willits18

My Feedback: (25)

I am at a point where I can finally concentrate on building and flying once again. The last field permit I have is from 2015. My radios are all FM-Airtronics, JRs, and a few Futabas. They were working well 10 years ago, but have not been tested or used much since then. When I was last at the field, 6-7 years ago most of the radios were the 2.4Ghz. I think that some still use the old FMs. I now that Airtronics are out of business. Is there anywhere to get these checked out?

Zeeb

My Feedback: (41)

After having paid for radio service a time or two, may I suggest it'd be a whole bunch cheaper to just buy new 2.4GHz stuff than to have all those old radios "checked out"?

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

+1

Do yourself a favor and get a modern radio

cheapsub

Deleted

mongo

My Feedback: (15)

try radio south,
but get an estimate on the cost per radio to check them ouit and re tune and re battery each radio.

probably be a better deal to invest in a new radio or 2 instead.

init4fun

While I keep a dozen or so of my old favorites around for nostalgia, I only fly with modern up to date radio equipment. At some point it's gotta be more about what's best for safety than about nostalgia.

willits18

My Feedback: (25)

All of my radios are FM 72Mgz Gold stickered from the late 1990s. None of mine are computer radios or multi plane radios. I have to change the receiver for each different plane or just change the radio. I thought they would be safe to use. It has probably been 10 years since I used them a lot. I have been keeping the batteries fresh and cycled. That is a neat collection though.

tedsander

Call Radio South for the cost to do an equipment check. That will be the deciding factor. Components age and tuning drifts, but likely everything will just need a bit of tweaking. If the batteries are fresh, as replaced not too long ago (a couple of years), and they cycle at full capacity, that is one less worry. Compatible servos are still around. Getting additional receivers will be the tough part, if/when you get to that point. Even new-in-box should be sent in to be checked, again just due to aging. The good news is that it is still all "legal", and with virtually no one else using 72 you won't have to worry about sharing frequencies, causing third order interference, or all the stuff we had to worry about back then.
Many of the new radios have tons of features that we never even dreamed of back in the heyday of 72. But if you're comfortable with what you have....

Zeeb

My Feedback: (41)

You have to pay the shipping both ways to and from Tony at Radio South. He works full time for AMA now and only messes with radios after hours so it takes a long time to get anything done. There are NO parts for these antiques and the two way shipping alone will cost more than any of them are worth let alone the service charge from Tony to even open the box.

GET REAL you guys!!!!

init4fun

Reading back in this thread's posts I see pretty much everyone got real in their answers to Tracy, old radios are cool display pieces but modern radios are the safer bet for keeping the plane intact

cyclops2

Scrapped out most of my 9 old FM sets. those capacitators DO / DID dry out & cause unreliable operation. Green corrosion in a damp year ? Yes when opened up & PC boards were checked.

RIP

willits18

My Feedback: (25)

Looks like I will have some time to figure this out. I went by the field yesterday afternoon and it is gone. Most of it is a corn field and the other part has semi trailers parked on it. I tried to email some of the guys but haven't heard back yet. There are plenty of other fields nearby, but I liked this one because it was 10 minutes from my house and everyone is so helpful and congenial. Hopefully I will hear back from some of the guys to see if they moved the field or just disbanded. In the meantime I can get my planes ready and decide what to do about radios. I looked at some new sets on Horizon hobby and noticed they only sell the Tx and Rx as sets now. When I bought my Airtronics back in the day everything was included-Tx, Rx, servos, charger and many accessories. How things have changed!

init4fun

But here's the really great thing, while a lot has changed regarding the TX/RX, the servos you have from the late 1990's will plug right into the modern 2.4 GHZ RX and operate just as they did when connected to your old 72 MHZ equipment. So , beyond getting up to speed on the LIFE receiver batteries we discussed earlier, all you will need will be a new TX/RX setup, and you'll be good to go

Oh, and, sorry to hear about your former field's demise, and hopefully you find someplace else suitable .....

willits18

My Feedback: (25)

That is probably why they don't sell the sets anymore. I didn't know that. I have a small fortune in servos, extensions, and y harnesses. I also have a bunch of Hitec ends and plugs to adapt my old Airtronics to Hitec/JR .

willits18

My Feedback: (25)

Do the new 2.4 Ghz TXs still take the battery packs or are they individual now. I was looking on Radical RC and they make LiFE battery packs for the RXs, but I didn't see a listing for the TXs.

J330

My Feedback: (3)

I know I'm alone I my opinion but I do not fly 2.4 Ghz or have a modern radio. I have flown for the last 18 years with Futaba, Airtronics, Hitec, and JR equipment, and never bought a new radio for my personal use. I do not belong to a club or threw a penny away on AMA. I have the privilege to fly in a 1000 acre field in FL any time I want and do with a dozen other guys in the area. Most also fly lipo-foam-electric motor 3-6 minute pilots with 2.4 Ghz. I fly with a 9C radio mostly, .40 size glow powered built up kits and ARFs. The 9C has a dial a crash module and dozens of second hand receivers I've paid very little for, I think all of it was $100. Jerry Pooler is from NE, he also sold me a few 9C radios and a 12ZA radio as well, just in case. I have a TM-7 module that sits in a closet now for 3 years, never took it out of the package.
What I witness is people having brown outs or at least can define what that is, so it happens. They invest in lipo batteries and lipo chargers and regulators. I still use NIMH batteries because they haven't died yet. My Nicads have.
I just bought 4 lipo batteries and 4 regulators for them at $87 from Amazon.




Works good. I have a lipo battery in my transmitter too, 11.1v 3 cell pack. 9C radio takes the overvoltage well now for years without issue. I've yet to ever have a "radio checked out" in the last 18 years, a 100 foot range test with antenna down has been my test to go ahead, why not just stick with that rule if if you encounter a problem, then seek technical help or punt to a used radio? Imagine all the years how much money I've saved not keeping up with the Joneses? I hear all the slime jokes about the awful clean up chores and tuning I must contend with, but I'm the guy that flies in a breeze when they sit out quietly and watch, I'm the guy who has 10-15 minute flight times, and 20 minutes with my four strokes. If I can clean a frying pan, trash can, and a toilet around the house, I certainly can handle 409 spray and paper towel wipe up jobs at the field too.
Get fresh batteries, trust a lousy 7 year hiatus is nothing for electronics, and go enjoy your hobby, and ignore all the nay sayers. Should you encounter a field that won't allow 72Mhz, then you're forced into a Chinese radio for $100.
Futaba today is WAY overpriced in every way, and the programming isn't what it was, the feel is cheap as a free radio that comes with a quad too. I often buy out garage loads of hobby items at once when people in FL give it up due to health issues or die. I dump out the batteries, install new ones, and go fly their stuff like it's just another day. Less building time, more air time. After I sell off a dozen NIB engines and kits they never got too, all the ready to fly stuff is free if not putting me ahead for a few cases of glow fuel each time I locate one of these gold mines.
That's my opinion. Other people shared theirs. But in practice, I've encountered fewer problems, as in zero problems, and saved a ton of money in the process. Should you abandon your radios, PM me, I'll take them off your hands, send you videos of me using them for the next two years with a smile on my face. Whatever you bought to replace it, will be obsolete and everyone will tell you to get the newer latest and greatest must have radio with MP3 player, 48 channels, GPS, tests stool samples...I just mix, expo, fly and trim the last 18 years, never needed to do anything else. I can't remember when I last crashed either, but I still giggle like a boy when I watch others do it.

mongo

My Feedback: (15)

for most part, a simple voltage regulator set at 4.8-5 volts will make the 2 or more cell life/lipo batteries ok to use with your older RX systems. for the TX systems a 3 or more life/lipo pack and a regulator set at 9.6-10 volt will work.

all your stock of servos will be ok at 5 v.
and if you get new radio/rx, you can still use the servos you have, as long as the RX does not operate in HS(high speed) mode. that option will burn up the electronics in the servos.

you can get good quality newer 2.4 stuff in the classified sections here, at rcg, and flying giants, and a few other forums. generally at good pricing, when and if you want to.

Zeeb

My Feedback: (41)

PLEASE, eliminate the term "y harness" from your vocabulary..... Most new 2.4GHz systems have more than enough channels to eliminate the need for "y harnesses". More to the point; most Spektrum systems tell you NOT to use Y-harnesses, especially amplified splitting harnesses.

cyclops2

Why does Spectrum NOT want anyone to use a Y cable ? For 40 years all companies have had no problems.

J330

My Feedback: (3)

JR says a lot of things, don't use Y harnesses, don't use lipo batteries, and Futaba, Hitec, and others do not make such claims because they do not suffer brown outs and sudden death like JR is. That's one more reason to stay with your older gear.
No reason to abandon all of your solid radio gear. Reminds me of a guy that bought a new car to save gas, but the gas savings were more than offset by big insurance premiums, a big car payment when the former was paid off, with more expensive tires, synthetic oil changes, etc., and as it turns out, lots of recalls and trips to the dealer to argue electrical issues so many cars suffer today but do not have a recall, so you're fighting who pays what. But he's saving gas and looks sharp in a new car!
Anything made today, doesn't have the quality of older gear, doesn't feel as solid as older gear either. They feel like they should be $50 tops, and that's really all they are worth. They're going to be sold at a fraction in price 4 years from now. My 12ZA was just $200. I saw a JR9303 sell for $85 shipped last night on RCG with a receiver. I picked up a 2.4 Futaba 7C with two 617 receivers for $90 shipped last night as well. People pay that for just the receivers alone and come up short. Used 12FGA for little money now. https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...-Futaba-T12FGA Why throw away money on the latest and greatest to fly fixed wing RC? I'll take today's 2021 radios in 4 years and experience the technology at the right price at that time, if I need to get into 2.4 and stop using my 9C dial a crash module any time soon.
Nah, stick with used gear. Focus on your flying and making sure your planes are in good flying order instead of putting away Y harnesses. Besides, with FAA hanging rules over our heads more and more, why make a big investments if things become short term for all of us, or transponders and sanctioned fields kill the hobby more than it already is? Being modest in your spending right now isn't bad advice for anyone right now. See what happens in 2-3 years.

Don't forget to put numbers on your aircraft.

Dick T.

My Feedback: (243)

I second what J330 wrote in both his posts. If your existing gear checks out fine then use it for now. Easy to update batteries with regulators if you choose too.

My radio fleet consists of both modern 2.4 (Futaba 12FGA, 18MZ WC, 16IZ and Spektrum NX10). The 12FGA is both 2.4 and 72mhz capable. For 72mhz I have Futaba 9ZAP, 9CHP and premium 30 year old Futaba 8SAP and several 8SSAP (Single Stick) that are used regularly. The 72 gear has been checked out several times and given clean bills of health by Tony at Radio South, and believe me he is thorough in his service.

Take your time getting back into the hobby so you can make informed choices in future radio purchases. There are both good systems and bad out there so research and spend wisely.

Txmustangflyer

ok..I gotta ask..what in the world did the Kraft tone control?

To the op.

I too, recently came back to the hobby after an 8 year hiatus. Much has changed in terms of radios and recievers. I'm still working on my first aircraft since coming back. With shipping delays I'm still waiting on the plane itself.
So, I've had time to do a lot of research, especially when it comes to what's going to be controlling my close to 5000 dollar investment. When it came to choosing a transmitter and reciever set up for it, that's how I had to look at it.
All manufacturers have come out with "computer" radios, touch screens, etc.
Spectrum has one based on Android.
futaba has a line based on their own proprietary.
Frsky has come out with Ethos software and a new line of transmitters and recievers.
I'm not trying to start a which brand is better argument here, by any means and before I continue I will say this. Software bugs are software bugs, they'll be resolved. Eventually, the brands currently suffering from software and protocol bugs will get them resolved via updates..but it's going to take time.
Now, back to things I've read. It's very true that some of these things could be external interference, user error, binding issues and so on but the number of issues that have been posted about the new transmitters from both Futaba and Spektrum raised some concern for me.
I live near a major metropolitan area. In the off chance that the issues of losing bind to a plane were caused by interference, I went with the brand that had the least amount of posts in multiple forums.
It does not make it fool proof, as there has been an issue with an 8 channel reciever and the transmitter I chose. That was avoidable by not using that reciever.
I went with a Frsky X20 tandem and purchased an Archer SR 10 pro reciever for current build. The transmitter also came with an Archer R10 pro. The "issue" reciever seemed to be the Archer R8 pro, when used with a redundant reciever known as the M+. "I chose an Archer RS as redundant to make sure the Archer/m+ issue didn't crop up) but the issue wasn't a loss of control issue. It just seemed to be a lot if discussion over the M+ taking the bulk of the packets from the transmitter. The R8 seemed to give up on 2.4 ghz and just listen to the M+.
In reality, the x20 transmits the same packet of information on both frequencies, the master reciever samples that frequency strength so many times every few milliseconds and decides through a simple algorithm which came in stronger and uses the packet from that frequency. So your plane, if in an orientation where the primary receiver's 2.4 ghz antenna is not getting a clear signal from your transmitter, the idea is, that the redundant reciever should...the primary then uses the data from the redundant until 2.4 ghz comes back in clear. If that makes sense. It still kinda loses me too. I gave up trying to understand the ins and outs of it and decided that as long as it works, I'm good lol.

Now, with Ethos Frsky has kind of pulled back control from the open source crowd, but have incorporated a lot of what had been done with the open source stuff prior. The interface used is extremely user friendly. It basically walks you through the basic setup for a model. From there, it's simple icons like your phone. Mixes, servo travel and center, outputs, expo, weight. All easy to find and setup and tune.

It's way better than the old Futaba I had before my hiatus by a long shot. My head still has dents from the wall on that one.
Add in a huge amount of info already available in how to's etc. I purchased mine from Aloft Hobbies, they not only sell them but use them and know Ethos quite well. If I get stuck, a post to their forum is rapidly responded to.
All three systems have the ability now for redundant recievers built in.
the x20 redundancy is on 900 mhz. So it has the capability to transmit on both frequencies.

Now, in your situation it's basically going to come down to ease of use and the learning curve. Head down to the local rc field. See what's being used. If there are a bunch of Spektrum radios, get Spektrum, because if you hit a snag, then help is a simple "hey..."
Most of the guys around here have one frsky or another..mostly Taranis's I'm the first I've seen with the X20

init4fun

Hi Txmustangflyer, Welcome back !

The Kraft tone controlled a "tailwagger" , an RC plane that had rudder control only. In the beginnings of RC it was more or less of a way to "suggest" that an otherwise free flight model would (hopefully) stay within the confines of the field it was being flown at. The single button control triggered an "Escapement" that got it's physical power from a wound rubber band and would wag the rudder left or right. One push of the button gave a left turn and once the button was pushed and a left input happened the next push would give a right turn. Both the TX and RX are vacuum tube units requiring multiple batteries, kinda wild how far we've come since the 1950s, that's for sure

This pic is not my plane, all of my planes of that vintage are long gone, but is a great representation of what they looked like way back when........

Txmustangflyer

So how good did the hope and prayer turn out?

I think my dad had some of those, but don't think they survived for me to see. The plane jogs memories.
I'm assuming it relied on washout in the wings to control the roll effect induced by the rudder?

init4fun

Oh there were flyaways of course, but for the most part they worked (right up till someone keyed up a CB radio, which the early RC equipment shared frequencies with )

Us getting exclusive use of some of the 72 MHZ band is what saved this hobby and allowed it to grow into what we have today