Nitro-Tom

I see so many things here....let me just start by re-capping my last trip to the field.....crashed my favorite, absolutely favorite plane, my Fliton Extra 330s Freestyle, over 100 flights.....dumb thumbs. Not the Dx7....not the AR7000.....the setup was perfect.....it was me! (See attached photo) I am sad, no doubt.

One thing I did see upon arrival to the field is a total looser getting to the field, putting his field box down, setting up his nice new plane, then turning on his 72Mhz radio without even looking at the frequency control board, much less grabbing a pin and putting his card there.

I ask.....how can you "Trust" this older technology when it is so prone to human error......I have only been doing this 4 years, but I got off 72Mhz when I was racing cars 5 or 6 years ago and got sick of crystals, etc.....I have seen a few shoot downs and accidents from interference, etc….

Spektrum and Futaba Fast are proven, advanced radio systems. These, like the 72 MHz radios they replace, are not perfect.....they are NOT interference PROOF. They are resistant.

(Trust me…. as a computer and RF engineer who used to work for Motorola; if I wanted to go to the field and shoot down a spectrum plane, it is going DOWN!) (A lot easier than you might think)
No radio system is interference PROOF, thus part 15 of the FCC rules.

Also, with ANY radio control system, setup is important.
In ALL my planes (16 now) I have had no issues because I follow a few basic rules when it comes to setup:

(These are my own rules, and specifically geared for Spektrum)

1 - Large battery. All my 60 size glow planes use Hydromax 2000Mah RX packs…6 welds per cell, etc
2 - Only use 6 volts with Spektrum. The brown outs are 100% TOTALLY SETUP RELATED, they do not have to happen. The radio is designed to run at a specific voltage range, you go below that, even for a 10th of a second, you get what you get.
3 - Check all servos and mechanical linkages with a setup device, such as the JR Matchmaker setup device, remove any binding in the control surface. Make sure good linkage geometry.
4 – Check servos for current draw, and then check current with amp meter for entire system. Max all controls at once, see what you are pulling in terms of amps and see what the voltage drops to.
5 – I use an on board volt watch, checking voltage moving servos before every flight. Low battery = Do Not Fly! (Recharge if necessary, but do not fly)
6 – Check all spectrum RX units for fast connect feature on the bench, return for firmware update if necessary, but if it “Glitches” or “Reboots” in flight because of “Sunspots”….I want it to come back FAST!
7 – Full range check with the reduced power button pressed on my Dx7 before first flight, every trip.
8 – Use the shortest wires, fewest connectors, largest gauge, etc…good overall electrical system.
9 – Use a top quality switch, never small cheap switches. Again, this is a single point of failure.
10 – Test in the pits before maiden flight with engine running. Ensure no RF or ignition interference.
11 – Use a flight log on the ground for all the above testing. Never fly with errors showing.
12 - Never reuse a critical part such as battery or switch after a crash. Single point of failure needs replacement.

As an example of proper setup in my $3000 30% yak, I used all Fromco Li-Ion regulated power with a AR9100 Rx. Dual power, High amps for all the 8611 and 8711 servos, and 4 Rx units, one front, one rear, one in each wing. Flight log left on board this baby; check it every day I fly. Even though I still use only the Dx7 TX…I went with the better Rx because of the 4 remote units and the dual power.

Now…….

I have learned a few things reading this thread.

For instance, I should never run a NEW RX ever again, put it in my ugly stick and fly it a few times….I am down with that from now on!
NO better way to test it than let the O/S .55 vibrate the heck out of it
Heck I am even going to break in my new JR 8711 servo’s in a beater for a few flights, awesome advice!

Some things I see potentially wrong here with the original posters setup……

1-I would have used a better TX, the Dx5 and Dx6i are distinctly entry level radios. No knocking them, but hey…..get what you pay for, the Dx7 or the 9503 would have been a better choice for a $2000 + AIRCRAFT
2-I would have used a better RX, like the AR7000

I do not see a lot of other detail in the original posters setup, such as battery, voltage, switch, wiring, etc….so I really cannot comment on the setup further other than to say:

“ Sorry to hear about your loss”.

I recently witnessed a guy having 2 mid-air total losses in one week…..tough to get through a string of bad luck like that. Hopefully you will hang in there, get help where needed from us or your local guys at the field, and get back in the air…..but please do not knock products that work well….and are proven.

There is nothing wrong with Spektrum or Horizon…..like someone said, this is like gambling every time you take off. It is optional……I have a lot of guys with “Hangar Queens” at my filed…..they build them, and they look good, but you never see them in the air.

Just my 2 Cents for the pay pal account….no change given.