stevehord

My Feedback: (1)

What micro receivers does everyone use with 1/2A planes? I've been looking at the Hitec 555 micro but I was hoping to pay a little less than what this receiver is going for. I'm finishing a Herr J-3 cub 1/2A kit and I have three of the PC-09 micro servos and a Norvel Big Mig .061 engine. Any tip about lower priced receivers that work with 1/2A planes will be appreciated.

Steve Hord

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

HI STEVE! The GREATPLANES 4 channel featherweight will get the job done for $24. I have been told they don't reject off channel signals all the time, so you got to test for interference with your buddies' gear.

stevehord

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the tip. I'll take a look at them. I was mainly worried about the range of some of the micro and sub micro receivers as I've already lost another plane due to lost radio transmission, but that's another story...

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

STEVE, I think the GP rcvr has a 900 ft range. See ya at MARYMOORE some day! Say HI to TWEED [if you know him of course], my name is CHUCK MATHENY. TWEED is the guy[at MARYMOORE] who is always flying someone elses' plane, and tellin' them what a crappy plane it is!

matchlessaero

Steve, do a little checkin' and I bet you'll find the 555 for a pretty good price. Whatever you do, don't go single conversion....... like the Hitec feather. Not a tight enough listener in that little receiver.

BMatthews

Avoid the Hitec Feather if you ever fly with anyone else or in urban areas. I have one and will still use it for slowflyer close in stuff but it gets far too many glitches for fast stuff. I've seen reports that the GWS small 4 channel reciever is in much the same boat. There is also a range limitation with the feather if you ever want to use it with a powered glider or similar long range type of model.

This IS a long term investment and to my mind it's foolhardy to pay for something substandard that glitches and loose a plane or two. The 555 and Electron6 are micro full range recievers with the image rejection to do well on a mixed signal field. I get numerous glitches on the Feather with others flying and by myself but I have not had a single blip on the 555 I have even when flying lots of flights with 3 and 4 models in the air at one time.

The Great Planes reciever is a single conversion 900 foot range reciever which puts it into the same specification category as the Feather. There's a reason all the other recievers use dual conversion. It works in our present close spaced frequency format and it's less prone to electrical noise.

It all comes down to the old story, you can pay me now or you can pay me later. Do it right the first time and you won't need to do it again later like I did. Yes I fell for the promise of the $25 Feather and I'm sorry I did. Fortunetley I don't mind flying very slow rubber scale models converted to electric just to see them fly. In that type of model a glitchy radio isn't a big deal as long as they are not too long a glitch. But on a fast model it can cost you the whole enchilada.

XJet

Don't forget the FMA M5 either -- it's a *very* small and lightweight receiver, smaller than the 555 by a good margin and lighter than some of the park-flier gear out there, despite it being double conversion.

The M5's range isn't as good as the 555 but it's still a full-range receiver and it has smart decoding that is pretty good at knocking out glitches due to bursts of inteference.

They currently retail for about $50 or so.

Be warned however, that FMA's support people appear to ignore their email. It's a nice little receiver and would be great if weight is your ultimate concern -- but I figure that if the support people can't figure out how to use email, I wouldn't want to be reliant on them to fix one if it went wrong :-(

My next receiver will be a(nother) Hitec because of this.

Bipe Flyer

I've got a couple of GWS receivers which are fine and glitch free in close, but the range is limited. I like the Hitec 555 or the JR700 in anything larger than an .020.

stevehord

My Feedback: (1)

Everyone, thanks for the information. Bruce, you told me what I needed to know - "pay me now or pay me later". I'll look at the FMA M5 and also look some more at the 555 and try to find a deal some where.

Chuck, I met Tweed last summer. I haven't been to Marymoor in a while as I've been busy building a few kits this winter but I expect to get out flying soon as they are starting to look like planes <grin>. See you at the field!

BMatthews

Best of luck with your small stuff whichever way you go Steve. In the end you can't go wrong buying stuff that's further up the food chain.

I see you're in Redmond. If you can make it we'd love to see you journey up to the Great White North and join the other 1/2A'ers at the Mission Wings fun fly this summer. Bipe Flyer is one of the kingpins out there and there's a ton of other great types there as well. I had a ball last year and I'm looking forward to it again this year.

Jeff Leavitt

Steve,

Consider the Berg family of receivers. among the lightest and least expensive (for serious rx's that is) out there with an exceptional reputation for range, reliabilityand service should you need it. Shop around, you should be able to save at least $10. compared to a Hitec 555. Good Luck.. Jeff

Andrew

Hi Steve --

I agree with Bruce's comment on "pay me now or pay me later". Keep in mind that the receiver/battery is likely the single most important component in the air (we can sometimes get on the ground if we lose a hinge, servo, engine, glue joint, etc.), but loss of signal almost always ends with an unhappy experience; a few extra dollars may be well spent.

I have had good experience with the Hitec 555's and Electron 6's. The Electron 6 is Hitec's most recent offering, and although a 6 channel receiver, is lighter than the 555.

Check Hobby Horse for initial pricing: http://www.hobbyhorse.com/hitec_receivers_dual.shtml

I have no direct experience with the Berg family that Jeff listed, but have read favorable comments about it.


the "other" Andrew

redsplatter

Has anybody got experience with the jr r610m receiver. It appears to be a full range receiver and the weight is less than the hitec 555 and the electron 6, though it does cost more.

Bipe Flyer

I've tried the JR610 it wouldn't range check further than about 10 feet. In a plane the max was 100' with the TX antenna extended. I as assured to Horizon that this wasn't typical, but by the time I got around to sending it back it was out of warranty so I tossed it. I had heard that this was only a problem with the earlier models so I bought the Expert Electronics 650, which is the same RX with a different label, and it behaved exactly the same; maybe it was old stock. I returned it for a JR700 which has been flawless.

I've heard that people have used them without problems and that they work as well as any standard RX, but I've been unlucky. If you buy one you could always return it if it doesn't range check.

Here's a link to the Expert Electronics 650 if anyone is curious. They make them in both shifts. The page is in Canadian dollars which works out to about $53 US.
http://www.greathobbies.com/scart/pr...umber=EXRR6501

ChuckAuger

My Feedback: (12)

I would highly recommend the Berg 4 or 5. Excellent RX's that I could go on and on about. I have 3 of the Berg 5's and am very happy. Last weekend there might be 10 TX's on at any given time and I never had even a slight glitch....even when someone flying my plane let it get very far away. That evening everybody was basically shoulder to shoulder with about 10 planes in the air...solid reception. The Berg 5 can be had for $50 with crystal. It auto-detects your TX shift so you can fly it with + or - shift TX's. Has a digital signal processor front end, has TX footprint recognition so it will not respond to any signal not from your TX (I'm not making this up!) and service is reported to be excellent, I've never needed it.

The black stripe in this pic is 1/4" wide for comparison: (The case is removed, it comes in a plastic case)

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

HI CHUCK! Your electric foamy reminds me of a plane I saw that was built by a guy from JAPAN who posted it as the"UNBREAKABLE PLANE". He included a great demo video. The plane opened up like a wallet to expose the inside of the fuselage. Have you put one of those together, or do you know of anyone who has? I think the main stumbling block was getting the right glue. I think LOCKTITE has a 3030 glue that remains flexible, or maybe GOOP?. Anyway, if you can shed some light on this that would be great because I would like to put one together.

ChuckAuger

My Feedback: (12)

The plane in my pic is a flat foam plane...not real crash resistant. I do have one of the "unbreakable" planes (4, actually. Why do you need 4 unbreakable planes?? I digress) and there are at least 3 different individuals kitting versions of them now.

I used DAP Weldwood Contact Cement (the kind that eats anything..it won't eat this EPP foam) and Goop to build mine. Worked great.

You can contact these guys for "indestructable" varients of the SX2

Mark Roberts at: Fun Planes for the SX2 and an Edge 540

Rudy at: Pappatop for the Flex 3D

Tim at: E-Foamies For the Rev 3D

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks very much for the info; you're "the man in the know"![8D]! I'm surprised these planes haven't caught on like wildfire yet. This is a way of building planes on a small scale that look as good and well contoured as anything you would see on the average model built out of wood. I'm glad to know that GOOP works as well as DAP. I'm not sure if 15% fuel would turn this stuff to mush, but if the EPP could be covered with SARANWRAP in the fuel soak areas that would be a way to go with glow power, I think...

ChuckAuger

My Feedback: (12)

It's fuel proof, too! You can wipe it down with MEK or Acetone if you really want to.

I think the reason they haven't taken off is...people are a bit intimidated by the building process. It's muy strange stuff to work with. I was scared to death on my first one (afraid it'd come out crooked or warped) but it came out just fine. I can build the next one a lot faster.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

WOW! Fuel proof too? Wipe down with MEK? Did the inventor of this stuff get a NOBEL PRIZE? I can't type LOUDLY ENOUGH to tell everyone in this forum how much fun it could be to have a design contest where 90% of the plane had to be made with this stuff. From what I can see, you can roll it, score it and fold it, and xacto knife it. Between DEPRON sheet, and this EPP stuff, some fast building combat planes could be whipped up! Just think, less time ironing on film...hmmm...more time to work out at the gym.... no, that's not good.....hmmm....I know,more time to fly!

Bipe Flyer

I have some EPP that I use with my foam cutter. It is the nicest foam I've ever cut with a hot wire. I made a guy a supersized Zagi for slope soaring that was almost indestructible. You can jump on this stuff and it wont break. The down side is that it is heavier than other types of foam. While it is fuel proof, it is porous so it will soak up some fuel. It can take a lot of heat so I like to cover it with normal covering.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

HI BIPE! Do you think it hot wire slices well enough to make your own 1/8" sheet? That's about the thickness that the JAPANESE "SX2" was using for the ribs and the wing/fuselage sheeting. The guy in the video grabbed the plane and folded it, and twisted it and it rebounded 100%. I'm not ready financially to take the jump to electric, and there are still too many glow engines tugging at my sleeve[ SAITO .72, 31cc gas, .010,020] to maybe ever get into electro magnetic propulsion systems.[]

Bipe Flyer

I could cut 1/8" sheets. The stuff I have is 4" thick but it is expanded not extruded, so it is made of beads.

If you need an inexpensive charger, look at the Hobbico Quick Field Charger MK2 http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXCTZ5&P=7 which can simultaneously do 2 packs of 1 to 8 cells in either NiCad or NiMH, or 3 cell Lithium. I've been using one for a few weeks and while it doesn't cycle and give lots of information like my Supernova, it is very simple to use and when it's all said and done the packs get the same amount of charge in the same amount of time as with an expensive charger.

BuzzBomber

My Feedback: (4)

Perhaps I missed it, but it doesn't seem anyone has mentioned the new hitec hfs-04. I haven't used it, so I can't comment from personal experience, but e-zone reports compare it to a berg 4 and its only $35 less crystal. If it's as good as its cracked up to be, I'll be ordering on for my mini telemaster soon.

RCAV8ER52

My Feedback: (5)

The Berg receivers are single conversion aren't they?