mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

I figured I would be the first one, what the heck.

Just heard that Horizon is flying high performance (Bandit and BVM F-16) with a new Spektrum spread spectrum radio there at the event.

I don't know any more details, they are not hiding it but not announcing it either. We got people trying to look inside the plane right now, for sure the transmitter is not the same as the current spektrum.

I am sure we will be hearing a lot over the next few days, should be interesting to say the least.

ravill

My Feedback: (11)

Matt,

You lucky dog! I wish I could have gone.

That technology has many of us panting. Just reading your post I'm panting and salivating like pavlov's dogs!!

Rafael

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

It definitly has 2 seperated receivers, each with 2 antennas, remotely mounted from each other, connnected together with a small cable. So I would assume 4 receivers/antennnas total. If I do say so myself, this is what I thought would have to happen, remotely located, multiple antennas.

It is a 7 channel transmitter, I don't know why they just don't go straight to 14 or 16, maybe just a lack of engineering support for the design.

I hope it works over the long term, knowing the guys involved I believe they have done there homework. I would still wait to see how robust the system is with regard to how hard or critical it is to install, how many people can fly simultaneously, etc

What is even MORE interesting is that the precedent has been set for "hacking" this system, in case you guys did not know, the AMA has "sanctioned" a modification to the current 6 channel Spektrum that allows you to install the RF section of the Spektrum into a more capable JR 6202. Maybe a similar hack will be possible with other radios, to help tide everyone over until they get a transmitter a bit more capable.

QUITE an exciting day, I must say!

PS I am not at Superman, just getting all of the cell calls from all of my cohorts!!

yeahbaby

My Feedback: (21)

awesome news amigo. hopefully we can get Redman or one of the other bro's to post a link with more info.

cheers

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

Hi Buck,

I heard that they were not announcing it nor really hiding it. It was Chris Huhn flying a Bandit so imagine the flight dynamics of THAT! Ribbe was to be flying an F-16 as well if I heard right.

Their intention is to officially announce it at some trade show in Chicagoland in a couple of weeks, but after all of this gets out the questions are going to be flying! My guess is we might here something "official" during the weekend, certainly after everyone gets home on Monday.

Honestly I did not think that a mainstream company could figure out how to tell people how to install something like this.....but if you look at the complexity of turbines, it is clear at least SOME modelers can handle some pretty complex installs. Maybe the Spektrum is not that critical on the install, time will tell.

Can't wait to hear how stable it is, how hard to install and how many users it can handle.

Chris True

My Feedback: (14)

Should be 20 if it has 4 antennas. The regular Spektrum has 80 channels with each user using 2 so 40 flyers at once.

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

No, I think the 2 receivers (pairs) can bind to the same transmitter. I think any number of receivers could, really.

Image now just taking a single Spektrum radio and bind it with a single receiver. Now get another receiver out and bind it to the same tranmitter. When you are up and running with 2 receivers (just like they were in 2 seperate airplanes), you are using the same frequency allocation when you just had one receiver.

Chris True

My Feedback: (14)

Of course you are right

The purpose of the two seperate receivers isn't interefence but to ensure an RF opaque portion of the airframe doesn't get between you and your TX.

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

Bingo. Any one receiver is plenty if the antennas are aligned right and there is no gigantic obstruction.

But you need the 4 to ensure that your antenna pattern is optimum in all orientations. Most cell phones have at least 2 antennas as well; cell base stations usually have antennas in different orientations as well. Curious as to why Spektrum did not use 2 radios/antenna on the handheld transmitter (THAT would have cut the number of available slots in half) we had to do that, I guess theirs is working well with one.

Woketman

My Feedback: (6)

So I assume that the cable linking the two receivers (well, four) needs some sort of circuitry that detects which output is good, right? And then that resultant is passed on to the servos.

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

Well I certainly do not know for sure and do not want to sound like a do!

But I suspect that the 2 receivers communicate serially using some proprietary protocol, and either mix their signal results (like the ACT does) or somehow come to an agreement on who has the better signal at any instant. To do this, the cable between the 2 recievers can be very simple. They could connect the servos to just one receiver, or some combination of servos to both receivers, depends on how they did it.

BTW, ACT does this same thing, but on 35 MHz. you can connect any servo to any of the 10 ports on either receiver. The servo gets commanded by the good signal, whether that signal comes from the reciever the servo happens to be connected to or not. Slick.

Can't wait to hear more details. Wilcox told me that Huhn really had that Bandit wrung out, like 2500 feet away on either side of the pass!

Chris True

My Feedback: (14)

I think the mold for the JR Tx it was going in only had one antenna hole

mr_matt

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Believe me I have seen bigger decisions made with about the same logic!!

John Redman

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I really wish I could have been at Superman this weekend, but I have had to stay back and work on some important items for the near future.

Sounds like the boys are hooking it up and doing it well. Gummy could always fly that Bandit "out there" and do it well at that!!

Sounds like an everyday flight that might just be remembered by quite a few.

See you all at I-Hooby in a couple of weeks!![sm=wink_smile.gif]

baron-noir

My Feedback: (1)

I don't quite figure out how the SS system is laid out hardware wise... is this a fixed installation on the ground that does the link between the TX's and the Rx's and distribute the freqencies slots in some ways ? Reason for asking this is to see if the SS system would be suitable for "standalone" fliers or people wanting to benefit from such systems but who are not flying in events / places big enough to have the SS system installed. Then they would have to have one system themeselves, what would be the cost then ?

Thanks
Sk

c/f

My Feedback: (1)

SK,

Are you aware of this product? This commercially available system already uses 2 receivers, the above is talking about doubling yet again to 4 onboard receivers to safeguard against ECU interferance and increased range needed for jets covering allot of ground.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=SPM2460

baron-noir

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the link. Couple of things not clear in my mind; it seems the whole SS system is enclosed in one Tx and 2 (or 4 for that matter) Rx's so fine. As it doesn't look like it operates on 2 different freqencies (be it simmultaneoulsy like the ACT system or by switching from one freqency to another like the Emcotec DPSI-TWIN) what is exactely the added value of this system ? Do I understand well that each SS TX will only emit once it finds a free frequency and thus will not let anybody interfere with you if you are using a channel already ? So the system would be "other's users" safe but what does the system provide in case of an interference with "something" else than a SS R/C user ? There are plenty of radio noise out there, so is this SS system interference proof like the ACT is or no ?

Thanks
Sk

Wayne22

My Feedback: (2)

I heard that there were some interference issues with the wireless routers in the lab when they were testing...hope they got that licked...

c/f

My Feedback: (1)

SK,

The SS as I know it, the Transmitter links up using independant freq for each receiver upon initial power up and then jumps freq across entire 2.4 GHZ range in tandem with the receivers, thus with the skipping rate and dual redundency many systems can use the entire bandwidth at one time. I've been to indoor events in which as many as 30 users were using that above radio system.

Some other items I am understanding is, it's the same principal as home cordless phones used to isolate each other among neighbors. Also in the USA since it is using the 2.4ghz band comes under differant FCC classification/regulations than the 50.75,72MHZ rules and so our AMA allows for working within the FCC rules which is why people are tinkering with the RF section into other radio types.

Also it is said that the other radio manufactures are chomping at the bit for this technology to market and have systems ready to go however this dual receiver redundancy concept in radio control applications is what Horizon/JR are said to hold an exclusive patent on. The others are working on work arounds.

AND the best part is if you own a current JR radio that uses plug in module RF sections even dating back to the late 80's that JR has a plug in SS RF module that has the antenna as part of the module and can just be plugged into any JR system of this type RF modules.
That way using my same JR 10X I can opreate on 50/53, 72/75, or the latest Spread Spectrum with just a module changeout.

jimbo_h

You describe Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum which is used by Xtreme, Nomadio, Hitec, (Futaba?). The Spektrum system uses a GUID to spread the signal over the allocated channel which is Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum, a completly different animal.

Tobe

My Feedback: (10)

Here is a pic of the transmitter that Huhn was flying the Bandit with... Said it was based on the JR 7202 and an "official" announcement would come from Horizon in about 2 weeks.

GSR

My Feedback: (145)

Wish you could have made the picture a little bigger-I could barely see it. Scott

Nick Yuhasz

My Feedback: (11)

It was amazing. As John said, perhaps we were witnessing history! Now I want the "add on" for my Futaba 14MZ!

Everytime they went to fly, I wanted to tell those guys to raise their antennas (old habits die hard) ....

Nick

JimDrew

My Feedback: (16)

We'll have that add-on very soon - perhaps before Christmas for the 14MZ. We also demo'd our system today. Modular based, using your existing transmitter (like a 14MZ). If you need bi-directional communication and 5 miles of range, we have the solution and it will be shipping before Christmas.

Terry Holston

My Feedback: (1)

Jim, are you shipping the version for the 10X yet?