recomend good basic long range rx

[enyaws]

Being new to R/C gliders I'm worried about the range of my receiver. Being on a tight budget I started with the Tower 6XM TX,Rx that is serving me well so far with no problems. The stated range of the Tower 7 channel rx is 500 yds. ground and 1000 yds. air. Thats not a lot when my plane gets way up there. I will be sticking with woodies, a GL and Paragon for know. Ive looked at Futaba, Hy-tech and Berg. Most rx's dont state a range or just say full range. From what I've read the Rx is the more important componant of long range. I won't be contending with carbon tail booms but still feel more comfortable running my antenna wire outside the fuselage. I only need 3 channels. Is there a good Rx out there that I'm overlooking. The Tower radio is dual conversion, narrow band. Does frequency have any bearing on range? I'm on ch 51. Sorry if this is a dumb question as I can't find much in past threads. Wayne

[sparkysko]

I don't think there's much difference in receivers. If you really wanted to compare, you'd look at receiver sensitivity, which is measured in microvolts. The lower the number, the better. Going from 1uV to 0.25uV should theoretically double your receiver range. There's single conversion, dual conversion, etc, etc, but I don't think there's enough data on the spec sheets to really form an objective opinion, except from the receiver sensitivity.

I was having RF issues, and bought an expensive transmitter, and a bunch of different types of expensive receivers to try to get better range, the difference wasn't significant from my el cheapo receivers.

If you start running into RF range/interference issues, the first thing you'll notice is that the plane will dive unexpectedly (Since diving is the quickest reaction to glitching servos, glitching up or left/right requires sustained TX input to show a reaction on a plane, but a blip of 'down' will show immediately).

In my case, the problem was so severe, I couldn't go beyond 1-200 meters. (Problems with TV transmitter towers nearby operating near 72mhz). I ended up giving up on finding better 72mhz stuff and went to 2.4ghz which can do about 5 miles.

Do a range check per the transmitter manual, if that is happy, then I'd feel comfortable flying as far as I can see (You'd be hard pressed to see a model at 300 yards, let alone 1000 yards). As a data point, I failed range tests after 5-10 feet.

[enyaws]

Thanks Sparky for the detailed reply. Very helpful. I was slightly aware of rx sensativity but did not know smaller no. was better. I don't judge distance too well and I guess others that tell me I must be up at 1500 - 2000 feet are pulling my chain or can't judge distance themselves. I seriously considered 2.4 for my first radio a couple of years ago but the cost of adding rx's as I continued to add planes is what held me back. Good comment about glitching. Sounds like there might be some subtile warning before total loss of control. Thanks Sparkysko

[mlee8249]

Hi Enyaws,

There really is only a couple of receiver types out there to consider. There are park flyer types, and then the full range. Park flyer rx's normally tell you they have a limited range of like 500-ft. Hitec and Spektrum, for example, both had limited range, park flyer type receivers in the sub-micro size. But size is no longer a valid factor in the operating range of a rx, as there are now many rx's that are micro and sub-micro sized and yet are full range in capability.

You are correct in the assumption that flying a sailplane will take you to very long distances, and typically much further than most other types of models. Competition pilots in sailplanes are known to fly at great distances on a routine basis....in some cases over a mile. These cases are well documented. Flying 1500 ft away is quite easy, as you consider that most winch lines are 600-ft fom pilot to the turnaround, and so being three times this distance away is not hard to do at all for a sailplane. A GL might fairly small pretty quick, but the Paragon will be much easier to see and will therefore tend to go even further out. Most of this ability lies within the ability of the pilot to accurately interpret the direction and distance of his model, taking into account the altitude the plane is at so it can make it back home. But a well seasoned sailplane pilot is not pulling your chain about the distance they fly at. And don't worry about that receiver range. If you can see it, you can control it. Just make sure you purchase and use a quality rx. Even if the plane is a junker, you wouldn't keep it around if you didn't have some value in it and so use quality equipment.

Mike Lee

[RollingR6]

I use the Berg 4L in a few of my power planes and am wondering if anyone uses them in their high flying sailplanes. I haven't had any glitches or signal loss with mine.

[atjurhs]

I use them in my slope panes and they have been glitch free for me; although, I have read where some slope sites have had problems with that rx. I have also seen other sailplane pilots use them at thermal fields and they appeared to work fine in that application.

[jswain]

Hi,
based on your description i think you should be fine.

a 1000 yards is 2/3rds of a mile and most models
are going to be pretty small to the normal eye by then.

also you are running FM which by nature is a long wavelength = long distance.

Wood fuselage is a plus, external mounting is a plus(i.e away from metal objects).

make your concern the RX battery health, that seems to be the #1 plane
killer from what i have seen.

js

[Lance Prior]

Your plane will go out of sight well before it’s out of range.

The only problem you may have is if your radio is real old you will get hit and hit other RC radios.

[jcstalls]

Tight Budget?
On 72mhtz get a good used Hitec 555 for negative shift w/ Xtal. Less than $20.00 shipped here on the board.

Jared

[MCarlton]

Just for fun, here's something I found on the net a couple of years ago. I don't know if its accurate, but it looks about right.

Look at the image below, with your seat about 10ft from the screen.

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo334/MattC76_2008/atheight.jpg

Thats roughly what a 3m thermal model looks like at 1000ft, which is well within range of any full range Rx.

Any higher, you're looking at much bigger models (hence 6m+ models for XC)

[jcstalls]

Cool, yet here in the US we never fly over 399.999' AGL. :)

Jared

[Radian]

Cool, yet here in the US we never fly over 399.999' AGL. :)

Jared


Yeah... During the our Soaring contest this past weekend I made the mistake of launching EVERY time above 400'!!!

Had to "reverse zoom" each time to get below 400.... :D

[jcstalls]

Ya, reverse zooms are a true test on airframes. Full C/F needed for those exciting times. :) - :(

Jared

[enyaws]

Thanks for all the input. I guess I should be more concerned with my eyesight and taking care of my battery packs which is another subject of concern to me. There is plenty of info on that here at R/C groups.

[MCarlton]

How come you guys don't fly above 400'? Is that a restriction through the FAA?

[jcstalls]

"How come you guys don't fly above 400'? Is that a restriction through the FAA?"

Not a single FAR to requlate, just an "Or Else" from a regulatory agency at more than one former glider field here in the Southland.

Not the place to chat about it here, as it is off topic. You can find out more in the threads dealing with EDSF and HSS a couple years past.

Jared