coupar

I have a Tower Hobbies .75 engine. After a few break in glitches it starts easily and runs very well - great performance. I'm getting into trouble with the club though as it's noise sample is 104db - 10db over the club limit. I've tried changing props, redirecting the muffler and other simple approaches but I only save a couple of dbs.

Anyone any idea how to quiet these engines? I'm not too worried about loosing some power - it seems to have lots. How about adding some kind of baffle? Any stock muffler that will fit and be quieter?

Any suggestions (besides junk it).

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

I would build an after muffler. Take an empty thin ALUM can like hair mousse comes in. Mount it to the side of the
fuse close to the muffler. If this is a big plane it can also be mounted inside. Using JB Weld make an inlet
and outlet from brass or ALUM tubing. Conect the old muffler to the new with a piece of silicon tubing.
Your hobby shop should have several sizes. The new can should be mounted with a soft mount like
those used for tuned pipes. later daveo

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

You might find an answer from some of the after market muffler manufacturers that advertise in the model magazines. They all have websites and most surely will have some advice that could solve your problem. Email is cheap and most muffler makers want the business.

maxtenet

Open the thing and fill it with steel wool. it will quiet it down enough for the test and burn out and blow away later.

Max

southern_touch99

If the club is that strict on noise I would leave it. Does nobody at your club run a large gas engine (G-62, ZDZ 80, 3W 150)? I noticed the other day that IMAC is trying to make everyone crack down on the noise (of course I dont fly IMAC b/c of all of the rules involved (though I do know all of the sequences for the small 3D demos I put on)). I say raw power has a sound and usually (with gas engines) its loud.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

VJL

I for one don't care for noise.

Too many rock concerts in my misspent youth.

One of the reasons I will never like Harleys.

Good machinery doesn't make noise (except for a Muncie rock crusher)
If you know what that is you'll know how I spent the other half of my misspent youth.

There is someone on eBay that's been selling some sort of silicone/fiberglass quiet muffler and I was wondering if anyone has used this product or knows anyone that has. Claims it acts like a tuned pipe so it actually doesn't hurt performance...

Any thoughts?

maxtenet

Don't know if they work, but hell, for 20.00 bucks I ordered one myself to try. Looks pretty cool. Thanks for the tip!. Davis diesel also makes a top of the line tuned muffler but they are expensive. Seems Bob Davis is trying to become a Millionare making model supplies.

Thanks,
Max

VJL

Great Max, if it works good (or bad) please let me know!

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

Leaving the club account noise restrictions is not a viable solution. AMA has noise regulations for a good reason. The loss of flying fields is usually due to someone moving nearby and complaining about all that racket on Sunday morning when they're trying to sleep. If you live in a fairly populated area the distance traveled to get to a flying site, if you can find one, can be a factor in your desire to stay with the hobby. If you're lucky you will only travel the average distance. The last I saw the figures from AMA that was about 29 miles.

southern_touch99

Well a buddy of mine owns our 80 acre field (with the 1200 ft. runway). It is located only 7 miles from my house and the neighbors get a kick out of standing on their back porch and drinking beer while we fly. Since this is not a "gated community" we can run anything as loud as we want. As a matter of fact we are using the dozier now to knock down a few trees at the end of the runway so full scales can come in if they like. I say if you own your on field and there is no noise ordinace in the area in which your field is at then the hell with AMA noise restrictions. Not to get off on a tangent here but AMA does have some rules that could be dropped. For instance, you cant touch your airplane while its in flight. Well I have one designed in such a way that it has to be hand launched and then hovered in and caught, it looks real cool but I cant fly it at "sanctioned events". I also feel that if you want to launch a rocket off of your airplane while in flight then you should be able to do it as long as everybody at the field is ok with it. The only noise policy we have is on new ppl who come out and start quoting ama rule number so and so. So your probobly thinking this is dangerous? Well in 12 years we have never had anything more than prop cuts. In general our club is just a bunch of guys who get together and enjoy flying and fellowship and occasionally drinking a cold one or two or three [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img], we have no "president" though we had to list one on paper and all visitors and bystanders are welcome to come and join us, you dont have to be ama just check the clip board out and make sure our channels dont conflict.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

Not that what your doing isn't fun BUT...................You are asking for trouble. If you are drinking a beer and your radio gets hit and your plane hits and seriosly hurts or kills someone, that's your ass. AMA insurance wont pay. Plus the guys that are listed as club officers and the land owner will be liable. Don't think for a second there's not a lawyer looking to litigate such a case. The owner of the property and the officers could be paying off a judgment from now on. Please be carefull and maybe rethink the way you guys opperate. AMA is trying to protect you from yourself and you are side stepping their protection. later daveo

00hex

I'm sure there are a few places you could safely launch rockets from your plane when no one else is around (it could hit you if something goes wrong, but hey, you're the one launching rockets!), but that's just way too dangerous for most places. Most fields are too close to houses, roads, and so on.

As for catching a hovering plane - suppose the top is facing towards you. What happens if the radio glitches, a servo dies or whatever and the elevator pulls up? Guess what you've got a spinning propeller headed straight for you. I don't think there's anything wrong with someone catching a little foam slowflyer with the motor turned off (especially the ones with pusher props) if you're careful but a plane weighing several pounds with a powerful engine should not be anywhere near anyone when it's flying.

If you hurt yourself (or worse, someone else) doing either of those things why should the AMA insurance cover it? It would be entirely your fault.

southern_touch99

For one the beer is ONLY drank after were done flying. And number two....what if what if [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img] well what if at any given time a receiver freezes up? A low pass and your dead. A heilicopter comes by and hovers and it hits you due to a receiver freeze? Its the same thing. I was talking to Quique the other day about hovering and he agrees, it has to be done close and low for it to be done right. YOu just cant hover at 200 ft and expect to get the same wow factor out of it. If I want to catch my airplane then by god its my right to do so. I am not going to hold the AMA at fault if I get hurt. Unlike a lot of people these days I take responsiblity for my own actions, and would do nothing to put other club memebers in harms way. I fly to the XTREAM envelope of aerobatics, meaning I probobly rarely exceed 150 ft. in flight and torque rolls are done down and dirty as they should be. This is my view as well as my clubs view of flying R/C, if you dont like it don't come, if you want to hang out with the best bunch of guys free of charge, bring a steak (we cook out every sunday) and an airplane and come join us. As far as the AMA goes, we have almost come to the conclusion to not be a sanctioned field anymore. Just a bunch of good old boys in a wide open field (with electricity, and shelter, and a shop and stove) that love to fly[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

maxtenet

Damn,
You got me thinkin' I may have to move to Georgia. Sounds like y'all know how to enjoy yeselves.
Max

southern_touch99

Hey, the invitation is open.

XxNEALIOSzPLANESxX

Our FLying field here in austin was a big field out off a ways but now they started to build apartments nearby and the complaints are rolling in b/c of all the trainer boys on saturdays and our usual big bird fly in. We Just put in solar panels b/c we had no power so now we charge our batteries and fly all day and the park flier boys can too. But the apartments are ganna make us move sooner or later. If anyone is interested in the big bird e-mail me and i'll be happy to give you the info.

By the way. On your .75 tower engine, get a custom built muffler on the web. A guy at our field has one and you can barely hear it in the air and it a 1.08 engine. And i heard they also make gas mufflers too, i'll try to get the site. in the mean time, happy flying.

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

I respect southerntouch's opinions as to what constitutes fun with RC airplanes but I hate to see this point,which started out with a question about excessive noise, deteriorate into an AMA versus a few individuals who don't want to line up with the real world. Surely AMA has it's faults but the pluses include obtaining and keeping radio frequencies and channels. Quitting a club because they can see ahead to the possibility of losing a flying site sounds like "If I can't do it my way, give me back my marbles. I'm going home". Everyone who flys RC is on the borderline where losing a flying site because of noise is more than just a possibility it is a probability
If everyone had an 80 acre field to fly in and restrictions as to who could build next door we wouldn't have any such problems. Let's just stick to the question of helping the pilot with the noisy engine solve his problem so he can fly with his club and hope that they can keep their site. We have a forest ranger here who has publicly stated that he wouldn't give permission to use an acre of ground to some handicapped kids to use for a summer camp. There are areas we could use if this guy dropped off the face of the earth but I'm sure you can see the problem. He thinks we're too noisy.

TimC

Quote
<hr>Originally posted by: maxtenet
Damn,
You got me thinkin' I may have to move to Georgia. Sounds like y'all know how to enjoy yeselves.
Max<hr>

I hear if you move to Georgia, they make you eat boiled peanuts as an initiation!!!!

southern_touch99

Like Bro, Boiled P-Nuts are like awesome cali dude. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Like, where are the waves man.

southern_touch99

To Ballgunner

Were more than a few individuals that dont want to "line up" with the world. My suggestion for him to leave the flying feild is perfectly acceptable. MANY R/C pilots love to fly bigger airplanes (far bigger than a tower hobbies .75) When you limit noise you are eliminating the possiblity for a pilot to advance to any giant scale or IMAC level of flying. I am sorry that a lot of fields have bad neighbors that wont allow them to fly anything louder than a dinky tower .75. My suggestion to leave the field was based on the fact that all you will ever be able to fly is small airplanes (which is fine with some ppl). But if the pilot ever wants to advance to a more challanging level of flight he will not be able to do so. The AMA is a great organization for clubs that have to follow such strict rules in order to keep their field. But our club does NOT need that protection. We own our 80 acre field and also own somewhere around 800 acres surrounding it. We can monitor who comes on and off the field (as its private land with a gate and lock). The ppl who fly with us are mature enough to take responsibility for their own actions without a governing body. And when we go to sanctioned events we obey all of the rules. My point about the ama is that if I want to push my airplane to the limit by hovering close in its my right on my priviate property.

00hex

I don't see how bigger airplanes are more challenging. (To make a big plane, take a .40-.60 size plane, insert one wallet, sprinkle with credit cards, and mix well [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] ) I've never flown any really big planes, so I could be wrong, but it seems to me like small ones are harder (not slowfliers; small sport planes). They're trickier to build (you have to be more careful about weight), they get out of sight faster, and they're less stable.

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

Hey southerntouch. This is nothing personal. Believe me I, and probably 90% of the RCers in the world, envy your flying site. I personally hope things never change for you. By the by I went to medical school at Lawson General Hospital in Chamblee and I think that is a super place to be except that it is probably now within the city limits of Atlanta which is beyond doubt too big for most of us. Loved the country around there. My point is that we all strayed from the original question about a too noisy Tower .75 engine and took on the very existence of AMA. I'm sure we can all agree that we need a national organization of sufficient size to protect us from the well meaning but misinformed. Certainly things should be changed in some areas. No disagreement there. I personally sail RC boats, note the sail part, no power. I've tried lots of areas including nitro powered cars, power boats and model railroads but for 70 years I've always had model aircraft. RC now because I live in a forest full of airplane eating trees. Sorry no more free flight. Wish I could still travel as I'm sure I would enjoy meeting you and visiting your flying site. Best regards. Ballgunner

southern_touch99

I hate to dominate this post about noise but I would like to tell hex that its not that bigger airplanes are harder to fly its just that it is more challenging to fly the sequences required in IMAC (check out the Unlimited sequence at www.mini-iac.com). If you want to compete in this sport beyond fun fly then IMAC or F3A is the only way that I am aware of (besides Top Gun). Beleive me I have owned plenty of small airplanes that are challenging (my stinger .10 with the thunder Tiger .36 pro.) THATS a HAND FULL, but so is completing an IMAC sequence and unfortunatly IMAC is the only way around were I live to gain sponsorships.
Now to get back to the original question about making the .75 quiet. Your only hope is to go with some sort of tuned pipe or baffeling muffler. If noise is a problem I would switch to four strokes, and if your going to get a four stroke you might as well go with the Saito or YS so you can get optimal performance. I have heard the O.S runs ok too but I have always went with the saito or YS, these engines are lighter, more powerful and hold their value better incase you decide to resale.

maxtenet

Hey,
I can eat boiled peanuts, but I couldn't live without the steamed crabs! Anyway, the main reason to join the AMA is that you have insurance! I was flying at my own farm, which is 70 acres with a manmade pond and the wings on my Lanier P51 folded up and the fuselage went right into the pond. Two kids were in the paddle boat about 20 feet away from where it hit. Thank God it didn't hit them. Don't knock the AMA. They are on our side. This is way the heck off the subject so forgive me. Did ya try shovin' steel wool in the muffler yet! It works!


Max

coupar

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

Hate to interrupt. But has anybody any ideas how to quieten my ***!!!! Tower .75 ....?

Interesting though the conversation is.