RE: Failure of spectrum AR9000 RX's..
David,
I had hoped we could have got both our Hawks into the air at the same time for some photo shots at RAF Scampton on the Sunday? But was saddened to hear your Hawk was damaged on Saturday afternoon. Maybe next summer we could have our Hawks in a formation flypass?
Towards the end of last year, I had to choose whether to go down the Weatronic route or the Powerbox route, when I was making changes to the Hawk installation. The decision was made very easily for me when I heard about the 2.4g systems being released. In September of 2006, I was shot down by someone switching on the 35Mhz Tx on the same channel as I was on, which lost me a nice model. So I chose to go down the Powerbox route and convert to the Spektrum 2.4g as soon as it became available in the UK. The Weatronic system is an excellent system but it would not stop the numpties switching on using the same channel and locking out the 35mhz channels with the potential of a disaster.
I’m sure 35Mhz will be around for several more years to come, but I won’t use it again. It is an open channel system, which is prone to human error. So a system which selects its own free channels and locks into them, is the way forward for me. I trust computer logic more than some humans.
I think the weatronic system on 35Mhz has simply been overtaken by 2.4g systems in 2007. The gyros and GPS are “nice to have” parts, but the core of the Weatronics unit is the dual receivers. I now have four Spektrum receivers at different locations in the model and a power distribution system, which is probably one of the best available. The aerials are all internal and around 1 inches long so no need for these hideous flexible aerials sticking out of the nose of a scale model.
If Weatronics gives us a 2.4g system with remote receivers, a pitch/ roll/ yaw gyro, a GPS system and a good power distribution system to the servos, then I’ll be happy to test it and if its better than the Spektrum/ powerbox system, then I’ll fly it.
There are also other 2.4g systems coming on line soon. Graupner have their IFS system and I was told of the American XPS system which locks into the receiver and have two way communications between the Tx and the Rx. One chap who flies it in the UK told me that in the future it could pass data from the model back to the pilot in real time – low airspeed, turbine flameout, low fuel, etc. Sounds brilliant to me. Bring them on.
TC