Wreno

rlmcnii,

For more info on what is involved, there is an intorductory article that was published in the December issue of Servo Magazine posted by permission at my local club's (the North Texas Battle Group, aka the NTXBG) web site. See: [link=http://www.ntxbg.org/servo20051rcmw.pdf]http://www.ntxbg.org/servo20051rcmw.pdf[/link].

As for my experience, I coated a Sombra Shadow 3 with Skotchkote to waterproof it, set it to channel 84 (my frequency) and used it with both my Airtronics VG600 and my Polk Tracker III. Yes, since I was just testing it, instead of mounting it in the safer space under the forward cargo deck, I just wrapped it in a layer of tyvek foam and masking tape and stuffed it under the Center Island of my tiny freighter (where, when the Island gets shot off, made it open to the world, flying ball-bearings and all [:@] ). Ran it in our National event, NABGO. Actually, even entered it as the ONLY unarmed ship in the Last Man Standing, Texas Cage Match, where it outlasted 2 full battleships (one being the USS Missouri). The results: better range than I had ever experienced with my Airtronics equipment, more responsive, no glitches for a change (the RF enfionment can get pretty harsh). Even after being sunk, and dragged around underwater by my recovery float string for 1/2 hr (caught on another ship's props), pulled her up, drained her, worked like new. A month later (giving time for any corrosion to set in), still going fine. Incredibly small and light, as well. And no crystals (though you need at least one programmer), AND it has lots of other features, like failsafe settings, channel reassignments, etc.

So far, I absolutely LOVE my Sombra with my Tracker. In fact, they are on my bench right now as my testbed for a Picaxe microcontroller based fire control assistant mixer (which, of course, might be obviated by the Nomadio). One of our members has bought one of mine (I originally bought 3) for a ship he has under construction. I plan to always have at least one uncommitted spare for ocasions when someone has an RX fail - gets 'em back in the fray pretty quickly.

But, no, I don't have any in planes or helicopters, and my son has not tried one in his, so YMMV.

I hadn't heard about Sombra maybe getting into 2.4G - might be a nice spot for them. Their Shadow 3 covers both 72 and 75 in one RX, which is ideal for me. If it ends up compatible with Nomadio with a 2.4G RX, that would be incredible, but what are the odds (I am thinking slim and none).

Wreno

Javier Garcia

Another function:

Perhaps I lost it in this large subject, but, what about the Trainer function?

Of course, this system open our eyes and mind thinking new possibilities, and many people could come in this hobby, and somebody will teach them, or not?

rlmcnii

My Feedback: (3)

Wreno,

Thank you for the comprehensive reply, I appreciate your time and input.

It would be very nice if something actually comes of all of the talk in this thread. Like most flyers, I suspect, I have little to no interest in telemetry, MP3 players, a million mixes or any other superfluous stuff.

A clean, fast, SECURE and STABLE RF link would be very nice. Destroying an airplane due to foolishness is an operator's own fault; having one destroyed by loss of RF link is not too palatable.

It is hard to know how much the people at Nomadio are listening, or if there will ever be a Nomadio system for aircraft. If they are, and if there is, I certainly hope that it will not be so overloaded with gizmos that it is essentially unuseable.

Thanks again for the reply. rlmcnii

hangflug_ch

I think that there are many competition-pilots like me flying expensive, in many hours built models that look for a secure rf-link but also for telemtry, lots of mixers and all the things that almost come for free on a modern system (mp3, color-touchscreen...)
people are often overlooking the fact that nowadays a CD-drive is more expensive than a DVD-burner just because of it's mass-production. the same applies for color-TS etc.

NdFrSpeed

My Feedback: (1)

Rlmcnii,,,,,,,,im with you all the way on that one,,so many people have posted the different things they want in a radio,,most of it doesnt do anything for flying,,little prediction,,if Nomadio comes out with all the whistles and bells there talking about,,they might sell a few hundred ,,if they copy like a Fataba or Jr 9 ch.but make it 12 or 14 ch,,with good mixes,,does everything we need,,they will sell 10 times more Radios then all the bells and whistle radio,,im guessing there will be a SS system out for the Fataba and JR's about the same time this radio comes out.so it will be interesting to see which way flyers go

NdFrSpeed

olstoney

My Feedback: (19)

NdFrSpeed and rlmcnii,
I'm with you guys as well as some others. I may have mentioned earlier perhaps not, that Mike Glavin from Hitec has confirmed that Hitec is working on a 2.4 module and RX and a new TX. No doubt the TX will replace the venerable Eclipse 7 with more features and channels. The module system will be interchangeable with Hitec and Futaba TX's equipped with a module. No release date as it should be, but at least one major manufacturer is working on something. I also have to believe with JR and the DX6-7 in the same stable (Horizon), that they will be working on some type of module system for the JR fans.

I'd already have a DX7, but other than the RF link, it really does not offer a whole lot more than my current TX in the way of additional gizmos. I really need the features of a 9 Super or 9303, even a 10X offers more than I need at a significant increase in price over the 9303. If Nomadio will not listen to the mainstream consumer and offer nothing but the bells and whistles that will be their decision.

More than likely I'll go for the first reliable proven system that is affordable and offers more than 8 channels. .

rlmcnii

My Feedback: (3)

hangflug-ch,

I have no doubt that there are flyers who will benefit from telemetry and downlinks and uplinks and all sorts of capabilities that are unheard of today. If Nomadio, or anyone else, comes out with a SS radio of eight or more channels , I hope they will build one for you and flyers of your ability and needs. I hope that will not be all they build.

My present radio is a 9C Super. It suits my needs and abilities just fine. I am not the greatest RC flyer in the world (not even among the top several thousand) and probably never will be. I am certain there are many flyers who are very happy with their Futagbas, JRs, HiTecs, or Airtronics and would really like the secure RF link. As an aside, I personally know no flyer whose flying ability is LIMITED by the radio. I am certain there are some...I've just never seen one! As another aside, when I am flying one of my airplanes I need to pay attention to the airplane and NOT to the radio. For me(and perhaps many like me), lots of information coming from the airplane to the radio will be either ignored or a distraction.

The cost of the planes I fly is in the several-hundreds or low-thousands. The largest is a 50cc gasser. Most of my planes were built, by me, from kits and have required many hours of work to finish nicely. I suspect this is the profile of many RC'ers. I recently lost a very nice plane to a loss-of-RF-link accident. One second the link was intact, the next..it was gone. No cause could be determined at autopsy. The financial loss was in the hundreds and the loss of time was considerable. The hours spent building were the greater loss. I gather that this is not an unusual occurence (I am a relative newcomer to RC).

If the 2.4 gig radios are the solution to this fundamental shortcoming of our otherwise fine radios, it would be VERY NICE if someone would build one with capabilities and complexities similar to todays 9-channel radios. And, priced similarly.

So...if the 2.4 gig radios replace those that we have today, a nice radio for most of us would be grand. An amazing radio would be very nice for persons of greater skill. Hopefully, both will be built.

This is going to be fun! rlmcnii

Van

Supposedly the follow excerted quote was posted by XPS on Flying Giants (no, I'm not trying to hijack this thread):
"I KNOW how far along the other manufacturers are with their systems. I KNOW how much time we have, and I KNOW of the problems that currently exist with the compatibility between these manufacturers. There ARE compatibility issues with these radio systems working together... but WE do not have this problem. I have had several meetings with various AMA staff about this over the weekend at the AMA show. This is a growing concern,and something that I was quite aware of from the beginning and made sure that our product followed the rules (FCC) for use on the 2.4GHz band."

To me this is basically saying 'XPS won't have any problems, but other manufacturers systems will be stepping all over each other'. What's Nomadio's take on this 'supposed' incompatability of 2.4G between the different manufacturers? Is this 'really' a problem/concern or just a scare tactic to not buy anyone else's system...except XPS who 'doesn't have this problem'?

My understanding is the global standard for 2.4G is not supposed to interfere with other systems on 2.4G. Wouldn't following this standard along with FCC standards make this a non-issue? What is Nomadio doing to ensure their system is compatable with other FCC approved systems on 2.4Ghz?

olstoney

My Feedback: (19)

Well Said,
There are guys that we all see at our airfields with unlimited resources. Successful businessmen, doctors, lawyers and so forth. Unfortunately I as others have to make do on a limited income. That being said, I try and choose the best, most reliable parts and try to keep them as long as possible. As stated before the DX7 is affordable, but does not have the channel capability that I seek. Spectrum from what I have read has kept the system relatively simple after the learning curve has been accomplished. Give us a 9 channel system for under $600.00 and watch the sales roll in. Don't even care if any servos are included for that price .

NdFrSpeed

My Feedback: (1)

Im with you on that one,,just a TX and Rx,,no servos needed,,just Tx and RX,,


NdFrSpeed

rlmcnii

My Feedback: (3)

olstoney,

No servos would be fine. Everyone has his or her preferences about servos. Just start a thread in this forum about "the best servo" and we'll all find out about those opinions!!

If electronic components are relatively inexpensive, and I think they are, $600 would be on the high side for a nice, nine-channel Tx with one Rx included. Make Rx's available for about $100 and....."They will come.".

olstoney

My Feedback: (19)

Yep !!

jonkoppisch

My Feedback: (162)

I don't know.. You can get a 9cap super with digital servos for $400. Of course that's not spektrum!!! I would hope that Nomadio could come up with something comparable to that!!! I have a 9 super and would be willing to sell and go that way if the price is reasonable, if not, I'll hold out for the module. So I guess I'm saying that if it's priced around $600 you have some sales but if it's priced around $400 you'll probably have 3 times the sales and 2x the profit and a lot more happy/satisified customers which add up to more sales and more profit....

Wreno

I also agree. Polk's Hobbies seems to as well, as they generally ship theirs with precisely 1 (one) servo, which you use to help program the RX. They made the same point - servos are a matter of personal preference, so why charge extra to give someone something they neither need nor want.


Wreno

DadsToysBG

My Feedback: (35)

Now you guys stop trying to talk him out of making a 16 ch radio. If I count the number of servo's in my big plane I could use them. Hopefully they can do both. And most of you are right "I don't need no stinken servo's". But looking at their first post there was no mention of servo's in the list. Looking forward to the advances in RC. Dennis

Wreno

Hear! Hear!

While, in my little sliver of heaven, Model Warship Combat, having too many controls can actually reduce your battle effectiveness when under pressure (now which switch is which? or - I know I programmed that function in somewhere...), and control simplification and battle (situational) awareness are key. I am gussing the same is true with flyers (the more time spent with your eyes on the plane instead of the controller, the better).

The (perhaps counterintuitive) point of this exercise, is that, sometimes, it takes a really powerful, complex, radio to make things simpler. For instance, for me, plug in range and direction, and 3-4 turret rotation servos, 3-4 depression servos, etc. spring into action, bringing the guns to bear This still leaves channels available for secondaries and torps. And such mundane things as steering and throttl Well, and actually firing the guns. You might want basicaly 2 widgets to control 8, with the possibility of controlling all 8 individually.... The only current radio to be able to handle this, in even a rudimentary way, appears to be the Profi 4000 (the Eagle Air encoder might be able to handle it wih some adjustments to the programming language).

While the lesser (6-10 channel) versions would be really nice for a lot of people, and I would want one, the basic RF stage is probably the same, so why hobble it. Bring it all on. Then you can have your smoke, landing lights, nav lights, fuel tank trim, air brakes, flaps, bomb bay doors, retracts, gear doors, video feed with pan and tilt, etc. etc. all under individual control and/or sequenced. If all you need is 2-4 channels, you can have that now.

Wreno

d_wheel

If everyone would take a look at the Nomadio web site, you would see that they have plans to build both. There are 2 places to post your suggestions. One is titled "Nomadio Super Aircraft Radios" The other is for "Nomadio Sports Line Aircraft Radios" (9 channel). Let's stop bickering about whether on not to have all of the bells and whistles or not and make suggestions about each one separately.

Later;

D.W.

olstoney

My Feedback: (19)

d wheel,
Can you post a link? I went right to the website after reading your post and can't find a thing. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place?

Heliwilly

olstoney,

Try this link and scroll down to the last two Forums, Sport Radios, and Super Radios


http://support.nomadio.net/index.php...c3c035f8bdb7cc


Cheers

Bill

causeitflies

I think you have to register to view them.

Wreno

I was wondering when someone would mention their 2 pronged approach - the 16 channel for the power users and the more normal one, which is supposed to be far more reasonably priced than the competition. My point, like Dads Toys, let's not try to talk them out of a radio some of us might actually need and want (heck, I would love 32 channels, though I am not sure how I would use them all right now).


But you point is a good one. Let's tout the features we would like to see in each of them, not try and say one or the other is ............

To start, I would like the same fliexibility in programming, channel/control assignment, flexibility in logical and conditional mixes, in both radios. Contol expandability (swaping out switches for pots of vice versa) is also a good thing for both. Basic telemetry on both. I am fast approaching the thought that I want it all on both.[]

Wreno

d_wheel

You need to register with the site. It only takes a few minutes, about the same as it took to register with this one.

Later;

D.W.

NdFrSpeed

My Feedback: (1)

i think Nomadio is missing the whole point,,sport radio with at Least 12 ch's..not 9..,,good computer type radio,,all the mixes,,the different plane types,,but a no nosense radio,,no MP3 player,,no touch screen,,,and as far as Telemetry,,,you show me one person flying a 33% or bigger that has time to look at his radio,,ill show you a careless pilot,,Telemetry for gliders,,cars,,yes i can see that,,i have no need for it once so ever,,when i fly my 35% and up birds,,,,,im not takeing my eyes of my planes to see whats going on,,good countdown timere is a must,,


NdFrSpeed

DadsToysBG

My Feedback: (35)

Try this one. A owners manual that anyone can understand. Dennis

RAMFlyer

My Feedback: (65)

Whoa Dennis--That's asking an awful lot!!!!!