sleded42

Hi,

just purchased a sanibel sailboat with a 27 mhz am radio. what is the effevtive range of AM? I currently fly planes on 72 mhz and know that the range of transmission is quite far, but have never used am transmission radios. your input please.

Ed

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

I do not think the range is restricted by whether or not you have an AM radio. There may be differences in overall range, but I flew my aircraft out to the same distances, with an AM radio, that I fly my recent planes with an FM radio. I think the output of the Tx you are using would have more of an effect on Range.

Be aware that I have seen at least two aircraft, in the past two weeks, with radios on 27Mhz Ch08.

sleded42

I guess the most effective way to ensure range is to do a range check with the radio I am using. I would not want to sail my $400 sailboat out of range and out to sea![]

Ed

Rodney

Range is not determined by whether AM or FM but by two things; power output of transmitter and sensitivity of the receiver. Since most of the RC units in the USA are limited by law in output power (nearly all are set at this max level) the prime factor is the sensitivity of the receiver. This can vary greatly plus quality of the design can vary (some are not tolerant of noise) and in general this is proportional to their price but not always. Many of the cheaper units have poor range and are not very selective when it comes to noise rejection. The only way to know for sure is to do some range checks and find out what the limits are on your particular set up.

A.T.

AM units can have a longer range than some FM units, however, most sold with cars and boats have a short range so as to pack more users into small areas. Range over water is further than ground but still less than half that of aircraft, and with a boat so much depends upon the placement of the antenna and type of rigging. [e.g. check the difference between a Futaba 2ER and a Futaba 2VR - The cheap 2ER is designed for cars and boats whereas the more expensive and much better 2VR was for aircraft]. Your unit is not known, suggest a range test as per sub section "Range check and Range problem solving" at Alan's Hobby, Model & RC FAQ Web Links.
In need, also refer to sub sections "Receiver - FAQ, guides and aids to best reception." and "Boats, Yachts, Submarines, Warship Combat and Nautical reviews"
Regards
Alan T.