oldernut

I hate to sound so dumb. Just what does 2.4 guard against? I know that it keeps you from getting hit/ shot down by another transmitter that someone turns on but what about other radio interference? Such as the police tower mentioned in another post. Does it help or eliminate that type of interference? Can 2.4 GHz still get interference?

I just bought two brand new computer radios and three weeks later the local club has gone to 2.4 only. DRATS Shoulda asked before I bought them I guess. I was thinking that 72MHz would have been good for at least a couple years. So, I'll have to find someplace else to fly. I would have liked the company of others.

Oldernut

rctrax

72 MHZ is still a viable frequency and will be for some time to come . perhaps years. For a club to suddenly estashish a new technolgy at the exclusion of all others is in my opinion a bit dictorial, since both can work very nicy to0gether, If this is the way the menbers want there club to be run then that is to their detrement.It woud seem that thyis is a godd place to start a new club with a demacratic form o0f mangment to benifit the majority of menbers rather than a few hard headed leaders that have decided that what they nwant is good for everyboby.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

If everyone else has gone to 2.4 at your field that should mean even less problems for you on 72MHz, since you'll worry even less about someone on the same FM freq. Will the club not allow FM AT ALL? Even though the new technology is superior for many reasons, doesn't mean that the older technology is obsolete.

You're always welcome at our field with your 72MHz radio. It's a bit of drive for every day flying, but come on out when you can stay all day and justify the drive (Hendersonville to Hickory, about an hour and 15 minutes, up I-26 to I-40 East)

www.wham-rc.org for directions from I-40, or PM me

Ken Hodges, President, West Hickory AeroModelers, Inc.

Villa

Hi oldernut
That club ruling does not sound reasonable. Do you go to the club meetings? Have you asked the club president about that? I think someone is pulling your leg. In 5-10 years maybe that will happen.

Nathan King

No radio transmission is immune from interference, 2.4GHz included. The biggest upside to the new technology is that it eliminates frequency conflicts and shortens antennas.

mydartswinger

I have been using 2.4 Ghz since the first Spektrum DX3 surface radio went on sale. I still use my DX3 and love it. I also have a DX7 for my flying and love it as well. They are very nice radios with easy programming, short antennae, few frequency conflicts, and the ability to fly/drive multiple models without the hassle of crystals or synthesized technology.

On the downside, I have had more issues with bad Rx's out of the box than with AM or FM band radios, as well as being more sensitive to mounting location on an environmental (heat, fuel, etc...) standpoint. A good example of this just happened to me. I bought a new Hangar 9 P-51 PTS "RTF" to start my RC fixed wing training with. I wanted to use the DX7 that I have been using with my electric helicopters with great success, so I bought an AR7000 Rx to take the place of the 72 MHz FM RX that comes in the plane. I swapped out the Rx's and charged the battery overnight. When I got up this morning to bind the Rx to the Tx, the bind light on the Rx would only flash once and go out, causing me to not be able to bind the Rx to the Tx. To eliminate the possibility of a dead/bad battery, I swapped back in the FM Rx. Everything worked great, and I was able to run up the airplane and taxi it around for a full tank of fuel without further radio issue.

I also agree with King, no radio transmission is immune to interference. I can speak from experience. Racing an electric 1/10th scale on-road sedan with my 1st generation DX3 surface radio, I had many times where I would experience radio lockout on the backstretch of the track, which was no more than 50-75 feet from the drivers stand.

That being said, I still enjoy using my 2.4 radios and have had many Rx's that have never given me an issue. 2.4 GHz is still a new technology that has not been fully adopted as the standard as AM/FM bands have, and it still has some bugs to be worked out. Now that the 3 major radio manufacturers (Airtronics, Futaba, and JR), some of their divisions, and other newer companies have 2.4 GHz systems, the technology should begin seeing massive improvements IMHO. All of this is just my opinion taken from my personal experience, and may not represent the opinions of others, or the overall RC community.

Dsegal

Sorry about your club's decision. I just bought a second 72mhz transmitter so I can have more model memories for my stock of receivers.

The claimed advantages for going to the new 2.4 band are that it is largely immune to interference generated within the model and that there are no high-powered commercial uses in that band. Convenience at the flight line, of course, is what attracts most modelers.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

I wonder if the club is too close to another club location to allow FM radios?

The way I see it, the more people with spread spectrum, the less chance my channel will be taken. Most of the guys at my club have the new technology, so there's only been one day where I had to share a channel, and that guy now just uses his other channel so there's never a problem.

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

2.4Ghz radio technology will prevent about 1 in 100 crashes when they are due to two pilots turning on the same channel at the same time. The other 99 out of 100 crashes will still be in play. What's ironic is that between low voltage lock-outs, zero transmitter ID numbers, and all of the other learning curve problems pilots have had while rolling out the new spread-spectrum technology, 2.4Ghz radios have probably caused more radio-related crashes than they've prevented so far.

The 2.4Ghz radio technology is going to be terrific as it continues to be adopted. It was the early adopters who paid the price for working the kinks out of the new radio systems, however, and hopefully we won't all be discovering more "gotchas" down the road.

ss40

Hopefully you bought computer radios with modules. If so, buy a XPS or other brand module for the TX and receivers and convert. Works great for most!

f_shawn68

Frequency conflicts are the biggest reasons for the 2.4 systems. I too started with a DX3 when I raced offroad cars for that exact reason. I was getting frequency hits all the time and it got expensive getting put in the wall. My first plane had a 72 mhz radio and worked well. Not enough people to worry about the freq hits. I recently bought the DX7 and wow. I found it to be alot more precise in the controls. I found the same when I raced my cars. I believe the 2.4 travels at a faster speed allowing for minimal delay in response when you apply input to the receivers. I still have a 72 mhz radio that I run with my trainer, but my more expensive planes run on the 2.4 system for piece of mind. I also like not having 18" of antenna as well.
If they are going to ban anyone from flying if they dont have 2.4 systems, im guessing they will be losing some members to other clubs. It doesnt seem right.

2slow2matter

My Feedback: (1)

I'm slowly rolling over to 2.4. I love my 2.4 ghz radios. Those who think 72 mhz is going to be around for a long time are only fooling themselves. The FCC has been wanting our frequencies for quite some time now. That is the biggest drive behind developing the new technology in a different frequency band. Eventually (say within 10 years potentially) the FCC will eliminate our use of the 72 Mhz frequency. And there won't be enough lobbyist left to stop it, as most of us will be switched over by then. If they are willing to make all TV stations to switch to digital signals from analog signals, then forcing us to all switch to 2.4 ghz will be nothing for them.
They will sell our frequencies to other people for other uses.

Having said that, here are the benefits of my 2.4 (DX7).
A) Model match
B) No shoot downs
C) Eliminates MOST outside intereference problems
D) Makes setup of gassers easier, and more bullet proof (let the flaming begin)
E) Shorter antennas is nice (especially on the rx).
F) Shorter antenna on the tx, however, makes it a bit awkward to hold until you get used to it.
G) Allows me to work in the pits with my radio without worrying about who is flying, so when the skies are clear, I can fly, and not work on my planes!

There are more, but that's the short list. And I have to seriously doubt the claim that low voltage lockout has caused more crashes than 2.4 has prevented. There is no way to substantiate that claim. What I do know, however, is that since I've went to 2.4 NO ONE has shot ANY of my planes out of the sky, and I'm sure EVERYONE who owns a 2.4 radio can make the same claim. Also, I've NEVER had a low voltage lockoutbut then again, I always check my voltage. If you get sloppy, and don't preflight your planes before every flight, then yesyou could crash from a low battery, or even an elevator clevice that is broke/loose, etc. That is not a 2.4 problem, that is a modeler being lazy problem.

Nathan King

Yep, if you have a lockout you were doing something wrong anyway (lack of capacity, charge, etc).

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

Xtreme Link XPS products don't seem to enjoy universal praise. I only know one pilot who bought the XPS system for his Hitec Optic 6 radio system; to XPS' credit, he doesn't crash any more at 2.4Ghz than he did at 72mhz. Besides, at $189.99 starting price for aircraft modules and receivers, they're as much as an entire replacement radio system. I bought the Airtronics RDS8000 2.4Ghz FHSS radio system for $194.99 delivered from Tower Hobby.

I have a Futaba 4YBF and a Futaba 7CAF transmitter that I've been flying with. I have no upgrade path with my 72mhz transmitters, and all of the 2.4Ghz systems are proprietary anyway, so there isn't even much incentive to stick with my current manufacturer of choice.

I went ahead and purchased the Airtronics RDS8000 radio system as my platform of choice for spread spectrum. I'm completely happy with my 72Mhz gear, and frequency conflicts are getting much more rare as everyone else upgrades to 2.4Ghz radio systems. I had simply filled up the 10-model memory in my 7C, so I decided it was time to buy a second computer radio.

Xtreme Link XPS has some interesting ideas, and I wish them luck with their continuing marketing and product development efforts. If they can bring a 900Mhz spread spectrum radio system to the European Union market, they may yet have the last laugh.