Ok, I'm going to step in here for a second and make a clarification on this information, because this is how "old wives's tales" and "false information"gets started. Yes, you should turn you transmitter on before you turn on your receiver, and turn the receiver off first and then the transmitter. This is good practice to get into for several reasons. But are you going to "definitely" fry your servos if you accidentally turn then on/off in the wrong order.More than likely no, and 99 times out of 100 nothing will happen that damages your servo. And you are NOT going to fry your receiver in almost any circumstance. The plain truth is it won't do anything at all do the receiver. It will be fine.

Like Isaid, Iam stepping in here so that false rumors don't get started. It's very easy for rumors to get started here in the Beginner's Forum because of the mix of experience pilots/modelers and beginners. Sometimes something is misstated, or misread, and then false information will start circulating here and in the hobby. Heck, that may be where this information came from. And that is why Iam stepping in here so that we can set the record straight.

Here's where the real danger can come from.As stated by Shd3920 there can be no signal being received by your receiver if you turn it on first, and it can actually be picking up stray signals as well. The biggest danger from this is that it can drive the servo to it's full physical limit which can cause some serious damage to YOURPLANE as there may be more travel in the servo than the control surface can handle. This can cause problems because it is possible that it can damage the control surface and that damage may not be visible and you may not see the damage, then when you fly the plane it can cause a loss of control. Or it could out and out break your control surface. And in some circumstances it is possible to physically damage the servo as well, but as Isaid above it is not likely to happen.

In today's 2.4 Ghz spread spectrum radios another good reason to turn the transmitter on first is that sometimes a receiver can lose it's "bind"to the transmitter if it is turned on before the transmitter. While this can and does happen, it doesn't happen often. And it's definitely not a big deal because all of the Spread Spectrum radios on the market have simple procedures for re-binding the receiver to the transmitter, and it can be done in a few seconds. When the receiver is re-bound to the transmitter everything will be fine and you'll be ready to fly with no problems as all. All the programming for that plane in the radio will still be in place and nothing will be lost.

Rest easy, it's extremely hard to "fry"your radio from something as minor as turning on the receiver first. It's a good habit, by all means, to get into so you don't damage your plane as Iexplained above. But it's very very rare that you can destroy the actual radio equipment. Rest easy.

Welcome to RCU and enjoy the greatest hobby out there.

Ken