RE: "Dirty Channel?"
ClipClop,
I was one of the people that arrived at the field just after your crash. As a result of the conversations that followed, I decided to purchase a Hobbico Frequency Checker.
After purchasing mine, I am not too impressed with it. I will usually have a channel indicated around 26-28, but it goes up as high as 31 and as low as 21, depending on the temperature. I have taken it inside an RF sheilded chamber with the same result, so I am sure it is the checker and not a true signal. Also, even with the optional antenna plugged in, it has difficulty detecting some active channels at the field, with the transmitter(s) only 75 feet away. I'm planning on taking it back for exchange.
There was a review on this product, in which the reviewer had a similar problem that ended up being a defective unit. [link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=565[/link]
As such, I would not put too much faith in the channel 17 active indication that you may have seen on Jim's scanner. In fact, we had four of these out at the field this past weekend and were getting different results with each of them.
When I get a chance, and if the weather is decent, I'll plan on taking my spectrum analyzer to the field to see if I can detect any real interference.
Bob R.