My Favorite Budget FPV Headset

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UPDATE: I’m designing an open-source 3” HD micro FPV quadcopter frame. I call it the Kestrel. You should check it out!

I’d love to be able to point you to the best budget-conscious FPV goggles instead of my favorite set, but I just can’t. There are just too many options available, and there’s no way I could try them all.

Even if I could try every set of goggles, there’s no way I could use each pair often enough to be aware of their hidden pitfalls. There are plenty of YouTube channels that review goggles, and those reviews almost always miss the long-term details. I utterly destroyed a drone because the diversity system in the original version of the Eachine VR D2 can get confused and freeze up. It only happened to me once every few weeks—that might be 30 or 40 batteries. If you fly with these goggles for a few days, you probably won’t experience the issue.

Should I really buy cheap goggles?

Almost everyone in the hobby will tell you to invest in a good set of goggles. They’re not wrong, but you won’t know what style you like if you’re just starting out. The FPV racers seem to love their Fat Shark goggles, but I worry that I’ll be disappointed with their extremely limited field of view—usually 30 to 40 degrees.

FuriBee VR01 FPV Headset

One of my friends loves the huge screen in his giant headset. I don’t know which headset he uses, but I believe it has a 7” screen much like these Skyzone goggles at Amazon. They probably have a field of view up around 120 degrees. When I use his goggles, I tend to fly much slower, and I have a lot of trouble seeing the ground when I land. The field of view is so large than I can barely seem to angle my eyes low enough to see the ground!

I started with the cheapest goggles I could find on Amazon—the Eachine EV800 headset. They’re a fine set of goggles. I was pleased with the 82-degree field of view, but I wanted to try something with better reception. I quickly learned that you can buy goggles with a diversity setup. Those goggles have two video receivers and two antennas. In addition to the standard omnidirectional antenna, these goggles also have a directional antenna. In my experience, the directional antenna has no trouble getting a clear signal at over 1,000’.

Which budget FPV goggles should I buy?

I’m trying to buy a set of AOMWAY Commander FPV goggles, but they’ve been out of stock everywhere for weeks. They’re Fat-Shark-style goggles with a good diversity setup for a very reasonable price. The $350 price tag may be reasonable for what you get, but they’re certainly not entry-level goggles.

I had been flying with these scary Eachine VR D2 (sans pro!) goggles, and I didn’t want to wait for the AOMWAY Commander goggles to become available. I found a cheap, interesting FPV headset at Gearbest—the FuriBee VR01 headset.

The FuriBee VR01 headset has both an omnidirectional cloverleaf antenna and a directional patch antenna, but the documentation says it doesn’t use a true diversity setup. If it isn’t using diversity, how does it work? Does it work as well as the true but flaky diversity in my Eachine VR D2 headset?

An FPV headset with two antennas for $55 sounded too good to be true. I told my friends at Gearbest that I was interested in trying out their FuriBee VR01 headset, and they were nice enough to send them to me free of charge.

I’m going to tell you about my favorite headset, but I don’t want to leave you with just one option. I’m also going to tell you about the other budget-friendly headsets I’ve tried

FuriBee VR01 FPV Headset

If you ignore the major flaw in my original Eachine VR D2 headset, the FuriBee VR01 headset might be the worst headset I’ve used. I noticed quite a few problems before even flying with them for the first time. There’s nowhere to stow your battery, the screen isn’t great, and the face padding is quite awful and it leaks light on the sides.

Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? In practice, none of these problems are all that bad. I’ve been flying with the FuriBee headset for two or three weeks, and I like them quite a lot. The screen is definitely a downgrade compared to my Eachine VR D2 headset—the resolution is obviously lower, but I stopped noticing after the first week.

The light leaking in on the sides isn’t bad, and it could probably be fixed with some extra padding. The light only hits the periphery of the display, and it is barely noticeable unless the sun is directly behind me.

I used a battery strap to stow a 3S LiPo behind my head, and I used some zip ties to route the power cable. One of my favorite features of the FuriBee VR01 headset is how many options I have for powering the thing.

The documentation recommends 2S or 3S LiPo batteries, but it also claims it can handle the voltage of a 4S battery. Gearbest claims it can run for 8 hours on a 2200 mAh 3S battery. I have some 1300 mAh 3S batteries that are old enough that they can’t nearly reach their max capacity, and the headset can run for at least three hours without a battery swap. I’m sure it can go longer, but I’d rather not run out of charge while flying!

FuriBee VR01 Headset Battery Mod

The FuriBee VR01 headset power cable connects to a 2-pin JST connector commonly found on 2S LiPo batteries. The only batteries I have with that connector are tiny 350 mAh packs for my KingKong 90GT micro drone, and I know they won’t power the headset for long.

I had some spare female XT60 adapters that came with each of my Venom 4S LiPo batteries. Using that, a couple of Dupont jumper wires, and a few minutes with the soldering iron, I was able to create an adapter that allows me to plug any of my 3S or 4S LiPo batteries into the VR01 headset.

This should be safe, because the headset can take up to a 23-volt input. It would be nice if something like this could be included in the box with the FuriBee VR01 headset!

Does the fake diversity work?

The fake diversity definitely works. I went to my favorite wide-open field, and I flew my Shuriken X1 roughly 1,000 feet away with its VTX transmitter set to 200 mw. I’m certain I could fly farther, but that’s where the trees start, and I don’t want to hunt for my drone if something goes wrong out there.

At 1,000 feet, the video feed is quite clear. When I turn my head to the side, the picture degrades quite a bit as the signal gets picked up by the directional antenna. I’ve tested a few other scenarios, but this was all the proof I needed to determine that both antennas were doing something.

Unfortunately, the FuriBee VR01 headset doesn’t have a built-in DVR, so I can’t show you what it looks like.

Wouldn’t it be better to have true diversity?

I’m excited that you can get two antennas onto a headset at this price point. I enjoy having the long range of the directional antenna, even if that extra range only extends in one direction. Also, if you have obstacles in a particular direction that usually interfere with your video signal, you can point your directional antenna that way to help alleviate the problem.

I’m even more excited that you can get an inexpensive headset with two antennas, and you don’t have to worry about a poorly designed diversity system ruining your day.

Eachine VR D2 Pro FPV Headset

I’ve had two sets of the original version of the Eachine VR D2 headsets—not the pro! These were about $125 from Amazon. The first set burned out. I plugged the battery in to start flying, the screen was dark, and I soon began to smell the magic smoke. I sent those back to Amazon and ordered another set.

The second set didn’t fail, but it did freeze up on me at an inopportune moment. Both sets have frozen up on me a few times, but that second set caused me to crash my Shuriken 180 Pro face first into the pavement from a fairly high altitude. I sent that set back to Amazon as well. A headset that locks up randomly during flight is definitely defective!

The new Eachine VR D2 Pro headset has supposedly eliminated this issue. The Pro version is a very nice-looking headset, and it can be ordered directly from China for around $75—assuming you’re willing to wait several weeks for your headset to arrive! It is comfortable to wear, has a nice display, and it includes a built-in DVR.

It also has a nice on-screen display that shows the signal strength of each antenna, your battery voltage, and your current channel. These goggles are a really good value for the price.

I’ve been burned, though, and I’m worried that the VR D2 Pro will still have those random lockups. A friend of mine has a set. I’ve tried them out, and I really like them. I’ll be sure to update this post to let everyone know whether or not he has any problems with his!

Eachine EV800 Headset

The Eachine EV800 was my first headset. I still have it—a friend of mine has been borrowing it for the last month or so. It works fine, and it has never caused me any problems. I used them for a few months, then I loaned them to my friend Tommy. He’s been using them ever since with no problems.

Eachine EV800 FPV Goggles

The EV800 is a solid headset. It is reasonably priced, and it is available from Amazon with Prime shipping—that’s a bonus. They cost as much as the Eachine VR D2 Pro headset, but the EV800 doesn’t have diversity or a DVR.

If you’re willing to tolerate a bit of static, the range on the EV800 goggles is quite good. I used to fly 700’ away or more, and I didn’t mind the static at the time. Having a directional antenna has spoiled me. I don’t want to see that static.

My conclusion

I highly recommend the FuriBee VR01 headset from Gearbest. It is a decent headset with a function, diversity-like setup, and you can get a pair for under $60. You probably won’t have to wait long, either, because they’re usually stocked in Gearbest’s US warehouse!

They’re a great way to dip your toe into the waters of FPV. I was very impatient before my VR01 goggles arrived, and I thought I would be racing to order a set of $350 AOMWAY Commander goggles—they’re still out of stock! After flying with the FuriBee VR01 headset for a week or two, I am in absolutely no hurry to upgrade. These are fine, and they will tide me over for quite a while!

Do you have an inexpensive FPV headset? Do you have a FuriBee VR01? Let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

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