Hey guys,
I have a couple of questions about range checking your airplane. First, about how far out should your distance be from you and your plane and how much jittering should you see in the controls once you are the distance? finally, should your antennia be up or down during the test? any advice is welcomed.

I think there are more detailed gudelines from AMA, but...

At least 100 ft away, antenna down, and NO JITTERING AT ALL. If your control surfaces are moving on their own with your TX and RX on, DON'T FLY.

Hope this helps.

According to my JR manual, 75 to 100 ft. is sufficient, antenna down. Check your owners manual.

Phil

40 paces I think[sm=confused.gif]

What are some of the common causes of jittering control surfaces?

Well I know a low rx battery is one of them.

I overheard some words at my local club ... and understand I am a newbie ... but the member said:

I can't comment on the reality of the situation ... is this true? Should we extend the antenna some before switching the TX on?

Neil

If you are very close to the plane with your transmitter on, that could cause some. It should subside if you move away a few feet.

Radio interference from man-made or even natural sources is another cause. A bad crystal in the Tx or Rx, The wrong Rx/Tx shift/conversion/compatibility.

It really depends on what radio system you are using. FM? PCM/FM? AM? Synth? And wether or not you have the correct rx for the transmitter, etc.

There could be many causes....even something as simple as a TX that needs a tune-up.

There are some guys at our field who can help you better than I can. (I am just a newbie). You are close, so come on out any day but thursday and there will be an instructor who can help.

http://www.palomarrcflyers.org

Allegedly if you leave it on long enough it can cause overheating. However, that's usually talking about extended periods, not the amount of time required for a range check.

The antenna needs to be fully collapsed when you do your range check. Although you don't want to leave it collapsed for an extended length of time. Remember that the antenna is made to radiate energy (radio waves) and when you collapse the antenna it has no place to radiate that energy, so it turns into heat in the circuitry which can fry it. But having your antenna down for a couple of minutes for a range check won't hurt it.

Another important part of a range check is for the engine to be running (make sure the plane is secured). Sometimes problems in the receiver can't be seen without the vibrations from the engine.

Your range check should be from about 100' away. There should be NO jittering of your control surfaces at that distance. Also, all of the control surfaces should respond correctly at that distance. If you have jitters or no movement DO NOT fly your plane. First make basic checks to see if there is something obvious causing the loss of signal, i.e. receiver antenna not extended fully, battery charge low, loose connections on servos. If you can't find the cause then you need to pack up your radio and send it in for service. Ignoring problems in a range check will only result in a crashed plane.

Hope this helps

Ken

One thing that can cause jittering and this happens Sometime's in our field. if you have a fence and your plane is next to the fence and you do a range check, 4 some reason that causes interfearence so if you do a range check do it away from the fence.

Some one might be on your frequency. Of course this shouldn't be a problem since you should have the frequency pin in your possesion before you even turn on your radio

I was going to go off on why nobody mentioned following the procedure in the radio's owner's manual. However, I wonder if this proceedure is discribed in them anymore? It's not shown in my Airtronics VG6000 manual. Do other manufacturers have this proceedure descibed? My old Airtronics Championship Series has it, as well as how to mount the entire airborne system in the aircraft. The VG6000 manual is mostly limited to programing! When did the more important aspects of the use and care of R/C equipment get dumped from the OWNER'S MANUALS?

To range check, the antenna must be fully collapsed. I like to see 100 feet of range and have easily gotten this with all my current FM radios. But, what ever you get you do not want to see range lessen by more then 10-12 feet with the engine running. Specifically my Championship Series states from 30 to 50 feet being adequate. However this manual is from the mid 1980s. A range check shouldn't take longer then 2-3 minutes so your not going to harm your radio. Because this information is no longer included in owner's manuals, how can we expect anything other then miss-information at the club field on this topic! In our litigeous society, how could this important information have been omitted?

For those of you who need a simpler distance than 100 yards or feet. Your suppossed to walk about 30 paces with your antennae down then have someone by your plane. Start to move the sticks on your radio and that person will tell you if your surfaces are jittery or not. At 30 paces with your antannea down you shouldn't be jittery, if you are somethings wrong!

30 paces, where did you find this measurement described?

I've been told to do it with engine running too.

Yes engine running but with someone by the plane holding it!!

These measurments came from my Futaba radio instructions and all the guys at the field. This is the measurment i've been using for 2+ years and is perfect every time!

I agree with everyone on the standard 100 ft distance (approx. 30 paces). Also with the antenna collapsed. What I like to do on a new plane is to first, ask for a spotter to stand and watch the plane. At 100 ft you can't always see the jitters that might occur. Second, I like to first try it with the engine off, and do standard turn on of the Transmitter First, and then turn on the Receiver. I like to walk out at a 90 degree angle to the plane. One thing to remember is to not to accidentally shield the plane from the transmitter with your body. Just make sure the radio has a direct line of site. Third, once I get out to the approx. distance, I start using some of the controls and ask that they confirm the proper direction. Fourth, I start walking in a semi circle pattern around the front of the plane, still working the sticks a little, and also letting them be still looking for jitters. The reason I walk in the semi circle from one side of the plane all the way around the front and to the other side is to make sure one side of the plane is receiving as good of signal as the other. Don't want anything in the plane on either side interfering, remember, the plane will be at all axis to you while flying. Sometimes I even have the spotter turn the plane 180 degrees and walk around to the opposite side. Once I'm satisfied, I go back, cycly the plane and Tx off, and let it cool down. Once I'm ready, I start the plane and have my spotter stand by and we go through the whole process one more time with the engine running.

I know this might be over kill, but that's how I was taught, and I have yet to lose a plane due to what I call Rx/Tx interference. Once I have that initial test done, I just do a simple walk out and check for the jitters from then on out, unless I change something in the plane.

Hope this helps a little