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Comment by vicnov | Hacker News Reader

How does one can get into drone racing? Where should I start?

You buy a cheap controller (RadioMaster TX16S is the best value for money right now, at $120ish, but you can do quite well with a $30 FlySky), some goggles ($40 for some Eachine EV800D, I forget the exact model number), $150ish for a low-end starting 5" quad, and $30 for a 4S battery.

I might also recommend getting a tiny whoop instead, those are very small drones for inside the house, they are super fun and you can fly them whenever you want, vs having to make a trip to a suitable location.

That should get you started. Nowadays I much prefer acrobatic wings, though, I made a Flitetest Versa from Depron foam for like $30 and it's amazing fun.

I'm not having any luck finding the TX16S for that price, any suggestions?

Here is one, though it's a bit more expensive, I think maybe I used points to get the price lower:

https://m.banggood.com/RadioMaster-TX16S-Hall-Sensor-Gimbals...

Don't order from Banggood. It takes weeks to arrive and is likely to be a knockoff. There are several US retailers like RaceDayQuads.com, GetFPV.com, etc.

  very small drones for inside the house, they are super fun and you can fly them whenever you want

House yes, anywhere with a fire suppression system _NO_. The little glass bulbs used in most of them don't react well to having a drone bump into them. Buddy of mine had this happen where he worked not long ago, you really don't want to be that person...

You watch quadmovr [0] and google all the weird words in the video titles :D

0: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6wsa7StHaY

After buying a transmitter/controller, Liftoff (https://store.steampowered.com/app/410340/) is a great simulation to learn how to fly.

Shoot me an email. I have a couple radios (one new and used) I can part with.

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