Upgrading to 2.4ghz

[MATT SMITH]

after looking to ‘get back into it’ I think as my batteries, although seemingly ok, are well over ten years old on all my kit, so it may be time instead of buying new batteries for my 35mhz Futaba FC-28, to change all the kit to 2.4ghz.

Back in the day the F.C.-28 cost £££££’s but with tech coming on, and not wanting to break the bank(only going to link 4/5 models and hopefully teach my lad how to fly, what is the best value, reliable kit to use? I have always been a futaba fan over JR etc, but am open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance

[Stevem3akm]

Hi, my personal preference would be to replace the batteries and check out the set. Provided it has been stored properly it should be ok, it was well made set in its day. Regards Steve

[Allan Bennett]

There's a lot of merit in what Steve has posted but, if you really want to "upgrade" to 2.4GHz, you could do worse than look at FrSky Taranis. Receivers are much cheaper than Futaba (assuming you buy new), and the transmitter itself is surprisingly cheap for what you get -- 16 channels programmable to do almost anything you want.

[Richard Wills 2]

Does the FC28 use a plug in RF module? If it does and the set is in good condition, I would convert your existing radio to 2.4 ghz using the frsky module. Or continue on 35mhz, nothing wrong with it, and seeing as hardly anyone uses it now, more reliable than it ever was.

[gangster]

Another option that would give you the best of both worlds. The quality of the FC 28 but on 2.4 Ghz. This could be achieved by fitting a FR Sky dft module into your transmitter and using fr sky receivers which are very good value and have a good name for reliability Having had a high end TX like yours you could be very disappointed with a modern plasticky 6 channel TX

I would suggest that you confirm with the suppliers T9 that the dft is definitely compatable 

Edited By gangster on 28/10/2017 21:50:34

[Devcon1]

Only my personal thoughts, I'd go for a Frsky solution which offers a range of transmitters at every price point with an extensive range of well priced peripherals.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Another FrSky vote!

BUT,.....

Questions like "what is the best RC kit", "what is the best brand of bettery" or "what is the best make of electric motor" etc are effectively impossible to answer! These days the kit we have is all (name brands anyway) very reliable and very high standard at a good price. So it comes down to just personal preferences and previous practice in reality in most cases.

BEB

[onetenor]

You should look on the Bang Good site All sorts of named kit at very good prices and some other names which I've bought some of.As i'm chair bound almost totally at the moment I'm a bit limited as to what I test but with the help of a young friend I've been able to range check to 300 yds from within the house . I think that is good with the signagoing through the building too /The receiver was about £3.50 6 channel DSM2/ DSX microlite .Gone up a bit now. Have a look for yourselves here .

https://www.banggood.com/buy/dsm2-dsmx-receiver.html.

Also look at the Tx s too and loads of other stuff too. Only snag is delivery takes a while. Good luck. John O/T

[Daithi O Buitigh]

the link doesn't wok, but try either of these

4 channel

6 channel

Both under four quid including P&P

[Old Geezer]

If you're just looking for a reasonably uncomplicated, but programmable 2.4 Tx look for a 2nd hand Spekkie Dx6i, lots about on BMFA and/or eBay at not much money - they seem to go on forever. Receivers, Lemons seem the way to go though some 2nd hand Spekkie Rx's can be found (stick with BMFA classifieds for them) - as for Orange Rx's, lots of varying opinions on the Net both for and against.

[Former Member]

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[Daithi O Buitigh]

That's where range checking comes in Percy (if it fails that, then you complain - besides which you'd pay as much for a pint of beer these days). Banggood have an excellent replace service for faulty items and very rarely will ask for a return - you submit a photo of the item, the label and they will replace with no further questions asked

[Former Member]

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[Daithi O Buitigh]

Percy, I've had very expensive equipment fail - more expensive does not (and never did) mean 'better'. I've used the Banggood gear and never had a problem if it passed range test. If it didn't pass that, BG simply replaced it FOC

[Former Member]

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[Denis Watkins]

I think we would all agree

That you do increase your chances of strong flight security by choosing quality equipment.

[MATT SMITH]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. All very interesting. Am tempted to keep the F.C. then, but I know what can happen to solder joints, capacitors etc over time and this set must be well over 35 yrs old now. It has been kept in a padded metal case so no concerns there though. With the cost of electronics coming down, I thought maybe it would be less risky to get new. At the end of the day I just don’t want to risk a model that took my dad and I a long time to build and has great sentimental value. It’s all about the reliability of the components but if the only test is a range check then I’ll do that and stick with it. Have been looking at battery cyclers on eBay , a super nova 1-25 cell on there at the moment may be a good buy? To replace all my batteries would cost a bit, would think just the F.C. battery would be bucks. Be good to have an electronic cycler/tester. Thoughts?

Thanks again chaps👍

[Engine Doctor]

Plus 1 for FrSky and convert your tx with a module  and rx's are very reasonably priced as is the module. Never had a glitch in years of service . 

[Former Member]

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[MATT SMITH]

**LINK**

This one here? What is the advantage in reality? It’s the age of the components in the transmitter that I’m thinking about. I’ve never lost a model due to interference so that’s not a worry(especially nowadays!)

[Former Member]

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[Bob Cotsford]

I used an FF8 and an FF9 with that module for several years without a glitch, but like you I had concerns over the age of the transmitter components. A couple of years ago I went with an FrSky transmitter, a Taranis, which I still have, and recently added their top of the range Horus transmitter. There are alternate operating systems available, the FrSky in-house system or the open source OpenTx system can be installed for the ultimate in flexibility. Lots of people are happy with the FrSky system as it provides a menu driven way of working, OpenTx is more like Mpx with no limits to what you can do but a steep learning curve.

There can be little argument that FrSky transmitters and receivers offer the best functionality for the price, but that price means that you won't find them in your local model shop. T9 Hobbysport is one of the few official UK dealers, you can buy from Banggood, HK and the like but what happens if you have an issue? At least T9 is in the UK and has a good reputation.

If you don't need all the bells and whistles you may be best off just using whatever system is most popular at your local clubs. That way help is morelikely to be available locally. For instance, at my club Spektrum seems to be popular, with many using DX6 or 8s.

[Former Member]

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[iqon]

At our club there is less chance of interference with people flying on 35mhz because there is only a few. so staying on 35mhz is an option

if you came on here and said you never had any radio gear the general opinion would have been to go to the local club and look at what others are using - this is what i would suggest in this case .

a few years ago i may of held one of these transmitters in my hands , if it was the same one it felt like holding a brick.Things have moved on. before you spend any money take the trip to your local club

[Former Member]

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