Walksnail and Fat Shark announced a new goggles – the Avatar / Dominator HD in May 2022 that use Walksnail’s Avatar digital FPV system. Image quality looks comparable to the popular DJI FPV system, with time it might get even better with full Betaflight OSD support and 1080p resolution given the more capable hardware.
Fatshark Dominator HD FPV goggles and Walksnail Avatar FPV goggles are the same thing just different colour, they both use Walksnail Avatar technology and share the same firmware.
Here is a complete setup guide of the Avatar System.
Table of Contents
Where to Buy?
FPV Goggles
For those who prefer a complete package, Walksnail offers full-fledged goggles, the Avatar Goggles V1 from 2021, and the Avatar Goggles X from 2023. Fatshark also released the Dominator HD, which is basically the same goggles as the Avatar V1, but in different colour.
| Avatar Goggles V1 / Fatshark HD | Avatar Goggles X |
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| AliExpress RDQ GetFPV |
AliExpress GetFPV Caddx |
A middle option is Fat Shark’s Recon HD with built-in Walksnail video receiver, based on their budget Recon goggles. This is a good option for those with a tight budget.
| Fat Shark Recon HD Goggles | Walksnail Avatar VRX |
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| RDQ GetFPV . |
RaceDayQuads GetFPV AliExpress |
Video Transmitters
| Walksnail VTX V2 | Walksnail Mini 1S Lite VTX (Review) |
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| GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-4t17 RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-im46 AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DlDWGKt Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JRXY1Z Caddx: https://oscarliang.com/product-qe4v |
Caddx: https://oscarliang.com/product-d75h AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DdCMC0z GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-27gi RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-3uda Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FASTZv |
| – 29.5g – 25.5×25.5mm & 20x20mm mounting – input voltage 6V-25.2V – 8GB or 32GB Storage for recording – Supports Gyroflow (32GB version) – Up to 1200mW Output Power – 1080p/60FPS or 720p/120FPS switchable – 4:3 / 16:9 switchable – 170° FOV – Diversity dual antennas |
– 8.7g light weight – 25.5×25.5mm mounting – input voltage 3.1V-5V – 8GB Storage for recording – Up to 350mW Output Power – 1080p/60FPS or 720p/120FPS switchable – 4:3 / 16:9 switchable – 170° FOV |
| Walksnail V2 VTX | Walksnail V3 VTX |
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| – 29.5g – 25.5×25.5mm and 20x20mm mounting – input voltage 6V-25.2V – 8GB and 32GB Storage for recording – Up to 1200mW Output Power – 1080p/60FPS or 720p/120FPS switchable – 4:3 / 16:9 switchable – 160° FOV |
– 21g – 25.5×25.5mm and 20x20mm mounting – input voltage 3.1V – 13V – 32GB Storage for recording – Up to 1200mW Output Power – 1080p/60FPS or 720p/120FPS switchable – 4:3 / 16:9 switchable – 160° FOV |
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Avatar FPV System Hardware
New to FPV goggles? You can learn more in this buyer’s guide.
Avatar Goggles X
These are the latest FPV flagship goggles from Walksnail, launched in 2023. They are not only cheaper than the Avatar Goggles V1 / Fatshark Dominator HD, but also has more features and more versatile. Check out my full review here: https://oscarliang.com/walksnail-avatar-goggles-x/
Fatshark Dominator HD / Avatar FPV Goggles
The new Fatshark Dominator HD FPV Goggles is similar size to the previous Fatshark goggles, very slim and compact. Here’s a comparison to my Orqa FPV.One Pilot.
There is another version by Walksnail, is there any difference between the Fatshark Dominator HD and Walksnail Avatar Goggles? The answer is no, apart from the color (the Fatshark is white, the Walksnail is Black), there is no difference in hardware, software and performance. They are basically the same goggles.
And it’s significantly smaller than the DJI goggles V1/V2. They weigh just over 300g without cables and antennas, which is about 150g lighter than the DJI Goggles V1/V2. If you normally fly a long time you’d probably feel more comfortable with the Avatar.
There are four RP-SMA connectors just like the DJI Goggles, however the provided antennas perform poorly (low quality, bad signal and easy to break), it’s recommended to get some aftermarket antenna as soon as you get them. Any 5.8GHz antenna should work just fine with this system.
They simplified the menu buttons a lot compared to previous Fat Shark goggles, now it’s just the same as the DJI goggles (even the actual buttons used here look identical!). There are DVR record button, cancel/back button, and a 5-way joystick button. But because the joystick is tilted at an angle it doesn’t feel very intuitive to use.
There’s nothing on the left side of the goggles, just a “shark” logo. On the top between the two RP-SMA connectors, there’s a slider switch which just closes or open the vent for anti-fog (there is no fan speed control). Some users complain about the anti fog performance being quite poor, because the side fan directs airflow over the RF module and out to the anti fog however most of that air is going over the module for cooling, as a result there is very little airflow over the lenses for anti-fog. With that said, I personally have no screen fogging issue even on a hot summer day (around 25 degrees), or cold winter day (around 0 to 5 degrees), maybe it depends on humidity too.
On the bottom of the goggles, you have two dials for IPD adjustment and focal adjustment. You can change IPD by pushing the dials in and out, and you can adjust the focus by twisting the dials.
Notice there’s an on/off power button next to the USB port!
The optics look identical to the Fatshark HDO2. The SD card slot is in the same location as other Fatshark goggles, right in the middle of the lenses. The DVR allows you to record 720p 60fps video just like DJI.
The face plate foam pad is attached by velcro and removable. The texture is fake leather, the quality is similar to the HDO2’s. It’s not very thick, but fits my face pretty well and doesn’t give me much light leaks (only a bit around the nose). I will probably upgrade to something similar to this which I had on my HDO2, it’s much thicker, puts less pressure on face and stops light leaks better. The goggles also come with four inserts to put between the faceplate and foam padding to increase thickness to accommodate different face shapes.
The faceplate is removable just like the previous Fatshark goggles. The headstrap buckles looks similar to the DJI’s but the screw holes are different distances. There’s no split in the middle, so the strap won’t pop out if you pull it too hard like the previous Fatshark goggles, which is great.
However the Avatar Goggles don’t support analogue FPV system – it has no receiver module bay nor AV input. You can’t use HDZero either as there’s no HDMI input. They are purely designed for the Avatar digital FPV system.
Avatar FPV Goggles Specs:
- Screen Resolution: 1080p 90FPS (the system can transmit up to 120FPS)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- FOV: 46°
- Adjustable IPD: 56-70mm
- Adjustable Focus Range: +2 to -6 diopter
- Has a power button
- Built-in anti fog fan
- USB-C port for firmware update and HDMI video output
- 4 RP-SMA antenna connectors
- Input Voltage: 7-21V (2S-5S)
- Power Consumption: 8W
It comes with an XT60 to barrel connector power cable. You can power the goggles with a 2S-5S LiPo.
Avatar VRX
If you already own a pair of FPV goggles with HDMI input, you may consider getting the Avatar VRX. This is an affordable way to get into digital FPV system and without spending an additional $600 on a fresh set of Avatar Goggles or Fatshark Dominator HD goggles.
The Avatar VRX is a standalone video receiver that binds to the Avatar video transmitter and outputs an HDMI feed. You can use it on any FPV Goggles with HDMI input such as the Skyzone Sky04X, Orqa FPV.One and Fatshark HDO2!
The Avatar module is priced at under $200 in the pre-order sale! The bundles are sold at outstanding prices, not just the video receiver, it also includes two patch antennas and two onmi directional antennas, and an Avatar Mini 1S VTX/Camera kit! You can also upgrade to a better and bigger VTX/Camera kit with an additional $40.
Keep in mind that all existing analogue FPV Goggles with HDMI input have 60fps screens (except the HDZero FPV goggles that support 90fps). That means they won’t get the 100fps refresh rate from the Walksnail Avatar system, and gives you a bit more latency compared to using the Walksnail Avatar Goggles, but at this price point it’s not a deal breaker IMO. In fact I think the HDZero goggles might be a great fit for the Walksnail Avatar VRX module. Not only they support up to 90fps (so lower latency than 60fps), they are also optimized for Analogue video system, so you can use 3 FPV systems on the HDZero goggles.
Specifications:
- Supports Betaflight Canvas Mode (full Betaflight OSD support, as well as INav and KISS)
- 4 antennas included – 2 directional antennas and 2 onmi antennas included, with a maximum transmission distance of 4km
- HDMI Output – Compatible with Analog Goggles with HDMI Input
- Supports 1080p 60fps,720p 100fps and 720p 60fps
- H.265 encoding
- MicroSD card slot for DVR (supports up to 256GB micro SD cards)
- Input voltage: 7-21V (2S-5S)
- Power connector: DC 5.5*2.1mm
- Dimension: 114*55*22mm
- Weight: 83g
Fatshark Recon HD FPV Goggles
Fatshark previously released the Recon for analog and HDZero systems, now they recycled the same design and put an Walksnail Avatar receiver inside. The Fatshark Recon HD goggles are a cheap way to get into the Avatar digital FPV system if you do not previous own any FPV goggles. One of the main downsides is that it only supports up to 1080p 60fps, so it won’t take advantage of the 100fps low latency mode in the Avatar system, which results in approximately 10ms higher latency than using the 100fps mode.
There are four directional antennas inside the goggles, and the Fatshark Recon HD is not designed to have them replaced easily. However those antennas are connected via UFL connectors so in theory you can swap them out by doing some DIY modifications. But those included antennas actually perform quite well in the many tests I have seen and definitely better than the ones that come with the more expensive Avatar Goggles.
The Recon HD is not designed for diopters, nor can you easily wear your glasses while putting them on. So if you have a special prescription you may be out of luck.
The Recon HD may not provide as nice experience as other higher end goggles, for example the clarity of the screen, IPD / focus adjustment, portability and weight etc. But these are surely compelling if you are new to FPV and don’t own a pair of FPV goggles yet. However they don’t have AV input nor HDMI input, so you can’t used analog or HDZero with them, you are locked into Walksnail’s ecosystem with the Recon HD.
Specifications:
- 5 Inch TFT display
- Resolution 1920×1080 60fps
- Field of View (FOV): 44° Diagonal
- Fixed Inter-Pupillary Distance (IPD) suitable for people with 55 – 76mm (Not adjustable)
- USB-C Video Out
- 4 Internal Directional Antennas
- Firmware upgrade via SD Card
- Micro SD card slot for DVR
- 5-Way button for OSD menu navigation
- Power connector: 5.1mm Barrel Connector
- Input Voltage: 7-21V (2s to 5s)
- Dimensions: 170 x 120 x 90mm
- Weight: 336.5 g
As an alternative, take a look at the Skyzone Cobra X with the Avatar VRX module. Personally I prefer the Skyzone Cobra X goggles, and this combo will allow you to use analog FPV system too. This would cost more, but it’s a more versatile setup.
Avatar VTX
There’s a new version! See review here: https://oscarliang.com/walksnail-avatar-hd-pro-v2-kit/
The overall size of the Avatar VTX is smaller than the DJI Vista – a little wider and longer but much lower profile as you can see in this comparison.
The size is pretty much like a 30×30 flight controller, but for whatever reason they decided to go with 25x25mm mounting (like a whoop FC). The VTX weights only 16g, uses H.265 encoding and supports 720p or 1080p video with similar latency to the DJI system.
The antenna connectors are U.FL, there’s a metal retention bar to keep them from popping off.
Similar metal bar is used for the camera MIPI cable. The camera cable uses the same MIPI connector as DJI, however their camera and VTX are not compatible. HDZero uses a different size MIPI connector so you can’t even plug it in.
Binding is the same as DJI, there’s a bind button on the Goggles, and there’s a bind button on the VTX.
There are 4 wire connections to the flight controller, voltage, ground and UART (TX and RX) for the MSP connection (Betaflight OSD). The VTX doesn’t have a USB port, instead it has a 4-pin connector, which you can connect the USB type A cable to. (cable is provided with the VTX)
You can also record 1080p footage inside the video transmitter, pretty much like the DJI Air Unit. However it doesn’t have an SD card slot, instead it has 8GB internal memory. The advantage is that you don’t have an SD card that you can potentially lose, the downside is that it can only hold around 20mins of 1080p footage. By recording in the VTX, the resolution and video quality is higher than the goggles DVR, and video is not affected by breakup and blurriness due to signal strength.
It is NOT designed to be waterproof or water-resistant.
- Max Output Power: 1200mW
- Input Voltage: 2S to 6S (6V to 25.2V)
- Power consumption: 4.5W
- Dimension: 33.5×33.5×9.5mm
- Weight (together with camera and the two antennas): 28.6g
- Mounting holes spacing: 25x25mm
Accessories that come with the VTX/Camera kit:
Manual:
Avatar FPV Camera
The Avatar camera housing is fully metal, construction seems to be high quality. The lens looks identical to the original DJI FPV camera. There are two camera size options, micro (19x19mm) and nano (14x14mm).
It has a much wider FOV than the DJI OG cam and Nebula Pro. However due to its smaller sensor, low light performance is not as good as the Caddx Polar, even slightly worse than the DJI OG cam and Nebula Pro.
Specs:
- Image Sensor: 1/2.7″
- Resolution: 1080p 60FPS / 720P 120FPS / 720P 60FPS
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 and 4:3 Switchable
- Lens: 2.1mm
- Field Of View: 170°
- Aperture: F2.0
- Shutter Style: Rolling Shutter
- Minimum Illumination: 0.001Lux
- Cable Length: Micro 140mm, Nano 90mm
- Dimensions: Micro 19x19x22mm, Nano 14x14x17mm
- Weight: Micro 6g, Nano 3.5g
Video Quality and Performance
Some DVR footage from the latest firmware (Filmed in Feb 2023):
Here’s a comparison to the DJI system.
The option labels in the setting menu look very similar to the ones in the DJI FPV Goggles. They have the same “low power mode” prompt, the latency and bitrate displayed at the bottom of the screen. The similar settings High/Standard frame rate (60fps vs 120fps), Standard/High bitrate (25mbps vs 50mbps).
Image quality reminds me of DJI system too. The OSD also looks familiar. Latency is not fixed like HDZero, but more like DJI with the same variable latency when you fly too far away or the signal gets weak. Also, just like DJI, maximum frame rate is 120fps.
Instead of having “high quality” and “low latency” modes in DJI, you have 1080p and 720p modes in the Avatar. Although the latency reading inside the goggles suggests the Avatar might have lower latency than DJI, tests by other reviewers have shown the latency reading in the Avatar is not quite accurate, in fact is higher in reality and similar to DJI’s.
The Avatar system is supposed to have a spectator mode (again… similar to DJI’s) so you can watch your friends fly (if they also fly Avatar), but currently (in Nov 2022) it’s still not available yet, hopefully it will be with future firmware updates.
The voltage display at the very bottom only shows the input voltage of the VTX, it doesn’t get voltage reading from the UART like DJI. This could be useful if you are using this VTX on an aircraft that doesn’t use a flight controller such as a fixed wing or RC card.
It’s a little unfair to compare the DVR side by side because DJI is 4:3 and Avatar is 16:9, and the Avatar has a bigger image. But when looking through the goggles, DJI appears to have a bigger image due to the bigger field of view.
The image quality looks similar in DVR between Avatar and DJI, but when looking through the goggles, the Avatar looks slightly sharper and more crisp due to the better OLED displays. The vertical field of views are similar, but the horizontal FOV is wider on the Avatar because it’s 16:9, which makes up for the slightly smaller screen size.
The Avatar has slightly dimmer image, probably just the default camera settings, some just turn up EV in camera settings.
They both handle high light and shadow in similar manner.
When it comes to low light performance, I would not fly any of these cameras at night. The Avatar cameras have a dynamic exposure that changes with the lighting condition, while the DJI appears to have a fixed exposure. However the exposure threshold in the Avatar seems a bit too high, if they get the threshold fixed I think it will perform overall better than the DJI OG cam in low light.
Is Avatar DJI?
As you can see, there are a lot of similarities between Walksnail Avatar and DJI FPV systems on both software and hardware. That makes a lot of people wonder if the Avatar is using DJI technology.
WTF.FPV team proved it might not the case. They teared down the goggles and VTX and confirmed they are NOT using the same chip and code.
With all the similarities, it’s clear that Avatar is at least heavily inspired by DJI. They took what are known to work well and run with it, maybe it’s not a bad thing after all as it makes the transition from DJI to Avatar easier.
Betaflight OSD
The Avatar system fully supports Betaflight OSD. You can operate the OSD menu using your sticks, and all the OSD elements can be dispalyed.
However DVR doesn’t record the OSD (like DJI). The OSD is actually drawn by the goggles, not by the VTX like its analog counterpart. If you turn off the VTX you can still see the OSD in the goggles. For that reason I believe it should be possible to record OSD in the goggle’s DVR and hopefully it would happen in future firmware update to have this as an option in the settings. At the moment if you want to record OSD, you need to output video via the USB-C port to an external device that has recording capability (such as a smartphone).
Should You Get DJI or Avatar?
This conclusion was last updated on 28th Nov 2022.
Avatar’s image quality wasn’t as good as DJI when it first came out, especially when the drone is moving quickly, it loses a lot of detail and the ground becomes blurry and blocky. But that’s no longer the case, the Walksnail Avatar system with the latest firmware is performing much closer to the DJI system in term of image quality, in some situation the Avatar is actually better.
In 1080p mode it does offer a slightly better image and it looks absolutely stunning for cinematic flying, while DJI can only do 720p. However, you get less latency in 720p and that’s important for faster reaction time. 720p and 1080p in the Avatar system make some difference but not that much. Personally I don’t feel any latency difference between the two systems when flying in 720p low latency mode. Also high bitrate (50Mbps) and low bitrate (25Mbps) in the Avatar system don’t make as much of a difference as in the DJI system, I hope Walksnail can improve on the high bitrate mode in the future.
Overall I think DJI still perform a bit more solid when it comes to video link, the bitrate/signal is just more consistent and stable especially when there’re obstacles between the drone and the pilot. But they perform similarly well in line of sight. One of the biggest advantages of the Avatar over DJI is maximum range. For whatever reason the DJI system cannot go beyond 14Km (you lose video at this limit), but the Avatar does not have such limit. Of course this does not matter if you don’t fly this far.
Another advantage of the Avatar is the OLED screens in the FPV Goggles, they look more constrasty and clearer than the LCD screen in the DJI’s despite having slightly smaller FOV (46° vs 54° compare FOV here). And the Avatar goggles are lighter and more compact, which makes them more compelling.
Both systems fully support Betaflight OSD now, however you do need to root your DJI goggles and Vista first, for Avatar it just works out of the box. DJI is a more mature system, it’s been proven to work, and the hardware is just so robust I hardly hear about broken Vista. On the other hand, Avatar is still catching up. The firmware update is more frequent, but in every update the improvement is noticeable and it’s making the decision harder for sure.
If you are already heavily invested in DJI, it’s probably not worth it to switch to Avatar (yet), but if you are coming from analogue or new to the hobby, this could be difficult to decide. If you fly a lot of micros that can take advantage of the 1S VTX, then the Avatar is a great option. Otherwise at this moment, I still prefer DJI because the hardware and video link are just solid, and the image quality are really close.
If the points I have raised so far aren’t enough to help you make a decision, it’s not such a bad idea to perhaps wait a few more months and see which system comes out ahead.
How about the latest O3 Air Unit and Goggles 2? Well, they are way more expensive and also don’t have small 1S VTX options. But if budget isn’t an issue for you and you simply want the best possible image quality for freestyle/cinematic builds, it’s a great option for sure! Personally I wouldn’t get them (just yet) because I already own 10+ drones with Vista, replacing them with O3 Air Units is going to cost a fortune. However, there’re rumours that the Goggles 2 will be backward compatible with the older Air Unit eventually, but no confirmed date yet. Oh, and the O3 Air Unit is compatible with the Goggles V2 (with reduced performance), that makes them even more compelling.
Edit History
- May 2022 – Published news about the Fatshark Dominator HD / Walksnail Avatar FPV system
- Aug 2022 – updated post with my initial review
- Nov 2022 – updated review based on the latest firmware, added info about the new Avatar VRX module and Fat Shark Recon HD goggles
63 comments
Where can I find more of those inserts and/or velcro for the Walksnail Avatar HD/Fat Shark Dominator HD goggles faceplate. All my Google search hits are for the Goggle X and the older Fat Shark HDO. Seems like the older Avatar/FatShark goggles are falling out of favor.
The faceplate on mind is way too narrow for my face and I need more inserts to fit around the nose.
Probably have to make them yourself (such as 3D printing), I don’t think they are for sale individually.
Hello Oscar, you mentioned that Walksnail is working on LR system (more than 4 km) . Do you have any idea, when it could be in the market? This year? In two years?
I was told it would be released around August this year, but nothing is written in stone yet.
Hi Oscar,
Do you know if Walksnail and DJI camera cables are interchangeable? Can WS cable be used with Vista?
Thanks in advance.
I tried twice with an old Vista cable to connect the Walksnail VTX and Camera but that did not work! Not sure about DJI though…
Hi,
Do you know what is the power (dB) at each UFL port at the Avatar VTX V1 (the one with two antennas),
does the power the same for two ports or one of them transmit higher power and the other less.
Thanks
Norman
Hello! Please Help guys! What is “viewfinder” in walksnail googles?:(
I’m wondering myself. There is absolutely no explanation or even mention of this option on the internet. Anyone knows anything about it?
Hi guys!
Im getting my walksnail avatar googles and v2 vtx. And started my research)) And im very disappointed about penetration – im make simple test – using only 25mw stanby off – im put my quad in one room and go to other room with googles. And close by hand first antenna (up right) and signal fully dropped – not matter that im have other 3 antennas – signal go out when first antenna closed by hand. This mean that walksnail using for tx/rx only first antenna and vtx using signal from googles for changing mbits for video and if link with googles and vtx dropped – video link dropped too! This is mean that walksnail avatar googles video quality related only with first antenna and not other 3!! Very terrible situation!
You should use a higher power if you plan to fly behind walls. Or use a higher gain antenna on the TX/RX connector that should help too.
Yes i’m understand this – but i’m want flying around – behind the bushes and trees – i’m need omnidirectional antenna with the highest gain – but I do not know of such. Would you recommend anything?
Are you already using circular polarized antenna on your quad? if you are still using a simple dipole antenna, that’s something to consider. A good upgrade would be something like this: https://oscarliang.com/best-tiny-whoop/#VTX-Antenna
Yes foxeer lolipop micro lhcp i’m using on vtx.
Hi Oscar! Me again… I have one question because I am not sure if my goggles are supposed to do this or all Fat Shark Dominator goggles are designed that way. It’s about the power button.
When I want to turn my goggles on, it’s perfect. They turn on immediately after I fully depress the button. So that part is great. The “problem” is, I tried to turn them off and only pressed a power button kind of half way through, not all the way to the bottom… and then my goggles restarted. I can turn off my goggles only if I press that button totally to the bottom, all the way, which is fine and how it should be. And when they go into the turn off sequence, it sounds like button is trying to turn the goggles on again for a split of a second (you can hear that fan starting again, just for a split of a second). Goggles turn off, and I hear fans turning off too, but I can hear fans turning on again for a split of a second. Almost like goggles are trying to turn itself on again. I thought once you turn them off, fans should immediately turn off and stay that way. Just wanted to see if that’s normal. This is not a big deal, but that button pressed half way is bothering me because it restarts the goggles… and I’m thinking what if I press it by accident while I’m flying, it’s not good if they restart like that, even if it’s half way only. Kind of risky. I thought there should be ON and OFF only, not restart… but I am not sure, maybe Fat Shark designed these goggles that way, so we can restart goggles using half-press-power-button in case they freeze or something. Is that how all power buttons work on these goggles, or something is wrong with mine? I’d appreciate if you could check it out. Simply have goggles on, booted. Then press the power button just half way though, you don’t want to hear that button click at the end, because that’s what turns them off. I just want to see if all goggles restart on half-press.Thank you so much in advance!
I am truly sorry for double comment. The first one wasn’t even showing “PENDING APPROVAL” like before, so I thought it did not go through maybe. Please disregard the first one, I think I’ve explained my concern better in this second one. I am so sorry once again! I’d greatly appreciate if you could confirm half-press of power button on Fat Shark Dominator Avatar goggles, does indeed reset the goggles. Thank you so much in advance!
SOLUTION – Hi Oscar! Sorry to post so many messages… I thought this might be quite useful information for other people who might run into this same behavior. The situation with the Fat Shark Dominator (HD) Avatar goggles power button, is apparently 100% normal. I just received a reply from Fat Shark AU/NZ repairs representative (Patrick). Here is the copy of it, I am sure he won’t mind me sharing this:
“𝘏𝘪! 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦 , 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘸𝘢𝘺 , 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 , 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 , 𝘪𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦-𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧𝘧, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘈𝘜/𝘕𝘡 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴”
I think this would also be worth mentioning in your article above. Thank you so much for all your help and effort you’re putting into all this Oscar. Greatly appreciated!
Hi Oscar, hope this message finds you well. I have another question I could not find an answer for anywhere. Not a single mention of this on the whole internet :( Goggles power button… either it’s not acting as supposed on my goggles, or this was by design, not sure. I thought it doesn’t hurt to ask. When I press it once to turn on my goggles, all good, goggles turn on. If I want to turn them off, I understand we have to press it all the way to the bottom. All good there too… what worries me is the midway from the complete ON position to the final OFF position. Say I have goggles ON, and I simply touch the button and press it a little bit, maybe mid way till the bottom position, not all the way. That makes goggles restart itself. I won’t do that intentionally, but it’s rather concerning if this is by design (maybe in case someone’s goggles freeze sometimes, and you need to restart them, although unplugging the battery might work better in that case). I am thinking it’s concerning because what happens if we press it by accident mid flight, certain crash and damage of the quad, if not complete loss. Is it possible for you to try this on your end and let me know if your power button does the same? Thank you so much in advance Oscar!
Hello Oscar, Thanks for all the information about this. Anyway I still dont understand one thing: If I buy a drone equipped with the Avatar cam+vtx, they are compatible with DJI Googles v2 that I already have? Or I have to mandatory buy also the Fatshark Dominator HD Goggles or the Walksnail Avatar Goggles ? If they are not compatible, the situation changes if the cam/vtx is the latest Avatar HD Pro V2 cam/vtx ? This because the old dji cam/air unit is really difficult to find since it has been replaced by the O3, and the Walksnail Avatar is quite easier to find (and chepest, since the O3 is at about 259€ in europe, and the avatar hd pro v2 kit is at about 169, I meas quite 100€ less…)
Thanks for your reply.
No, Avatar VTX is not compatible with DJI goggles. You’d have to get a Avatar compatible goggles like the ones you mentioned. You can see the list of goggles that are compatible here: https://oscarliang.com/walksnail-avatar-digital-fpv-system/#Avatar-FPV-System-Hardware
The Vista is not hard to find, i just checked on GetFPV, RaceDayQuads, Amazon and AliExpress, there are lots in stock. you can check the links here: https://oscarliang.com/video-transmitter/#DJI
Can I use the walkshail system in a regular RC airplane without a Flight Controller? Is there any special wiring to do this (connect UART TX and RX together like on analog vtx)? Thanks for your great work!
You can use it as a standalone fpv system, no special wiring just leave TX/RX disconnected..
Hey Oscar, just one more question if I may… I’ve received my Fat Shark Dominator Avatar WS goggles yesterday. I am amazed by the build quality. Just one little concern… that slider for the antifogging fans speed – I can’t see or hear any difference when it’s set to the slowest vs fastest speed. Is it almost unnoticeable or is something broken inside my goggles? I know many owners are saying they have never had any fogging issues, and I would be concerned if fans are never on… but in my case, it seems like they are always on and there is one speed only. Regardless of the position of that slider, I can’t hear any difference. Just want to see if something is defective. Thank you so much in advance!
The sliders just closes n opens the vent.. it doesn’t actually control the speed of the fan. At the moment I don’t think there’s a way to control the fan speed.
Thank you so much! I could not find this information anywhere I was looking. Not a single mention of this, and I knew if I can ever find an answer, it will be either at Oscar’s amazing page or IntoFPV forum. Thank you a million, I can breathe little easier, lol. I thought something was wrong with my goggles, I started thinking that slider/potentiometer wasn’t even connected inside. All good then. Thank you a million!
Yea that’s something I found later on during usage, I’ve added that info to the original review now. Thank you for the support.
Always! Good people deserve all the best and you my friend are one of them definitely!
Hi Oscar! Amazing article as always! Thank you so much for helping everybody! I know you said “𝘈𝘯𝘺 5.8𝘎𝘏𝘻 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮”, but just want to be 100% sure I am not doing an overkill. Anyway, I have two identical sets of TrueRC antennas. One I use on my Dji goggles V2, and the other one is still unpacked. Fat Shark Dominator Avatar Walksnail goggles are arriving tomorrow, and they don’t come with any antennas. Can I use this TRUERC X2-AIR MK2 ANTENNA COMBO with Walksnail goggles? These are the ones I am referring to: https://i.imgur.com/wrlqs7x.jpeg (two stubbies for the top, and two patch antennas for the bottom. Thank you so much in advance!
Yes you can. I am actually doing the same, sharing antennas between these to goggles, works just fine.
Thank you so much! You are such a polite and down to Earth person, and in the same time you’re literally teaching as so much every single day! I know it might not mean a lot coming from one person only, but just so you know there is tons of us who truly appreciate what you’re doing and all your effort! Thank you!
Hey Oscar,
I have a iflight Nazgul Evoque F5D analog with the succex mini Vtx. I love the drone an I just bought the new fatshark Dominators. Do you think the walksnail avatar vtx kit would work on the quad and would it be a easy swap?
max range = 4km?
Is it only for smalest vtx version?
it’s just a manufacturer specification with stock antenna, could be more using higher gain antennas on the receiving side.
Yes I agree, higher gain antennas on the VTR is essential for longer range. I get many, many times that 4KM range with a setup I stumbled upon.
I fly my setup everyday, so that ridiculous connector on the V2 VTX failed after about 15 days of use, rendering my V2 unit unusable. I use the Walksnail Avatar goggles and traded out my broken V2 unit for my original V1 VTX that has two(2) antennas. I traded the Pro camera that came with the V2 Pro Kit along with its antenna plus a foxeer lolipop antenna. I will say it has some unusual quirks, like my Max MB rate is 13MB (indicated) on a 25MB bitrate setting, however, I believe that is not true. I am receiving some of the best video and range I have ever experienced with this Walksnail avatar system that I have been using since December. I will say max range has increased at least 10% and video quality 50%. I fly 1080P, 25mb Bitrate, 120o MW, I believe the (2) antennas contributed to this, (I’ve always wondered about the one antenna setup) Also I am fly with the latest update to the firmware 33.39.10.
Oscar,
Thank you for so many well written guides and reviews. In a world that seems to be dominated by videos, your written content has been equally, if not more useful to me as I come up to speed in this hobby. Keep up the great work and thank you again for all of the content so far. These components aren’t cheap, and your content has helped me make informed decisions to use my resources wisely.
I haven’t been able to fly yet, but this particular guide has been quite helpful. I’ve updated the TX/RX and unlocked using this guide, and am hoping for a maiden voyage really soon. I’m flying the new VRX with Skyzone Cobra X goggles.
How is the latency with the VRX? If I got it right then most goggles can do onyl 60fps HDMI in and thats going to be shit. Any experience?
Do you have any reason to think the HDZero goggles would be able to use 90 FPS with Walksnail? I tried to find this out by contacting both HDZero and Walksnail customer support, and Walksnail said that the VRX will output only 60 or 100 FPS. I believe this means that if you plug it into the HDZero goggles, it will go to 60 FPS because 100 is not supported.
I’m surprised to see no mention of hd-zero and their new goggles in here as a comparison as well
Because I don’t fly HDZero nearly as much as the DJI and Avatar as I mostly just fly freestyle. But yes, HDZero is great for low light and racing, probably a better option than both DJI and Avatar in those areas.
The MIPI cable for the vista/dji air unit to the camera is not the same as stated above “The camera cable uses the same MIPI connector as DJI, however their camera and VTX are not compatible.” I’m in the process of a build, and I need a 20cm camera cable. I have a dji/vista camera cable in my stash, and when I connect them up, the green light on the VTX slow blinks after the VTX makes the connection to the goggles. It may LOOK the same, and connect to the camera, and VTX, but it’s not the same. Might have different connections.
Thanks for sharing this info David! I was just wondering if this can be done.
i am the only one how would like to see an HDMI input to use the goggle for simulator?
How solid are the adjustment knobs? The focus knobs for my HDO2’s were basically broken from that start. When I emailed Fatshark about them not holding focus it was suggested that I 3D print a piece to hold them or even hot glue the knobs. Not something you really want to hear after spending a couple hundred bucks on something. Because if its the case with these as well I’m just going to switch to a monitor forever.
How can the comments be from may when the review is from august?!
see edit history.
Biggest Question: Will the sad 13.x KM Range Limit of DJI finally go? This would be THE reason for me to change…
I bet you have never gotten anywhere near the 13.5 km limit lol
Thank you
Several times, why? It‘s not even 5min flight with the Goblin to reach it…
You’d have to be flying at a constant 162km/h (100mph) to reach 13.5 km in 5 minutes.
Hahaha gotcha ⏳️🧮🤔🚔👮♂️
VTx is 16g !!! I use analog Vtx’s that weigh 2g.
Exactly what I thought.
Why the exclamation marks?
!6g is actually pretty light for a digital VTX and its the lightest one available to date…. look at the weight of the Vista in comparison.
To me you have to look at the whole package to get the pros and cons. Compared to Analog the pro is nice image quality, the cons are cost, weight, size, variable (bigger?) latency, maybe power dissipation.
For me,call those cons massively outweight the one pro. But, it’s a personal choice, and depends on what and how you fly, for starters.
If the all up weight of the quad is half a kilo then who the hell gives a fuck about 14g for the vtx. On a 100g drone yes I would care. Maybe its an issue if you try to get in the 250g limit and want to build the biggest and best performing quad with that weight limit but anything above that its no brainer that the nicer looking picture is worth every gram it adds.
It’s either the most bone headed product release in recent fpv history or the most brilliant, since everyone’s talking about it. My uninformed opinion is it’s the former.
This product screams DJI.
Everything from the fpv cameras on the Avatar, to the osd font, to the osd voltage placement.
This sounds like this is DJI’s way to sell to the US since it was prohibited to do so awhile back.
This may also be DJI’s way to avoid making a DJI v3 goggle system.
Although what i find surprising is that smaller vtx on the Avatar system still requires 2 antenna’s.
I wonder if this new Dominator HD goggle will have 2,4 and 5.8 Ghz.
I guess all be be revealed when they release the specifications for the new Dominator goggle.
The two antenna design is probably just for diversity similar to the full size air unit.
Here’s how Walksnail’s website looked earlier today, before it was conveniently taken offline: web.archive.org/web/20220513135937/https://walksnail.com/
Hi, what the difference with the one on the flywoo website do you know? It has avatar name on it
Super appreciative of all that you’ve done informing & educating the fpv community, I hope the vtx comes with the ability to be put in a whoop like Geprc’s Thinking P16 & essentially anywhere the dji vista/dji air light vtx can be installed. I’ll go checkout the data on the vtx ??
This is undoubtedly Caddx striking off on its own… either borrowing heavily from DJI and others, or using some DJI IP entirely. We don’t know DJI’s role in this, but considering Caddx’s strong relationship with DJI, it’s more than a coincidence.