Falco5

Wowee..that is some great KRAFT gear you have there...Quite bit later than my old Sport 5.

Cheers Bill (Falco)

SGibson

My Feedback: (2)

Here is a picture of my Kraft radios. I am missing a Kraft Series Seventy-Four. Anybody have one for sale?

I also collect Citizen-Ship radios and other brands. I'll try to post pictures of those as well. Anybody have any old reed Citizen-Ships? I am also looking for a brand sold in the 1970's called 'Specialist".

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

I've never seen a Milcott "Specialist", barely remember seeing the ads.

Do you have the airborne units to go with the transmitters?

Any pre-vinyl Krafts in there?

SGibson

My Feedback: (2)

HighPlains,
I believe we have corresponded before. Are you the pilot who is flying old galloping ghost and other old radio systems in new aircraft?
I have a couple of complete Citizen-Ship single channel systems but have no idea if they work. I wouldn't have the slightest idea of how to test the transmitter, receiver or how to hook things up. I would consider sending you a couple of the units to test to see if they are in working order.
I don't have any pre-vinyl Kraft transmitters but would like to acquire one in decent shape. Do you have any radios you are interested in trading for some other radio? I would also like to acquire a four or six channel Controlaire transmitter with the silver case in good shape as well.
I also have a couple of complete four and five channel proportional Citizen-Ship sets as well.

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

No, I've never had a GG set. Would like to try one someday. They did alot with one motor and an interesting mechanical decoder scheme.

I do have a 6 channel Citizen-Ship reed set that I hope to get functional this winter and fly next year. That should test the limits of my coordination.

My interest has been the early digital systems of the 60's. So far I have examples of Kraft, PCS, F&M, EK, and Cannon. My goal is to restore them all to working order, and get the cosmetics cleaned up as well. Fortunately in this era, most used transistors and very few integrated circuits ('69 Orbit and late Bonner). Just finding red PS-2 servo cases for the EK took several years. But I'm in no particular hurry, it's just a hobby.

I've even got a 5 channel CG transmitter from around 1956 like the one Howard Bonner used to fly his National's winning Smog Hog. It had a "stick" to select which primary control to send, and a button to push for motor control (your choice high or low).

Tubes for it are still available, but 67 1/2 Volt "B" batteries haven't been made in decades. Maybe someone out there has an Al Diem MiniPak converter (model 14, 6V input 140V output). Still looking for the CG 5 channel reed receiver, I've got the Bonner servos, and escapement. I even have a Veco Smog Hog kit, Veco wheels, and Veco tank for the full effect of RC of 50 years ago.

Worse than this, I have an RC model that was built in the late 40's that needs to be restored. Eight feet of gently warping silk covered wing and a fuselage that had switch positions to turn on the radio and to turn on the ignition for the engine. A yellow Super Buccaneer that had a rudder to guide it around with a tail mounted escapement.

How far we have progressed!

RB51

My Feedback: (3)

I haven't heard anyone mention the Kraft Signature series radios or the Z Series (1974-75). What years were the Signature radios produced? I have a friend (who no longer flys) with a 1975 (?) Signature 2 - stick on mode 1. Any idea of the transmitter's value?

rcacro

I did see some "B" batteries at the local Batteries+Batteries store within the last year. It surprised me that they were still available. Don't remember what sizes they had in stock but whatever they were they were very expensive. Using the DC to DC convertor is a much better source of the HV for the old transmitter.

John Wis
Scottsdale, Az

HUNTERANDJEFF

[img][/img][img][/img]Here is my kraft radio. I started RC when I was 13 years old. I bought this radio in 1983 for $178.00 new. I learned to fly a Sig Kavelier with it. I put the radio in the closet with the servos battery pack and reciever in 1989. I pulled them out this spring and decided to see if they worked. I put them on the charger and to my amazement, THEY WORKED. I have not put this equipment in any expensive planes - mostly giders but those batteries still work. I think that they are sanyos. they cannot be replaced easily because the whole system is hard wired in the transmitter. The plug inserts in the reciever do not fit futaba and most of the kraft servos have broken mounting tabs on them.

Jeff

SGibson

My Feedback: (2)

Hunter,
I wouldn't try to charge those ancient batteries again. Who knows what might happen. Certainly don't try to fly it wthout new batteries. Cut the wires and splice in a new battery in the transmitter.

HUNTERANDJEFF

What do I do? Do I take the old batteries out and put the new cells in or do I just put the new battery pack on the back somehow?
Also, how can I get some servos that will work for my old combination RX/TX. they have square plugs that fit perfectly in each slot in the reciever. My old ones took a lot of abuse when I was learning to fly back in the eighties. Also, Is my old kraft radio still legal? it is 72.870 and it is amazing - I have less servo chatter with that radio than my new 7cap futaba!!!! If you need more pictures I can create and send them.

Jeff (hunter is my son)

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

Yes, you can take out the old batteries and make new packs that fit in the same location.

Servo chatter or buzzing? In a word, DEADBAND. The newer servos have a pretty tight deadband for higher resolution. So they do make more noise and eat the batteries quicker. Even the cheapest servo from the name manufacturers is better than anything from 25 years ago. And the good servos today are amazing.

HUNTERANDJEFF

I will have to agree with you on that - even though I don't know much about electronics ( how they work) I just use them and read a lot about the new stuff coming out ( I do understand some of that). I did notice that my new radio futaba 7cap reciever and servos do not last as long on a charge than the older ones did (kraft). I generally use the hitec servos on some things and up to fut 3151 digital on the more important control surfaces. Is there any way that I can use these servos with my old kraft reciever? What does DEADBAND mean anyway?

Jeff

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

Deadband refers to how big an error the servo has to see before it attempts to correct the error in it's amplifier. Think of a set of gears that don't completely mesh, one gear can move relative to the other without the second gear moving until the backlash is taken up.

HUNTERANDJEFF

Thanks, that was informative. So what about the other questions that I asked? HA HA
Jeff

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

I missed the second question.

The method of sending position information to the servos has been pretty much unchanged since Doug Spreng conceived the concept back in the early 60's. All the information to the servo is represented by the width of two pulses, one from the transmitter for each control channel, the other from the internal pulse generator controlled by the feedback pot. In general, these pulses vary from 1 mS to 2 mS (1/1000 to 2/1000) with neutral at 1.5 mS. A few radios have a very slight variation to this (Futaba uses slightly shorter), but all the servo tend to interchange.

There is some difficulty using modern servos with really old receivers, mostly due to signal levels used before integrated circuits were widely employed, but since around 1972 or so, nearly every system started using them. Almost any system with three wires should work. So if you can find the right connectors for your receiver you can use almost any servo. I do know that Futaba does not recommend some of their servos for use with AM radios. I'm not sure if it's due to noise being conducted back to the receiver or another of their many dumb marketing schemes (high/low bands in their receivers).

HUNTERANDJEFF

[img][/img]Well that is eally cool. My old system is I believe FM so if I can get plugs then it will work. I think it was made in 1983. that is when I bought it. Were can I get new plugs for new servos and/or where can I get new/used servos for this? Two of my servos in the kit had reverse stickers on the side of thier cases and two did not. This was convenient at the time for installation. I hate to see a radio go to waste just sitting on a shelf. Of course I wouldn't use it on any expensive planes or at our club. I don't want to take the risk there. I can use it for slope soaring because if I can remember right, this radio had incredible range.[img][/img] Hey, if push comes to shove, I'll just put this on the shelf and start collecting vintage R/C stuff like you - I like collecting STUFF !!!!!!

thanks, Jeff

CESSNA 421

My Feedback: (17)

I still have two of my original seven signature series radios I bought new. The five I sold within the past 2 years went for between $685.00 for the 2 stick versions and $1900.00 for the single stick version. These radios all went overseas and were sold on Ebay.

Mike

smallrc

jaymen,

Identical to the one that I fly on a regular basis!

dionkadet

Hello,

I am intrigued by the white tx with the square antenna that doubles as a carrying handle (I believe). I remember seeing the ads for this RC Manufacturing radio in RCM in 72 to 74. I also saw flight pack pictures of it in RCM original Flight Training Course. Otherwise never heard or read anything about this company. Was this radio any good and who made that and for how many years?

oneblindwolf

My Feedback: (1)

!st am new to this rc universee secound is that i have a old kraft 74 series single stick radio of which had narrow banded so can use. What need to know were can i get a new antana for this radio the scrw on piece at top needs replace seems to have follownign off of antan the radio use to belong to my dad now am hooked on single stick radio and like to get this antana thing fix [email protected] is my email PLEASE put in subject if you bother to reply OLD kraft radio antan then will know as who it come from that is the email.

aerowoof

try radio south they should be able to help

brianl1620

I was getting ready too buy a kraft 80 series 7 ch. the problem is it is on 75.640 MHz. I was wanting to convert it too FM. Can this be done? Also what has too be replaced, or even better would be the new 2.4 ghz. If there is a tread on how too do it? Thanks

TFF

There is a thread on 2.4 but it might be mixed in with another brand. I think the big thing is the module gets the full radio voltage and needs to be dropped and the signal needs reversing. Kraft sold FM as all mine have FM modules and receivers and continued with KMI. They pop up on ebay and here all the time.

brianl1620

So even though this radio is on 75 MHz 75.640 too be exact, I can just put in an FM module in on say 72 MHz and don't have have too replace anything else?

brianl1620

The module is the plug that plugs in on the top of the TX, in front of the antenna right, or is that the crystal?