Swanee53

I am newly returning to R/C airplane building and flying after going on hiatus back in the mid-90's and have four (4) complete Futaba AM radio / servo systems(3 installed in completed planes and 1 still in the box waiting on a plane to be completed). I have now found that 2.4Ghz equipment is the industry standard and wonder if there is any use for my old equipment. I realize I cannot use it on AMA sanctioned fields but wonder if I really need to change the old for the new just to fly at local parks / fields. Inquiring minds....

Scirocco14

Don't be too sure that you can't use it at an AMA field. I was told my older FM and AM stuff "was illegal" by some of the experts at my field. I looked it up and found that they were incorrect. As long as your batteries are OK, you should be fine with your equipment. There is nothing wrong with it.

From the Futaba website: http://www.futaba-rc.com/faq/service-faq.html

Please explain narrow band to me. How do I know if my transmitter is legal to use? Can I get it upgraded if it is not? Is my receiver safe to use?

Note: The information below applies to Futaba transmitters only.

The FCC requirements for the width of the signal output by RC radio equipment on 72 and 75 MHz was narrowed effective 3/1/91. MOST radios made before 1991 did not meet these new standards. MOST radios that did not meet the new standards could be 'narrowed' by authorized service centers from 3/1/91 to 3/1/98, thus making them legal to use. Canadian standards were changed effective 6/1/02 to comply with the same narrowband standards as the US.

How do I know if my transmitter is legal?

The easiest way to answer this is through a series of questions. If you answer YES to any of questions 1 through 6, you do not need to continue. Your radio is legal to use in the U.S. You may use a printout of this FAQ to show your club officials to avoid any confusion or concerns.

1. Is your TX on 27MHz? If so, it is legal, no matter what model or brand. ALL TXs on 27MHz are exempt from this rule. Note: Please check the actual frequency on YOUR transmitter. (For example: 72.590 is on the 72MHz band.) Many models of transmitter are produced on multiple bands, so just looking in your instructions to see what band it was produced on will probably not answer this question.
2. Is your TX either FM (PPM) or PCM or both? If so, it is legal, no matter what Futaba model it is. ALL Futaba FM and PCM transmitters met the standard.
3. If your TX is AM, does it have a label listing it as "Narrow Band", "1991" or similar? If so, it is legal because it either was legal at time of production or was upgraded to make it legal.
4. If your TX is AM, and it was manufactured on an odd numbered channel? Then it is definitely narrow band and legal. (Simply changing a crystal does not make the radio safe, narrow band, or legal.)
5. If your TX is AM, and it was manufactured on a channel below 38? Then it is definitely narrow band and legal.
6. If your radio is AM and is in the list below, it was narrow band and legal at time of production and is legal to use:
   • 2NBL
   • 2NCS
   • 2NBR
   • 2V
   • 2VR
   • 2CR
   • 2DR
   • 2PB
   • 2PBKA
   • 2PC
   • 2PCKA
   • 2PD-AM
   • 4NBL

[*]Is your TX on any of these frequencies: 72.080, 72.160, 72.320, 72.400, 72.960 or 75.640? If so, it is a very old 80 kHz unit and is not legal and cannot be made legal.[*]If your radio is AM and is not on the list in step 4 AND does not already have a gold sticker on it (see photo), we cannot narrow band it for you. Unfortunately, under FCC regulation, we are no longer able to narrow band these old transmitters or otherwise provide any parts, information or service for these radios as of 3/1/98.

For example, is your radio a 4NL, 6FN, 4L, 6FN, FG series AM, 2PKA, or a 5LK? These radios are not legal for use in the U.S. at this time and CANNOT be made narrow band.[/list]
Is my receiver safe to use?
You might assume that if your transmitter was narrow band at time of production, so is your receiver. This assumption seems logical, but is incorrect—all FM transmitters were built to narrow band standards from the beginning of Futaba FM transmitter generation; however, at that time there was no need or standard to narrow band the receivers, so many receivers were NOT narrow band. Wide band receivers are not illegal, but are potentially dangerous as they may pick up adjacent signals from pagers, cell phones, other channel transmitters, etc. Below is a list of narrow band receivers produced by Futaba up to 1/1/00. Any new receivers introduced in 1991 or later were all narrow band, so any new receiver not yet listed here is still legal for use:

My receiver is not listed. Does that mean it is wide band? Is it legal to use? Is it bad to use?
If your Futaba receiver is not listed and is not made after 1991, then it is not narrow band. Because it is wide band, while it is legal, it is far more likely to receive interference and so it is definitely preferable to replace it.

Swanee53

WOW, Mark ! That was quick and highly informative. Guess I need to dig out ALL of my equipment and drill down on each system. I know I have at least one that was pre-1991 but I'm not certain of the rest.

I was talking to my local hobby shop in Overland Park, KS, and was informed I could easily retrofit my planes with a 2.4Ghz system "binding" one transmitterwith up to 10 planes (receivers). Based on the age of my equipment and the resonable cost ofnew radio at $70~$100 and $50 per receiver, would I be best served converting all my planes to 2.4Ghz ?

Regards....
Steve Swanson
Overland Park, KS

Scirocco14

I'm no expert Steve, but if you got fresh batteries for your Tx and Rx's that you have, you'd be fine. One advantage of the newer 2.4gHz technology is that there are fewer people on the old 72 Mhz channels. Many guys still fly the 72 mhz systems and are happy.

Iswitched to 2.4 ghz because I have multiple planes and only need to bring one Tx with me. Also, the newer programmable radios make life a lot easier to setup the planes, trim them, etc.

Just depends on your $$$ situation and what you want to do. My point is that you don't have to switch unless you want to (assuming your radios are narrow banded Futabas).

Mark

Swanee53

Excellent input, Mark ! Thanks again !

Regards....Steve

jetmech05

the older systems worked fine...and still do.....however with 2.4 there is no freq board and another flyer can't shoot you down.......
just like your car radio AM is more likely to get interference than FM...and 2.4 is less likely than FM due to spread spectrum......
I switched to 2.4 almost 2 years ago and I am glad I did........and if you've never had a computer radio wait till you see what you can do with that
Welcome back

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

What exactly are the transmitter models you have? If you were told that converting to 2.4 was possible then that may or may not be true.

The first consideration only a module type Tx and then in the case of Futaba some module type models cannot be readily converted. In addition PCM only types cannot use a 2.4 module either.

More often or not you would be best served by starting over with a modern 2.4 capable computer system. Entry level units are quite inexpensive now. These situations often occur with returnees and spending money on batterys and such may well be a waste of money even if your systems are still legal.

John

SCOTT42

My Feedback: (1)

I would say why chance it? you can upgrade to modern equipment for around 300$ or less maby, plus what happens if you decide you one day need a new reciever? Whats going to be easyer to get? A new modern one or the older AM reciever?

kenh3497

All of your older servos should still work with the "new" equipment. While not as fast, accurate or strong as the new stuff, all or most of the old servos are still very viable to use in the same size plane you had been flying.

I converted my old JR X-347 to 2.4 and am happy with it. Using "old" servos has worked out fine for me.

Ken


Might want to look in the classifieds for a used TX & RX

cutaway

If the stuff was bought new some time after 1991, its still legal today. 1991 was the wide/narrow band cutover year.

jester_s1

I agree on getting new stuff. The computer features make a new system worthwhile regardless of the radio technology it uses. From the programming screen, you can fine tune end points and travel, set exponential (makes the center of the travel less sensitive), save trim settings, and have dual rates. 2.4ghz radios also have a slightly quicker response time so you feel more connected to your airplane, or at least I felt like I could tell a difference.

Swanee53

Thanks to all for your valuable input.

Since all of my planes were self-built from balsa kits I'm of the mind I will re-enter the hobby with a foam trainer RTF kit. I found eFlight's "Apprentice 15e RTF with DX5e Radio" at an exceptional price of $169.99 on-line through RC Planes Warehouse, www.rcpplaneswarehouse.com. At that price, I can afford a sturdy 4-channel trainer,which includes new 2.4 Ghz electronics, andalso retrofit receivers for my balsa planes ($50 - $60 per plane) once I'm confortable again with my flying skills.

I'm not a fan of buying on-line in place of my local hobby shop,Hobby Haven,but Ican't turn my back on the $130 savings for this one kit.Hobby Havenwill certainly receive the lions share of my business for any and all ancillary parts needed for my hobby experiance going forward.

Thanks, again ! This is a great forum.

Regards....Steve
Overland Park, KS

Swanee53

Oops....the web address was mistyped for RC Planes Warehouse. It should be www.rcplaneswarehouse.com.

....Steve

nellschmertz

Anyone knows more details about jammer kits? The rf detector audio jammer, Gps jammer and common cell phone jammer . happy to share more sources with you.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Use the search engine and do a check on the company before you buy from them, there are a lot of problems with some on line places. Read what others have to say about them first!! Lack of customer support is the main problem with most but a lot of places are scams. Check first.