Advice needed

[Andy48]

On 05/12/2022 at 18:39, tiny-james said:

I'm getting feed up now the Futaba battery charger has stopped working !!

will my Imax charge my radio charger.

 

 

 

Another solution, and certainly cheaper than the £400 Spekky would be to buy yourself another Futaba. Then you have your own buddy system, which means you are good to go as soon as you arrive at the field, and any willing club member will be able to buddy you. A couple more bonuses, first the spare charger, and then a spare radio as you never know when another switch might break.

 

[gangster]

Welcome to the hobby. I am so sorry that you have wandered into this can of worms. You have been put into a difficult situation. As a starter you will feel the need to respect the advice of your new colleague’s but on the other had you could be affected by their predudices. As someone has already mentioned you cannot get a bad make of radio. That T8J is a nice radio I have  used one for 9 years and in my mind has a perfect range of facilities. I also have the old Spectrum DX8. Same age and again I love it and again it’s never given a moments concern. At the risk of upsetting the Futaba diehards I have always felt the Spectrum felt better quality. So my way forward would be hold fast to your Futaba, don’t let the Spekky nuts in your club tell you the Futaba is no good. That make has more dedicated followers than any other make. If you need to link to Spektrum for training I would look to one of the work arounds that have been suggested Maybe get a secondhand Spektrum DX6 use it for training or as someone else suggested an older model Futaba for them to train you with as master TX. You have got a good radio so personally I would see it as a waste of money to change your radio based on someone else’s predudices  Having said that I bought a set of Futaba and a Spektrum at the same time so If you can afford to do that then there is no reason not to

[Andy Gates]

I am going to try not to muddy the waters too much.

 

I am a club instructor and the biggest key is that the equipment used is RELIABLE regardless of quality / brand.

 

I have seen new folks turn up for a flying session to see the experts matching and adjusting transmitters to try an get a buddy system to work.

 

As an instructor I have my own master Tx which will slave wirelessly to futaba / spektrum / other slave transmitters but my preference is to use my own pre-tested pre-setup and proven reliable system. Plug in a battery to the model and away we go. No issues.

 

To Tiny I would have said to try and get a few flights in with the local club training machines using club equipment before making a decision about buying / repairing radio gear.

 

My kit?

Master is a Jumper T16 Pro (£140 new - still available for £124 new), slave is a Futaba F9CP

 

Best of luck Tiny and welcome to aeromodelling.

[tiny-james]

Again Thanks for the advice and information.

I have decided to buy the spektrum and keep the Futaba (repair the bits that need doing). And as so many have said use the equipment (hopefully) they have.

 

I didn't think they would have a two radio system in place for Instructor and beginner So I will use what they have set up for trial flights. 

Lets face it I"M A BEGINNER  so it shouldn't matter what I use to start flying. What does matter is that the instructor feels at home with the equipment and stay's in full control So he can consertrate on teatching the new (beginner) pilot how to fly.

 

I'm new to all this and brand has nothing to do with a transmitter I want the own, I just need one that is mine and works well. 

 

 

[Nigel R]

That spektrum will be a good radio.

 

Careful install of the kit in the plane is key to reliability. Much more so than brand or type.

 

Welcome aboard. 

[GrumpyGnome]

+1 for what Nigel R said - take your time and install it well.

 

Regarding your transmitter, familiarise yourself with the basics if how to access, and change:

• Binding - ensuring transmitter and receiver actually communicate
• Model selection (I think you said you have more than one model.... if not, ignore this element)
• Rates - how much the control surfaces move (model manual will tell you)
• Expo - how 'sensitive' control surface movement is when the transmitter controls are near neutral (model manual may tell you, if not, leave at zero but knowing how to access and change will be useful)
• Setting Failsafe - what happens if the link between transmitter and receiver is broken (BMFA have recommendations on their web site - you'll get lots of different opinions on this! All my planes are set to make sure control surfaces are neutral; any electric motor is switched off; any ic engine is set to idle)

Everything else like mixes, timers etc. can wait imo.

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

The most important thing has been forgotten, a range test with the engine running,,,

It saved a plane at our model field last week, and a lack of one piled in a 60cc plane the week before !.

[Brian Cooper]

Who would be a beginner, eh.... 🥴 😉

 

There's so much to take in before putting a model into the air. . . . and then they have to learn to fly. 

 

Let's hope all  clubs are helpful and equal to the task. 

[Peter Jenkins]

All good points GG  but remember that setting the failsafe is mandatory and not just a BMFA BMFA recommendation.  Plus needs to be checked for correct function before every flying session.

[GrumpyGnome]

@Peter Jenkins I meant the BMFA recommend regarding control positions, rather than actually having one.... some fliers recommend things like adding a bit of rudder, or a bit of up/flaps etc.. Any instructor should check compliance with BMFA/CAA regs.

 

@Paul De Tourtoulon Very true, but performing this should be part of the pre-flight checks that the instructor will help undertake.  A beginner would not necessarily do that on his own - and an instructor should check it, in the same way they'd check failsafe, rather than take any new pilot's word for it.  I get the point that it's necessary to know how to enter Spektrum's range check mode.  (Although I never rely just on the transmitters range check function and also check range the old fashioned way.....)

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

We have an 'elected' safety officer who is responsable for checking out new models, range checks and general looking after

the pilots on the runway etc,,,

[tiny-james]

Yes my plane will have to go through a safty check before I can fly it was said on my walk around the flying club last week

[Robert Cracknell]

All this brings back memories for me as in the very early 80's I arrived at our local club site with the latest Fleet PCM set only to be told by a committee member....'you can't use that, you must use Futaba'. On questioning why I was told it was no good, not type approved and everyone else had Futaba and the Fleet set would interfere and cause crashes! I pointed out the type approval sticker which I was told was not applicable in the case of Fleet gear!

The situation was resolved, much to the annoyance of the committee, by one of the senior club members offering to carry out the first flight. It went very well and to rub salt into the wound he complimented the feel and build of the Fleet gear.

Apart from a 'huffy' atmosphere which abated over time there were no problems from then on.

Edited December 7, 2022 by Robert Cracknell
Grammar

[GrumpyGnome]

32 minutes ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

We have an 'elected' safety officer who is responsable for checking out new models, range checks and general looking after

the pilots on the runway etc,,,

We do too - me 🙂

 

For christmas, I need a cattle prod to make all our pilots stand close enough to hear each other.... even indoors they seem to think it's okay to stand in their own corner... sorry, thread drift!

[Martin McIntosh]

You will not go wrong with a new Specky set so go for it.

At one time when we were on 27mHz there were a few brands which just did not work at the field I flew at; notably Kraft and Orbit, both very expensive and fine elsewhere, which made people prejudiced against them.

Futaba gear is very reliable now but I simply do not like the programming procedure so I too am a bit biased.

I used to be in a display team sponsored by a local dealer and for the latest model was given six brand new Futaba sets before I found one which had more than 20 yards range! More bias.

[Steve Ashton]

Did you get your switch sorted out?

Depending on where you are I could do it for you.

 

I've just bought an NX8 and I also have 2 T8J's and buddy lead, one as mode 1 and the other mode 2, I can fly either, it's just a matter of binding the right one.

I've also kept my T6EX.

[TerryC123]

On 07/12/2022 at 03:16, tiny-james said:

Again Thanks for the advice and information.

I have decided to buy the spektrum and keep the Futaba (repair the bits that need doing). And as so many have said use the equipment (hopefully) they have.

 

I didn't think they would have a two radio system in place for Instructor and beginner So I will use what they have set up for trial flights. 

Lets face it I"M A BEGINNER  so it shouldn't matter what I use to start flying. What does matter is that the instructor feels at home with the equipment and stay's in full control So he can consertrate on teatching the new (beginner) pilot how to fly.

 

I'm new to all this and brand has nothing to do with a transmitter I want the own, I just need one that is mine and works well. 

 

 

I have a friend who is an instructor, he is going to instruct me, uses Frysky!! his motto is '' if it works, which it does, why change'' I will be having lessons with his equipment!! 

[GrumpyGnome]

Sounds like a plan to me!