I'm not a beginner but I have a new flier who has just purchased an Avistar and a 46AX engine.
He also purchased a Futaba 6EX system. My question is what can be used as a buddy box with this transmitter?
Does it have to be another 2.4 transmitter?
Many thanks


Tom

See p. 33 of the manual for his transmitter. There's a list of the several Futaba transmitters that can be used as dummies, plus instructions.

just about any FUTABA radio will work, doesn't have to be 2.4, I've used a 4ch conquest and a 7ch 72mhz with mine without any problems, just need the correct trainer cord

LOOK at THE manual? Sometimes the simplest answers are right in front of you, Thanks


Tom

If you are going to buy one you can get it from Tower for $49

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...LXTFE1&P=7

Otherwise you can reference the list that was mentioned above.

Ken

A question for you. I have always use a 4 ch trainer for instructing but if I wanted to use one of my stunt planes to teach with and they all have at least 5 or 6 channels wouldn't I have to use a radio with that many channels?? I have never done this but this post got my thought process going. I usually always have two aileron servos and often have two elevator servos. Just wondering. I do have an extra 7 ch radio on hand and it would be nice to teach some advanced flying or let a student fly one of my planes just to see the difference of a trainer and something like an Extra. When I let someone fly one of my planes I get the shakes worse then the day I soloed.

if i may? yea, I have used my older FUTABA FP 7UAF with mine, get to use flaps and langing gear, and it is fun for a beginner to "see" the difference between a trainer and the next step

Hey, don't feel bad. I had mine hooked up to another radio and did a lot of wondering about why it didn't work before checking. That thing about having to turn on the trainer-cord function for each model came as a surprise. I always figured real men don't need no stinkin' instructions!

For Futaba radios the buddy box is actually just an extension of the sticks. So if you plug in the buddy box to a higher function radio the higher function radio does all the fancy talking to servos on the extra channels, and the buddy box is just moving the sticks.

Does that make sense??

Ken

Surprisingly yes. I guess I could have just gone out and plugged in and given it a try but my shop is in a state of having several things going on and it's just too hard to do anything out there. I have old students that have now been flying for years but won't fly one of my planes?? The planes are all just normal planes without anything fancy, they do have a loose nut on the sticks though. Most of them keep asking how a real pattern plane flys but when I try to hand off the TX they shake there heads and walk away. Fact, they are perhaps the easiest plane in the world to fly, just look scary. I think the buddy box on my planes will be the trick to get them into more advanced planes.

Hi guys, If I pick up the Futaba trainer box and use it withmy 6ex, who uses the trainer box me or the person i'm teaching? Does it matter? If my wife has her own 6ex can I use the trainer box so she can get used to her 6ex?

Thanks

The "teacher" holds the master radio because there is a button or switch labeled "trainer" that must be held down to enable the "student" to have control, therefore the student holds the trainer (buddy box).

Most "buddy boxes" also have this switch/button because most buddy boxes are just a normal radio minus the crystal, battery, and/or antenna

You can use one 6ex as the master and another 6ex as the trainer, you just don't turn on the one you will use as the "buddy box", and do not extend the antenna.

Thanks.

While the OP asks concerning a Futaba radio, this is an Off-Topic answer. OTOH some may read it and learn something that I have not seen addressed in some time.

A JR Buddy-box system (my older one-haven't used a newer one for training) powers up when used as a buddy box (BB). That meant having a charged battery in it and for certain the antenna in, or having the freq. pin for both the master and the slave BB.

TIP: if the JR BB you are using is showing power on when activated with the switch/button, for BB use only, one can configure the BB to accept, via a homemade connector a simple common square rectangle 9.0 volt battery. This is plenty for the BB to work and it lasts a long time. One can remove the antenna and/or remove the crystal and obtain good use.

I use an old Futaba 4-channel Tmttr for a BB with either Futaba or Hitec. If you are using a Hitec transmitter as the primary, then watch out for the BB to transmit. BTDT I suggest either remove the BB antenna or the crystal.

Using 72 MHz for training I like to have BB things dead so as to make the student pull out the antenna, then shove it back in before taxi out. It trains the newbie to do so if he is using other than 2.4.

Pretty soon no one will even know what an antenna is!!

Thanks a bunch guys. I have 3 or 4 old FM transmitters to try with the 6EX. If none of them work we'll get the one RCKen suggested.


Tom

PS: they are all Futaba transmitters and we are getting the micro to round cord.