Gudmund

I wish I didn't have a reason for reviewing this thread with interest.

Unfortunately, my 5-meter sailplane disappeared into extremely dense woods on the weekend. Even a helicopter search was unsuccessful.

I am certainly going to replace the plane - likely with a bigger one - and I am seriously considering the addition of a plane finder.

I am probably going to look for a system that can be shared with the group I fly with. No sense in everyone having the expensive receiver, but lots of reasons for everyone in the group having enough transmitters to protect their models.

Gudmund

aeajr

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The Walston system has been the system of choice for serious sailplane pilots for a long time. Tremendous range.

Plane based transmitters are $130 to $160 and weigh only a few grams. While not cheap, when you consider a glider that costs thousands, it is not out of line. I have found planes 1.5 miles away that had crashed on a rooftop.

Receivers are about $350 to about $600 and are suitable for club use as you have a huge number of channels. Our club reciever shows 16 channels but actually there are over 100 as the transmitters can be selected between the channels as well and the receiver tunes based on a dial.

For the class of planes you are flying there really is no better choice

bassfish

I bought 6 Skyking LML's a week or so ago. Cost was $90.00 plus shipping. I kept two for my self and sold the other four to club members. They work fine on FM as well as 2.4 systems. The only drawback I feel (other members agree) is the sound (80dcbl's)., would be a whole lot better if the dcbl range was 120 or better. But, anything is better than nothing.
Cost is $20.00 plus $3.00 shipping if you buy only one. Better deal is to buy six at $90.00 plus shipping. This brings the price down to $16.00 with shipping per item. [sm=tongue_smile.gif] Even if you only want one, rest asured you will be able to sell the rest with no problem, your fellow members will gobble them up once they see and hear yours!
Great winds to all,
Bassfish [sm=shades_smile.gif]

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Did you make a hole and mount them to the hole so the sound can get out of the fuselage?

bassfish

Hi Ya Aeajr! [8D]
Yep sure did. I also did a search and found the there are 120 dclb's available by the same company that makes the 80 dcbl ones that are used by Skyking RC Products. [sm=49_49.gif]
Bassfish

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Post a link Bassfish.

bassfish

I'll try to see if I can still find it. If I can,I'll sure post it. The way I found it in the beginning was I entered the companys name that is on the locator and found the company's wed site.

sir crashallot

this should make a good read to some of you chaps

a friend of mine (no names mentioned) flew his 50 pusher jet into some woodland which happend to be a nature reserve. no one could locate the tree in which it had landed in as there wasnt a handfull there was hundreds of trees. this was in summer whilst the trees where in full leaf too. a week went past and no more sitings of it ocoured and number of searchs proved useless.


november slowley reared its ugly head and i took my flair cub to the field with a friend to do a test flight after some repairs where made to it and everything was great till i came into land, id brought the cub around on its final leg at throttle just above idle lined up with the field and the wheels where about to touch when a man apeared in a long coat with somthing in his arms and a brassed off look on his face. i on the otherhand had to take emergancy procedures with the cub about to touch down and him being in the way i pulled sharp elevator in and full throtled it firt time iv seen a cub do vertical, after i got the cub on the groud we spoke to this chap and his words where as follows, haveyou guys lost somthing and we looked around and said no, he then replied well this almost conced me on the head, we then took a good look at it and realised it was the jet that was lost from the summer engine and all intacked though the airframe was very twisted with all the rain and closer inspection it seamed a bird of some sort had also made it its new home. in the end when we told the guy the story from the summer he seemed hapy to forget that italmost hit him when it fell out the tree. luckily for the bloke who lost it he happend to be there when it was rerurned and all he did was rip out the engine and rc equipment he then walked over to the washerdrum thats embeded in our pits removed the lid and plonked the whole twisted airframe into the metal drum and threw some glow fuel on it and then lit it. we all stood round getig a good blast of warmth onto our hands so we could at least bare the cold to get at least another flight in.

the model was fitted with a lost model finder but wasnt loud enough to be heard in a tree with all its leafage around it.

320pilot

I just ordered a Loc8tor (basic) system from the UK. I will field test it and write it up on this thread when it arrives.

Bassfish, I like the idea of a louder speaker on the SkyKing Lost Model Locator. I have one mounted in my Ascent 450 right now, but under the clear plexiglass canopy it's not very loud. May remount it with a hole to the outside for the speaker..

Still haven't found my 2m Poly Pulsar I lost in the woods August 1st..

bassfish

Hi Ya'll, Glad ya got to see me![sm=tongue_smile.gif]

Know watt wood be gooder than that little itty bitty SkyKing locator speaker wood be?
Is if someone cud figg'r out how to re-cycle a smoke alarm into a air-michine finder!

Wood'nt have a sound problem then I betcha !

Bassfish [sm=tongue_smile.gif]

skeeter_ca

I think this is the best way. Use a GPS locator. It's only $200 plus $10 a month.

http://www.entirelypets.com/zoombak-...a-000423bb4e95

skeeter

bassfish

Hi Ya Skeeter!

Yep that's one way to do it.
But it's not for me, cost too much and I can't afford it. [sm=cry_smile.gif]
Locator- $199.99
Monthly fee $9.99 X 12 =$119.88
Total for the 1st year-$319.87 [sm=cry_smile.gif]

Not only that, it's for only one lacator and I have five planes !
Another thing is, none of em weight 15 pounds! [sm=wink_smile.gif]

josepy

Great thread! I regret to say I recently lost a cheap little park flier in a marsh next to the park I sometime fly in. Not an expensive bird but I really regret loosing it I've been in the marsh now 3 times, searched for close to 3 hours and nothing. Probably should have filed an environmental impact statement given all the brush I've trampled down! I know what is next on my list of must purchase items! a locator for my remaining 3 R/C planes

J.

Just FYI, I purchased last evening and found that they are having a sale on LMLs,
buy 3 get the 4th free, so for $60 + $4 shipping you get 4 LML units, thats $16 a pop

SkyKing RC Products Lost Model Locator
Sale Special.
Buy 3 get, 1 FREE!
Shipping $4.00

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Any new ones to add to the list?

320pilot

Just an update on my 2m Poly Pulsar, lost on August 1st.
A neighbor came up my driveway yesterday with the Poly Pulsar, she had found by a stream on her property! At first glance, the sailplane appeared perfect, no damage in the crash landing, wing and tail surfaces true. I think it had been in a high tree, where I couldn't see it, and then recently blew down with high winds. I had walked the area where it was ultimately found many times, so I was close...

Later investigation revealed a lot of water in the built up wing, center section and one wing tip. V tails look ok, but one servo compartment had water damage. B-20 Motor runs up , but some roughness, CC25ESC ok. I will send motor to Hacker for check up; maybe new bearings. Flap servo, and one V-tail servo still fine. AR6250 Rx will be checked over at Horizon.

RAM3 altitude logger was dried out, downloaded data last night; 2m sailplane was up to 1800 feet!

here is a picture of the "found" Poly Pulsar, looking perfect, in front of the second one I bought a month after losing the first one

mike early

http://www.com-spec.com/rcplane/index.html Anyone tried that?

aeajr

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Anyone lose a plane lately?

da Rock

Would that include the spare set of E204 wings for my scratch 2M? They are somewhere toward the back left of the shop, near the SE5a where the Solartex boxes are that are piled on the contest balsa boxes.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

That would qualify but I don't think these plane finders would help with the problem.

da Rock

I can guarantee plane finders would not help. They are over in the NW corner somewhere on the engine parts shelf or under the surplus gas tank boxes.