The best thing about the first generation EV800 headset was the fact that they can convert between FPV googles and a monitor giving you the best of both worlds, hence the name FPV moggle. Now there is a new release which adds DVR functionality and diversity receivers. But does having the dual use functionality mean they are just average at both?
After spending a few days testing the EV800D unit I can comfortably say that it is one of the better budget FPV headsets around. The feel of the unit along with its performance makes it a very hard FPV headset to beat for the price.
The Good
- Similarly affordable price of the older EV800 kit (only about $10 more expensive)
- Easily convert between FPV goggles and an FPV monitor
- Built in DVR make it very easy to record your FPV feed
- DVR recorder does not drop any frames or add latency (make sure you use a class 10 SD card)
- 40ch Diversity receiver allows you to use multiple antennae to get an excellent signal. Include is a long range directional patch antenna and an omnidirectional cloverleaf antenna.
- The integrated receiver is more sensitive than before, giving a much better picture at rate
- Autoscan button makes it super easy and fast to find your FPV channel
- High-quality lens (no distortion) with crisp HD LCD panel
- Monitor has a 1/4 camera screw mount to make it easy to mount onto a tripod
The Bad
- Fixed focal length lens, however, it has been setup very well as everyone who used this did not have any eyestrain due to the quality lens used.
- Smaller capacity battery at 1.2Ah giving about 2hour operation time between charges. Although this is average the older EV800 had a 2Ah battery giving over 3.5 hours of use per charge.
- If you don’t use a class 10 or above SD card the monitor corrupts the SD card.
- Not the best-balanced headset as all the weight is up front, including the battery. But since you will only be using this for about 10 minutes a flight its not a massive issue, I am just being picky.
- Foam face pads are not removable so you cant clean them (but you can buy some replacement foam cheaply)
- No video input, so you cant use an external receiver with the EV800D moggle.
Where to Buy
Diversity Receiver – better reception
A new addition to the EV800D’s is the 40 channel diversity receiver. Not only does this essentially give you better FPV signal, it also gives you the ability to use a directional long range antenna and an omnidirectional antenna as included with the kit. Usually stock antennas included with cheap FPV gear should be put in the bin, both the patch and cloverleaf antenna included are actually half decent. When flying to about 500m line of sight with a 25mw VTX there was very little static.
To find your FPV channel there is a convenient auto scan button that quickly searches through all frequencies to find your signal within a few seconds.
DVR – Record your FPV feed
The integrated DVR makes it very easy to record your FPV video feed directly onto an SD card at 720×568. To start recording a video you just need to long press the Pic/Rec button and the video will start recording. You know it is recording by a recording icon on the top right of the screen. If you want to save a picture you just press the button quickly.
Some DVR units end up adding extra latency, however, this is not the case with the EV800’s. The latency is minimal, comparable to FPV goggles like the fatshark dominators costing more than three times the price.
A word of warning, you need to use a class 10 or higher microSD card to ensure your videos are recorded properly without any dropped frames. When using a class 5 SD card the EV800 unit ended up corrupting the card.
Bright HD Display
The EV800D packs a crisp 800×480 display LCD panel, which is more than adequate for analogue FPV. However what makes this special is that it has a brightness of 600cd/m2 making it easy to use as a stand alone monitor outdoors (preferably in the shade). When using the EV800D’s as FPV goggles, the lens provides a 3x magnification to give a more immersive flight experience. The lens itself is not adjustable, but this can be overlooked since the quality of the lens itself is very good. There is essentially no distortion on the image, and everyone who tested the EV800D unit did not have any issues with the focal distance.
The display also shows some useful information including your FPV signal strength, FPV channel, band and frequency. This overlay is not saved when using the DVR to record the feed.
Design and comfort
The smooth molded plastic body gives a significantly better feel than some other headsets that use foam, although is makes the EV800D’s a fingerprint magnet. Along the top are all of the control buttons from the auto scan function to DVR recording as well as the microSD card slot and SMA antenna connectors.
The three-way head strap provides an adequate level of adjust-ability, and since the headset uses a single LCD monitor you don’t need to worry about IPD adjustments. However, the balance of this headset is not that great with the centre of gravity quite far forward.
This unavoidable balance issue is because the EV800 units are separable, so all the electronics and battery need to be right at the front. All things considered, the strain isn’t really noticeable at all until you’ve been flying past the 15 minute mark. The EV800 unit also includes an audio output if you want to hear the screech of your FPV quadcopter, but sadly no video input support, only AV out.
Using the EV800D as a monitor is perfect since it includes a built-in sunshade, and has a neat 6mm tripod mount screw hole. As mentioned the LCD is very bright making it easy to view outdoors in some shade.
Separability
Apart from being a generally decent FPV headset, the main selling point of the EV800D’s is the ability to easily switch between and FPV monitor and goggle. There is nothing fancy about how the goggles transform into a monitor, just slide the screen upwards and the lens attachment unclips, nice and simple.
Conclusions
At the end of the day, the EV800D keeps all the best parts of the older design and provides two welcome features. The integrated diversity receiver allows you to have much better FPV reception along with the flexibility of using multiple antenna types. And the DVR lets you record your FPV feed directly which is particularly useful for nano-quads that cannot accommodate an action cam. So if you are looking for an excellent all round FPV headset that you can convert to a stand-alone monitor the EV800D are a great option that you should consider.
