richb1492

My Feedback: (4)

I was wondering whats been te biggest effect of 2.4 ghz on the rc hobby.
I think 1 big thing is a lot of older stuff has been put on sale.
I saw where some clubs are going to 2.4 so people are selling their older stuff also.

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

The biggest effect is that many pilots who used to blame their radios for crashes now know it wasn't the radio, it was just them. I've put off switching over to 2.4Ghz because I didn't want to lose a perfectly good excuse!

n19htmare

My Feedback: (1)

I think by far the biggest effect or rather a benefit is people no longer worry about their channel selection. Turn on the radio gear and FLY, without ever having to worry about some newb turning on their radio and you watching your hundreds or thousands of dollars plunge to the ground.
I guess the effect is now that people bring a lot more planes to the field to fly. Electrics, big, small, floats.... and just get up and put it in the air

Oh and the frequency boards/charts are catching dust

rockerdude22

Yes like stated before now you cant blame someone else for your crash . I think im going to stay with the older technoligy for a couple more months and see if the 2.4GHz tech isnt all its cracked up to be =/. who knows?

Tyler

gboulton

My Feedback: (15)

I'm stealing that!

Stick 40

I think the 2.4 has made the 72 band more usable because it takes planes off the channels they use. Less waiting time for a pin. That can't be all bad, if half your club goes 2.4 thats great.

richb1492

My Feedback: (4)

I was thinking if some clubs will be 2.4 only?

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

This is what I was thinking, too. For every person that's flying with spread spectrum, it's one less person flying on FM. Today at the field there were lots of people flying, but only very few channels being used. I like that!

Charlie P.

That's how I feel about it. Less time waiting for my pin.

Maybe in 10 years I'll switch but I have no plans to do so now unless some mandate comes along. I have no gripes with the 72 frequency. Certainly nothing that would justify buying a bunch of receivers and scrapping my perfectly good ones.

Heard of a modeler (someone spoke at our club) who inadvertently hit the "Off" slider switch instead of his trim switch. He immediately switched it back on but the 2.4MHz initilization process took longer than the remaining duration of his flight.

Mr67Stang

The lightening of the modelers wallet as he pays $100 per receiver to outfit his entire hanger. I would have to spend $1500-$1700 to get recievers for all of my planes if I switched over. That money can by some nice planes or one nice big plane with a DA-50

I'll give in someday. But right now I'm enjoying being able to get used 72 Mhz gear at dirt cheap prices

Campgems

We require our guys to use their card on the board even flying 2.4. We had a ham chanell section that now collects the 2.4 cards. We had to do this because we had no way of knowing if everyone with a transmitter on 72 had claimed their channel. Like today when I saw my first confurmed Kill. Two of our regulars, one flying a sail plane and the other with a nice electric biplane clashed. THe biplane was about a foot off the runway when the pilot started hollering that some one had turned on a transmitter on his frequency. In he went. It looked like a bad one, but after gathering the plane back it looked like a broken prop and maybe engine mount. Harsh words and appoligizies and it was settled.

By the way, I've seen three planes go in at our field due to radio problems that were on 2.4 Broken receiver antenna on two and transmitter antenna on another.

Myself, I've got to much invested in 72 equipment to change. The 2.4 doesn't offer me anything. If my frequency is taken, and that is very seldom, I just change receiver crystals and plug in another module on my transmitter.

Don.

-pkh-

My Feedback: (2)

There is one club in my area that is 2.4GHz only, since it is about 1.6 miles from another (already established) club. Since the new club is 2.4GHz only, no frequency sharing agreement is required.

2.4GHz eliminates the need for frequency pins, and it eliminates most glitches that affect 72MHz systems. The short receiver antennas also make for much cleaner looking installations in the aircraft.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

damn, wish I had thought of that before I got my 2.4

2slow2matter

My Feedback: (1)

Not all 2.4 rx's are 100 dollars. Spektrum makes a perfectly good 6 channel full capacity rx for only 79 bucks, which can usually be gotten for 69 bucks if you look around on the internet. That's not bad when compared to PCM rx's, which is really what we are comparing here as far as quality and available options.

I think a benefit is not worrying about channels and who's in the airnot only when you are ready to fly, but also when you are working in the pits trying to get ready to fly. Gone are the days of waiting on a pin just to get your plane set up and ready to take off. Gone are the days of waiting on the pin for 10 minutes while someone sets their plane up, adjusts the carb, etc, refuels, and then flies for 15 minutes before you can get your pin back. Gone are the days (with spektrum) of choosing the wrong model in your computer radio.
I love my 2.4.
Granted, I still have over 1/2 of my planes on 72 because I'm accumulating rx's slowly, but surely!

Villa

I have seen a few planes "shot down" when someone without the frequency pin, turned on their radio. It is extremely sad when that occurs. I know of one member who quit the hobby in disgust when that occurred to him many years ago. He had about 500 hours building his prized plane and it was totaled on the first flight. On at least one occasion I have saved someones plane when I was standing near a flier with a plane in the air and he stated he had lost control of his plane. Because I knew the flier was experienced I concluded there was radio interference and I immediately yelled "radio interference, everyone turn off your radio". The guilty party turned off their radio and later thanked me for saving him from a bad outcome. On a few occasions I have screwed up and turned on my transmitter without having the required frequency pin. In a perfect world that has never happened to anyone else, RIGHT? That worries the heck out of me. On more than one occasion I selected the wrong frequency pin and tried to start the engine and wondered why nothing seemed to work. On other occasions I made a mistake and selected my wrong radio when I had more than one radio at the field. I am very careful when I fly and have been in R/C since 1972. It is by pure luck that I have never "shot" someone down. When I first saw what the 2.4Mhz radios could provide, I embraced it as a solution to the MAJOR problem I had with this wonderful hobby. I waited about one year for the bugs to show up and then converted my four planes to Futaba 2.4Mhz. My new radio is flawless and my major worry is no more. I have wondered why this is the first comment in this direction on this subject. Am I the only one that has made mistakes?

MasterAlex

What's the biggest effect of 2.4 Ghz?

I look at it from 2 different angles; fliers and manufacturers.

I think the fliers are seeing more freedom on where/when they fly due to no frequency control. No worries about flying down at the local park with your foamie or park flyer (or interfering with the nearby RC Club field). Also, the traditional Club's frequency boards are less crowded (good for everyone). I think the evolution into 2.4 is great for the sport and for all involved. Someday, maybe not in my lifetime, the frequency board will be a distant memory, something to reminisce about at annual club picnics!

Now from a manufacturers perspective (note, I am not one), I’d imagine this has been somewhat a boon to them in terms of revenues. It would be interesting to see sales numbers on transmitters over the past 5 years or so and compare those pure 72 Mhz numbers to the sales of today. I’d suggest there’s been an uptick in dollars spent in this particular area of our hobby. Probably stating the obvious, eh?
Anyway, probably not treading over new ground here … just my .02.

-MA

PipeMajor

My Feedback: (1)

[ul][*] It "should" end the inadvertant shoot-down[*] It "should" end the problem of having the wrong model selected (Spectrum model-match feature)[*] It eliminates having to route the 39" antenna externally[*] It "did" make all the existing 72MHz gear much less expensive[*] It will "likely" do to the 72MHz equipment what Compact Disks did to the vinyl LP market 20 years ago
[/ul]

opjose

Amen to that!

My thoughts and sentiments ( and costs ) exactly!

Stick 40

NO, you are not alone. many years ago a new flyer asked me for help, and handed me his tx. I did not even thing about the pin, I guess I thought he would get the pin!!! Turned it on and shoot down a plane. I paid for the plane , it was my fault..........
Ya, I'm going 2.4. I have the JR 9303 and three recievers already. I still plan to us me 72 band for awhile, before complete switch.
I guess I don't see the 2.4 as that expensive. when I started flying a good low end computer radio was around $250 and most had three, thats $750.
I got the jr for $650 with three RX's, didn't not think that was too bad.
But I need some new equip anyway.

rclement

My Feedback: (1)

I just read on a website here in WA. that the FCC is going to be requiring us to switch to 2.4 by Jan. of 2010. The article said something about that you could trade in one of your old 72 recievers and get two new 2.4 recievers. Anyone heard of that?

2slow2matter

My Feedback: (1)

Ha.
Eliminating our use of the 72 Mhz frequency, potentially. Man. giving us two for ones on trade ins? Not likely EVER.

-pkh-

My Feedback: (2)

Haven't heard of this, got a link (URL) to this website?

I've heard some speculation from other club members that the FCC may eliminate our use of 72MHz, but not from any official source. I've never heard of a possible "trade-in" program.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Do you have a link to that story???

If it is true I wouldn't surprised at all. I haven't said anything but I've been predicted that this was going to happen to the old 72 Mhz frequencies. While I haven't seen anything hard in writing from the FCC yet, it's to be expected for them to make this move. This goes along with the phase out of the old analog Television equipment. By January 2009 all broadcast TV in the US must be digital and on the new frequencies. As part of this move the FCC has sold, or is planning to sell off these frequencies. Last January the FCC had the largest frequency auction ever held in which they sold off some of the old UHF television frequencies. The frequencies sold are going to be used for long distance wireless internet access. After 2009 we can expect the rest of the television frequencies to be auctioned as well. What's bad for us is that the 72 Mhz we use sits right in that band of frequncies, so I imagine the FCC is going to force us out of them. And we won't have a leg to stand on if that happens because the FCC will just say that we already have something else that we can use with 2.4 Ghz out there.

So that's what Ken's crystal ball says. Let's wait and see how close it is to being what actually happens.

Ken

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Ok, I think I found the club newsletter he was referring to. If this is the correct one here is the story

Looks like this was just an April Fool's joke.

But, I still stick with my above prediction.

Ken

2slow2matter

My Feedback: (1)

8 tracks to cassettes, cassettes to CD's. VHS to DVD's, DVD's to blue ray. Analog TV to digital TV. Copper to fiber optic. Things change. I highly doubt that you guys who think you are going to sit on your cheap 72 Mhz systems for years and years and years are going to be able to do it. As Ken says, those frequencies are going to be auctioned off eventually. It's only a matter of time before they stop selling 72 Mhz radios. The Rx's will likely be sold for quite some time after that, unless it gets banned. If the frequency gets put to use for something else, you will be flying at your own risk, and out of compliance with federal law.
I'm not saying you should go buy a 2.4 now if you dont' want to. I'm just saying it's coming. Just like VHS tapes came to an end, and everyone said "I'm not buying DVD's, they're too expensive, and my VHS tapes look just fine." Guess what. Want a movie now 'adays? You're buying a DVD.
5 years from now (or less). Want a radio? You're buying a 2.4 Ghz.

However, I highly doubt anyone will be handing us rx's for our planes. That will be our problem to figure out. Sure, they are handing out vouchers for digital TV converters but that is different. People rely on TV for everything from entertainment to safety, so they have to do that so that the poorest of the poor won't get left out, not knowing when there is a tornado warning, or who won on American Idol last night, etc. (LOL)