I'm a newbie and ready to purchase my first plane, radio and engine. I've purchased the simulator Real Flights G4 and have been practicing with a Sig Kadet LT40 on the simulator. I've joined the AMA and plan to join a local club this week.

I'm pretty certain I'll purchase the Sig Kadet LT40, Futaba 7C 2.4 Ghz radio and OS Max 46 AX motor.

My question is this. The local club has training nights once a week. If I want to use a buddy cable with my Futaba radio does it matter if the club has JR radios? Are there buddy cables that will work between Futaba and JR?

Thanks in advance for any response and any other tips in starting out.

go see the answer in rc groups

Too bad you didn't live closer to Mt. Morris. I have an LT-40 with JR radio, and a Buddy box.

cappaj1,

it looks like you have been doing your homework, and the approach you are taking to learning to fly will help you become an accomplished pilot and your planes should have long healthy lives. I would ask the club you are joining, they will be able to tell you what they have available.

The hardest part of this hobby is explaining the smile.

Enjoy
Rob

The 'dummy radio' that comes with the simulator you are buying will hook up to your Futaba radio. You can use your sim radio as the dummy, your instructor will use your Futaba radio, so you have everything you need, plus you will already be comfortable with the buddy box since it's yours

I used my Futaba radio for my sim (actually I think you can do that too, I think...) and when I used the box that my club had, it felt totally different to me. It will be nice to train on something you are a bit familiar with.

Are you sure the Real Flight Interlink Elite Controller by Futaba which came with my copy of Real Flight G4 will work as a dummy box? How would the instructor take control using the 7C? There isn't a button on it to transfer control that I know of. And the instructions mention nothing about using it as a trainer box in the field, only hooking up the 7C to fly the sim. Thanks in advance.

Hmm, let me check on that. I was sure I read that somewhere. What would happen is that you plug a cable, square on both ends, into the back of the realflight box and into the back of your Futaba radio. Instructor holds Futaba radio, gets your plane in the air, then hits a switch on the Futaba radio which gives control to your box. When you make a mistake, he lets go of the switch on the Futaba and it regains control.

I apologize, I was mistaken. That controller cannot be used as a buddy box. I read this and misunderstood:

"The connectors on the InterLink Elite cord and included adapters make the InterLink Elite compatible with the trainer jack on most Futaba® and all JR®, Spektrum™ and Tower Hobbies® systems."

There is a forum where this question was asked (about using it as a buddy box) and the answer was no.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_76...tm.htm#7634901

Again, my apologies.

The "radio" that comes with the Real Flight simulator CAN NOT be used as a buddy box with any radio. It is for use with the Real Flight simulator only.

If intereseted, here is the answer to this question directly from the Hobbico rep here on RCU:

[link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7641581[/link]

As far as I know there is no trainer cord that will allow a Futaba master radio use a JR as a buddy box. There is a cord available that will all the JR to be the master radio and a Futaba as the slave radio, but it only works in that configuration. You might want to call around to local hobby shops and see if any rent buddy boxes. The shops around here will do that. Or see if you can find somebody with a Futaba box they will let you use for training.

Ken

That's okay, thanks anyway. I appreciate the offer to help and the link which led me to the correct trainer box. I hope the club I'm joining already has one so I don't have to purchase it for $50 plus the cable.

So the best thing to do is contact the club you will be joining, ask if they have buddy boxes, and what brands they have.

Futaba is so common, they just might have a Futaba box around.

Most clubs will already have the buddy boxes you may need. In fact, if there are instructors there that do a lot of instructing they will probably have them as well. I know that I do, I have a buddy box setup for all the major brands of radios out there.

Get in touch with the club first and see what they have available.

Ken

cappaj1, how do like the answers so far? It's best to wait till this evening for good answers, that's when the pros come on.

Ah! you're in luck RCKen is online.[sm=thumbs_up.gif]

Even any other Futaba radio will work, as long as it has a cable port on the back - doesn't have to be a 'buddy box'.

Apparently our assistance is no longer needed, RCKen has the only valid responses. I guess the way he said "Get in touch with the club first and see what they have available." was more professional than my way earlier "I would ask the club you are joining, they will be able to tell you what they have available. "

Really slick how I got responses and help so quickly. Thanks to all of you. I will ask at the club tommorow which is training day which training boxes they use.

Right. And I made one mistake, acknowledged it, and gave similar advice about asking your club. Also added that any Futaba radio will work as a buddy box. My tag doesn't say "moderator" so this must be useless information then, right?

What a rude comment.

Actually Hypersrint your post was very nice till the end. Poster had specified his club uses JR, and wanted to know if Futaba would work with it.

gaRCfield, what would make you think the box from a simulator would work as buddy box, might as well bring keyboard and mouse.

P.S. I had posted before I saw RCKen had commented.

maybe the square trainer cord output on the rear of the controller, and the manufacturer's web page stating that the controller is 'compatible with the trainer jack' on a futaba radio. Is that really that far off base? I don't think so.

Also I read the part about the club having JR radios as a hypothetical question, in Hypersprint's defense.

I have the 6EX 2.4, not the 7C that you have but I think the connectors are the same, square one on the 7C and then whatever the buddy box has (I have used buddy boxes that were round connectors and some with square connectors), just have to have the proper trainer cord. One thing to note, as the instructors passes control to the student (buddy box) there is a noticeable delay between the time he turns control over to the student (about half a second or so) but; fortunately, when the instructors takes over from the student, the transfer is essentially instantaneous.

Is the 6EX 2.4 GHz and is it Futaba? I don't have the 7c yet and would be interested in saving some money if it's cheaper.

The Futaba I'm looking at has the digital servos with it and is about $350. I'm sure I don't need the better servos but figure I'd spend the extra 20-30 bucks to get the best ones they have

The 6EX is Futaba, available from Tower in a 2.4ghz model. $260 w/ 4 servos. This is the link to the AIRPLANE model. The one that is $10 less is for Helis.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXSFY3&P=0

I have the 6EX (FM). Nice radio.

For sale?

No, not for sale, I still use it to train with. Along with a couple of Alpha 40's. I just can't part with any of them. The expiration date on all of them are unknown, so I like to keep back ups..

I like the suggestion to buy your own buddy box and cable for the trainer and checked and found below on ebay (I'm buying a Futaba radio).

http://cgi.ebay.com/Futaba-4YF-Buddy...2em118Q2el1247

Is this a good deal?