RE: Some early digital proportional history
High Plains, funny you should mention my idea - I flew the Shoestring this afternoon for the first time in four months with the 1970 MRC (Futaba) F-700 TX. Solid, flawless performance. The sticks are longer than I'm used to today, which gets a little crampy after a while.
I would be careful using the Futaba R-124. I tested one last year in the Wingo guinea pig. It had slightly less than half the ground range of the older R-114(now discontinued) about 90 feet compared with 200 feet for the R-114 with the Citizen-Ship DPT, antenna down. I flew it anyway, practically out of sight with no glitching, but I would check it out in some POS airplane first. Futaba only claims a range of 600 feet, but that's what they said about the R-114 and it's definitely a full-range receiver.
The R-114 AM is the way to go, but it's hard to find now. BUT, the HPI RF-2 receiver is in production and is an R-114 built for HPI by Futaba. I've used one and it works fine. Thanks to Frank Schwarz for sending me one for flight test. Ebay seems to have RF-2s all the time, and they can be had from Horizon Hobby new for 40 bucks, from A Train hobbies for 35.
Even as we speak, Ron Ellis is restoring a super clean Heathkit GD-47 TX I got off a certain auction site. From 1968, I think it was one of the last radios to use Bonner sticks.
Is your new Kraft identical in appearance to the metal box one you have on 72? What stick assemblies? Pictures please! Russ Farris