<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%">FREQUENCY CONTROL &ndash; </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%">With the rise of the use of 2.4 GHz radios we don&rsquo;t talk about frequency control as much as we used to.And, with many new pilots buying 2.4 GHz radios they may never need to worry about this.Today&rsquo;s 2.4 GHz radios handle frequency control automatically.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%">However there is a LOT of used 72 MHz equipment out there. New pilots may be buying 72 MHz radio systems and, having never heard about frequency control, could become a danger to themselves or others.BTW, this also applies to 27 MHz and 49 MHz radio systems which are sometimes packaged with low end RTF models.They have shorter ranges but are still subject to the need for frequency control.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%">On 72, 27 and 49 MHz, if two radios are on the same channel at the same time, they will interfere with each other. Any planes within range will immediately go out of control and likely crash.This can also create a dangerous situation on the ground. If your electric of glow plane is running, using one of these frequencies and someone else turns on using the same channel that aircraft can go out of control.A motor that was not running could start, or a glow motor that was idling could suddenly speed up. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%">How wide an area is impacted? Interference can easily span a mile or more. For this reason the AMA will not charter two clubs within 3 miles of each other unless they have worked out some kind of frequency control process between them.That is air miles not road miles.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%">What makes this even trickier is that you could believe you are clear, have no interference, get into the air and suddenly lose control of your plane. Why?Because as you go into the air the plane has a better view of the OTHER radio.Or you may have flown toward that other, unknown radio, flying into their interference zone.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%">So, if you are a new pilot, you will be much safer on 2.4 GHz and you won't be causing other people to crash. Otherwise you are at risk for problems with other pilots in the area; pilots that you did not even know existed.And they can shoot you down too.</span></div>

Interesting that there have been no posts here.  On other forums this has gotten quite a few responses.