Garththefacebiter Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I've recently bought a new Graupner/JR X306 3 function Tx/Rx combo off eBay for the princely sum of £15 plus £5 postage. Basically it's the remains of a German market outfit (but made in China) which has been robbed of its servos, Rx battery box, and wiring harness. You do get the box and the instruction book with it. I'm hoping it will be OK to use on a Junior 60 I am in the process of rebuilding. Any forseeable problems? The instructions are in German / English /French so I'm assuming it's legal to use right across the EU? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garbo Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 My call on second hand equipment is basically, Is it worth potentially loosing a model for? Yes its legal, and if the price of a new 2.4 set is out of reach, make sure you give it a thourough range check with engine running Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marsh Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Not mean to be rude, but using unknown and/or obsolete radio gear in model aircraft is unwise and foolish. Your other thread re 2 channel Attack-R is also illegal if you used it on aircraft. My suggestion is to bin both sets as I reckon the Graupner 303 set is not on 35Mhz (probably a surface radio on 27/40Mhz or even 72mhz) and using that on aircraft is very very naughty... My recommendation if funds are tight is to get a Planet 5/7 radio. or the Ripmax Saturn 4/5/6 combo. Starting from only £30 they are new, on 2.4 and legal. The instructions being in European don't mean it's legal for a purpose... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josip Vrandecic -Mes Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Not expected any legal obstacles (with CE lebel of course) ,but maybe in France......C'est la vie.... note:everything is from China....lol... Edited By Josip Vrandecic -Mes on 01/08/2012 21:56:02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garththefacebiter Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 My suggestion is to bin both sets as I reckon the Graupner 303 set is not on 35Mhz (probably a surface radio on 27/40Mhz or even 72mhz) and using that on aircraft is very very naughty... Well if you had bothered to even read the title of the thread correctly, the X306 that I have just bought is 35Mhz and carries a CE mark (just found it on the back) X306 FM 35 Mhz CE 0682 I've honestly no idea what the range will be, but its got to be better than some of the cheapo 2.4 Ghz outfits such as the Planet. The one Planet outfit I looked at only had a guarenteed range of just 100M, which isn;t even adequate for a park flier IMHO. I've managed to locate a full range Hitec Optic 6 2.4Ghz outfit inc nicads, charger and 4 servos for just £133, a much better prospect than the real cheap 2.4Ghz junk i think. As for the Graupner, I've just pulled the protective film off the front metal badge, and the badge came off with it! Oh dear, so much for Graupner JR quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chambers Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 If you have ~£120 spare for a transmitter, get a new one. Not worth the risk with really old, bottom end radio gear - unless of course you really want to fly retro and not bothered if you loose the aircraft if it should fail. If you do go this route, I'd open the back up and ensure that all the wires and components are still attached and there isn't any corrosion inside. If the transmitter has been dropped hard (which will cause through-hole components to become detached) or stored outside (corrosion), it could be likely that its at the near end of its useful working life. However if its been stored in a dry, warm place in its original packaging, its likely to be good for a good number of years. For £120 nowadays there is a lot to choose from - Spektrum DX6i, Hitec Optic 6 and Futaba 6J would be the main contenders. All good radio sets and being a modern digital computer radio, you get mod-cons such as adjustable rates, end point adjustments, mixes, flight-timers, etc. Some of them have pretty good receiver offers on at the moment too - DX6i has two receivers included and Futaba 6J in SloughRC has 2 receivers included as well. The cheap Saturn and Planets are all ok, however if you want to fly another model with it, you will hit the limitations pretty quickly. The other big advantage with 2.4GHz is that your not likely to be shot down from interference or another transmitter being switched on the same channel. Si. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garththefacebiter Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 Cheers Simon I totally agree with your comments about the wisdom of investing in decent quality 2.4 Ghz gear. I certainly wouldn't fly an expensive scale job or something with a big four stroke motor on 35Mhz What you seem to have overlooked is the fact that the Graupner Tx/Rx is brand spanking NEW. Even if the eBay vendors have ransacked the outfit and taken the servo etc out. I doubt if Graupner would honour any guarantee on it now, but it would be most definately still subject to the Sale of Goods Act. The basic concept is that I can put it in a vintage model (like the Junior 60) and leave it there, so that I can fly the thing at any time, without having to mess about with battery packs, servo leads etc. Maybe in the near future 35Mhz will be relegated to surface only models as 27Mhz has been, that should make some people very happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Just for 110GBP You can have Optic 6 with Optima 7, charger and battery. Box also includes switch, basket for rx cells, protective foam and velcro for Rx and a sheet of decals. Works great, battery voltage alarm is very helpful, Tx is dead easy to set even without manual (after a short play with it; I have to admit I didn't know how to bind it without manual, but it's my first proper 2.4GHz). As user of both Futaba T6EXP and Optic 6 I'd recommend both, but Hitec's screen is just bigger and it's telemetry enabled. Every single penny is worth it. Receivers also seem to be at reasonable prices. Personally I'd avoid Spektrum, but just thinking loud... Cheers Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon B Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 The Spektrum DX6i currently comes with an AR6210 and TWO AR6115e receivers, which cost about £120 to buy on their own, which is a steal. Also the Futaba T6J comes with two receivers, so even if you're a Spektrum hater there's a good option. Edited By Simon B on 02/08/2012 16:49:26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Christy Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 As far as I am aware, it is still perfectly legal to use 27 MHz for aircraft. And since CB radio seems to have virtually died the death, the main reason for not using it has also vanished! I'm not suggesting for one moment that a good quality 2.4 GHz set isn't preferable, but both 27 MHz and especially 35 MHz are now for the most part almost completely vacant. No reason at all not to use them with confidence! (As indeed we did for over 40 years, between them!) That's assuming you can find the equipment in reasonable condition..... -- Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garththefacebiter Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Cheers Pete So 27Mhz is still legal, 35Mhz is legal, but 40Mhz is for surface use only. Cool. That means that I could actually use my MacGregor MR240 single channel outfit without breaking the law then? TBH I did wonder why old 27Mhz outfits are still attracting bids on eBay if the kit was illegal to use. Last week I was watching a youtube clip of a Bazbomb (I think) single channel aerobatic model being flown on superegen radio gear with rubber band escapements. Brilliant! TBH I think I've done alright with the Graupner 3 channel for £20. It's there and it works OK I know that theoretically you can get HobbyKing 2.4Ghz outfits for very low money, but they are usually out of stock, and have a very dodgy quality rep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Christy Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Bear in mind that as an Honourary Old Fart, I learned to fly on 27 MHz, and still have quite a bit of fully functional 27 MHz antique equipment! 27 MHz needs to be treated with a degree of caution, as it is a shared band. However suitable monitors are easy to come by, and I haven't heard any significant activity on 27 MHz in ages. This might depend on your location, however! Also, I'm an electronics man by profession, so I have no problem in servicing my own gear, and also monitoring the frequencies I use! 35 MHz is a much safer bet. There are still quite a few die-hards (did I hear someone say cheapskates?) using it in our club, but for the most part it is now pretty vacant. Provided you take the usual precautions (peg-board, pennants, etc), there's no reason why it shouldn't be perfectly safe to use - as indeed it always was! Just bear in mind that some of this equipment is getting on a bit now, so keep a careful eye out for black-wire corrosion, failing cells, etc. Other than that, just get on and fly it! And ENJOY it! -- Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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