iluvflying

I am reading the instruction manual and trying to learn as much as I can on how this system works. I plan on installing the 2.4 on a Sig 1/4 scale clipped wing cub with a non-surpass 1.20 OS engine and the AR500 receiver in either a KAOS or a kit buit 4*60 with a OS .91 or .90 4-stroke engine.

I read on Horizon's webpage a review of the AR 500 receiver where a flyer was having loads of trouble with this receiver and claimed others in his club would not use it due to problems. How valid is this claim? Is it widely known that this receiver is faulty? I would like to know as much as I can before I put it into one of the above mentioned models.

I also am wondering about my KAOS aileron setup. I have seperate aileron servos out in the wings, but at present use a Y harness to connect them. In reading my 2.4 manual, it talks about needing to go to the Wing setup area and somehow use a different method for coordinating the aileron servos? I know this sounds confusing because I am confused! []

Well that is all for now, I am rambling a bit, going flying tomorrow and will check back to see if anyone has any info on the receiver and any tips on getting into this 2.4 arena. I really like the Spektrum radio, I use JR 72mgHz for my RC at present and look forward to using the 2.4 in the future but would like to feel assured in what receiver to use if this AR 500 is questionable?

Thanks for reading this and helping. My new email is [email protected]

Philip in Austin, TX
Go Longhorns !

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

I have two students using AR500's in their trainers. We've had a few problems with losing the bind on power up, rare but it has happened. We rebind, everything ok. Have never lost bind in flight. Never had a glitch in flight. Seems to work fine for me. Good enough that I bought 2 AR500's. Where do you fly at, I fly at ARCA. I just did a check flight on a busa 1/4 scale J3 with a saito 1.20.
Edwin

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

If you power up the transmitter and give it a few seconds to lock on. Then power up the reciever it will work every time.

Also make sure you dont have the transmitter right next to the model when you're linking them up.

The only time you should have to rebind is to set your fail safe.

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

Yeah! Agreed. But students generally run hap-hazzard until you get them into a regular proceedure.
Edwin

iluvflying

Hello Edwin

I fly at ARCA as well. Large club great flying site and great events coming up this year.

Philip

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

Great, we should hook up sometime. Would like to see your cub.

As for aileron setup. I prefer simple. I use a Y harness. You can use 2 channels to control ailerons. It gives you some flexibility if you want to do a differential setup, flaperons, or just simple ailerons. My students like to try complicated setups and end up spending a lot of time fixing bizzare programming issues which wastes training time. So they finally learned and went to the kiss system so we can spend more time training than fiddling. I dont have much need for special setups so I dont bother. Its up to you.
Edwin

Wonder

My Feedback: (7)

You do not need the Y harness with the AR 500.

TW

chunkyplunker

No you don't, the AR500 has two Aileron ports already. We had a couple of people at our club have problems when they first came out. But since the original few I have not heard of any more problems. If it was me, I would go ahead and spend the extra $20 and get the AR6200 for the planes you mentioned. I know I feel safer with the extra receiver in my larger planes that I would hate to lose.
I must agree with Edwin, when needed I just use a simple Y harness and have never had a problem. I have done this with Ailerons, Elevators, and throttle.

You’re going to love the DX7; I originally purchased the DX6i but had a problem in the middle of the flying season and had to send it back. I wanted to fly the coming weekend so went ahead and bought the DX7. I really like it allot over the DX6i, it seems to have a better feel to it and operates much smother.
Now I use the DX6i as a backup in case something happens to my DX7.

blueapplepaste

My Feedback: (5)

I have one AR500 and recently sent it in to Horizon. It would randomly deflect the aileron fully to the right for a brief second in flight. At first I chalked the plane rolling over to a freakish gust of wind, but several minutes later same thing happened again and I landed immediately. Stuck it in a different plane with different transmitter and same thing. I've sent it in, hopefully they'll replace it/fix it, but even if they do I won't install it on a big fancy plane, will probably put it in a small parkflyer so that if if it crashes I won't be that upset.

But from now on I'm planning on spending the Extra $$ for the AR6200

adaptabl

Specktrum seems to need al the extra receivers for a "reliable" connection. I would not use an AR500 in anything of value. You need a more expensive receiver with mulitple receivers for safety. I have had an AR500 lockout in an Alpha trainer a student was flying. Not good.

Franco2fly

Just joined this forum...  I upgraded my Futaba to the Dx7 Spektrum 2.4gig transmitter.  I have been converting some gas to electric over the winter, and was looking for range info on the AR6110 and AR500 receivers with google and I kept seeing reports in this forum, so I joined.

Finally, here in the D.C. we had a break in the weather so I was able to take these birds out:


Flew all but the old VK Cherokee that is in the back... it has the AR6200 rx in it.

I had no range or glitch issues and I am wondering if the reported problems with Range are with earlier 6110 receivers.  The AR500 is supposed to be a full range ( as in a mile) receiver, but I am wondering...  Would love to hear more comments.


KKKKFL

chunkyplunker

Hello:
Welcome to RCU, you can find a lot of valuable information on this site. I have been browsing this site now for over three years and have read some very helpful information. As in my previous post, the guys at my club were having problems with the AR500. I have held off on trying one of them giving them enough time to fix any bugs that they may have. I just purchased my first AR500 but I will not trust it in one of my favorite planes. I really don't need any help crashing! There are some people on RCU stating they are still having some issues, but no one in my club has mentioned any problems since last year. I often wonder if some folks are running them in 4.8v systems and having brownout issues, I know switching to 6v systems on my eliminated some of my issue. This makes me wonder why Horizon still packages a 4.8v battery pack with these radios.

The AR6110 series is intended for only park flyers, so I wouldn't trust one in a larger aircraft since that is not what it was intended. The only difference between an AR 6110 and an AR6110e is the location of the connection pins.

Best of luck and again welcome to RCU

Franco2fly

All the planes in the picture with the exception of the white Cherokee, were flown Sunday, but I never pushed them out very far. The Gentle lady, and the red bolt are both on 6110 park fly rx's but were kept well within a couple hundred yards. I think that all future purchases will be full range receivers as most of my other aircraft are full size 56" or better gas. Now if I could just decide between the Me-109 or AT6 Texan. Either way, I will at a minimum buy AR 500 full range rx's just to stay on the safe side. Might actually get an AR500 put that in the Gentle lady, and put the 6110 ( now in the GL) in the Me as its gonna be well under 1000' just due to the size. Whereas the GL might actually hook a thermal and wind up at decent height.


KKKKFL

chunkyplunker

I believe you would be better off to spend the extra $20.00 and get the AR6200. I really believe it is a much better receiver. But on the other hand, with the sail plane if you did have a glitch you probably would have time for it to correct All the glitches I have heard about has only lasted at most a second or two. But I must say I have not had any glitches with the AR6200 since they updated the firmware.

Franco2fly

I thank you for that re-enforcement.  All remaining planes in the garage are heavy and fast with the exception of my old German Telemaster with 10 foot wings.  Of course the way I fly these days nobody would know if it was a glitch or me!  Especially if, all you are talking about is a second of flutter.  I saw a video that a guy did of an unsophistocated range test.  In this video he drives down an icy road with the transmitter inside his car and the back hatch open.  As communications go, this is a terrible arrangement the steel of the car insides are bouncing around like crazy.  The only way he could have made it worse would be to put the receiver inside a soup can.  Still, the range was beyond being able to see the Mini Corsair he had sitting on an orange crate.  When he measured the distance it was 1293' and this is across ground, so the reception going up into the air would be almost double. (the ground attenuates the signal pretty significantly).

Bottom line is that 20 bucks ain't much to pay for peace of mind.


KKKKFL

Cherokee Flyer

I see you turned the engine on it's side on the Cherokee; you will be very happy with the DX-7 in that airplane, I could tell the diffrence right away.

L.

Franco2fly

Wow!  I thought I had the last VK Cherokee...  Probably cannot see it in the photo so here's a better one:


Note the flaps. I doubled the width of the strip aileron, then cut the first third and use as a fowler flap by taking control horns back to back to lower the pivot point.  The are bellcrank pushed out from the mid point.  In the picture above flaps are not quite fully deployed.

Roll rate is still excellent.

KKKKFL