Untitled - Eric Cheng

Articles

One of the biggest improvements to the way I pilot came from switching from using only thumbs on the radio sticks to using a two-finger pinch on each one. I found that I was able to fly competently using thumbs if I was calm, but that I was often unable to tell where I was in the stick range if I became nervous. Using two fingers on each stick allows me to establish a reference point with my index finger at all times, and I am no longer ever lost in the stick range, even when flying FPV using goggles.

Because I fly using two fingers per stick, I am a huge fan of radio transmitter neck straps. They might look a little dorky, but they allow you to let go of the radio if you need to do something like catch your quadcopter instead of letting it land on the ground. But the usefulness of a neck strap is directly tied to how well balanced your radio is around the strap mounting point. Attaching the Phantom 2 Vision’s smartphone attachment and range extender moves the center of balance up on the radio, as does attaching an FPV monitor. Luckily, there are inexpensive ways to move the radio’s strap mounting point.

The one I use is the “3 Hole Lengthways Neck Strap Balancer for JR Futaba Spektrum TX Transmitter,” sold from Hong Kong on eBay. It costs $4.49 plus $0.99 shipping, and also includes a high-quality neck strap. The 3-hole extension fits perfectly on the Phantom radio, and attaching your strap to the 3rd hole works well if you’re using the Vision remote with an iPhone and range extender. If you have a large FPV monitor attached, you might want to look for a longer extension because you may need to move the mounting point up even higher on the radio.