What was your first Radio?
 

OK oldtimers, what was the first radio you had when you started flying RC. I started with "Mule" single channel transmitter kit, made by World Engines Inc. My receiver was a single Ch "SH 100 Citizenship. Made by Citizen Radio , also built from a kit. My first airplane was a"48' WS "Spook", It was powered by an .049 Baby Bee made by Cox. Back in those days (1959) we all flew on the same frequency. Needless to say we suffered many more radio interferenceas than we do today. My first multi rig, was an Orbt, 10 channel Reed Set, which by todays standards, would be a Five channel. I'm just curious how long you've been flying, and what " your first rig was rig you used.

What was your first Radio?
 

It almost hurts to remember so far back... first receiver was a Lorenz two tuber, kit I think, in the early 50's. Had trouble with a Sigma relay and converted it to a transistor output driving a miniature relay similar to the ones used on reeds. Flew this in several planes- a Dreamboat seaplane by Ken Willard, a DeBolt Trainer. Both of those planes lived through the Lorenz to get tone receivers, again kits.

My first Transmitter was a ground base CW unit with a 7 or 8 foot antenna. Later converted it to tone. I was tied to it with a 6 foot pushbutton cord to operate the escapements.

First reed was a home built reed tied to one of the tube detector home builts. Even built the reed bank. But my first commercial reed set was an Orbit 12 channel. Super set, all transistorized. Fabulous range.

The true "Good Old Days".

What was your first Radio?
 

Thanks for the reply, I love looking back to the good old days.
I have always thought the I had more fun back then.

By the way, are you a "Ham"? With all the building of your equipment, I'm guessing tha you are. My call sign is, N5SGC

First radio
 

My fathers (and later mine) first radio was a Graupner/Grundig 2-channel Variophon, nonproportional. In order to achieva a servo output between 0 and full deflection, you had to move the stick intermittently. Took a lot of pratice !

I later switched to Multiplex, first Combi 80, then a Royal mc, after that a Cockpit MM, and now a profi mc 3030.

Michael

What was your first Radio?
 

Bob,

No, not a Ham, just obsessed with trying to do it myself. Never have lost that desease, still enjoy the building and designing part of the hobby as much or more than the flying.

My latest project in RC is a turbine sport jet design that is taking back seat right now while I build a Mick Reeves Super Reaper sport jet with a prop engine on the back to help me earn my turbine waiver. I just today got a Multiplex Profi 4000 12 channel set for the controls. Picked it for the versatility of the programming and the 12 channels.

Maybe these are the "Good Old Days"!

What was your first Radio?
 

My first radio was home built single gas tube with Sigma 4-F relay and an escapment. Transmitter was also homemade with a tall whip on 27.255 - just like everyone. Think the plane was a Windy Jo -Bill Winters design- A good day was when you got to take a plane home!!!
RED HOT

What was your first Radio?
 

Orbit 4 channel reed, bonner servos 2, bonner escapement for throttlel ( a blip down and a blip of left and you got a change only 2 or 3 each flight.high or low.as rubber band was unwound) fox 35 stunt with exaust restrictor for throtle. Veco white cloud for air craft. Sure learned to wiggle your thumbs on those toggle switches. If I recall the tx batteries cost as much as the radio 37volt? times 2plus somthing else. was about 1954 0r 55. If you got one flight and no repairs in a day it was great. Half the time was spent repositioning the radio RX so the reeds did not vibrate.

I feel like a pup
 

You guys go back a ways! In 1976 I bought a ready to fly set up with a blue metal case Heathkit radio installed. It had 4 channels and the brick servos that were sort of a push pull arrangement. From there I bought one of the first Ace Silver Seven transmitters. Man, those were the days when you reversed your servos manually and changed your own potetniometers. Some of the Kraft radios out then had a servo with a red dot for the reversed one. AAHHhhhh, those memories play second fiddle to the seventh inning jazz band of my memory :p

What was your first Radio?
 

I flew a Rudder Bug model with a K&B 19 for power. The radio receiver used an escapement powered with a twisted rubber band to drive the rudder. That was the only thing the pilot could control!! No engine or elevator control. The home brew tube transmitter operated on 27.255 MH and had a single push button for inputs, the button was depressed once and held for a left rudder command and two pushes for right. Just let go of the button to center the rudder. This was approximately 1956 and I only had one flight where I did not crash the plane. On that single occasion, I forgot the turn on the receiver and the flight was perfect and landed near my feet after a huge 360-degree turn almost out of sight.

What was your first Radio?
 

Galloping Ghost with a rotary phone dial for doing left and right turns.

What was your first Radio?
 

Stay tuned guy's. I'll post a puiture of my Rudder Bug, tomorrow.
The most famous cry hver heard back in the 60's, was to see someone running after tha airplane yelling, "I ain't got it. Boy those really were the good ol days. The cheepest 4 Ch radio sold today, would have brought $2000.00 back then, simply because of the reliability of it. Heck, I paid $600.+ for my 10 channel Reeds.

What was your first Radio?
 

My first radio was a Heathquit oops no, a Heathkit GD47 on 26.995 mhz, red flag I think. My second radio was a Heathkit GD19 on the 53.3 mhz ham band. It was a real step up from the GD47. I think the price was $219.95. In those days (1967) a simple 4 channel Kraft was around $400. Think about what price a radio would be today in 1967 dollars. Things have sure changed for the better.

Ken
K5VYL

What was your first Radio?
 

Wow!!!! most of you have me beat. I save for 2 years to buy an EK Logitrol 4-channel dry/w the brick servos. I still remember the frequency 72.240 (Red and White flag)
Brian

first radio
 

Berkely Super Airotrol single channel tone--took two 67.5 volt batteries and two 1.5 volt D cells for the Tx. Don't remember what batteries the Rx took to light up the filament. Cost way too much for the batteries. More than a kid like me could afford.
It wouldn't/I couldn't make it work too well, so I got a Citizenship single channel tone set. Had problems with that one too. We're talking about the middle 1950's here. Time goes on......1966 came, and I had an OS Minitron single channel set that actually worked.....sometimes. Ate batteries like the devil. Crashed my Falcon 56 every weekend...both Saturday and Sunday. Whole week to rebuild....then crash some more..Bought stock in Amberoid. (glue)
1967 was a good year. Bought a Galaxy 5 from the one and only Ted White, the pattern champ. Had monsterous servos, but was a great radio. Got a PCS that year too, then followed with a Kraft. It took about a months pay to buy a radio then.
All of those old radios are still in the cabinet. My two uncles and I learned to fly on them, and have many memories to look back on. One of the uncles is gone now, but he'll always be loved and never be forgotton.....we had more fun together than any three guys should have been allowed to have. The fun police are still looking for us!
I'm 58 years old, and have been flying for 51 years....loved every minute of it. Met alot of really neat guys and made alot of long time friends; that's what this hobby of ours is all about.
Treasure it.....we are a small community.

Harley Condra
AMA 2045
BVM REP
RAM REP

What was your first Radio?
 

Farve, I remember the "Gallaxy Brand, well. Designed by Ted White when he was in Santa Fe, NM. He later went to work for "EK", in Dallas, TX, and went on to prefect that line of equipment. He now lives in Hurst Texas.

What was your first Radio?
 

EK Logictrol LRB 3 channel in a Goldberg Jr. Skylark. Still have the radio....

Ted White
 

Bob,
Ted White was/is a good ole" boy. I'm glad to hear that he is not yet room temperature, like so many of the RC pioneers. At the time he actually lived in Albaquerque NM, not Santa Fe. Whenever I would plant the airplane and kill off the radio, (frequently, I might add) I would box it up and send it to him on the Greyhound bus, as that was Ted's favorite method of radio transport. It rode back and forth to Albaquerque quite a few times. It had more bus time than flight time!!! It works today, considering it's age, and lack of suitable battery packs. (It has a seven button cell, four wire Rx pack). It also, like all radios of the period had monsterous connectors. Back then, servos had seven wires in the harness. When radios went to four wire servos, the connector sizes shrunk considerably. The newcomer to RC todayhas no clue of what we old timers used back then. Isn't todays equipment neat!

Harley Condra

What was your first Radio?
 

EK Logic, 4 channel red brick. I was explaining it to my son last night as we were setting up a plane, on our 8 channel Futaba computer radio. How basic these radiors where. He couldn't understand how we survived with out servo reversing, ATV, dual rates, expo etc.. I remember while I had my EK, the rich guys had Kraft Gold, and Futaba's. I still have a Kraft Gold, that was in a glider. I even still have one old EK servo. Why do I have these old equipment in the cabinet? Because I remember when I didn't have these.

What was your first Radio?
 

Hi

My first radio was a Kraft Single channel radio with Bonner escapements and the planes we used it were in an EsQuire and the original Goldberg Falcon 56.

What was your first Radio?
 

First radio: Kit built Babcock magic wand Tx, Magic carpet Rx and Mk11 escapement in 1957 used in an Airco Aero 07 with Torpedo .09. Even worked occasonally. :)

Currantly flying a replica of the airframe with the original engine and radio/escapement which serves as a dummy hiding the Hitec mini Rx and servo.

John

What was your first Radio?
 

Hi guys,

my first tx was a robbe(futaba) luna 35 MHz, followed by a Simprop PCM 20, a Graupner/JR MC 16, a Graupner/JR MC 20 and now a Graupner/JR MC 24.


MfG,
Armin

Old Radios
 

EK Logictrol, a really good radio for the time.
Then to Kraft which lead me to make a good friend, Cliff Weirick, and when he went to Airtronics my radio's changed to Airtronics. I have the first Vision to ever come into the States and still fly it nearly every weekend. Great radio from a great man. I've been wanting a Stylus for years now, but just can't force myself to stop using the Vision, too good a radio and too many memories.

Radios
 

HI: My first radio was a World Engines. It had very smooth gimbals but the servos got the jitters way too much. I replaced the pots with gizzendanners(spelling?) and that helped. Got shot down a few times too. Other than that I liked the feel of the radio. Anyone else have any comments on that radio? Thanks John

first radio
 

My first radio was a Heathkit that I built.

Orbit
 

First radio was the first two stick orbit radio freq was yellow and white, plane was a Goldberg Sr Falcon with a K&B .49 with the throttle built into the exhaust port this was 1969

Terry