R/C Snowcat VS Full Scale Snowcat

[@its_generik]

We don't talk to the security guards. The cats can talk to each other, we were having an absolute ball. The three of us were absolutely loving it!

[@rctestflight]

Haha glad you found the video! Thanks for not running me over

[@its_generik]

@@rctestflight that would have been so sad!!! I swear you bumped the tiller in the back and honesty I was hyped to still see you rollin. We have problems climbing just like you do! That was a hot, hot day! Up at the steepest points, our tracks would slip or spin!

[@jameskywd]

@@its_generik this is so cool!!

[@acomingextinction]

That's awesome. You guys were such good sports.

[@panda_playz7415]

Where can I buy on of your rc’s?

[@beavismount]

I always enjoy the interactions you have with folks when you're testing stuff.

[@asafoster7954]

Actually one of the best parts of his videos, I come for the cool tech and mechanics, and I stay for the increased faith in humanity 💕

[@DirtyLew42]

that snow cat wave was adorable

[@Rebar77_real]

Need a little servo'd hand to wave at people, heh heh.

[@ulexx6574]

That wave was so cute lol

[@markmywords5342]

and an air horn to piss them off after you wave.

[@derrickstorm6976]

@@markmywords5342 not cool lol

[@NicholasRehm]

It would be really cool if you set up a camera and tracking algorithm to make the Snowcat follow you while cross country skiing! I wonder if anyone could help???

[@rctestflight]

Hmmm I think I know a guy...

[@marc_frank]

well what do we have here

[@guffyscotland9605]

@@rctestflight If only you knew someone who worked on drone autopilots... Hmm... Now that'd just be the frosting (heh) on the cake.

[@Ghent_Halcyon]

HMMM, I WONDER.

[@alphaadhito]

That interaction with those people especially the snowcat driver is so wholesome

[@drthunder187]

You should 3d print a little hand and glue it to the top part to give people proper waves. Or go the extra mile and connect it to a servo for a more controlled wave.

[@whatusernameis5295]

lmao yes

[@OfficiallySnek]

Snowcat vs Snowcat , the Snowcat won

[@riverdog3225]

You should do the scale miles thing with more hobby grade rc cars like traxxas or arrmas. It would be interesting to see how they compare

[@Uberwald93]

With them steering under their own power. The load from being yanked sideways is likely a factor. The tension on the tether could be controlled, which would result in circles.

[@BabeLincoln33]

It would interesting to see an Xmaxx work

[@monkeyporcupine9203]

@@BabeLincoln33 the one problem js they cost like 1 or 2 k usd

[@monkeyporcupine9203]

it would be so cool if he could do that

[@woodrunner51]

@@Uberwald93 figuring out a way to make them follow a path like that.....

[@Drakabo]

Tweak a version to climb as steep hill as you can! Would be interesting to see how steep it could handle and what modifications you would make.

[@JWQweqOPDH]

I would imagine that a far forward center of mass and spiked tracks would help a lot in that case.

[@remyllebeau77]

How about a version that can be flipped over and still drive around?

[@JWQweqOPDH]

@@remyllebeau77 That would be cool. The main design challenge would be getting the camera and antennas to extend upwards after a rollover.

[@remyllebeau77]

@@JWQweqOPDH Yeah that might be a deal breaker if you have to have a high antenna. Camera could be in the middle on the nose, not sure how to adjust the antenna.

[@k-osmonaut8807]

maybe tracks with those studs, maybe higher power motors and a grappling arm, those would probably be some very easy-to-do modifications too

[@lewiswilliams5837]

I'd definitely be down for a long range autonomous snowcat mission.... Or maybe just anything autonomous like converting hobby quality (think $50 dollar specials) to mission capable aircraft/vehicles

[@th0m]

You brought up hypothetically using an internet connection to operate drone vehicles in the future. That made me wonder, is operating within VLOS still required for RC vehicles (especially FPV through an observer) on land/water like the FAA requires for flying things? If not, that really makes long distance FPV like the snowcat much more interesting IMO!

[@kschleic9053]

I don't know what agency regulates unmanned ground vehicles when outside of the realm of roadways. Unmanned farm equipment has operated beyond line of sight for more than a decade now... I expect that any rules about operating a UGV will be set by the owner of the property being driven on.

[@ExtremeSquared]

There's always the least-appreciated law of remote operation -- Murphy's Law. The farther away you are from the device, the more likely a completely unrelated mechanical failure will happen.

[@crims0ngutz150]

skyviper uses internet connections for their bigger drones

[@Lozoot2]

12:28 you can grab the OSD data from the video file, it's saved as subtitles embedded in the recording. Only issue is it's up to you to make a graphical representation, but the information is there!

[@charliemannion2718]

must feel amazing that the drivers of the vehicle that inspired this entire series came down to appreciate what you built

[@Champ-0999]

Snowcats waving at each other=free serotonin

[@Markfps]

I'm watching two grown ass men waving at each other with snowmobiles, one of them drives, the other drives a robotic prototype. This is the content that youtube is for. Thank you.

[@xelaxander]

I’d love to see an accessory design competition. People send in designs for the snow cat and you build them. Or some sort of performance competition like Major Hardware does.

[@roamthesurface8410]

I work at snoqualmie at the very base area you were filming at haha. I've been a fan for years and its so cool to see all this footage shot at my workplace!!!!

[@pugz3230]

Maybe it would be a good idea to make an aerial relay that you could fly if you ever lose signal to something on the ground.

[@TantalumPolytope]

you mean a modified drone?

[@pugz3230]

@@TantalumPolytope drone and/or plane

[@TantalumPolytope]

@@pugz3230 i think a drone would be more practical since it can hover in one spot

[@pugz3230]

@@TantalumPolytope I'd imagine a plane would be more efficient, and he has shown GPS guidance on many things, including on planes

[@realRyanMeade]

You should definitely contact Pistenbully and see if you can get an actual Pistenbully frame for the snowcat Edit: word choice

[@gryyta9617]

I dont know, i think pistenbully already has a partnership with Pistenking...they make actual 1:12 scale pistenbullys

[@fdoelmand]

Maybe a cool upgrade for a next version is to have each wheel in the tracks have a spring damper to get some more traction on some parts of the snow

[@Lionbug]

Thing I like most about these videos are the wholesome interactions with people :D

[@jvsonyt]

"I bet you can't even tell the difference" It's beautiful. I've looked at this for 5 hours now.

[@bloodnocka]

Great video, thanks for sharing. Really enjoyed watching your antics and exploration with the Snowcat. I hope you have manufacturers knocking on your door to pick up this design. Don't know why manufacturers still use brushed motors when brushless is so cheap and available. I know they want to keep the cost down and profits up, but come on. Kyosho have a pretty good design there it just needs a few tweaks.

[@CDRiley]

I found your channel few weeks ago, I have been watching your content. You introduced yourself with your full name on old youtube video. I didn't know we share same last name. Awesome!

[@JasonPetorak]

I could see this being used for Search and Rescue on the mountain after an avalanche. Use it to get to unstable areas!

[@ashtonkinser9303]

Wouldn’t a drone work better for search

[@MrSnowmobiling]

Those big snowcats in your vid are PistenBully 600's. They will do about 8-10 miles an hour full speed, depending on the slope. I'm a PB400 cat operator so I know what they'll do :)

[@deltabravo1811]

A PB600W will do 10 mph on the rope. A PB600 will do closer to 15 mph (w/o a winch fitted). Years ago, we had an old LMC 3700C with Morse controls that we used as a haul cat, which was nostalgically fun to drive, but our groomers were 600/600W. If I was still in the game, I'd love to have a go in the E+.

[@hellish_rebuke3593]

I love how you play together with the snowcat

[@Oscbear]

great vid as always, would love to see a design scaled up even more that could potentially pull someone in a sled like the catamaran tugboat

[@caret_shell]

Yes! Robot dog sled would be amazing!

[@Pyrotec_nick]

I'd love to see 2vof these joined longitudinally like a Hagglunds BV206, that would make a snow munching machine! Also, a 2 speed transmission would be handy, so you could use 600kva motors for high speed hooning, then switch to low speed high torque crawl. Awesome project man, keep it up!

[@namibjDerEchte]

Or just use the lower kv (not kVA) motors with a proper sine inverter like an ODrive or similar.

[@FadedSock]

these are amazing, you have literally got me into RC cars, i love watching your videos. Thank you and keep up the incredible content!

[@amyshaw893]

Love it when one of the big boys "waved" at you XD I really hope it wasnt just shaking all the snow off the blade

[@tracybowling1156]

I do like yours way way more. If I were mechanically inclined, and lived anywhere but Florida, I'd get one!

[@Falconguygaming]

In the same boat, I wonder what mods could be done to make it better for sand

[@Frappe3621]

Same here, I would love to drive it on the beach.

[@tracybowling1156]

@@Falconguygaming The cool part is, is that I'm sure it could be done. But again, I wouldn't know what I was doing.

[@markmywords5342]

I wonder what the ideal weight to surface area for the best possible snow travel is if that's a thing. I just did a quick little look into "snow mechanics" or whatever and holy cow snow is complicated.

[@Pyrotec_nick]

Yeah, traction theory basically goes out the window with deep snow. Most theoretical models rely on breaking through the snow to the hard ground below. Actually powder snow is so variable it's very very hard to model.

[@jiegao3591]

I once made a snow cat except I used two giant wheels and a big thing in the backinstead of tracks. It was a tail dragger (the thing in the back was only for stability) and the wheels made up most of the size and mass of the thing - being CDs with some (about) 5 inch wide "tracks" wrapped around them. I wonder how that sort of design would compare to a more "normal" snow cat.

[@tamsamf]

Dude off topic but that was the best VPN ad I've seen yet!

[@Pawe11o]

Man that was so fun to watch, Awesome video as always :D

[@nate4024]

Man i know what you mean with the kyosha snow cat I always wanted one just never pulled the trigger on it.. I also just wanted to say you are a genius engineer your ideas and designs are phenomenal!!! Truly awesome designs, I'm hoping someday I'll be able to buy your snowcat I totally missed it when you sold some. I'm obsessed with tracked vehicles I been making and putting tracks on all my RCs I'm in development of tracks to replace the tires on my Arma outcast 8s.

[@DrtriderTV]

Amazing content. Love following along on the FPV adventures. Need more of these! That make for awesome content!

[@Nono-hk3is]

Any way to use a flying drone to extend your range by relaying video and control signal?

[@yunopoopy]

Real Snowcat Vs. RC Snowcat: FIGHT!!!

[@x316RiotMakerx]

Could you put a signal booster/repeater on your solar plane and have it circle high above to give you more range with the snowcat?

[@hippopotamus86]

Can you try out those controller antenna reflector things which are supposed to increase the range without increasing power? I've seen them for DJI drones, but would be interesting to know if they work well in this scenario.

[@yunopoopy]

Awesome snowcat man great job man

[@RafaGmod]

When modeling offroad vehicles (dirt/sand) or overpowered cars we can control the wheel slip (in %) to control the effiency of the roling and maximize traction. Can you do this with ardupilot? maybe it would compensate the motor torque to get better traction and not make the snowcat digs itself into the snow! Maybe it would limit torque in steep hills so it can climb more!

[@namibjDerEchte]

Shouldn't be hard to do (though I'm not sure if feasible without modifying the software), but you kinda need a wheel-independent speed sensor that's more precise than the wheel slip control you desire. I can only think of doppler radar (those HB100 would do if you could control/account for the effective distance it'd see, though a fixed down-and-forwards angle may be enough), and modding the sensor of a non-laser optical mouse with suitable optics to work at the distance it'd be from the ground. Downside there is that it's directly sensitive to the distance (measured_speed * distance / true_speed = constant). With that radar it'd be indirect, through changing what the average/effective angle is of the reflected signal (the HB100 operates at a 3cm wavelength, and anything within around 10 wavelengths is notably different from far-field in the interference/reflectance behavior).

[@RoomTemperatureGravy]

Do you think a hover craft, like the classic air pocket ones would work on snow?

[@61Voltwagon]

When are you shipping the 2nd batch of Snowcat kit pre-orders?

[@nan00klabs]

You should add a 2-way audio channel so you can talk to people over the snowcat. Or add a segments display with a few preset messages like "hello", "bye", "subscribe to rctestflight" linked to one of the radio channels

[@inofarr8622]

Hey nice job! Is there a way to displace your goggles and remote antenna and mount them like on the top of your car to keep your fingers from freezing 🥶 ?

[@alansaxton5683]

this thing is awesome . have you thought of making a articulated 4 track modd/version??. im sure it would make light work of those hills.

[@im_ricebowl]

This is a dream. I know it feels a bit like being a lid again BUT THATS THE POINT! just chilling and playing around. Not to mention those nice fellas playing along

[@znovosad555]

My blizzard FR does just fine in deep powder without sinking providing I don’t over throttle. Have to find a steady pace to keep them going on trail. However on that hard pack, Kyosho does make metal tracks! Would probably make a difference but the heavier the more likely to sink in powder

[@adamellis5228]

I'm watching it and you will put GPS on it and plow your driveway. These machines weigh about 12,000lbs. and are really cool to 'drive'. I don't know where you are going with this, but weight and torque are important, especially if the plow is an important feature. When I operated a snow-grooming machine at Killington, Vt, we would grab a ride up from an operator, on 1st shift early in the morning, and prior to the lifts opening. I worked 11pm to 8am. Throw my snow-board in the passenger seat. I have had some awesome experiences...

[@tera9719]

i love your interactions with random viewers

[@Callsignsoggybisket]

“I’m going to go say hi and see if they get mad or they like it” I have learned that most of the people that work at ski resort don’t care if you are playing with an rc in the snow as long as you don’t get in there way or mess with their equipment

[@TruettD]

“I though he was going to come plow me” rctestflight 2022

[@Max24871]

Came here for that comment

[@redwarrior69340]

have you seen how during WW1 they added a log to the tracks that would wrap around the MkV ? that would be neat and help most in the mud !

[@Sty1a]

To get the OSD from the DJI you can turn on subtitles. Afaik telemetry data get saved in it.

[@SNIXC]

9:03 this made me feel so good

[@jumpingjacks5558]

Great video. Very entertaining. I can see why your snow cats are so popular.

[@eternalprogression]

3:49. WARE did u get that hoodie⁉️

[@MoralRichMedia]

How much lag/delay was there between your commands and the movement as you we at your furthest distance?

[@janriggert]

I love the scale look of the Kyosho!

[@legitscoper3259]

No, you don't need "Lightweight" you just need more surface area ;) Like, make a train out of Snowcats one carries the battery and powers all of them.

[@dustinvandewater7022]

I'm just wondering, could you utilize the stud holes in the tracks to create a deep powder mod?

[@mannythehunter]

Now setup one of your heavy lift drones as a recovery vehicle to pick up the snowcat when it gets stuck. Maybe magnet and a speedy winch line.

[@azo5000]

I wonder if you can adapt the Snowcat to be some type of outdoor Roomba to clean snow off the roads?

[@dash0173]

7:37 "i thought he was gonna come plow me" thats what she said. lol

[@wippip]

My old Tyco Rebound had those controls. Spent hours playing with that thing. When I got my first proper RC car I had to get used to the pistol grip and the wheel

[@MattTester]

Loved my Rebound, it got really smashed up from flying into concrete steps at high speed but it kept going.

[@wippip]

@@MattTester Mine held up alright until I found it hidden in a box somewhere. Drove it around a bit and all the plastic has gone brittle.

[@MattTester]

@@wippip Damn that's a shame, mine's still around somewhere but I'll leave it alone. I wonder if there are any still in the box and if they have gone the same way.

[@jojosba2523]

WOW! I found ur Channel just today, but I watched some Videos and I LOVE them! Thanks for creating such amazing content, this really made my day and inspired me.

[@CarlMarx]

Loved the outro the most!

[@chrisslky7018]

This is awesome! Ha haa. I've got 2 Blizzards. The upgrades are skys the limit. Range and capability are so much better on yours. Cheers!

[@youzrnaim]

Are you using a flight controller for OSD, GPS, etc?

[@djSpinege]

you're a crazy old snowcat lady now

[@awkward_is_my_superpower7609]

Can't you make the tracks wider to reduce the force applied to the snow?

[@bluejayfabrications2216]

I borrowed a fpv set up years ago and put it in a rock crawler it was fun but depth perception was difficult so I bought a laser cross hairs like on a cheep drill press to project Infront of the camera on the ground it helped particularly in the shadows to guage the ground Infront of me

[@Farming-Technology]

This is cool, but considering everything you've built over the years. The fact that your snowcat is missing a blade pains me in ways I can't describe.🧐

[@theboreditamar2108]

what are the differences between brushed and unbrushed motors?

[@Masterzero187]

can you put pls the links from the fpv stuff in the description

[@spartan3299]

The shortage of Nano Goblins is taking its toll on the Friendly Drone idea. We need you to counter the angry drone perception!

[@bluef1sh926]

It's not the only one mass produced R/C snowcat vehicle on the market, Dickie Toys company makes R/C Pistenbully 600 and Pistenbully 400.

[@rsquared9703]

I’ve said this before on a boat video, your out there by yourself, having a full conversation but not actually talking to anyone.

[@johnelrick8945]

Wider tracks might help with heavier builds. Fancy designing a "heavy" track set?

[@chpoit]

Any update on the 12s snowcat or the built-in battery?

[@AlexAlexisLex]

Hey, Is there any update on the second batch of snowcat kit orders shipping?.....

[@rodrigomora6350]

You shuld put a led screen so you can comunicate with the skiers that will be soo cool

[@CausticLemons7]

I was actually a little nervous when you drove down the powerline alley lol

[@AllHailKingGila]

Thanks Daniel

[@mellowfellow6816]

One more time Dougal... This snow-cat is small, that one is far away

[@its_generik]

That was one of the best days in the cat!! Thaks for making my day!!!!!!

[@EveryTongue]

The weight of yours is actually a plus when it comes to driving around because is sinks in and throws a bunch of snow, generally hooning around in a more badass way than the scale, but both are cool

[@rpleym]

The original blizzard came out early 80s. I remember my buddy had one, probably late 80s, and that had the same dual motor setup as yours.

[@JoeBissell]

dude these are perfect for search and rescue in the mountains

[@devinmandeville4354]

what fpv setup do you use? ive been wanting to get into it for a while now but dont know which ones to get

[@trelok6877]

I am curious, which camera do you use?

[@Henrix1998]

What's the fpv you are using?

[@diekritik8927]

Hallo Daniel, you should develop a kind of extendable ski for downhill runs.

[@gavinvales8928]

I love when people who operate heavy machinery wave at you, like when pilots wave at you while you're plane watching

[@gcoutdoors904]

Market your snow cat as the "rumba of the snowy driveway. Create a form of autopilot to allow it to clear your driveway during the day

[@DerJohii]

It'd be cool to see the 600kV version in deep loose snow.