Farmer Ted

My Feedback: (5)

Hi,

I just purchased an Omega II 1.8 E sailplane from Northeast Sailplane. I have made a couple of flights with the plane and I am having wicked interference problems.... I had one interference so severe it actually caused one of the aileron servos to come detached from the wing. During a flight today, the plane suddenly had a mind of it's own for nearly 30 seconds and I couldn't control it I was able to regain control just before I lost it.

The plane is set up with 4 Hitec HS55 servos, a Hitec HFS-05ms 5 channel micro receiver (running the 5th channel in flapperon mode), a Turnigy brushless outrunner motor, and Great Planes SS35 ESC.

I am running on channel 57 and have the receiver, servos, and ESC mounted as far from each other as possible. The antenna is run outside the fuselage and the excess hangs down below and behind the plane in flight.

I am flying on the outskirts of a town on various slope areas for slope soaring and thermal hunting. There are no other people operating RC airplanes nearby that I can see and I don't have these problems with any of my other planes flying in the same area.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm scared to fly this plane because the interference is so bad.

Thanks.

da Rock

The one I see advertised appears to have a fiberglass fuselage. Unless that is carbon fiber, or you have carbon fiber pushrods parallel and close to the antenna, there really ought to be nothing about the model that is causing the interference.

One thing to try is to run your antenna out a wing. That is done on sailplanes with spans that accomodate the whole antenna so it's not unprecedented. In your case, it'd be a temporary test. (Unless it worked and you later could still not locate the interference source.)

I assume that you have the present antenna completely extended, no loops etc. And have you done a ground range test? Also, feel along the entire length of antenna for internal breaks. Lightly pull as you feel. The RX hasn't been crashed before has it?

Freewind

Ted,

I had similar problems this summer. I fly with an HiTec Optic 6 TX and Berg 7P RX. I know better than to suggest your problem was the same as mine, but after eliminating everything else including positioning issues and substituting a spare receiver, I sent my TX into Hitec for a check.

Verdict: Low power and a bad frequency pot. They repaired and turned it around in nine days! You may want to consider sending your TX and RX in for a check. I resisted the prospect of losing the flying time, but I have a reliable system now. It was worth the weight and my planes are safe.

Dave

Farmer Ted

My Feedback: (5)

Thanks for the input. After talking to my LHS and Sal at NSP I replaced the Receiver, eliminated the aileron extensions (used soldered wire connections instead), twisted the servo wires, and that all made it a little better at a time...the final thing I did that cured the problem was to replace the ESC and that solved it comletely (so far). The ESC I had in the plane was a Great Planes SS-35 which had been reliable for me but this one had been in a crash and I guess that must have messed with it somehow. With a new ESC it passes the range check and has been reliable in the air so far.

I get really concerned about range with gliders because when I'm thermaling they can get WAY out there and I need to know that I can get it back.

Anyway, thanks and all is well.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Twisting the servo wires doesn't do anything.

Glad you got it sorted out though, I have the same plane with the berg rx and havn't had a single problem with it.

da Rock

Stray signals can come from funny places. Like that ESC, it actually might be good, but one of it's wires or connectors could be bad. Swap the sucker out and the bad connector is gone. And it takes a perfectly good ESC with it, and you're out a chunk of change.

Good you found the culprit. Bad that it's one of the parts that can be expensive. Inspect it closely 'cause it might be fixable.