BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Russ, I had a 5 channel F&M that I could not get to work consistantly. The old bonner sticks were stiff and brittle. I tried running my Futaba 4 channel 27 mhz receivers with it and the channels kept dropping out. Swapped it a few months ago for one of the Min-X systems I am currently flying.

Bob Harris

ukengineman

Bob, I agree that the Bonner sticks are very stiff but with a simple modification there should be no problem using an F&M Digital 5 Tx with a Futaba 4 channel 27MHz AM Rx. The problem is the guard pulse at the start of the frame, this shifts all the other pulses along and because it is much longer than a normal pulse can cause synchronising problems. This has been discussed in detail by myself and grotto2 here http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_63..._3/key_/tm.htm starting at post #73. After carrying out the simple mods described the F&M Tx should operate the Futaba Rx perfectly. I believe some people have successfully changed the Bonner stick springs for lighter ones and lubricating the ball with a little silicone grease helps.

Doc.316

Bob;
Ukengineman was one of the guys that helped my convert my F&M...(He knows his radios)..for use with the modern Futaba reciever. Thanks again for helping me with this. The conversion was really pretty simple...except for adjusting the pots in the transmitter. They (ukengineman and grotto) pretty much talked me through the whole conversion...and taught me a lot about the old radios (which was one of the main reasons I took on the project). Plus I ended up with a radio that some day I (hopefully) will get to use (darn kiddos). My sticks were pretty gummy..took them apart cleaned them and lubed them with silicoln grease...they are better. Oh, yea and the "balls" were cracked. The plastic shrinks with time and the metal stick doesn't. So I CA'ed em up, and cleaned them with really fine sandpaper then polished them, lubed them and all was smooth. If yours are cracked then you will be able to see the cracks in them from the front radially from the stick.

Steve

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Well, I tried those mods and it worked good for a while but drifted off after running about 2 to 3 minutes. Could have had a capacitor leaking and/or other issues that would let it drift. Anyway the sticks started to crack and another gent wanted it more than I so its gone now. Maybe I'll run into another someday and try fixing the sticks!! Got too much junk (stuff) now to keep me busy!!!

Bob Harris

buzzard bait

My very first model was a stick built glider with a box fuselage and a little box in the front for lead weights. We lived near Oxford England at the time. I just went to a hobby shop, bought supplies after telling the owner what I wanted to do, and then tried to imitate a beautiful tow line glider a friend's older brother had. Mine was smaller and not so beautiful, but it gave me a thrill when it glided across the yard. I built rubber powered models and gliders till I got my first motor, a Wen-Mac .049, when I was 13. Then I flew control line till I was 16 and finally got my first radio, an MRC single channel escapement. Used it to fly a Schoolboy with Cox 020 Pee Wee. Radio quit working after the first flight.

I got back in during the early 80s by building an Ace Digital Commander kit with 3 channels and 2 servos. Success at last, flying a Schoolmaster with a Cox .049. I love the old designs, but I also really like designs from the 70s when I wished I was flying but wasn't. I've acquired a set of magazines from that period and they are full of easy scratch building projects. Radios had finally gotten reliable and affordable, and people were having such great fun coming up with new designs that they could get into the air quickly. Tons of plans still available from RCM and other sources. Yes, I feel like a kid going back to those simple designs.

Jim

Doc.316

It is kind of interesting when I started this thread I was basically trying to find out the age of people building old time vintage models. I figured out quickly that there are a lot of younger guys (a lot younger than me at 45) interested in them. This is good since I personally think that vintage models should be preserved (and flown) and that the "golden years" of aeromodeling was a time when new products and equipment was coming out at a fast pace. This is interesting since to be honest the pace really never slowed down. Now we have 2.4 gig radios, and electric power that no one would have ever imagined in the well even in the 80's. So some time the models and equipment we take for granted today may be the "golden years" of modeling for the younger generation.

Oh, I have also found out that everyone on here is a "kid" that never grew up. I like that I am not the only "KID" around that enjoys playing with mechanical things (planes, cars, and wow I even saw some cushmans in here)......It is fun being the kid isn't it?

Steve

billmod12

My Feedback: (1)

Amen!! on the kid part. I live a mile from the flying field and I ain't figured out how to get a plane to the field on my Cushmans. I have been looking for a Cushman side car but all of the ones I find are 1200 miles away. I would feel safe to carry anything up to a 4ft span in the side car. Cheers Billl

Doc.316

Billmod12;
I know the cushmans because the hobby shop here in town used to be shared with a guy (rich guy) that restored cushmans for his personal collection. He also started flying models. He probably has 75 or 80 restored cushmans (perfect ones) stacked in there. What you need is one of the 3 wheeled ones they have around the airplane plant here. They have some that have truck beds on them (perfect for models), but I am not sure if you could get them tagged.

Steve

iflyj3

My Feedback: (7)

Ah, Cushman, brings back memories. I owned an Eagle from 1961 to 1969 and sure wish I had kept it. Of course I should have kept the Corvair and Mustang too.

ross.felix

Ha, Italy you should know my cars lol

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossfel...7604084654674/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossfel...7604084654674/

I have 4 Topolinos and 2 X1/9's some going some not.

JWHITACRE

I'm 27 and have been in the hobby since I was 14 starting with guillows kits then a CG Gentle Lady being my first r/c. Half of my fleet is newer kits but the other half is older birds. Personally I love the lines and feel the vintage birds have[8D] Here's a few from my fleet, 3meter Halcyon 2 sailplane, 1/4 scale Nosen Citabria, and my favorite the Red Zephyr. I did modify the RZ landing gear obviously but that was just to handle the rough grass runway she operates from

latinRClover

You bet! I know those cars very well, I'm from Torino and I always lived in the neighborhood of FIAT factory (Mirafiori).Everybody had one, still going even in my teens years ('70s).I still remember many of my father customers coming to carry merchandise in theyr Giardinetta ,many with the wood one ( where did you found yours down there ?)

P.s. as any neighbor's grass syndrome..I'm crazy for USA and german cars ( currently fixing a '67 BUICK GS400, playng with a '63 VW, everyday with a Mercedes W126..)

Apart from the VW, all with a cavernous trunk ( perfect for field trips....)

Ciao !