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My idiots guide to 2.4 ghz radio - finally bit the bullet and upgraded!


Bonzo Moon
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I finally did it, went on to 2.4 ghz. surprise (Yes I know, it's about time.) This FlySky i6 2.4 ghz transmitter, which included a 6 channel FS iA6 receiver was such a ridiculously low price I couldn't say no. £35! At that price it'd make a good spare? I made a short idiots guide video showing the tx and how you connect a rx to the peripherals. There's also a quick preview of my upcoming current model builds. Transmitter and receiver Banggood (Afilliate link) **LINK** £35.08 at the time of writing.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The question is is it legal to use in Britain - is it marked with a genuine CE mark? The importer is the person responsible for seeing that it meets UK standards - if you imported it from China then you are the person responsible. See the BMFA handbook to see more about this. Note that USA legal 2.4 ghz is not same as UK or EC.

It is not worth buying transmitters from anywhere other than UK or EC sources.

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That's not the point! The point is your link shows an item shipped from China, however if you look at the site it is possible to find the same Tx with a different Rx shipped from ES which presumably means Spain. The picture of the Rx which shows on your link says Park Fly which may well mean far less range than that required for normal model aircraft. The Rx which shows if you try to buy from Spain shows a different Rx number ( has a B on the end) and doesn't say Park Fly. Presumably a better buy from Spain as the price is similar.

When buying from China people often find that any item over about 15 pounds incurs customs duty and expensive handling charges at UK port which makes it much dearer than the price for the goods. Dearer than one could buy in UK! Also in the case of TX it is better to let the UK or EC importer assume responsibility for complying with CE regulations rather than running that risk yourself if things go wrong. A Tx not complying with EC or UK regulations might get impounded at customs!

So buy radio gear from UK or EC sources and only buy items less than about 15 pounds from China anyway to avoid nasty unexpected extra charges at customs.

This link came up with a warehouse marked ES ( Spain? ) when I looked but check that the  " ship from" is still ES when you look- these things change automatically.

Edited By kc on 15/02/2020 12:18:40

Edited By kc on 15/02/2020 12:19:40

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Well most of our rc equipment comes from China so If we ship it our selves thats each persons risk and it easy to get the revelent info with out needless speculation.

See this direct link about the FS-6i compliance from Flysky web site it is all you need

for other radios see including the great Paladin PL18 Here and each RX there to

as for the radio flying on a budget it is a good deal Fly sky make good reliable gear

The Ce  sticker means that the manufactuer is stating that it complies with eu regulations anyone can stick it on but a certificate to back it up is required too.

So Op (Bonzo) you can fly now without speculation now laugh

Edited By flight1 on 15/02/2020 13:06:45

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Thanks Flight 1, I know this kit is OK and half the modelling world are using them as far as my research goes.

KC, most of the big Chinese distributors have UK , USA and EU warehouses now as it happens and when you order where possible they ask which warehouse you want it to come from. I think the web sites know what region your web connection has come from and they show appropriate links. When I click on that link it doesn't come up with ES it comes up with ...

In stock. Processing time:3 business days

Free shipping via

EU Priority Line

Shipping time:7-15 business days

Try finding anything electronic nowadays that hasn't come from China. They know the rules!

Anyway, as it happens I actually bought mine from this link below. It says UK stock but the paypal name etc was Chinese anyway, and it probably came from a Chinese EU. warehouse I put the Banggood link above as their deal was even better but it was Chinese Spring Bank holiday when I ordered and post was delayed. But I read reviews and I research before buying. I know for example you can have probs with cheap Chinese phones as they don't talk to Google. But also, I have reviewed over 50 action cameras on my YouTube channel and have quite a lot of comms and dealings with Chinese companies direct!

**LINK**

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Incidentally all of the flyers on other forums I posted my video link on were all all absolutely without exception full of praise for this FlySky tx. The fact that it says park fly means nothing. The people that write the web page blurb are Chinese.

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 15/02/2020 14:44:11

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Bonzo stated that " half the modelling world are using them as far as my research goes. " so I think he should provide evidence for that! I don't believe that half the UK aeromodellers use these cheap Tx for planes!

As I stated before you need to be careful that the goods are shipped from a UK or EU source or risk expensive customs fees on anything except cheap items. The websites don't make it easy but it's important to check.

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Are you having a bad day or something? wink

I can't be bothered to go through all the posts on other groups and cut and paste all the positive comments I got about this TX. I have more important things to do today like watching paint dry.

And perhaps I should have said A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE USING THIS CHEAP AND NASTY BIT OF CHINESE JUNK laugh

If it's shipped from a UK or EU source to  the UK YOU DON'T PAY DUTY OR CUSTOM FEES. As you appear to be so keen on me proving how many people do trust and use this Chinese rubbish maybe you'd be kind enough to give me evidence of people paying duty or taxes on goods shipped to the UK from EU or UK warehouses. That would be very interesting.

GOOGLE IT.

Do I pay duty on goods from EU?

There are no customs duties to be paid when buying goods coming from within the European Union.

Can't be   ....ed with this anymore.

 

 

 

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 15/02/2020 17:01:43

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 15/02/2020 17:02:54

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 15/02/2020 17:03:19

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 15/02/2020 17:07:56

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 15/02/2020 17:18:23

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 15/02/2020 17:33:38

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Flysky have been around for a long time and there is no reason to believe the Tx is not full range.

The iA6 receiver does have the label "Park Fly" on it. This may mean the Rx does not have a LNA (Low Noise Amplifier) on the front end of the 2.4GHz circuit, although the specification for the receiver sensitivity (same as the iA6b that doesn't have "Park Fly" on it) suggests it does.

Without the LNA, you will typically have about a third of the range as with a LNA.

As with any new radio, just do a full range check on the ground to make sure you have adequate range. You might consider getting a iA6B and comparing the range you get, just to be sure the iA6 is full range.

MIke

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Thanks for the comments. As you may have seen in my OP I'm finally , after a good few years on 35 mhz, going into the 20 century with 2.4 ghz and that Flysky rx. so I',m in the process of updating all my rc planes. Your observations are interesting Mike. I bought some ia6 rx and some ia6B rx and I was a bit curious as to what the difference was apart from price. .

As we fly LOS anyway, realistically is the possible range difference you mention of huge importance Mike? If it's about noise, provided the antenna are positioned OK can I expect to be able to fly models as well as my eyesight permits. ie What exactly does 'park fly' mean? I've always assumed it meant very small lightweight models. I guess the bigger the model you can afford to fly it further as you can still see the profile etc. My biggest is a WOT4 and I'm CAA BMFA legit too as it happens!

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Posted by Bonzo Moon on 16/02/2020 00:44:41:

Question 2. How do you do a good range check with 2.4 ghz? With 35 mhz I would just not extend the tx antenna, you don't have that option with 2.4?

Most 2.4 GHz transmitters have a "Range Test mode" that reduces the power output for a range check. It should be somewhere in the transmitters menu system. The manual should tell you what range to expect in range test mode.

Dick

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