Guitarman52

My Feedback: (2)

I am a novice flyer. I have been flying all summer with a Hobbico trainer. I go by myself occasionally now with little or no problems,,,,, broken prop once in a while. I bought an Ultra Stik 40 with a 55AX engine. I am using some parts from a wrecked trainer. servo's, battery, and the old radio. It is a Futaba T6EXAP. The battery is a 600 milliamp. My question is, will the radio I am using be good enough, or should I buy a computer 2.4 radio. If so, what would you recommend that won't break the bank, but one that will fly several other planes. Sorry for the stupid questions.

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

I assume you are talking about moving the reciever from the Hobbico Trainer to the Ultra-Stik. Since you didn't specifically mention which reciever you're using, I'm going out on a limb to say you should be fine. Read the manual on how to set things up. You said you're using the reciever from a wrecked trainer. If the reciever is either Futaba or Hitech, you should have no problems with the transmitter, but you'll need to make sure you purchase a reciever crystal to match the transmitter frequency. Since its coming from a wrecked trainer, inspect it very carefully for any signs of damage. If you have reason to suspect it, either send it to the manufacturer or just buy a new receiver.

Brad

flyfish28

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION"

#1. Never go out and fly by yourself in case you should get cut by a prop, etc! Sometime's I get to our field early and I'm the only one there. I set up my plane but wait for somebody else to show-up prior to firing my engine.

I just purchased a Futaba 2.4 6-channel which holds 6-planes for around $200. It came with one receiver. Additional receivers are about $100.00 each (Pricey). I will probably never need more than this 6-channel. I do need a couple of more receivers.

I believe you can purchase other brands of radio's somewhat more reasonable!

There is a world of imformation coming your way in the next day or two from some really smart & experienced people!

Please don't forget #1.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

You said that you are going to use a radio from a crashed (wrecked trainer). Salvaging parts from other aircraft is fine except that when you say "wrecked ", well, that covers a lot of area.

The battery pack, in my opinion, is ok, but I would opt for something slightly larger. I am pretty consistent with using 1200mah NiMh packs, but my packs are 6 volt (5 cell) because I use the DX7 system and prefer to have the higher voltage whick avoids any problems with RX re-boot due to low voltage. But, I would go higher (personal choice and not an absolute as I'm sure someone will point out) in capacity.

Regarding the receiver. Depending on the situation, if the aircraft it was in was indeed crashed, I would send it back in to the manufacturer for a quick look to make sure it is not problematic. If you read back in other posts, some RC'ers have used receivers from crashed aircraft and had no problems, yet others had serious problems, and as it turned out, there was a receiver problem (hairline crack or defective crystal, or some other issue) directly caused by the crash. It is far better to make sure that the receiver, especially the receiver, is ok before going any further with it in another aircraft.

As far as 2.4 GHz is concerned, well, I favor these fine radio systems, my personal preference is the Spektrum series (I own the DX7 myself and love it). There are others. Tower Hobbies, for instance, has the Airtronics RDS8000 on sale for I believe $229 with an extra receiver. And of course there is the Futaba FASST system, but I am neither familiar with it nor do I favor Futaba, being an Airtronics / Spektrum type, but I'm sure it's a fine radio system.

It all depends on what you want to do and if you want to get away from the 72 MHz systems.

But, do consider sending that receiver back for examination to make sure it is ok to use.

As far as servo's are concerned, well, only problem with using "used or involved in a crash" servos, well, they can and do chip teeth in the gearing. You may want to make sure they are ok to use before actually using them.

And, most servos are cross compatible with the most popular radio systems out there. I have a mix of Futaba/Airtronics-Z/Spektrum servos in my aircraft and they all work just fine.

CGr

jetmech05

fly fish is correct...you shouldn't fly alone...two kinds of flyers....those that have been hit by a prop and those that will be
Good Flyin to ya

goirish

I second what CGR says about "wrecked" If that means just tearing off the landing gear as compared to a crash where you take it home in a bag there is a difference in what you need to do before putting the old electronics in a new plane. The price of servos or RX is cheap compared to the cost of the plane. There is a old saying (because I am old) don't be penny wise and pound foolish.

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

Do NOT get the 2.4, you will regret it if you want more than 2 planes an rx is $100, go with 72mhz and you can get rx's for $35, My tx went whacko so I got the newest 2.4 for too much and regretted it, traded a friend a model he wanted for his tx and had to have the channel changed ...another $90!!......dont get it...Rog

hogflyer

Like Rog said, there is nothing wrong with flying 72 MHz and receivers are inexpensive for them. All my radio's I have or on 72 MHz (7 of them) except for my DX6 park flyer radio and receivers for that are only $50.00. But the limiting factor there is it’s a park flyer radio with a limited range. All my 72 MHz radios are full range.

I've been finding with many pilots shifting to the 2.4 radios the 72 MHz slots as opening up and I can basically fly as much as I want to with no real issues having to share a frequency. I've had to share on frequency only 3 times this year - once with my own radio and two times with a student's radio, and this is at a field with 187 registered flyers.

Depending on the severity of the crash, you may or may not need to send the receiver in for repair. A proper range test will be able to let you know a bit on how it’s working. But in the end it will be your decision on sending it in or not. Considering the price of 72 MHz receivers and crystals today you may just want to consider replacing it and the crystal if in doubt.

Hogflyer

HEMICUDA

Guitarman,

I have a Futaba 4EXA radio is a 4ch 72mhz computer radio with ni-cads and a 4 model memory.
Yours is the same except for 6ch. It should suffice until your skill grow and your hanger fleet.
I'll be getting a 6ch or 7ch 2.4ghz radio in the future but not right away.

Hemicuda