cjshaker

Are there any brands of computer radios that come with decent manuals? I'm getting quite fed up
with the poor quality of the manual for my Futaba 12FG. I really like the radio. Feels good in my
hands, seems to work well. But the manual sucks!

Try reading about mixing on the 12FG. The manual tells you only the names of the fields on the
screens. It does not define what each of those fields do, nor does it give you examples of how
you'd actually use that field on a model. Try to program the radio to control flaps, then try to add
flap to elevator mixing. I only got flaps to work by blind iterative experimentation. The manual
was of little use.

I wonder if Futaba's tech support people also find programming mixing confusing? It seems that
questions about mixing are not answered very quickly in the direct support forum. My questions
about mixing were not answered very well.

The Futaba manual seems a product written by engineers, for Futaba engineers. They assume a
lot of knowledge that I don't have.

Is there a brand of radio where the manuals are actually useful, and give examples that explain
how to program the radio?

Thank you,
Chris Shaker

pumbadog

Airtronics

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

The JR 9303 manual is a lot better than anything I've seen from Futaba.

Hopefully Traplet will release something like the Ann Marie Cross book on the 9c.

airbusdrvr

I have the X9303 and if the above is true, I really feal sorry for the Futaba guys.

Rafael23cc

My Feedback: (6)

The Futaba Manual must really suck, because I had to find the addendums to the 9303 manual that give examples to some of the features, to completely understand certain areas.
Maybe the newer manual for the X9303 is better, I have not seen it.
[link]http://jrradios.com/Products/Support.aspx?ProdID=JRP2920[/link]


Rafael

Red B.

IMHO Graupner's radio manuals are very good.
Here is an example: [link=http://www.graupner.de/fileadmin/scripts/dc_download.php?&act=getfile&id=1811]MX-24s[/link]

cjshaker

I downloaded the JR 9303 manual, and looked at elevator to flap mixing. Seemed much better documented
than the Futaba 12FG manual. On the other hand, it is a *much* simpler radio.


The 12FG programming has a lot more choices, and a lot more fields to modify. I'm sure those fields can be
used for something useful, I just don't know for what. :^)

Here is the download link for the 12FG:

http://manuals.hobbico.com/fut/12fg-manual.pdf

Duh. I had not thought to look for that, and attempt searching the manual to find definitions for those fields using
Adobe Reader before.

Go to page 91 to read the page on elevator to camber (flap) mixing. Examples of fields that I did not think were described
are:

Mode (searching for 'exp1' finds it described on the right side of page 40 as a mixing curve type, but what does
that mean, and why would we want to change it? I don't see a list of the curve types, or a description thereof.
I do see 'For a description of the setting method, see the description at the back of this manual'. I don't see
the description they are talking about... Ah, just found it on page 123, while searching for 'EXP A'. Looks like
that page will be useful. Did not notice it in the paper copy of my manual)
Offset (according to right side of page 40, appears to be an offset on the above mixing curve. Again,
how would that be useful, and when would we think about using it?)
Rate A ?
Rate B ?
Exp A ?
Exp B ?

I'm starting to get the idea that this stuff all modifies the mixing curve being displayed on the left side of the
screen, but how do I look at that picture and imagine how it affects the control surfaces on my airplane?

What I'd like to see is a quick start guide to doing simple setup and mixing tasks on this radio. For example,
how about a 'cheat sheet' for setting up flaps? How about for mixing flaps to elevator, etc?

Maybe I'm just too stupid to understand this radio? And I used to be a microcoder and embedded software
engineer...

Chris Shaker

cjshaker

Yes, that manual seems to be pretty well written. It makes it look very easy to back up
all of your models to your PC...

Chris Shaker

DougV

Chris,

I also own the 12FG; There is some help here as well: http://futabarc.com/faq/faq-12fg.html

Doug.

Flying Geezer

My Feedback: (14)

I have never seen a computer radio manual that did not suck. I have the 12FG, the programming is easy. The key is not to over think it. It does so much for you automatically, that the tendency is to try some complicated way of doing something like we used to have to do with the 8U and 9C, and then find it is super simple with the 12FG.

Get your transmitter out and just play with it for an hour, and you'll learn more than the manual can ever teach you. Set up imaginary planes, and check to see how they are working on the servo monitor.

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

I have two XP9303 radios. I love the radios, but the manuals that came with them were terrible.

For example, there is a Slider Switch on either side of the shoulder of the Tx. When I first tried to assign a function to one of those switches, I had no idea what they were called and there was nowhere in the manual that told you. The picture of the Tx, with the label for each switch, just calls them Levers.

In another instance, I tried to use one XP9303 as a Master, and one as the Buddy Slave. The manual just says "Enter the Training program and set one Tx to Master and one to Slave. Nothing worked right on the Slave. It turns out I had to Copy the Model Memory from the Master to the Slave, set the Slave as the Master, make sure all the parameters were working properly, and then set the Tx back to Slave. It took two calls to Horizon and lots of trial and error.

Most manuals are just Tech manuals that tell you how to enter and change parameters. They do not give you Real World Scenarios and the best way to use the features of the Tx to achieve the results needed.

Don Edberg wrote several books with a list of Scenarios and how to use the advanced features of Futaba computer radios to accomplish the task. One example involved setting up two Programmable Mixers to put Flaps on a switch. My XP9303 came with Flaps set up on a 3 way switch, but my 9CAP required some work to make that happen. It was one of the reasons why I like the XP9303 better.

BobMaine

Futaba has never had a good manual. The 7 UAF I bought 12 years ago came with manual that appeared to be written by the engineers that designed the radio. A few years later there was a better manual put out by Don Edberg that explained things much better.

The manual for the Spektrum DX7 leaves lots to be desired for the new user also. I'm still waiting for Mr Edberg to write one for it.

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

I'm with you...the 12FG has a very user harmful manuel

I think some Japanese engineer wrote it for Japanese engineers and then had it translated to English with a Jap mindset. It is really not helpful at all.
Just do like someone else here said...play with the thing for sometime and you will most likely figure it out.
I can't say enough good about the 12FG itself but that book sucks big time

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

If you want to see a really bad manual look at the Multiplex Evo manual

tadawson

Odd . . . I always thought the Evo manual was pretty well written, at least compared to all the Jinglish crap out there . . . not many examples, but at least it's coherent!

- Tim

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Wonder if its time to do some writing, I always wanted to write a book.....

Flying Geezer

My Feedback: (14)

Give it a shot BH. My uncle made a fortune writing just one line. "close cover before striking"

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Ha Ha...I have that book as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I love that radio.it is the best!!

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Do it now.. you will have enough money for a good Christmas if you write it in the King's English... Make it simple and to the point, give examples of what each feature does and how it is programed... like a flow chart or something..

cjshaker

I downloaded the manual for the JR 12X radio. It appears much easier to read and understand than the
Futaba 12FG manual. It also appears to be a much less programmable radio than the 12FG.

I looked at how you program the transmitter to support flaps, and how you program flap to elevator
mixing on the JR 12X. After reading it, I thought I knew how to program them for a model.

I still don't know how to do it for my 12FG. I have programmed flaps for my F-22, but could not tell
you how I did it, nor recreate it. Still haven't figured out how to make flap to elevator mixing work
on it.

Chris Shaker

airstik2003

just got the 12fg this week,
i was going through the program and was wondering what is camber flap
thanks in advance