Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone knows where I can have a few older Futaba AM receivers on 72mhz converted to 75mhz? I have an old Ace Sub Commander radio and only one receiver for it and I'd like to equip a few more projects with RX's to match the Sub Commander. I have a newer radio on 75mhz FM but I still like the old Sub Commander and I'd like to use it more.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

Radio South used to do it.

JM

It would not be worth the $$$ to have them converted. New Rxs only cost $60- $120 depending on how many channels. You would pay at least that for a tech to make the conversion and your stuff would still be old and who knows how well it will work after getting some attention from a soldering iron.

Massey

Originally Posted by Massey

It would not be worth the $$$ to have them converted. New Rxs only cost $60- $120 depending on how many channels. You would pay at least that for a tech to make the conversion and your stuff would still be old and who knows how well it will work after getting some attention from a soldering iron.

Massey

Massey's right, though regretfully.

Electronics have advanced at a rate that some of us old guys can't keep track of, and I have found that some of my radios, though legal, can blitz
out several narrow bands when I use them.

I'm not about to trash perfectly good (to me) radio systems, but I can understand that a conflict with the old and the really new exists.

But consider, whose fault is it?

Originally Posted by der kapitan

Massey's right, though regretfully.

Electronics have advanced at a rate that some of us old guys can't keep track of, and I have found that some of my radios, though legal, can blitz
out several narrow bands when I use them.

I'm not about to trash perfectly good (to me) radio systems, but I can understand that a conflict with the old and the really new exists.

But consider, whose fault is it?

The AMA's for lobbying so hard in the late 1970's & early 1980's to get all of the "new" narrow band systems, and separation of aircraft (on 72 MHz) and surface (on 75 MHz) frequencies.

Consider the following time line for rc frequencies in the US:

1973 - 5 chanels in 27 MHz. 7 channels in 72-75 MHz; 3 are shared (72.160, 72.320, 72.960); 4 are aircraft only (72.080, 72.240, 72.400, & 75.640)

1984 - 6 channels in 27 Mhz. 72-75 MHz aircraft only (12, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 72.240, 72.400, 75.640). 72.160, 72.320, & 72.960 are still shared between surface & air. 75 MHz for surface models only (62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84)

1988 - 6 channels in 27 MHz. The shared 72-75 MHz channels become illegal to use. 11 new aircraft channels are added to the 11 channels created in 1984 (14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, & 34). 4 new surface only channels added (72, 86, 88, 90).

1990 - 27 Mhz stays the same. 28 new aircraft only channels added (odd numbered channels, 11, 13, etc., and 36, 58, & 60). 15 new surface frequencies added on odd channels (61, 63, etc.)

1998 - The older wideband gear is illegal to use.

2004 - 2.4 GHz radio gear introduced - great for airplanes and surface models; bad system for diving submarines. 2.4 GHz is too high a frequency to penetrate (however slight) the water.

Back in the 1970's the Dumas resistor speed control was considered by many to be the state of the art. Electronic spped controls were $100 or more compared to the Dumas resistor costing around $25. Now that DUmas resistor is about $45, and some small waterproof ESC's are around $30. A standard servo cost about $25 back then, now you buy them for around $12.

Yeah I suggest you just simply buy a new one. Im guessing would probably cost just as much to have it converted. And its just not worth all the back and shipping. Which is a real pain. Unless you have an old 9 channel radio you want to use for one hell of a multi function boat and you dont want to buy one of those new ones that are like $500 then it might be a good idea. Yeah I dont know if Radio South still does it.