caiman

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I have (better say had) a Sukoi plane with a 60 size engine and a Hitec 555 receiver (double conversion). Everything was normal for the first two flights, but on the third one the elevator started to glitch severly just when a train passed on the rails located next to our flying field. Needless to say the plane flight ended on a crash. The battery was almost fully charged and the trasnmitter should be ok since I have used it very often with other models.

My questions are:
1)-Should this tiny receiver be used on regular glow powered planes or is it designed just for park flyers?
2)- Do you think the train had anything to do with this? it happened exactly when the train was passing, but two other planes had no problems?

Thanks.

caiman

My Feedback: (1)

Forgot to mention that the receiver is on Channel 45, the same one I have used for about five years at the same location (with trains passing by) but using Futaba receivers with no problems at all.

One more question, does the Hitec Supreme receiver has the same front-end and filtering electronics as the 555? is it more inmune to interference?

Thanks.

GrnBrt

My Feedback: (5)

I use to fly at a field that had a train that came by right behind the flight lines and I found out from a train engineer an interesting fact. I was on 41 using a futaba super 7 also BTW. They send a signal down the track to activate the lights at the next crossing and he said the frequency was close enough that you could get bleed over and it was a strong signal. I use to get hits all the time, but it depended when the engineer sent the signal. when flying and I saw the train coming I would grab for altitude, when on the ground I would just wait for it to go by. Most of the time I would see my controls twitch and it was a real bother, don't fly there anymore.

caiman

My Feedback: (1)

You remind me of something. Trains use a Diesel engine as the power source to an electrical generator which in turn makes an electric motor move the train. Maybe there was some kind of electric noise in its systems that coused the interference.

thomasb

We are unlicensed secondary users and our 72Mhz R/C RF band is shared with licensed industrial users (trains, cranes, and other REALLY big stuff). However, only channels 11-41 are affected. Channel 45 would be a stretch.

Please see this thread: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...threadid=39069

If you were hit with train originating interference, it was probably not from the railroad switching signals. There are other indirect sources of EMI/RFI. Perhaps the train's power train or metal wheels against the track caused the trouble. Then again, it could have been something totally unrelated to the passing train.

It would be wise to use a scanner at your club site to see what freqs the railroad might be using (may require monitoring for several days). That way your club members can avoid any channels that may be affected (if any).

SMALLFLY-

My Feedback: (19)

The 555 is fine for regular glow planes. I have 2 that work well and have never had any kind of distance problem. But Then again most things work fine until the day they break

visioneer_one

My Feedback: (506)

The 555 probably wasn't the cause of the crash. It wouldn't be a bad idea to send it in to Hitec for a checkup, seing as how its taken a thump.

As mentioned above railroads use transmitters in the 72.020 - 72.600 frequency range for various purposes. Those frequencies fall between RC channels 11 through 41.

I did a writeup of this problem and listed a site which can alert you to other potential interference sources in your area. Here's the link: http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread...964&forumid=27]

caiman

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks everyone for your comments.