to see what your results are. At that spot I have tried the Lumenier Axii patch and omni combo, and a vas patch setup on HDZ with very little difference, the VAS had slightly higher penetration if I was starting at the quad through the obstacle, but far worse range once outside the antennas view. If I face the direction I am flying, all setups did get through the parking garage, but not the building. That office park seems to get the best results with a tall antenna omni on the quad and 4 omnis on the goggles. I assume this is because you normally are flying fully around you self so Patch setups are at a disadvantage. The last thing I want to test there is running linear polarized antennas on the goggles or the drone. Since that is the setup the DJI Goggles 2 use (all linear polarized antennas).

[@krish3033]

I have 4x trueRC stubbies, and feel like my range/penetration is pretty good. I’ve also used them on my analog module and thought about buying 2 more as they worked just as well if not better than the diversity set I had been using. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@Nathan_Adams]

@@krish3033 I know a few that have that same experience. I am going to try with 4 stubbies and see if that makes a difference.

[@barnabysalter3949]

On your next test, try dropping the transmit power down on hdzero and using r8 to avoid wifi. Higher can actually make things worse because it increases multipathing

[@Nathan_Adams]

You read my mind 😂 I was actually thinking of trying every band at that spot to see which was best! Great minds think alike 🍻

[@chrismillersrcfamily]

Nice testing. I may drop mine down to 25 mbs just to see how it will react. Where I fly the goggle2’s are locked on 50 most the time. HDZ has its place long distance or concrete is just not it. I was going to say” but hey you got low latency”. Sunned to ya also 🤙🏼

[@Nathan_Adams]

Yeah, I've done a bunch of long range flying with HDZ and DJI and both perform very well without obstruction. That mid-range with significant obstacles obstructing direct line of sight, the DJI just performs like a freak! I will say the HDZ keeps me coming back because of that latency, and because I can fly whoops with it. 🍻

[@chrismillersrcfamily]

@@Nathan_Adams that’s only reason I wanted HDZ was for the whoops.

[@Nathan_Adams]

@@chrismillersrcfamily yeah I love it for 3.5" and whoops. I do hear good things about walksnail too

[@noisy_boi_fpv_3920]

Low latency is king lol. But of course you need to be able to see

[@Nathan_Adams]

If you could get both out of the same system, it would be king! 👑 🍻

[@grantc8353]

40mhz bonds more channels together for bandwidth but it means interference is more likely. 20mhz has more channels it can freely hop to that wont overlap but less bandwidth as you will be using a single channel as apposed to multiple bonded ones

[@Nathan_Adams]

I assume that it was doing that for more bandwidth, do you know if the channel 1 frequency on 20hz mode is different than channel 1 on 40 Hertz? Still curious why it never climbs above 25 megabits per second.

[@grantc8353]

@@Nathan_Adams 40mhz and higher is better for bandwidth only, not really penetration. You still always have the same amount of channels. 20 uses the standard set which limits to the bandwidth to a single channel but its that single channel is less likely to overlap with a neighbouring channel because it’s likely there channel 6 for example. 40mhz and higher bonds these so channel 1 is actually channel 1, 2, & 3 combined so if you go near interference and that AP is on channel 3 then it will interfere where is if you had the single channel on channel 1 it wouldn’t overlap. The fact when you change to 40mhz you get 50mb makes sense as you can chuck way more down the pipe but at the detriment to maybe hitting a channel that is bonded as you technically now have less free channels. I’d say the only benefit to going to 40mhz is when you know you wont have any interference. 20 mhz is best when you do. It’s the same in WiFi. A dense apartment block might use 20mhz because there will be a lot of other APs broadcasting and using 20mhz gives more channels to use and less likely a neighbour will on same channel. If you used 40mhz in dense environment chances your neighbour is on using that channel as well and it will interfere. Don’t even start with 80mhz lol. When people say you hey 2gb over WiFi they will be using 80mhz which is if you live in the middle of bloody nowhere as the 80mhz channels are bonded so tightly. Search 20mhz and 40mh 5ghz and it will show a chart of what I mean

[@grantc8353]

If you imagine your channels as pipes. All 40mhz does it combine multiple pipes together allowing you to shove more down it but likelihood your neighbour is using one of those pipes you have now combined is higher causing you to have issues.

[@mrmagoo600]

Hey Nate What battery have you settled on for the hd zero goggles and does it last well?

[@Nathan_Adams]

I am using a 3000mah 4s old flight pack currently and it lasts for a while. I am not 100% on the solution and think it could be better. Once I find a solution I really like, I will share.

[@KrazyCase_FPV]

makes me want to cancel my order i currently have in HDzero, i have G2 already. did you unlock 1w and update all firmware?

[@Nathan_Adams]

Yes it is unlocked and running on Max, but race one sits next to the Wi-Fi signal band. The environment that I'm flying this in is pretty much as bad as it gets. Left pushed HDZero clean over a mile with nearly no artifacting or break up. And the one thing you definitely can't do at DJI is fly tiny drones like whoops

[@KrazyCase_FPV]

@@Nathan_Adams i did mostly buy HDZ for tiny whooping, but after seeing the pentation tests of a few other videos its pretty disappointing. im sure ill keep them i a collector of FPV stuffs lmao

[@Nathan_Adams]

@@KrazyCase_FPV you may also be surprised, especially with the whoops. I flew (accidentally) on 25mw in a local shopping plaza last night and got similar penetration to my Mobula6 analog set to 400mw.

[@aarondodson1261]

The 03 is worth the extra money

[@Nathan_Adams]

If you are after penetration and resolution, it is a no brainer.

[@aarondodson1261]

@@Nathan_Adams off course everyone should want that including range

[@aarondodson1261]

Is that with the fcc hack

[@Nathan_Adams]

Depends on what DJI Goggles you have. Basically you just boot the goggles with a specific text file on the SD card and it will permanently enable more channel and power options. It is worth it regardless. If you want to know more, Joshua Bardwell has an excellent tutorial and if you are on goggles 2 or Integra, Mads Tech has information about the HAM file that will do the same thing.

[@powersv2]

Hdzero needs antenna diversity i guess

[@Nathan_Adams]

I am going to run the flight again to see if it helps matching all omnis, really curious since @botgrinder had a similar experience.

[@mattalford3932]

The 03 air unit is the clear winner, but it's expensive

[@Nathan_Adams]

Yeah, if you are just talking about the video systems it is about a $70 price premium per quad. If you factor in the goggles, HDZero ($600 for goggles, $90 for goggle antennas, $150 for vtx combo) and DJI ($650 for goggles 2 and $220 for O3 Air unit) it is much closer $840 for HDZ and $870 for DJI. But that is ignoring sales, replacement parts if you break a camera, or building more than one drone.

[@tuskentity]

Nice video.... you need a new drone

[@Nathan_Adams]

😂 I have way too many already. Got addicted to building.

[@MaxSMoke777]

Please learn what the word "Hertz" means.

[@Nathan_Adams]

Yeah, it is a crappy car rental business 😂 just kidding. It is a real challenge when DJI and HDZero use different metrics for their signal quality and in how you adjust their power/bandwidth. It used to be far easier to talk about when DJI used a similar set of units but now it is complicated. It also feels to me like DJI is using their "megahertz" unit for bandwidth as a blanket term and not in a textbook definition term relating to frequency.

[@chriscflint]

No Contest, DJI Rocks.

[@Nathan_Adams]

That it does! That said, like pizza, FPV is always good, regardless of what you are flying.

[@plop386]

looking at the ttons of link in the description this video is just a commercial :) i wont trust it, but thx

[@Nathan_Adams]

I put links to stuff I use or recommend to others. It is easier than responding to bunch of questions asking about my gear. Outside of the stuff I use, I only link to other videos or other relevant content, and I use bit.ly to ensure security of those links.

[@ronniequalls7217]

Walksnail better than both these systems 😂😂😂

[@Nathan_Adams]

I think Walksnail is a great balance between both systems. Great range and penetration, but not quite as good as 03, and great latency and flexibility for 1s applications like HDZero, but not the lowest latency or best implementation of analog compatibility. There is always a trade off, but I agree with you the balance of the Avatar/Walksnail system is excellent 👍. If I had to pick only one system, it would probably be WS

[@ronniequalls7217]

@@Nathan_Adams it’s just a matter of time before Walksnail pass DJI , Walksnail is paying more attention to what the FPV community wants !

[@Nathan_Adams]

@@ronniequalls7217 it is their technology side that I am not sure will catch DJI, especially with 04 on the horizon that is a substantial step from 03, which was a substantial step up from the original FPV system that shares a lot of similarities to the current Walksnail hardware. I am also a little concerned about long term support for the goggles since it seems they have already moved on completely from the V1 goggles for the goggles x.

[@ronniequalls7217]

@@Nathan_Adams I’ll have to check on the 04 system , I’m in the market for a digital system but not in a hurry, gonna wait to see this battle play out , for about another year or so , until then I’ll stay analog !!!

[@Nathan_Adams]

@@ronniequalls7217 analog is always awesome. There is a simplicity that I love, no mucking around with firmwares and compatibility.