carrellh

Futaba does a very good job of explaining how to tell if a transmitter is legal to use in the US http://www.futaba-rc.com/faq/service-faq.html#q41
If they are narrow band, and not PCM, current Futaba compatible receivers will work with them.
Plenty of opinions have been offered on whether you 'should' use them.

eddieC

My Feedback: (2)

The old radios are OK if they've been narrow-banded. I have an old FG-K like your gold one that's still in use.

EchoBravo

My Feedback: (220)

Does anyone know if there is a "timeline" that shows when certain Futaba radios (or any other brand) were manufactured?

I've got a pretty good Idea that the Brown boxes with the Chrome gimbals or the black plastic ones were somewhere between '75 & '77 possibly? The "Gold" FG series were maybe early to mid '80's?

There just seem to be no dates in the manuals and none that I can find in the Tx's either.

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

You did indeed need a license to fly RC in 1945 You needed a ham license.
The citizen band license became available in 1950 and you were supposed to get a license from the FCC that cost $10.
Nobody did so the FCC finally gave up and let it go free. You were still required to fill out the form and send it to them

aspeed

The black one and middle one don't look too bad if they are FM Dual conversion. Hitec receivers will work if you have the crystal. There is also a Corona synthesized receiver that requires no crystal. The first AM one is not worth using. If you buy a receiver and crystal, you may as well use your newer 2.4 transmitter and an Orange receiver. I have one like the first in FM dual conversion with a gold sticker that I use, and like. It has a removable module in the back.

LesUyeda

"The old radios are not legal to use now."

I think you should document that. I keep my OLD 8uaf in service, and will, forever.

Les

[email protected]

My Feedback: (1)

how old is your radios>> i have 10 futaba 6 ch. radios all on 72 and they are legal 72 is legal

[email protected]

My Feedback: (1)

you can still fly your > am < radios on the desert> but i fly futaba radios on 72 fm no trouble

stevegauth30

There just conversation pieces for when my flying buddies are over. I take em down once in a while and dust them off but don't plan to ever try one. Even if it is legal and working.there just cool to look at.

SushiHunter

Back in 1981 I had pretty much the very same radio that is pictured in the center of the three that you've posted except mine had round chrome dishes where the sticks go into the radio. That really brings back some memories for sure. It was actually the second radio that I had owned back then. I flew a SIG Kougar Mark II with that same Futaba make and model radio, with the kickstand on the back and if memory serves me correctly, the round black button on the right top of the radio is for use with a "buddy box" configuration. I remember, that radio was a smoking hot item in it's day. I've always loved Futaba since that time. And talking about guys who fly vintage birds with vintage radios, I've recently built another SIG Kougar Mark II but this time with modern engine and electronics (Futaba). Thanks for sharing. Yeah, every so often I find these radios on ebay.

doubletrouble3769

Is there any info on years of manufacturing for specific models. i have found PDF manuals. Thought I would find a copy right year or print year. Nope. I picked up a fp-t5n. Whole flight package. Would like to know the year.

EchoBravo

My Feedback: (220)

If you look back at post #28 you'll see I had a similar question about "dating" these older radios as well. Yeah, Futaba never seemed to put dates on anything back then.

If memory serves me, I believe the Challenger/Conquest radios were made from about the mid 80's right up past '91 when the Gold stickering began. Is yours gold stickered? When they stopped being made I don't know. Shot in the dark at late '90's?

aspeed

I think the numbers on the gold sticker give the date in two digits? I think 1991 and later is ok if it is FM or PCM. The US is always changing rules though. Old thread.

modeltronics

My Feedback: (27)

The numbers on the gold sticker tells who put the sticker on the radio. If it is 131 then I put the sticker on that radio. 2 digit numbers were done by commercial operations and 3 digit numbers were done by individuals that had the right measurement equipment for band width (like me). Any 72 mHz radio on the correct channel frequency that is narrow band is legal even if it is old AM.

aspeed

Oh, mine have month and year. Different country I guess.It actually say month and year. It could be an older radio that was just checked then.

modeltronics

My Feedback: (27)

Maybe we are talking different things. I was thinking the number in the corner of the sticker. The date should be put on the sticker at the time the radio was certified as narrow. I know the picture is poor but if you can see the 131 in the corner that tells that the certification of it being narrow was done by me. Need any radios certified as narrow because I still have a bunch of stickers LOL

aspeed

Ya, different country. Ours don't say AMA. I got mine done at the LHS and watched him do it.

grotto2

My Feedback: (2)

EB, no one seems to have done this, but someone with the time and resources could probably sit down and look through some old magazines and catalogs (Tower?) and come up with start and end dates for many radio product lines. Some information can be found at RC Hall of Fame, but it only seems to cover north American products.

karolh

Though discontinued by Futaba a few years ago I just love my 8UAF and have no current plans to stop using it. I get it checked and serviced very 2-3 years by Radio South and had it changed from 72 to to 2.4 with a FrSky module.

Twin_Flyer

My Feedback: (4)

I have an 8U as well, but use my 9CAP on 72 MHZ to fly my planes. Haven't had a problem in 30 years so why change?

Plus as the guy in my club have switched to 2.4, it has opened up the 72 mhz even more! besides, im the only one in the club that flew on channel 52 anyway lol

jpeggy

I was given an old Futaba Radio with S48 servos.I'm not interested in the radio but I thought maybe I could use the servos so I spliced a new connector on and they work fine. Anyone ever done this?

Rodney

Yes, works fine but you may notice that they center with a 1.2 millisecond pulse width, not the 1.5 millisecond that most modern servos use.