BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

OK Guys, I have gotten some request from you about some pictures of my older radios and such that I have acquired over the years. Here is some of my collection that I fly. From single channel to multi. From the 1950's to current All are still FCC/AMA legal (most on 27 MHz). These older systems were the cat's meow back in their day. Here are a few pictures as well as a few models that I fly with them. If there is something you want to see let me know and I will try to take a picture or answer your questions. Enjoy!

Bob Harris

jlkonn

My Feedback: (1)

Wow!
That looks like TOO much fun!
Thanks for sharing.
JLK

ramcfarland

My Feedback: (44)

Fantastic collection I had the MAN 234 and a friebd had the Controlair single channel Mule and I remember the Citizenship with Kraft Hayes sticks being flown by a member in the old 'Flyaway R/C Club once located at Andrews AFB I could go on and on but let me end with congrats for holding on to them they are price less in my book[8D]

Boomerang1

Thanks for posting Bob, noticed a 27 meg Mattel pulse propo transmitter there, my first radio. - John.

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Yep, Boomerang1 I have a couple of the Mattel units. One is a School Boy and the other in a Wee Stick. Both fly quite well. Almost all the systems show n are either in working order installed in models or waiting their turn. Still there are a few I need to get up and running. Its fun playing with them and sharing the memories with others. My Dad helps me a lot with these as he either built or serviced many of these in the past when I was just a boy.

I have even passed the transmitter to a few guys who have not touched the older stuff in 30 years! One lap around the field and it was like riding a bike. Comes back quick!!

Bob Harris

SquirlNutZipper

My Feedback: (9)

Your collection is great!
You've gained my interest in learning about them.

Do you have any memories, storys or historical comments on your TX's and receivers?

I'm an arcade collector so similar passion with differant equipment.

Alex

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

Bob, that's truly awesome. I saw several of these up close at the VRCS meet last May. Are most of them proportional or pulse? I know very little about early radios.

Maybe you could write a quick paragraph/glossary for us? Like what is a reed system, a pulse system, digital vs analogue. This is an area I'd love to learn more about.

Alex, when you say arcade do mean pinball machines? My favorite was Gottlieb's Target Alpha. That cool artwork is burned into my memory.

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Well Alex, I am not what you say a hard core collector. Most of this gear was either given to me or purchased for very little. I try to pass on the vintage radio knowledge to the younger generation as well as revive old memories from the guys who flew this gear years ago. I have some complete sets that were given to me by guys whose fathers flew them and left some great memories of father and son time. I enjoy talking to these guys and hearing their stories.

Myself… as I said before my Dad had a small business when I was young building and repairing many of these radios. We flew many of these units together (and Still Do!!). He helps me quite a lot when I can’t figure out a problem.

I can remember a Jr Falcon that Dad built with the Mule transmitter and citizenship escapement very well. I chased it across plowed fields and climbed trees to retrieve that little model and only remember having a ball flying it. (when it worked!!)

The Purple Royal Classic radio was my first “full House� system. Dad built it just for me as a Christmas present! Had it in a Lanier Pursuit with Veco 61. Boy, I was so proud of that setup. Took me over 10 years of looking but found the exact system from a good friend in the Vintage RC Society. Fly it regularity and it is as rock solid as 30 years ago!! Still looking for a Lanier Pursuit though!!

All of these systems bring back memories for me and others. RC was not as reliable as today but it sure was fun anyway!! Seems like life was simpler back then of course that may be the nostalgia popping up again!!!

You guys got any memories/stories?

Bob Harris

SquirlNutZipper

My Feedback: (9)

I love pinball (my cousin had Kiss and Aliens) too pricy for my blood at the moment. (but who knows with my new promotion) I collect and restore late 70's to early 80's vector and raster machines. Have you heard of the MAME project? I have one of the only remaining Arkanoid II units still alive and it was a Canadian 1981 Pac-Man coctail machine converted. I even still have the origional pac-man board and paperwork with it. I guess that's my prize even though I love them all a great deal. Mom came up a few months back and we had a blast playing the machines and reliving memories of how much better this was than the C64.

Geek thru and thru...

Alex

SquirlNutZipper

My Feedback: (9)

Thank you very much Bob!

Unfortionately I don't have any R/C memories worth much until the mid 90's. I had some CL's in the 80's but I really started out in RC with cars close to 2000. I was one of the early "rally car" progenerators. In fact there is probably a prime example still sitting on a shelf somewhere in Oregon with one of my old friends who was too impressed with my work to run the thing, even though I'd trashed many an HPI 1/10 sedan by then myself. I did everything from hand modifying an engine and it's exhaust for the specific car to adjusting the suspension to making a complete new chassis.

After the rally thing there was a lull as I went thru a divorce. Once past that experience aircraft came back into my life again as the designs were much more upen to imagination and drew on my previous love of flying with my father.

Alex

vauxhall

Great to see some of the early r/c outfits.

Wayne Miller

Hi BobHH,

I noticed you did not have the label (name) on the Royal Classic. I've just moved, but I'm sure I have some around someplace - if you need one, please PM me with your name and address and I'll drop one in the mail for you.

Fly4Fun,

Wayne Miller

subarubrat

My Feedback: (1)

Awesome collection, I had that same Mattel as well, ordered from AHS with an Ace Whizzard and a testors 049. I seemed to be the only person in the world who had a great experience with the Testors....

And not to highjack, but I am an arcade collector as well.

[link=http://www.subarubrat.com/arcadeandauction.htm]http://www.subarubrat.com/arcadeandauction.htm[/link]

Lamoilleriver

Cool collection of radios.[sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Rainedave, I have several different systems. A 10 channel Controlaire reed system just removed from the model last year (The old Little Esquire was just worn out!) A Lighting bug with Mule and escapement, several single channel pulsers, some early proportional units, even some old tube type transmitters and receivers. Also some early attempts at galloping ghost. I am not picky. I will take anything!!! Still looking for some Citizenship units (red case) as well as Micro Avionics systems (green case).

I will try to get post some pictures of the various systems with a brief description of how the work.

Bob Harris

BMatthews

I think I see a Controlaire GG box that I recognise....

Did you manage to get all that stuff I sent you going? What about my custom switcher that I designed to replace the relay? That thing used some old Germanium transistors that may not have stood the test of time. I remember that I chose the Germanium since the ON voltage was far lower than with silicon transistors.

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Yep, Bruce one of the Controlaire GG system as well as the Citizenship units are from you! Both work great just don't have the range I would prefer. I did manage to get the switcher to work with the Ace receiver and the Rand LR3 that you sent so that setup is scheduled for one of my DeBolt Champs. 3 channel with old Enya .15, silk and dope of course.

Still working to get the little Ace Albin receiver working and freeing up the tiny actuator you built. Seems to me you said you flew that in a Guillows model? I am thinking of using it in a reduced Esquire .010 size.

The original Controlaire receiver I use as a working display for swap meets and flyins to demonstrate how galloping ghost works! If any of you guys make the BARKS swapmeet in January I should have working models there for you to see!

The Citizenship unit has been a challenge. Works but there are some centering issues. I am determined to get it in the air though!! Also Bruce I remember you having some great stories to tell of your adventure in the early days of RC. Can to share a few?

Bob Harris

Strat2003

My Feedback: (1)

It makes me feel a little old to realize that I've flown or known so many of those antiques! That Babcock with a stick was our second radio. The way it electronically sent the pulses to work the escapement seemed like magic at the time. We really felt big time when our dad bought that red Citizen Ship galloping ghost outfit...it ran two actuators (Rand?), one that gave a throtle function when you held down one of the buttons. Now THAT was amazing! He flew it in a Super Tigre .23 powered (!) Top Dawg with the results you'd expect from such an overpowered beast, lol. I also remember playing with one of those lovely engine-turned Controlaire transmitters in the back room at the hobby shop and wondering if I'd ever get to fly something so amazing and expensive.

Thanks for bringing back so many memories!

BMatthews

Did you go with a straight stranded soft wire or did you opt for the vertical music wire whip. I can't remember if I mentioned about the Controlaire Rx but I had an awful time and it cost me at least one model before I learned the secret. Read about it in the old newsprint version of American Modeller. IIRC I had about a 6 inch pigtail of stranded wire and then the rest (tuned to the proper total length) was 1/32 music wire mounted vertical just behind the wing. That did the trick and I went on to put a good 50 to 80 flights onto a Owen Kampen Whiz Kid with my own built up wing over about a year or a bit more with never a glitch from that point on even when flying out to speck range. The typical horizontal wire from stranded was a total disaster though. I bent a 1/2 inch round circle into the end of the wire to protect everyone's eyes and the overall length was what counted and not the distance around the "loop".

The Albin and the home made actuator didn't see the air in a Guillows of any sort. Do they even fly?... nevermind... Where it saw "combat" was in a little all balso tiny biplane called the Gnat if I recall. Dave Fritzke had it on his site for a while at one point. I got a good 20 or 30 flights in on that puppy with an 010 borrowed from our mentor of the time. The older guy that drove us teenagers down to fly at a park designated for such here in Vancouver. The Gnat flew great under power but a minimal wing span and TERRIBLE interplane to chord ratio ensured that the glide resembled that of a greased manhole cover. Pretty much straight down as I recall. Only soft ground and a light but sturdy airframe saved the day. But under power it was a stable flyer.

If that magnet and bearing keeps giving you grief I've got some super magnets in small stick shape salvaged from hard drives that could be turned into a new armature. Just cut away the tinplate or whatever I used for the frame and make a new one around that coil. I'll mail you a couple or three of the little stick magnets. They are about 1/16 x 1/8 x 3/8.

It's good to hear that this early stuff has survived over the years. I used the Controlaire in my 010 powered Littlest Stik for a few years on and off and it was fine up until a few months before we settled on the gear's need for a new and more appreciative home. Well, that and the system didn't seem to be working anymore and I didn't want to fiddle with it....

By the way, I built that system from a kit as the instruction booklets may have indicated. What with the tick marks and all. I was around 16 or 17 at the time and the system cost the princely sum of $125 in 1970'ish dollars. Trust me, that was a LOT of money for me back then. It took a bit of soul searching to send it out the door to you but in the end I figured I'd rather see it flying again under someone's care and giving them a smile or two than just gathering dust on my shelf.

mylamo

My Feedback: (1)

To read this discussion almost brings back the memory of
my J. Worth two tube Galloping Ghost system but I am fighting
that memory . Sigma relays and mighty midgets and two
tube cw receivers,it's too much for my delicate mental stability.
The weekly grief we suffered over the flyaways and dead
"B" batteries. I might photograph them Bob,but I'm damd
if I'd ever fly them again. Thanks Ralph

digital_trucker

Thanks guys! I've been getting to feel old lately...but since MY first radio as a teeny-bopper was a gold case Tower radio I feel MUCH better now!

Nice looking collection. I've always enjoyed hearing stories about the early days of R/C (and model flying in general).

Andrew

Young Whippersnapper!! My first radio was a gold case, too -- a Citizenship one tube. I fully understand mylamo's comment about dead B cells. []

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Bruce, I tried the whip antenna and the range did increase a bit but not to my likings. I even ran across an article on doubling the receiver range by inserting a coil 1/2 way down the antenna line. Finally found all components need to wind the coil and such but no change in range. So back to the drawing board. As for the Albin receiver I knew you said you flew it in something. I have the original Knat mag article with plans so maybe I get her going and built one for it. The offer still stands if you make it down south look me up and we go flying some old stuff again!!!

Bob Harris

gcb

I have a couple of old hard tube single channel rigs. Also have an old Otarion single channel receiver that I never got around to using. Remember those? Light (for the time) and transistorized (as opposed to hard tube or gas tube). Sighhh...

First multi-channel radio was a World Engines Blue Max 4-channel KIT.

George

BMatthews

Sorry to hear that the range is acting up. Those old world transistors and other components are likely getting tired to the point where there's something amiss on the board. Or perhaps the Tx isn't as strong as it used to be?

And just when I thought I was feeling old at reminiscing about all my old GG gear we get a couple of real OF's that come along and start rambling on about tubes and B batteries. Suddenly I feel like a young spring chicken again....