Geoff Reynolds

Thanks both of you for these comments. We are going to be getting the BMFA involved and, because we have a number of ex telecomms engineers as members, with some very high levels of skills in this area, we are putting together a case for Ofcom, but we need to get some documented evidence of times, dates, equipment and such like to make it a convincing bunch of evidence and not a load of unrelated pilot errors, equipment failures or inadequacies. For the moment, the best brains we have are foxed.

Another model lost yesterday, almost exactly same place as the lovely scale one. Very similar circumstances, began to roll, continued into spiral dive and no amount of Tx input could solve it. Model found with (twin) Spektrum Rx's lights flashing, and ailerons doing slow, to full deflection movement, reset to flat, repeat. On re bind, everything worked correctly. Range test passed perfectly, battery still with plenty of power. In conversation afterwards it transpires that another member plugged a battery into his electric model the other day ready to fly, but because he wanted a drink first, left it, on the ground, in the pits with the Tx's motor isolation switch on, so no power to motor, but everything else live. He then noticed the prop jerking back and forth and the control surfaces cycling. We are going to log as many crashes (hopefully very few) as we can with time, position, type and radio equipment to see if a pattern emerges. The farmer has confirmed there is no electrical equipment in any of his vehicles and the wifi to the caravan site is very poor strength. A test has been conducted by a member with a scanner and in the hour or so he was on the field, there wasn't one signal detected! Now this is getting scary!

Posted by Steve J on 05/09/2020 14:26:31: Posted by Geoff Reynolds on 05/09/2020 14:07:13: The flashing Rx light indicating a brown-out loss of signal! The Rx has never again suffered this. A brown out is a loss of power. On DSM2 Spektrum receivers, the orange LED will flash slowly to indicate brownouts (resets). Some Spektrum receivers have a red LED that flashes to indicate holds (failsafes). So that's a loss of power to the Rx from the battery? Momentary due to high demand on the flight battery presumably. Nothing to do with signal loss, which might indicate the Tx was low on power? But at least two of the big crashes have been on IC with definitely good Rx battery condition checked after crash. Most electric's have been total destroys so very little left to check! Modern servos do use more power I'm told. I've been using a DX6i for many years and have a newer DX6iX and it was only whilst reading the manuals to find out how to program elevon mixing just the other night that I realised that there were a number of different power settings available on both. There's EU, US and French. I'm wondering if some might be set wrong.

Posted by martin collins 1 on 04/09/2020 11:35:29: There is no housing close by so wifi boosters should not be a problem, we have a chicken farm with a couple of wind turbines on it up one end which is about 1/2 mile away, some have reported issues if flying too far out from the strip at that end. The other end has the farm track which has a shipping container placed alongside it for club storage, most problems have been reported at this end. I haven`t had any issues yet, my gear is Spektrum but as i mentioned the problem seems to be across all different makes of equipment.......... Hi Martin and everyone on here There has been a suggestion in the past that the caravan site nearby has a wifi booster, although I don't think that has ever been followed up for fear of upsetting the landlord. The problems existed before the two nearest wind generators were installed, however, there is that much larger wind farm not that far away across the fields to south east! Comments have indicated that the problem has been worse since the new chicken sheds went up, but this radio problem has coincided with the end of lockdown, and the increase in farm vehicle traffic this harvest season. It has been hard to pinpoint but the problem does seem to be both ends of the field, not really north or south and not higher up, nearly always when the model is within a house height or two of the ground. Which would indicate some sort of signal passing fairly directionally along the 'normal' takeoff and landing strip direction, some few metres outside the southern boundary, but extending to maybe 50 - 100 metres east and west from the field edges at around house height. I'm sure if a survey of all members who've lost planes or had 'glitches' there would be overwhelming evidence that it mainly occurs in this area. Most others are from inexplicable and unaccepted thumb or orientational causes! The other query which has happened twice recently is the use of mobile phones. Are newer models becoming stronger? A member lost control in the suspect area, but higher up and regained it before disaster, when another member, (not flying, but standing on flight line) answered a call from a family member. The plane temporarily lost bind it seemed and as the member using the phone moved quickly away, the model recovered thankfully. Secondly, the same evening of the crash mentioned, I was in the pits setting up a model whilst a member was on a mobile call not far away. My Spektrum gear (which has never given trouble before) wouldn't bind until the call was finished! Following the call end, I retried and the model bound immediately and I flew with no problems. I know it's tempting fate to say I've never had a problem with Spektrum, although our chairman and I did comment on an incident about 5 years ago when he was flying one of my models and he lost control in a similar area to this recent model destruction, but managed to salvage it to land with little damage in a ploughed field. The flashing Rx light indicating a brown-out loss of signal! The Rx has never again suffered this. Yes, there is something around our field and with each new incident it becomes more worrying that the next will be you or me.

Just got mine and couldn't resist the chance to make it different to everyone else's. I love these all white models and a sheet of decals that let you design your own theme.

Just got mine. Can't wait for some good weather. Don't you just love it when they come in all white with a sheet of decals? One can let one's mind and creativity run riot deciding how to make it different from everyone else's. It might be like marmite to some, but I love it spread thickly on toast!

Posted by Peter Jenkins on 25/06/2015 20:54:29: .................................... It's also quite light, so don't think you can get away with too many heavy landings! What you trying to say about my landings??????????????????

And, according to the adverts, this can be run on ELECTRIC: - Electric Motor Requirements: 800kV brushless outrunner motor (GPMG4725), 80A brushless ESC, 2 x 3200mAh 11.1V 20C LiPo packs, 11 x 5.5E prop, large aluminium motor mount which makes it attractive to the quiet, clean brigade! EG

Posted by Simon Chaddock on 23/05/2015 23:02:55: Geoff Up to 12" is the recommended maximum battery to ESC length. At 8" I would leave everything just as it is. If you do shorten leads it is best to shorten the thinner one but If they are the same gauge it makes no difference which you do. Thanks Simon. Manufacturer of ESC (turnigy) says no more than 6" total, (I forgot to say originally). Leads are about same diameter, so can cut some off the ESC side to be sure. Cheers EG

No, you've got it the wrong way round; the length of the motor wires (within reason) isn't going to change the feedback significantly, given the speed at which electricity travels. On the other hand, extended battery-to-ESC wires can generate more electrical spikes, which can be detrimental to the capacitors and, eventually, the other electronic components in the ESC. Right, so taking this another step, if (standard/in my case) battery leads are about 4" long and an ESC has roughly the same length of wires. The total length is near 8". Is this too long? To make shorter, would you cut the ESC wires, not shorten all the battery wires? Therefore moving the ESC further from the motor (and air intakes) or stick with them as they are? EG

Thanks Peter, I'll stand a better chance now, just need time to get the practice in!

Posted by Geoff Reynolds on 22/03/2015 19:57:38: Well, that has to be the shortest period I’ve ever flown a new plane. Three Friday, two and a bit today! The Monolog crashed this afternoon and is in a pretty bad way........... Not sure if it can be saved and was the last of its kind I believe. Devastated. Great news! A club mate took the fuselage away and has completely re-built it for me. Eventually finding 17 breaks throughout the fuselage. He has just returned it to me and I'm so chuffed with it! If you'd never seen the original, you'd be very hard pressed to tell that it wasn't all just out of the box. Yes, there are some subtle colour and trim changes, but Oh my, I can't wait to get the NEW radio installed and set about trimming and setting it up again. What a difference 4 weeks has made, he's worked extremely hard and it comes out only 10 g heavier than originally. I still haven't flown the Arcus replacement, so it may never get an airing now! EG

Posted by Steve Colman on 27/03/2015 08:07:06: Geoff, I have the Arcus and it's a cracking little plane for the money. Goes together really quickly and the fit of all parts is very good. I stiffened up the aileron control rods with a sleeve of CF tube but apart from that the model is stock. Landing gear is sufficient for the job albeit a little soft. Paint comes off easily around the hatch area and the hatch itself isn't all that secure, but these are minor points given how well the model flies. Thanks for this vote of confidence Steve. Allied to all the good reports on other sites, I think I'll give it a go for the interim period. Thanks EG