I am having problems with my plane losing contact. I have a GWS pico reciever and a Tower Hobbies transmitter. The following has happened twice- once in a Litestik and once in a TM. I suddenly lose directional control, the motor shuts down, and it free flights to the ground, damaging the plane. I had plenty of battery left. I know of no interference in my area. While it is on its way down, I can switch the transmitter on and off with no results. Once I walk over to the pile of pieces, I unplug and plug back in the battery on the plane, and everything works good. I have made sure to keep the antenna away from pushrods and full length, trailing out the back. I don't think the transmitter is the problem because it flies my slimer planes fine. Does anyone know how I can fix this?
Thanks, Hans

At what distance from you does this happen? I believe the GWS Pico receiver has limited range under ideal conditions.

Have you tried a range check on the ground with transmitter antenna down and with motor running? How far away can you get before you lose contact?

I have a similar glitching prolem also mine twiches 10ft away with tx antenna down, ~60ft with antenna up... so you have the right-angle plugs or the ones coming straight up from the circuit board? is your rx antenna 19" or 39"? some people with 39" antennas cut them to 19" and the glitching went away...

I am going to contact horizon hobby and hopefully return mine for a new one... I have heard a lot of people on this board having problems with the gws rx, if you plug it in wrong gws4ceo said a capacitor can fry, and I've heard if you crash (large shake to the rx) the crystal can get damaged...

if your rx is completely cutting out it may be an esc bec cutout problem... try using a different esc if you can...

The problem occurs quite close- maybe 100 feet. I have the longer antenna, should I cut it down? The plugs are on the face of the board, not the end. I have a GWS 5 amp esc.

try clipping your antenna to 19" first, helped some people...

I've similar glitches with my GWS rx too although not as bad. I'm using JR 3810 Tx and Rondo ESC. My pico rx comes with the plugs facing straight up. I do get glitches at about 100 ft away as I notice my pylon racer sometimes pitches up abruptly uncommanded. It's quite violent although I managed to keep it from crashing so far by flying higher. I think I'll try clipping the antannae to 19". Anyway my buddy has similar problem s well with his.

Flybike, what do you have in the plane in the way of servos, what is your motor and ESC, are you using BEC? Could the ESC be shutting down due to too much current draw? it seems odd that you have to unplug/ plug in the battery in the plane before you get the radio to respond again. I'd check that your motor current and servo current are within specs. If you are using a BEC try using a separate battery for the radio.

Hope you get it sorted before you kill the plane.

Brian

Brian, I am using a GWS "A" drive motor, GWS pico servos, GWS 5amp esc, and am using BEC. 7.2 volt 1200 mah lithium ion battery- flies the TM for an hour! Any other ideas? Thanks

Hans;

It's your battery.

Do a search in slowfliers on lithium.

Basically you are pulling more current than the battery protection circuit will allow. Get another battery (300 mah NiMH), reduce prop size, or bypass the protection.

I use that battery on a litestik, but without the protection circuit. Read the cautions before modifying the battery.

Good Luck!

I have had that problem too. Used the gws4p on my picostick, and at 100-150 feet, the motor cut off, but never lost control completely, so it could still be whole (hadn't it been because the bamboo wing sticks broke... )

Well, back to topic... When i use gws4n, the range is just fine, no glitching or motor cutoff. So i wouldn't say it's the esc, it's probably the reciever.

Anyway, i bought a new transmitter, a cocpit mm, to replace my really old focus 6, and now range has increased a lot, maybe 400 feet before glitches and motor cutoff. So could be the transmitter too.