flycatch

My Feedback: (26)

So, you decision proved nothing other than being paranoid. I experienced interference on 72mhz and switched to PCM receivers problem solved. Your decision does not make your system immune to external interference. The reason manufactures switched to the new frequency was production cost and eliminate the wait for your frequency availability. I watched a fellow crash his airplane yelling I got no control and I yelled back for him to extend his transmitter antenna. He got use to the stubby antenna of 2.4 ghz transmitters and forgot he was using his FM transmitter. I had to laugh because he shot himself down.

chris77

My Feedback: (1)

Gray Beard, I am in awe of the area at El Dorado, I'm used to flying at sites that only have 5 acres of flight area and most have trees in that area, I'll have to make another trip there with my planes next time.

ululi1970, I was going to try a module from FrSky and receivers , But after I've been browsing Aloft site I'm thinking of also buying a Taranis Tx , they look pretty good for only $225 with Rx .

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

chris This is what the lake surfaces tend to look like in the region. This is not El Dorado but another about two ridges east of there in Arizona. Not that far away I don,t want to name the lake other than to say is more remote from the Highway system it is similar in size perhaps slightly shorter and partly controlled by BLM but also local cattle ranchers and we do fly some stuff there with permission

It does give an indication of typical surface but is constantly changing even to the point of having water in portions and flyable surface in other portions all at the same time.

A common mistake especially if there is no marked 'runways' the first time folks tend to land much to far away even to the point of losing visual acuity at the point of touchdown. Quite different of course but are fortunate we have this lake avalible just thirty miles away. Of course our home field close at home. I can remember at least one outing to the 'lake' getting the trailer all loaded up and the drive up only to discover it full of water and unusable.

John

chris77

My Feedback: (1)

JohnBuckner, good pictures, A nice place to fly that jet.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks chris thats my flying Bud in those photos I' am the gimpy fat guy in the chair here and just over my head is the Colorado river and just beyond that is Gray Beards favorite lake El Dorado.


John

chris77

My Feedback: (1)

Man those pictures sure make me want to buy a place out there, but I guess you can even get tired of open sky and sunshine. Hey some days I just like to go out and watch people fly, it beats golf and fishing.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

It's a lot of flat, that's for sure but a lot of pilots that learn to fly on a lake bed can't hit a runway at an established field. Something to do with being able to land in any direction if the wind isn't right for you.
We smooth out a runway so all those nasty dry skin cracks are gone. Here is Rick Stubbs landing one of his Roars on the lake bed.
I have to laugh about the golf and fishing crack. The lake bed is just down the road from Lake Mead and there is a golf course in any direction from my house. Fishing and golf are just two of the big hobbies here. A lot of bird and rabbit hunting here too plus big outdoor shooting clubs and indoor pistol ranges.
RC barley registers in the area but for those of us into it the places to fly are limitless.
OOPs, Rick has a stick flying.

chris77

My Feedback: (1)

Gray Beard, I used to golf, I just don't like a pastime that drives me crazy, I do like to go to driving range. The reason I didn't bring planes out there was I brought my rifles for long range shooting between them and my luggage I had no room, next time I'll bring my trailer. That area does play into my pastimes - drive my convertible corvette, off-road motorcycles, rc planes, long range shooting and the scenery in great.

JollyPopper

My Feedback: (6)

Chris, you also have an outlet for FrSky electronics just a few miles from you in Addison, Il. Value Hobby is there and sells FrSky receivers for virtually the same price as Aloft, actually .50 less. I don't know if you can pick up there, but if the owner of Value Hobby allows it, it would only take you minutes to go and get the stuff and save time and shipping cost. Just a thought. Nothing against Aloft.

chris77

My Feedback: (1)

It can be picked up at the warehouse ( it's out of stock now), I didn't know the place was there, it is only about 2 mi from me. Thanks for the info, I already ordered from Aloft hobbies, I decided to go with the Taranis Tx & Rx, I thought the open source software and PC programing and telemetry to be a great feature. Can't wait to get it, Oh that's right it's 7 degrees outside.

BobbyMcGee

I see no reason to upgrade. I still have my 1961 Chevy Impala from when I bought it new. I also have my original corded telephone lines (no cell phone), my original computer & monitor from 1990, my Futaba 5NLK radio, my black & white TV with rabbit ear antenna from 1952, 1960's furniture and Hi-Fi stereo and record player, and many other things. I can't tell you how much money that saved me that I keep in my 40 year old mattress.

hsukaria

I also have a 9C Futaba and have been using a Hitec 2.4 Tx module with Hitec Rx's and FrSky Rx's. I bought the FrSky Rx's from Value Hobby and from Aloft Hobbies. They are a great value and no problems. But I still have 8 FM Rx's that I will keep until they fail.

A question I have about flying in those dry lake beds: Do you have to worry about dirt ingestion into your engines?

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Right before you get to our lake bed there is a big gun club. I only went there once but it had everything I could ever ask for. I don't recall if it had a long range rifle range or not. I was a shot gunner and don't bother looking at the other types. There is no shooting on the lake bed though, it's used by and for way too many different things.
I have never been able to understand why anyone would bring out there bikes there though. The hills around it are OK for riding but there are much better places. You see bikes making high speed passes all the time but it's just flat out there.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

In a nutshell the answer is no, don,t stick the engine into the ground and there is no problem with ingestion. I do not use air filters
on the recips either and was nevera aware of a problem.

Have been frequenting dry lakes since the fifties out in California and now Arizona and never experienced any unusual problems. Also called home in various years at the big fields in the LA basin. Really could not tell the difference in the longevity of my engines.

The lakes are not 'all that' in some regards though and for most of my stuff I would much rather be flying on my home field much, much smaller but also for that reason sight reference lines and markers are much better and something that is almost completetely lacking on the big lakes. This actually makes flying on the lakes harder and not easier like most folks postulate .

One sad fact of that is I waited rather late to start getting involved in turbines having only started late last year (have not achieved the waiver yet) and the reason was I was always told you cannot fly turbines on a dry lake or our home field because of the dirt. Well nothing proved further from the truth and the same thing applies don,t stick the engine in the ground and dirt ingestion is not a problem.

here is a photo of our home field (not a dry lake) but ground compaction is about identical to the dry lakes.

John

chris77

My Feedback: (1)

The range I went to is just south east of Boulder City, it's open to the public ( for a fee) but my sisters husband is a member, so no fee and they have an area that you can shoot over 900 yards, over the last 5 years I've been there 3 times. My local club in Illinois , membership is $500 a year and they have a 600 yard. I don't go fast on the bike, I like the trails, I'm too old for fast.

hsukaria

thanks John, I only have experience flying off grass fields. But good to know just in case. I've had the props mowing the grass occasionally, but no sand/dirt.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Well, no problems with dirt in the carbs but sometimes on take off you will hit some dirt with the prop. I had more problems flying off a weed field, that's a native grass field. Grass seeds often ended up in the carb. The only hard thing, and it really isn't hard is when you turn your plane for a landing approach and it's pointed at you the plane sort of disappears when your looking straight on at it. There is no background, just open space.
Guys have tried a lot of tricks to get away from this, sparkle tape on the wings LE works and landing lights really works well. Myself, I don't bother. I have gotten used to that little thing. Takes a little time but you figure it out. If you level off close to you it doesn't happen but with so much open people tend to make long approaches.
Like John, I don't use an air filter and most of my engines are YS so if dirt was getting in the carb it would show up in the regulator and it doesn't.
If you go to one of the asphalt fields everyone knows your a desert rat. When you pull the plane out for the taxi to the runway your tires leave a nice dirt trail.
I live a couple miles away from Bennetts original house, the house is gone but his private runway is still there. I hear more little rocks striking the prop there then at the lake bed. At the bed it's just little pieces of dirt and not gravel.

hsukaria

Maybe someday when/if I ever retire, I might end up there. So save me some space, would you?

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

If that's off of 95 it's the same range I went to. I was on the 5th Army rifle team for a short time but don't care for rifle shooting.I was a AA trap and skeet shooter and hunted upland birds three days a week and ducks and geese three days a week with Pheasants to fill in my spare time. This club has a pretty good sporting clays course. With desert as a background it makes for some pretty tough targets. They also have a very hard 5 stand. The pistol courses looked good too.
There is also the Shooting Sports range in North Vegas. It's open to the public too. I haven't been there but am told it's really something. I quit shooting when I moved here. Just gave all my guns away last year. Only thing I have left is a couple cases of duck ammo.

skippyc5

My Feedback: (244)

I've had that same radio for years (Futaba 9C) great radio and no problems). Other guys I've flown seem to have more issues with 2.4 . I've been flying for over 40 years. I guess I'm just one of those old dogs with no desire for new tricks!!

Dealspeed

My Feedback: (17)

Great thread very informative, I've been battling with the same question over 72 vs 2.4 I've been out of the hobby a while now and I never made the switch, I run a JR 9303 with a synthesized module and about $1500.00 in SPCM receivers, I used to have interference issues before spending the big money on the JR radio and higher end recievers, now guys are telling me what I have is no good and I need to switch to 2.4 but I just can't junk all the radio gear I have and from the sounds of it there is no need. Thanks guys

JollyPopper

My Feedback: (6)

Chris, I probably would go for the Taranis radio if I needed another radio, but I still have a new Futaba 10C to back up the old 7C that I have been using forever, so I don't need another radio. The only down side of the Taranis may be the difficulty with programming it. I have read several accounts about how awkward it is to program them. Please let us know if that is accurate when you get your new radio and congratulations on the purchase.

I have been using FrSky receivers from Value Hobby for a long time now, probably have a dozen or so, and have had no problems whatsoever with them. I was seriously considering buying a couple more for some new planes that I have built in the last couple months and am sad to hear they are out of stock. Did the guy give you any idea of when then would be back in stock?

chris77

My Feedback: (1)

JollyPopper, I've done a little research, I read thru the online manuals and Aloft has some good videos on YouTube, the programing looked easy , it can also be programmed on PC or Mac , which I like because you don't have the different buttons and endless menus , but The Futaba 9c seemed easy , until I needed to setup crow or flaps. I'll see what I get and post a review here.

DGrant

My Feedback: (4)

I still use my trusty 9C on 72mhz. I debated upgrading, just like everyone else.. and like many here, I have never had trouble with 72mhz band... and for some reason, I had ch.60 all to myself(still do) for 10yrs at my field.. never a prob.

In wanting to keep up with technology, and get new toys, but instead of trying to convert my 9C to 2.4ghz by installing a new module.. I'm leaving it alone, and just using it status quo, and leaving all my trusty receivers alone.. status quo....

So what I did was buy a Spektrum DX7 for all my newer 2.4 planes.. and the BNF planes and helis... and actually if it weren't for those.. I probably wouldn't have bought the DX7. I've found the DX7 a very worthy radio, with many features the 9C doesn't have.... I still love my 9C, as it has always been reliable... and it has many features other radios just don't have too...

I thought about getting the 2.4 module.. you know.. swapping it in and out when I wanted to fly any given plane.. but I think the radio/module is much more secure by just leaving it alone.. So now I have 2 very nice radios, and my older planes still have their original equipment... and I'm starting to install 2.4 receivers in all my new planes...I've got about 5 set up already on my Spektrum...
... lifes good.

chris77

My Feedback: (1)

I bought the Taranis Plus from Aloft hobbies, it got to me 1 week after I ordered, pretty quick. I watched as many YouTube videos I could and thought I was ready to setup and operate it, it took me about 2 days of going thru the setup and menu process to get to know it, On YouTube R Scott Page, Mark Harris, and Richard Mrazek have great videos, they are very long and watch the English language ones from Richard, Scott has one on programing flow that is useful. The Tx is very powerful in the ability to program everything, it's very flexible to whatever you want to do and how you want to do it. I like the Tx , the quality is very close to my Futaba 9c, considering that the 9c was a lot more expensive that is pretty good. There is so much you can do with the Taranis that you'll spend a lot of time adding sounds and warnings to switches and the telemetry adds more to do aswell. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it a 10 , I see nothing I don't like like.