that's the idea. human interraction is great. i enjoy yacking on all day on this forum, believe me. however, the newcomer to the hobby and site will not exatcly know what to look for. so, if somebody were to ask what they needed to get started in the hobby, they probably wouldn't get anywehre because of the sheer amount of replies. i have been stuck in those already. 70+ replies is kinda confusing. everybody is countering everybody elses opinion on all 25 sub-subjects about the different things required. all the faq should do is list the basic things you need, and the helpful items that are not absolutely necessary that people still use like an electric starter. see, when you know a bit about what you are looking for, you can asked a question that is a bit more narrowed down and get relevant results. for instance, if somebody went on to google and typed in
"i want to get started in rc" to try and find some advice, they would have exactly 317,000 entries to sort through. however, if we have a faq that said something like "a good place to look for answers to this question is on rcuniverse." it would explain a bit about what is needed and give some usefull keywords to search for on rcu to try and find a good answer. you whould be sure to come up with something. i like the link idea. id doesn't say that you have to buy this brand or that brand or even what pieces of equipment, but might give the pros and cons, a price range, and a list of places where you can get some similar items, making sure to state that these are not the only places you can get one of these and you may try searching through our forums with kewyords such as these. you guys seem to think the faq would eliminate the human element of it. it would help narrow down the search so the newcomer isn't left with a thousand replies, half of them arguements and contradictions. i am sure all of you newcomers would agree with me here. also, about the nextstar. think about it. it may have some cool additions, but it is designed for the same old thing to do the same old thing with the same old stuff. i therefore consider it a trainer. for instance, on my trainer, i have a nosewheel break. does that mean it is an out of the ordinary trainer? no. not one bit. that's like saying a transmitter with a neck strap is not like any old transmitter because it has a cool dohickey that makes holding it easier. it still does the same thing, doesn't it? and in the same way? and for the same reasons? let me give you a generic description of a transmitter. don't get me wrong, i know you all know that a tramnsimtter is, but i am jsut making a point. a transmitter is a device that utilizes control sticks that sent input to a broadcasting system wich in turn gives commands to the reciever on the plane which interperates them into servo movements to control the plane. they generally have an antenna, sticks, a battery, electronic components inside. the nextstar might relate to a computer radio while other traners your basic 4 channel. the comp radio has some cool features, but it still does the same thing for the same purpose. therefore, it is still a transmitter in my book