Long post, but bare with me! Help me!

Okay. So yesterday I killed three helis. I thought they were due to mechanical failures... until the third heli. I really should have stopped and realized it was my DX7. The ol' trusty DX7...

First victim was my 130 X. I started a backwards inverted circuit. . As soon as I got to the first turn about 15 feet away the heli lost bind and just flew away from me into the neighbors backyard. That pug had his way with my 130. At the time I hadnt a clue it lost bind. I thought my elevator servo was giving out.
Damage:
Broke a ball link off a tail grip.

About an hour after that, I met up with a flying buddy. My 300 x and trex 700n dfc tagged along. ...

I got the 300 x bound up and ready to go... servos were dancing, systems were "go". She spooled up, got about ten feet up in the air-- everything went unresponsive... just fell out of the sky like a rock.
I picked it up, damage looks like: main frame, main shaft, a stripped servo (which is easy to do on these stock plastic geared servos) and a ball link broke. (Just for the record, I had an ad with a 300 x for sale. I have had three in total and the one I sold was never crashed)

Not bad, easy peasy repairs so far....

So I thought the 300 x failed in flight for some reason. I was in a small state of shock and denial. Plus, I was just watching my buddy fly his thunger tiger nitro... I couldnt resist.


Got the 700 turned on. Bound it to my dx7 about a foot or two away from the heli---- like usual ( i will forever now perform range checks before I fly every heli) and everything was fine. . As soon as I started to walk towards the field to set her down the throttle just opened up! The heli attacked me and hit my leg... my buddy turned around and grabbed my radio, hit throttle hold, but IT LOST BIND... I had to wrestle my heli down and pinch the fuel line while listening to the clutch get eaten up in the process.

My Curtis Youngblood CF Radix fbl main blades are in bits.
Bent a flybar.
Broke some linkages and servo arms.

It then dawned on me. I started seeing flashbacks of the previous evening when I caught my 1 yr old baby girl playing with my radio! I left her alone for about 15 seconds while i grabbed a snack for her from the kitchen and heard something heavy and plastic sounding fall. Popped my head into the living room and saw her cuteness yanking on my antenna wire. Yes, the antenna casing broke, too.

I guess that fall and my baby yanking loosened the antenna up and I finished it off.


After all that happened with the 700n doing a chicken dance on me and the asphalt, I got the motor pinched off, re bound my DX7 and checked the controls normally while walking away. Here are the results:

At approximately ten feet away and further the controls stop responding completely.

With the range test button held down I get no response even while a foot away.

My DSMX satellite was also blinking.

Should I buy a DX8 or just ditch Spektrum all together and go with Futaba?? (Which is what everyone else at the field is trying to convince me to do since they all have Futaba and all say Futaba is more reliable)

If I did decide to switch I would have to get rid of all my blade helis. I have two 130x's, a 450 x , 300 x, nano cpx, mcpx bl, mqx..... you get the picture!

What would you guys do????

Have it repaired/serviced, then probably sell it. Maybe.. I really don't know if I'd sell it though... it sounds like it just had a few bumps and jarred something loose inside.. and obviously the antenna was comprimised... The little tike wanted to go flying already it seems.. glad she's OK, and nothing was seriously damaged.

I like my DX7... I bought it specifically for the BNF stuff.. The problem was most likely created, and not something of the radio workmanship issue.. and things can go wrong with ANY brand of radio. Theres no gaurantees, especially if it gets bumped around a tad.

Unless you're independantly wealthy... it sounds like more then a grand to retro all those helis with Futaba stuff... of course you might be able to use the Futaba "any-link".. but there again .. what are you getting?.. Stick with Spektrum.. send the tranny in for a full check-up.. thats a good piece of mind.. you'll be able to make a better decision if its working correctly and been serviced.

Glad to hear you werent seriously hurt.If the throttle went open upon loss of signal the failsafe was improperly set.On a 700 heli you are real lucky.
It definitely sounds like the antenna was damaged.If it was powered up for any amount of time without the antenna attached the RF deck may likely be damaged now as well.Send it in and get it serviced.

Always do a range/low power test at least at the beginning of the day.Now you know the reason why.Always test your failsafe setting in a safe environment before flight.I still see models power themselves up when the Tx is accidentally turned off first in the pits after a flight because the failsafe setting was never confirmed.

I wont comment too much on changing brands.I switched from Futaba to SPM 2.4 before Futaba even had a 2.4 system.Never had an inflight issue.Proper setup and understanding of the technology is the key to success.In the last year it seems the dominant brand with unexplained failures has been Futaba.Of all the failures across all brands Ive only come across one that didnt trace back to questionable setup in the first place.Many still think its acceptable to use a 4 or 5 cell AA pack and a single switch/lead to power a bunch of hungry digital servos.
All of the systems are good if used properly.They are all also alot more unforgiving of carelessness than what we used 10 years ago.

I appreciate the prompt responses!

Yes, I made sure my baby was okay before I even thought of my radio. Besides, its entirely my fault for leaving her unattended even it was for seconds. Im a first time father with this little bugger... shes growing soooo fast! She wasnt able to reach that far into the couch a week ago! Lol. I love her so much.

Anyway, I sent the DX7 off priority mail same day that happened. Horizon Hobby service center just checked the tranny in today. I should get a call with an estimate tomorrow! Gotta love HH support and service.

I am not independently wealthy, so that is why I have chosen to stick with spektrum. Well, that is assuming horizon calls me telling me that my tranny can be fixed easily and it was indeed an obvious break that can be repaired. I just want something reliable again.

Cause if I were to go Futaba I wouldnt bother retrofitting my BNFs. I would have to sell them. And thatll just take too long. Besides, you can still run a Mikado VBar silverline with a DX8, right?

One more thing.... I really do think I overlooked the fail safe. Im so dumb!

How do you set it correctly, aerocal?

Originally Posted by scienc

I appreciate the prompt responses!


One more thing.... I really do think I overlooked the fail safe. Im so dumb!

How do you set it correctly, aerocal?

Once you've set the plane/heli up put all the sticks in the required failsafe position and rebind the Rx to the Tx it then remembers the failsafe positions, note on Spektrum systems some Rx's only have failsafe on the throttle, but the point of failsafe is to stop a flyaway not to protect the model. In your instance I would think you need to make sure the throttle is in the off position when you set the failsafe.

Originally Posted by scienc

Long post, but bare with me! Help me!

Okay. So yesterday I killed three helis. I thought they were due to mechanical failures... until the third heli. I really should have stopped and realized it was my DX7. The ol' trusty DX7...

First victim was my 130 X. I started a backwards inverted circuit. . As soon as I got to the first turn about 15 feet away the heli lost bind and just flew away from me into the neighbors backyard. That pug had his way with my 130. At the time I hadnt a clue it lost bind. I thought my elevator servo was giving out.
Damage:
Broke a ball link off a tail grip.

About an hour after that, I met up with a flying buddy. My 300 x and trex 700n dfc tagged along. ...

I got the 300 x bound up and ready to go... servos were dancing, systems were "go". She spooled up, got about ten feet up in the air-- everything went unresponsive... just fell out of the sky like a rock.
I picked it up, damage looks like: main frame, main shaft, a stripped servo (which is easy to do on these stock plastic geared servos) and a ball link broke. (Just for the record, I had an ad with a 300 x for sale. I have had three in total and the one I sold was never crashed)

Not bad, easy peasy repairs so far....

So I thought the 300 x failed in flight for some reason. I was in a small state of shock and denial. Plus, I was just watching my buddy fly his thunger tiger nitro... I couldnt resist.


Got the 700 turned on. Bound it to my dx7 about a foot or two away from the heli---- like usual ( i will forever now perform range checks before I fly every heli) and everything was fine. . As soon as I started to walk towards the field to set her down the throttle just opened up! The heli attacked me and hit my leg... my buddy turned around and grabbed my radio, hit throttle hold, but IT LOST BIND... I had to wrestle my heli down and pinch the fuel line while listening to the clutch get eaten up in the process.

My Curtis Youngblood CF Radix fbl main blades are in bits.
Bent a flybar.
Broke some linkages and servo arms.

It then dawned on me. I started seeing flashbacks of the previous evening when I caught my 1 yr old baby girl playing with my radio! I left her alone for about 15 seconds while i grabbed a snack for her from the kitchen and heard something heavy and plastic sounding fall. Popped my head into the living room and saw her cuteness yanking on my antenna wire. Yes, the antenna casing broke, too.

I guess that fall and my baby yanking loosened the antenna up and I finished it off.


After all that happened with the 700n doing a chicken dance on me and the asphalt, I got the motor pinched off, re bound my DX7 and checked the controls normally while walking away. Here are the results:

At approximately ten feet away and further the controls stop responding completely.

With the range test button held down I get no response even while a foot away.

My DSMX satellite was also blinking.

Should I buy a DX8 or just ditch Spektrum all together and go with Futaba?? (Which is what everyone else at the field is trying to convince me to do since they all have Futaba and all say Futaba is more reliable)

If I did decide to switch I would have to get rid of all my blade helis. I have two 130x's, a 450 x , 300 x, nano cpx, mcpx bl, mqx..... you get the picture!

What would you guys do????

One tool that Spektrum sells which is very useful in detecting RF anomalies is the Flight Logger. If your Rx has a Data Port, you can connect it to the Rx, do Range Checks, and then look at the RX voltage, Fades for each Antenna, Frame Losses, and Holds. You can do the same at the end of a flight or a crash, as long as the Rx is still powered.

You cannot Lose a Bind. You can lose the Link/Connection, between the Tx and Rx, as a result of Interference, for example. The Bind stays intact until you accidentally or on purpose put the Tx in Bind Mode when the Rx is not in Bind Mode. The term Bind is misused at times.

A Brownout or a Failsafe Event would not have kicked the Throttle from Idle to High so I would expect a Tx issue.

That is why we do range checks before flying any model or after a crash. During range checks I do several changes of antenna position to see if it has any effect.

Afterall, stuff happens!

I flew with the DX7 when they came out. I updated to the DX8 when they came out and sold the DX7. Big mistake The new DX8, being just out of the gate had its problems and had to send it in. Now I didn't have a radioBought another DX7 from a club member till they ended up giving me another DX8. That DX7 sits on a shelf ready to go as a backup and wouldn't sell it for any money. Good reliable radio.

Gord.

Originally Posted by Buschbarber

One tool that Spektrum sells which is very useful in detecting RF anomalies is the Flight Logger. If your Rx has a Data Port, you can connect it to the Rx, do Range Checks, and then look at the RX voltage, Fades for each Antenna, Frame Losses, and Holds. You can do the same at the end of a flight or a crash, as long as the Rx is still powered.

You cannot Lose a Bind. You can lose the Link/Connection, between the Tx and Rx, as a result of Interference, for example. The Bind stays intact until you accidentally or on purpose put the Tx in Bind Mode when the Rx is not in Bind Mode. The term Bind is misused at times.

A Brownout or a Failsafe Event would not have kicked the Throttle from Idle to High so I would expect a Tx issue.

I see, I see... that makes sense.. It's not losing bind, but literally losing the bind of transmission. AKA lost signal/link/connection

I remember having to rebind my 130X to the radio quite a few times just shortly before the incident happened. Guess thats when it "lost bind" and connection from tx to rx.. All at the same time.

So you do think this was all caused by "broken" DX7, right? I'm glad to hear someone who seems to know what they are talking about came to the same diagnosis as I did. Cause if not my anally obsessive side will tend to come out and question EVERYTHING.

It's just a relief to hear the problem has been isolated and narrowed down.

Originally Posted by aeajr

That is why we do range checks before flying any model or after a crash. During range checks I do several changes of antenna position to see if it has any effect.

Afterall, stuff happens!

Yes, I just took that aspect of the hobby for granted more than I shouldve...
Guess my DX7 was THAT reliable to where I just stopped doing range checks... Then again, I only recently started to fly larger helis with more inertia. I wasn't really worried about the micro helis falling from the sky too much and got used to that, I guess. Yup, it happens. Broken helis are NOTHING new to me. lol just, three in a day sucks!

Originally Posted by flypaper 2

I flew with the DX7 when they came out. I updated to the DX8 when they came out and sold the DX7. Big mistake The new DX8, being just out of the gate had its problems and had to send it in. Now I didn't have a radioBought another DX7 from a club member till they ended up giving me another DX8. That DX7 sits on a shelf ready to go as a backup and wouldn't sell it for any money. Good reliable radio.

Gord.

So... I will have to ask. Is the most recent version of the DX8, or as you mentioned the newest one they sent you that is your primary tx, doing you well?

Perhaps, that is why the DX7 is the shelf queen for now?

Yep, the DX8 is an excellent radio. No problems whatsoever. But if it got dropped or whatever, the DX7 is there for insurance. Little story. Few yrs ago, flying indoors while having a pylon race. On the takeoff line up and the flag dropped, one of the planes got out of shape and accidently ran into my transmitter, breaking off the ant... Had to send that one in to get fixed and use my DX6 for backup

Gord

Check this out.... had $120 reserved for this repair at the HH service center, but I was pleasantly surprised to get this invoice!!!

Horray for Horizon!

That was one of the deciding factors I used when I recently bought a Spektrum radio. The product support is "priceless" as they say. Kudo's to Spektrum on this point.
Mike D.

Had exactly the same thing happen to me with a DX7 and the cause is dead simple, the little coaxial RF connector on the end of the coax cable leading the antenna has come unplugged from the RF deck in the radio.

Open up the radio and have a look and let me know.

It's quite easy to fix and Spektrum Antenna assembles are relatively easy to fix if you break the antenna at the swing down knuckle joint.

Originally Posted by Corona44

Had exactly the same thing happen to me with a DX7 and the cause is dead simple, the little coaxial RF connector on the end of the coax cable leading the antenna has come unplugged from the RF deck in the radio.

Open up the radio and have a look and let me know.

It's quite easy to fix and Spektrum Antenna assembles are relatively easy to fix if you break the antenna at the swing down knuckle joint.

I didnt feel like opening it up and possibly making matters worse or voiding the factory seal considering im not an electronics/radio expert, by far. I can build/repair an actual heli with ease, but when it comes to boards and fine tuning electronics--- The only appropriate tool I have to test it out is other helis. I opted to not go that route! (My poor helis )

Check out post #11 of this thread. Theres a screenshot of the pdf shipping invoice. Sent it in to horizon and they replaced the rf module, antenna and even a switch.

All for free. So it wasnt unplugged, but broken!


Cheers to Horizon Hobby's customer care!