Make the timing gate the clearest signal on the track.
FPVSIM Timer detects a crossing from the strength of the drone’s video signal (RSSI). Aim for one distinct rise, peak, and fall at the timing gate, with weaker signals everywhere else. Start with placement, then calibrate.
Choose a stretch away from the other gates, turns, and nearby flight lines. An outer edge is a useful starting point: the drone should come closest to the timer only when it crosses the timing gate.
Use a fast, straight, repeatable pass. Avoid putting the timing point beside a hairpin, a parallel lane, or a section the drone flies past again during the same lap. If another part of the course produces a similar or higher RSSI peak, move the gate or timer before adjusting sensitivity.
Position the timer at the timing point, beneath or beside the intended crossing and clear of the flight path. Keep powered-up spare quads and the pit area away from it. Check the whole lap, including the nearest neighboring gate.
Watch: Solo setup · 8:01–8:14, the straight-line tip. Read the FPVSIM Instagram post on a track that can be timed reliably.
Pink marks the timing gate; the dot is the timer. Leave space between this crossing and the rest of the course. This layout is illustrative, not a minimum-distance specification.
A deep, open metal box is one setup to try when nearby flight triggers extra laps. Place the timer inside, with the opening toward the intended crossing, so the sides shield it from the rest of the track. For a fly-over timing point, leave the opening facing upward.
Keep the electronics insulated from the metal and leave cooling, connectors, and cables clear. Compare normal laps with and without the box: the useful result is a clearer difference between timing-gate peaks and nearby flight. A larger RSSI number alone is not the goal.
Recheck the app connection after adding shielding. A box can also affect a timer’s wireless link; confirm that live RSSI keeps updating in the final arrangement.
Watch: Timer 3.0 · 0:46–1:25, the deep-box demonstration. This particular video describes its box as wood, not metal; it demonstrates the placement idea, not a measured comparison of materials.
Select the drone’s actual VTX channel. Keep the timer, box, gate, and VTX power in the arrangement you will race with. A bench test or hand-carried pass is only an initial check.
In the Timer V5 demonstration, start auto calibration, fly the track normally with three or four timing-gate passes, then power off the VTX to finish. Follow your app’s current prompts. The calibration needs to see the signal pattern across the whole track.
Look for a clear gate peak, a rise above the enter threshold, and a fall below the leave threshold afterward. Confirm one detection per real crossing and no detections elsewhere. Repeat for each active racer or channel.
Recalibrate after moving the timer, gate, or box, or changing the VTX setup. The example values in a video belong to that setup; use your own trace to judge yours.
Watch: Auto calibration · 1:21–2:02, fly the full track, then 4:08–5:23, review the result.
Compare that section’s RSSI with a real timing-gate pass. Increase separation, move the timer, or try shielding the unwanted direction. Calibrate again once the timing point stands out. Threshold changes alone cannot reliably separate two equally strong peaks.
Check the selected channel, live RSSI, and the actual path over the timer. Look for a peak that fails to reach the enter threshold, or a signal that never falls below the leave threshold. Improve placement and repeat calibration before making small, evidence-based sensitivity changes.
Review the trace for multiple peaks around the same crossing or a second close flight path. Make the pass straighter, improve separation, and recalibrate. Use a realistic minimum lap time as an additional guard; it should not reject a genuinely fast lap.
This needs a connection check before a detection check. Follow the reliable timer connection guide, including a test with the box and all radios in their final positions.
Watch: Solo setup · 6:11 onward, RSSI and detection thresholds. Use the visual race-history guide to investigate a missed or extra lap.
See the field workflow: Morning practice vlog · 1:18–1:40, check a fly-through before practice and the accompanying Instagram reel.
Browse all Timer tutorials →