I have an older Futaba radio - circa 80's / Model # FP - T6 FG/K, barely used.

Question: Send it to the AMA museum, or tickle it back to life and fly it ?

I would welcome input from those of you who are knowedgable about current tech. I could rationalize a DX7, if your advice leans that way.

FYI, My situation:
I had only a very limited opportunity to fly "back then", and I am now building a trainer / looking forward to flying.
(also, Wife says sons, 8 and 11 yrs, must not follow dad into motorcycle racing - with any luck they will enjoy RC more than XBOX)

1qtrflash,
First off, welcome to RCU. I hope that we can help you get into the great hobby of RC. Now for your radio question. I'm more than likely going to be "rationalizing" that DX-7 for you. Any radio from the 80's is more than likely going to be illegal. Back in the early 90's the FCC mandated that all 72 Mhz radios be narrow banded, and this made most of the radios that were made in the 80's (and earlier) illegal. You can look on the bottom or back of the radio and see if there is a gold sticker on there that certifies that it's narrow band, but my advice would be to donate that radio to a museum and get a new radio. I'm about 99% certain that you can't legally use that radio. And if you do there is a good chance that you can knock others planes out of the air. Those old radios can take up 3-5 (or more) channels on our current day frequency chart. Get a new radio and don't worry about it.

Hope this helps

Ken

I've got a couple of those old 6 ch radios that are narrow banded and they work just fine. Your problem, narrow or not, is that you are going to want new batteries and better servos anyway.
I got mine cheap and serviceable when purchased. I would NOT have put any money into them. They came along with some other equipment when I bought it.

In the long run, I'm gonna agree with Ken on the DX7. And so you will know it for your first few flights, it WILL buddy box with JR radios at your local field.

Welcome back.

Safety First of course - last thing I want to do is do is make an "impact" at local field with others' planes...

No gold sticker , red "ch 46, 72.710" sticker on rf module.

I checked the rc freq. list on the AMA site last week - it would appear to be OK

Still , I like the direction

thanks more good advice

I did not mention it in first post, but I did not even try the old batteries. I assumed they needed replacement, assumed I could fabricate something if it was worth salvage.

Clueless on your ref to new servos - could you flesh that out a little for the newbie ?
(servos with better resolution ?).

No sticker - no fly

Most definitely.

Ken

I would not use a radio from the 1980's. Many problems:

1. This would not be a narrow band radio and would be therefore, illegal to operate.
2. This would not likely be an FM radio. AM is more prone to interference.
3. The receiver would not likely be double conversion. Much more prone to interference.
4. The original NiCD batteries would be long gone. Replacement batteries alone could run $50 for TX and RX.
5. A new 6ch narrow band FM radio with double conversion receiver and NEW batteries can be had for perhaps $150.
6. Why risk your model and endanger the models of others?

Get a new (or used late model) radio.

Gents

Rest easy, I was serious when I said saftey first - I am calling the bomb squad and we will do a controlled detonation on this gold relic.

Ironic, the first thing I was taught years ago was freq control - with this radio , and now it's more like a weapon !


Thanks again guys, I think a DX7 is my next step

(gee, all I needed was a good rationalization ...do you guys do motorcyle forums ?)

DD

IF I remember right, the 27MHz band wasn't narrow banded. If your radio is still in good shape, you could have it converted to that band, though I wouldn't use a 27MHZ set for anything that leaves the ground. I'm thinking about that for a 1986 vintage Futaba Conquest four channel

1qtrflash, when you indicated in one post a reluctance to abide by the advice, you became a target.

Frequency control is a most definite highest priority item especially with the influx of the park fliers that so many have no knowledge of. Don't let it bother you.
Your older radio, while in the current frequency allocation, is not evidenced to be narrow band (20khz vice the old 40khz) thus your airplane will not stay airborne very long. A wide band receiver today is also a target. In addition to exercise a wide band transmitter is now a violation of FCC law.

MORE Advice; I advise against the Spectrum right off. I fly one but so far I have no special love for it, it's just another radio. You have to use only that receiver and thus you become somewhat restricted.
You have to use that specific receiver or as it is a pair of receivers. Additional receivers will cost you another $100 each, where as a good basic computer radio on standard 72 mhz, allows you to buy a number of receivers at 50-70 bucks each.
OTOH, you can well decide that. Good Luck.

Short Tip: I sell old stuff on eBay. Every so often I sell a box of older stuff labeled "JUNK for collecting and tinkering only, not for use in flying aircraft." Someone always buys the JUNK. 20 to 40 yankee $ for junk beats the garbage pail.

Sorry Hossfly but NEVER did I indicate reluctance to take advice, or forsake safety.

(I became a target target ?, No way, everyone responding was great !!! )

Very pleased with all reponses, nice to have a place to go where I can get so much good info (LHS only had car guys). I posted looking for practical advice on value of the old radio and immediately everyone helped me avoid a serious problem. Clearly the one theme that was in everyone's response was the need for safety, freq. control - so not everything has changed in last 20yrs.

Thanks to you for your clarification ( 20k vs 40 k).

Also thanks for your input on the Spektrum.

I just have not the experience to form an opinion on which radios have best value. I value the opinons of those with all the flying experience much more than manfacturers hype. RCU has so much info - there must be "favorite radio" thread...

OK X flash, I must be guilty of allowing your sophisticated humor zoom right over my head. Apology to you and all others concerned for my reading-challenged thing.

Best of luck to whatever choices you make, I am sure they will be good ones.

Better resolution, speed and yours might just be worn out. Maybe not too.

If you decide to look for a different radio then the DX 7, check out what JR has to offer. They have a lot of nice radios to cover any range or needs.

Welcome to the hobby! Old radios and planes of the same vintage look nice displayed together in the den or workshop. I've got a couple of garage sale helis {$20.00 for the whole box}, hanging up and it always gets lots of response from people that stop by
As for a new radio, check to see what evryone else uses at the field, and also what channels they fly on. That way they can help with setup, buddyboxing and you don't end up on the same channel as three other guys. Also some areas have known channels that get hit alot and they could let you know to avoid them.

Here is some information that may help:
http://www.futaba-rc.com/faq/service-faq.html#q41

.

Old Radios are not worth the trouble. For a few bucks over the replacement batterys in an ancient 4 channel you can have a good 6-7 channel computer radio with Rx and servos, plus multi plane memory. Trust me, if you continue the sport the old radio would be the first to go, why go there in the first place? They have very little re-sale value if any....I have about ten in the "Bone Pile".

Hossfly

First time I've been told I have any sense of humor

No apologies neeeded, geez now I feel guilty....


I appreciate anyone taking the time to help me

I am a little surprised how many of you are helping me - can't be clean living, must be your collective good nature:

Bruce88123 /
Thanks for clarification on the servos.
I think your right - not worth taking the chance wiht the old ones.
I do not need the distraction of equipment failure while I am learning to fly.
Seems to be quite a variety - general consensus of those I 've talked to have stated better servos (ie ball bearing) are worth the extra USD.

Pipe Major,

Thanks - your anwers helped reinforce the danger of the old radio.
(I am thinking this thing should be in a gun safe).

Also your practical advice greatly appreciated. That was my original intent of course, to see if there was enough value in the old radio in a rehab.

GIZMO-RCU

Yes, no question. Clear to me the old radio (even if legal) would not be best value, going forward.
Thanks for your advice

Trust you - I noticed you had a "few" posts, - yes I'll go with that. Thanks for your advice.

Recently, however, I trusted a "friend" in England was trying to sell me some of his stuff my last trip there on buisness. I thought he was sincere. He handed me the radio after he got his plane off the ground, took me a while to figure out what Mode 1 and 2 meant - he thought this was particularly funny.

Shhh, don't spread it around.... You'll ruin our reputation!!!

In all honesty it's a pleasure to help out here. I'm glad that we can help you get going. All we ask is that down the road you Pay It Forward and help some new person out who's getting started.

You're questions about the radio actually echo why I try to help out. I had always wanted to fly RC but never could because of the money (starting a family and all of that). My father was going to learn to fly and had bought a trainer to learn on, but unfortunately he died of cancer before he could learn so I inherited the equipment. The radio that he was going to use was an old MRC 5 channel that we had bought back in the 1980 and we were going to eventually fly with it (which we never did). When I got the equipment I went to the local field (where the club flew) looking for instructions. I immediately received the standard line of the radio was too old to use (actually is was still legal by the narrow band changes, but only by about 8 months before it wouldn't be any longer) and they couldn't train without a buddy box. I was crushed. Not only did I want to learn to fly for myself, I wanted to learn for my dad who died without ever getting the chance to. I tried to explain to them that I couldn't afford a new radio at the time but most of them wouldn't hear of it. One guy took me aside and told me to come out to a grass airstrip that some of them used to fly in the evenings on sunday. Since they were just a small group of guys they were able to take me aside and help me learn to fly with my older radio. I've always appreciated that they did that for me, and that's one of the biggest reasons why I try to help out here. I'm trying to Pay It Forward to those guys that helped me learn.

Ken

Fying - J /

Good advice on checking out the common channels at the field.

I have not joined a club yet but attended a meeting last week.

It was a special meeting with WWII flying vets there, quite interesting really, but I did not get much chance to talk to them.
Good point , I know a very experienced RC'er that I work with - he has offered to instruct me - need to check with him on radio selection for same reasons.


Thanks for your advice

Yeah, it got me into flying. But now I'm part of that very same group, although it's a lot smaller than it was 10 years ago. But I remember how I felt when they told me they wouldn't help me, so I try to not do that to people that come to the field now to fly.

Ken