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Sea wind with bad Futaba Rx?

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Sea wind with bad Futaba Rx?

Old 05-10-2019, 10:39 AM
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evlwevl
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Default Sea wind with bad Futaba Rx?

I’ve just pulled my old Seawind off the shelf finally to hopefully get it back in the water after years of non use. I remembered now when I had put it away, it had a bad 2nd (rudder) channel glitching like crazy. I remember barely made it back to shore. I have the Futaba Attack T2DR with the R132JE rx which used to work wonderfully running a 6v nimh. I just tried to swap out the servo but it still glitches. The winch servo appears to work fine. What could be the issue? By the way, what is the preferred radio system these days for sailboats? It appear Futaba still sells this radio but the rx shows as a R162JE on the website.

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Old 05-11-2019, 02:52 AM
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mfr02
 
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Check out the battery wiring harness - black wire corrosion is nasty because you can't see it and it generally defies normal testing, but shows up when power is being draw resulting in unstable voltage at the receiver and servos. Either can then cause the glitiching observed.
On a Futaba Attack, its usually the rudder on the 1st channel, thats usually the one that responds to radio interference. Futaba do like to be different, but whatever the labels say, the rudder channel is the first in the signal window to be transmitted. An unwanted signal picked
Old 05-12-2019, 05:37 PM
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evlwevl,

Almost no one uses FM radios anymore, because 2.4GHz frequency hopping radios do not have crystals that interfere with other radios on the same frequency. You will not interfere with anyone, and no one will interfere with you. The antennas are only a few inches long at the Rx and several inches at the Tx. The systems are reasonably cheap. You can get some that hold data for many models, and you just select which one. Many Spectrum DX6i radios are used, but there are zillions of others available. I also have a Turnigy F-5, that is simple, for one boat.
Alan
Old 05-13-2019, 02:45 PM
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evlwevl
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thanks for the advice. In a panic, trying to take this out to the lake while at a family function, found and an old DSM2 rx sitting in my hobby stash, must have never put it in one of my planes. I bound it and set it up for my old DX7 radio and it worked like a charm. Glitching gone. I’m not sure how reliable this park flyer rx will be over the water as I’ve read the signal may reflect off the water in adverse ways. Maybe it’s just a scheme to sell marine radios and they rxs after talking to a spectrum rep years ago had told me. After all that, I had the boat loaded up and was asked to transport something instead. Seawind will have to wait for another lake trip.
Old 05-13-2019, 03:16 PM
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When short of space, you can break the boat down and re-rig again at the lake. If it is set up for this, it doesn't take too long.
Alan
Old 05-14-2019, 12:30 AM
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On the 2G4 radios that I got instructions with, they usually claim 1Km for air use, 500m for surface. This is probably true enough for most makes of "full range" sets. "Park Flyer" radios have either less transmitter power or less sensitive receivers, or both. For surface use, it depends on the size of the water what range is needed, but even half of a Park Flyers claimed range might be enough. Modern digital gear works amazingly reliably until it gets to its range limit, then it stops very suddenly. Also how much care is taken placing the last inch of the antenna wire - thats the bit that does the business.
Old 05-16-2019, 04:40 AM
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However, that 500m for surface is in ideal conditions. i.e. glass smooth water. Something you don't find or want with a sailboat.

2.4 simply does not penetrate water. Period! So in a boat the Rx needs to be as high in the boat as possible with the antenna sticking up from there. When the boat heels, almost any wave action can block the Rx antenna and hence, your signal. Stuck too deep in the hull and just the water will block it. Most if not all the time.

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