When I was a youngster I went with my father to the RC club field in Massachusetts quite often. I remember RC flyers would take a ‘frequency stick’ painted the colors of their radio frequency and hang it on a post so that other flyers would see what frequency they were flying on. The colors on the stick (usually a flat painter’s stick, used for mixing paint) would match a colored flag or flags on their transmitter’s antenna. My question is: How does one know what colors represent their frequency? Or do they not represent frequencies with colors anymore and just use the frequency number? Is there anyone out there who has heard of this system? I know different clubs must have different procedures for displaying frequencies, so if frequencies are still displayed or represented by colors at some fields how do I find out my frequency colors? Or are you going to tell me to just forget that old system and just present my number tag at the field? By-the-way my frequency is 44

There were only 7 or 8 frequencies back in the day. You could tell a persons frequency by the color of the ribbons on thier xmitter. Red and white was 72.240. Orange and white was 72.320, I think.

But now there are 60 frequencies. It would be difficult to remember all of the color combinations. At most clubs, the person flying must have the frequency pin in their possession. I clip it on to my xmitter antenna. No one else is allowed to turn on that frequency until I return the pin and they gain possession of the pin for that frequency.

So forget about the colors. All xmitters come with a red flag now anyway. Put your xmitter in the impound area and never turn it on unless you have the pin. Thats a pretty standard procedure. Some clubs encourage you to place your AMA card or club card on the board in place of the pin when you are using a frequency.

The even channels were in production longer than the odds. So there is a better chance that other pilots will be sharing the frequency with you if you buy an even number channel. However, with 60 channels, chances are you will often have the frequency to yourself.

Colors gone...................use the numbers

New transmitters come with a red flag designating the radio as being on an aircraft frequency (72 mHz band). They also come with the frequency number (black lettering on white flags or placards) which must be displayed on the antenna (AMA required). If you bought a used radio without these items, they are available at your LHS. The TX crystal should have the frequency marked on it, and sometimes the radio itself has a small label denoting the frequency. Most clubs use a card/pin system. You take the proper frequency pin from the rack and replace it with your AMA or club membership card. Some clubs are slack about this, and I'd be REALLY careful in that situation.

Dr.1

I missed that, must have been introduced recently. Can you post the code section, so I don't have to read through that god-awful document again, searching for it?

One of the guys still has the old colored flags on his pre-'91 gold Futaba, apparently too cheap to spring for a DuBro antenna marker. The numbers are correct.

Another even older member came to the field with markers 5 and 1 slid over his antenna, the kind that aren't stuck together. He took the pin for #51 and clipped to his antenna and flew, and I observed the scanner light up channel #15. I told him about it and he seemed surprised, and slid the markers off his antenna & reversed them.

One nice thing about #44, you can't reverse the markers.

Good luck,
Dave Olson

I missed that, must have been introduced recently. Can you post the code section, so I don't have to read through that god-awful document again, searching for it?
Hmmm...upon perusing the AMA Safety Code for 2006, I find that item has been removed. It was formerly an AMA Safety Code item. Obviously, the AMA has given us even MORE chances to crash by removing it.

He took the pin for #51 and clipped to his antenna and flew, and I observed the scanner light up channel #15. I told him about it and he seemed surprised, and slid the markers off his antenna & reversed them.
I'm glad he didn't shoot down someone or get shot down himself. I almost made that mistake when I bought two identical radios at the same time. While on the workbench, the channel flags got switched. When I turned on my radio at the field, another pilot's plane started chattering, fortunately in the pits wit hthe engint not running. Whew! Close call!

Dr.1

He may have been using a Ham Band frequency on 53 Mhz and this is still the way to display some of those channels.

This is described near the bottom of page 19 of the 2005 AMA Membership manual, as well as the displaying of the channel numbers for 72Mhz.

All this gobbledeegook will be gone by the wayside in the near future. Spread Spectrum is and probably will be the new guy on the block. RC car guys have been using the radio system for the past few years. This new radio system in its first iteration is made for park fliers and is due out just about now. $199 gets you a 6 channel tx, 6 channel rx, and 4 S75 mini servos. System is made by JR from the looks of it. The range of the rx is 3/8 mile. How it works......each tx has a "serial number"...no tx has the same number. You power on the rx....the rx locks on to the ID number of the tx and will not listen to any other tx. Go to Horizon Hobby's web site to read more about it. From what I've heard from others, they are currently working on a system for use primarily with glow aircraft.

Dave...

Dave,
Yes, you are right that Spread Spectrum is going to be great for cutting down on frequency conflicts. But to think that the conflicts will be going by the wayside any time soon is not the right way of thinking. The ONLY way Spread Spectrum would eliminate conflicts is if the FCC passed laws that outlawed our current radios and frequencies, much the same as they did for the old "wide band" radios. Otherwise our current radios will continue to be used by modelers, and because of this we will need to still maintain the frequency control systems currently in place at most flying fields. I think that it is safe to say that current radio frequencies will still be in use 10-15 years from now. How can I make a claim like that? Because I myself use radios that were made 10 years ago. They still work great and there is no reason why I should quit using them, so I don't. The same will happen when Spread Spectrum hits the market. Yes, there will be a large number of people that will run out and jump on the bandwagon. But there are an equal or larger number of flyers that will continue to use their existing radios for many years too come. In addition to that I just can't see Airtronics, Futaba, Hitec, JR, and any other manufacturers of radios just "stopping" to produce the current radios immediately. Rather I think that they will slowly phase them out over a long period of time. Our current radios and frequencies will be with us for a long time to come. So flying fields will still have to maintain and use frequency control systems.

That's my 2¢ worth

Ken

I just bought my new rc boat. the controller came with a yellow tag with the frequency printed on it. It also came with a white rubber tag displaying the channel. may i know where are these attatched/placed? tnx.

The tag or flag usually goes on the tip of the antenna and the numbers at the base of it. Unless you're in an area where a lot of RC boats or cars are used, I wouldn't worry about using them. I never did with the cars I had or the boats I had. Surface transmitters use totally different sets of frequencies than aircraft transmitters so don't worry about them.

Our club has a board where you have to put your club membership card up or your AMA card up on the clip that corresponds to your frequency. No clothspins at all. Most everyone there is 2.4 now anyway.

I scared some guys when they saw my float plane up in the air at the lake right next to our field. I told as many guys as I could that I was headed over there and that I was on 2.4, but some people either showed up after I left or didn't remember.

Iget a kick out of seeing these old threads and reading the doom and gloom of the passing of the 72 meg radios. From the impound of the last couple of IMAA events they are about 50/50 but in IMAC the 2.4 has about taken over. The different clubs or fields Ifly at the 72s are still holding there own. Seems not all weekend sport pilots have the ready cash to make the switch.
Iwould be changing my radio over to 2.4 but the cost of all the new RXs has kept me from the move. At this time in history Isee myself sticking with what I have for some time.

What is even funnier is that after 4 years, 72 Mhz is still here.</p>

</p>

As for the original poster's question as to color coding for the flags, I can't find the regulations on it but the colored flags were used on the 27Mhz, 50Mhz, and 53 Mhz bands.  They followed the electronics designations for their number layout.</p>

</p>

(0) black</p>

(1) brown</p>

(2) red</p>

(3) orange</p>

(4) yellow</p>

(5) green</p>

(6) blue</p>

(7) violet</p>

(8) grey</p>

(9) white</p>

</p>

And the memory jogger.  Bad Boys Ravage Only Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly.</p>

Bad Boys R*pe Our Young Girls But Vilot Gave Willingly, that is also the color marking on a resistor. Fyi. See hun the Navy did teach me something

A couple of months ago our club had a giant scale warbird flyin. Had pilots from several states and I`d say it was about 50/50 2.4 and 72s. I`ll say one thing, less of a wait for sure if you`re flying 72 ! I`d probably gradually move to 2.4 over time, but finances will keep me flying 72 for the foreseeable future.

As a young man in print shop that was taught as part of the Calif. Job Case so you knew where the type was.
As for changing over to 2.4, someday. My radio can be changed over but the cost of the RXs would be a killer. I'm still not that impressed with it yet but I'm sure it will get better over the next few years.

Is the display of the frequency on a radio mandated by AMA or FCC?

I've always been under the impression that it's an FCC requirement to have a flag denoting an air or ground radio and the frequency number displayed, not an AMA. I have it on all my 72 MHz radios (it was drilled into me at a very young age to have the flag on the radio), and the flag is nice for a quick check of the wind when landing in your peripheral vision. My DX6 never came with a flag, but with a radio that selects its own frequency it would probably be a moot point.

I don't remember, but was a restricted radio telephone operators license (I think that's what it was called) required to operate RC back in the 70's and earlier? I know I had to have one when I first started flight training for my PPL in the mid 1970's but that requirement was eliminated soon afterward.

Hogflyer

Back when The 27 mHz frequencys were indentified by a single color flag and were not codified with a number as they are now just the actual frequency.

The original 72 mHz frequencys, six I think (which are not all the same now) of the 72 mHz band were identified by two color flags and there also theirwas no codified channel numbber .

The channel I used most after 27 mHz was the 72mHz orange and white 72.400. It is no longer a legal channel and is paid industrial use only half way between the modern day channels 30 and 31.

John</p>

Hogflyer

Yes I too held a restricted radio telephone operators license.Yes it could be used in lieu of the Citizens band license which was required by the FCC during the period when all RC was on 27 mHz later that lisence requirement went away.

It was sometime in the fifties that prior to the CB lisence requirement and this goes all the way to the thirtys that a ham operators or better lisence was required.

The colored flags or later numbered flags for frequency id on the antennas and the requirement for a solid red or solid yellow to identify surface only or air only bands which was an AMA recomendation I beleve are no longer in effect as an AMA requirement .

I may be wrong so if so please correct me anyone if thats the case.

John

We use the frequency pin method at our field, and there is a set of pins for 2.4 GHz and a club requirement that we use them.  It's a matter of knowing who is there and what radio (frequency) they may be using.  It may not matter all the much for 2.4 GHz but it is mandatory for ALL 50 and 72 MHz though.  We still ask that 2.4 people grab a pin and replace it on the board with their AMA card (that has a club current year sticker on it).

CGr.