quote]ORIGINAL: Tom Antlfinger

Lee:

One reason most guys check the 10X with the antenna off is that's the way Horizon described range checking in one of their catalogs/hints and tips mags a year or two ago.....

Hi Tom, I have no problem with antenna removed range tests, the problem I have is with the rec. antenna on or near the surface of the ground.

Practicality becomes an issue with the 2500 + ft checks.......

Never had a problem with hundreds of giant scale vibrators with electronic ignitions, as well as turbines, even the old noisy 2.0 JetCat ECU software, over the last 5-6 years using a 10X and the simple 300 ft, antenna-off method, holding the TX at arms length like Horizon suggests, plane on the ground or on a non-metallic structure(I often use a PVC mount about 3 feet off the ground).......check all 4 quadrants if antenna is mounted inside the plane.....probably less critical to do a 360 check with a vertical...
You might not of had a problem with checks on or near the ground... I have found the results are not consistent!

As far as tweaking the RX and TX, good idea, but once again, most guys don't have the gear to do it at home, and are often hesistant to send their TX/RX back to Horizon or Radio South unless something really is wrong, like a totally dead RX, or after a crash.....
I would never suggest anyone do there own tweaking, I am saying about 50% of what comes out of the box will benefit from a good tuning and alignment. Anyone that spends thousands of dollars on a model aircraft project should find a way to know for sure if they have one of the lessor 50% RF links, and if so send it to a knowledgeable repair facility before the crash.
Lee


Tom
[/quote]