Originally Posted by crxmanpat

How many servos are you using tracknoob? If only 2, how are you getting a brownout on your RX?

Pat

Sorry, brownout was bad (wrong!) choice of terms. I am using a single HK $6 receiver, ESC BEC is driving two servos only. So I have plenty of power for servos and receiver, but had signal loss in exactly the same spot of our field, at exactly the same orientation of plane, on two homebuilt foamies now. Different type and rating of ESC o nthe planes, so that is definitely NOT the problem.

We have a huge cell array and antenna tower in one corner of the field, and it has long been a suspect (or scapegoat!) for a lot of issues people have had (never with Futaba, though, and so far, never with DSMx.)

Each time we had the issue, we lost all motor RPM, and plane stayed in last flight position (failsafe), with no throttle or elevon control possible.

Upon approaching the crash site minutes later, we now observe elevons back to working and motor now responsive, and even with SOLID led on the receiver!

The solid led was a puzzler, until after today's crash. I turned everything back on at the pits bench, then turned off my transmitter. As in flight, the elevons go unresponsive, throttle goes to zero, and the led goes off. But here is the unexpected part (for me, anyway) -- leaving the battery on the plane plugged in, turning the transmitter back on, once the new bind occurs, we get a SOLID led -- not flashing.

I know Spectrum themselves has a dozen different varieties of these little receivers and some of them flash, some don't, some have two leds, etc. I started to make my own look-up table with descriptions of fade, brownout, frame loss, and what each one did for each type of event - if anything.... but when I saw that DSMx doesn't indicate anything for fades and frame loss, I finally just gave up on the idea.

What I would say is that we won't fly another foamie out there without a satellite, or at least a reciever with antenna diversity, and actually, I would feel even better still going to the new DSMx receiver, since that is true frequency hopping, and spread spectrum.

I have a DX8, and I have the TM1000 telemetry too, so what I thought I might do (but have been too lazy to do so far) is to first learn how to set up the system to indicate signal quality metrics on the screen, then use a plane to basically 'survey' our field by flying in different sections at different heights, and observing the data.

Originally Posted by tracknoob

...I am using a single HK $6 receiver...

I think I just narrowed down your problem!

Pat

Originally Posted by crxmanpat

I think I just narrowed down your problem!

Pat

heh heh I hear ya!

We are cheap %#@!%!^#^ around here.....

cheap and stubborn.....

But we *can* learn.....

That's why I'm glad I stuck with XPS. Converted my JR 9303 to 2.4 and the full range 6-ch Nano is only $30.

Pat

Has any one tried this receiver Redcon CM-921 2.4Ghz DSM2 Compatible 9-Channel Receiver ?

Took my first flight with onboard camera today. From the ground I thought it was much smoother. Next time I'll hit the dual rates I think.

Tomhe F-22 parkjet onboard (4 min 41 sec)

Just a hundred or so leds.

My small one is pretty well lit up.

Pat

That's really cool guys! I would like to try that one day.

It's actually very simple to do. I was intimidated to do it myself, but then I just bit the bullet and ordered lights. Was so simple I wish I'd done it sooner.

My build was detailed in my Mini F-22 thread.

Pat

That is sweet. How is the orientation at night? The orientation seems like it would be a factor on this shape of plane > vs a T shape plane. I guess you might not fly it too far out if it is the small one.

It helps alot if theres some on the verts, huge difference!

If you notice, I did red/green in the proper aviation orientation (red on left, green on right, when viewed in the sky just remember "red, right, returning"), and then blue/white on the bottom. No issues with orientation at all.

If anything, these lights are a little too bright. I find I can't look directly at the plane for more than a minute or so, then have to kinda look off to the side of it, not directly at it, otherwise my eyes will start to water. Weird, huh?

Pat

Originally Posted by superinstaller

It helps alot if theres some on the verts, huge difference!

Also true! Hard to tell in my pics above, but I do have it on the verticals as well.

Pat

PS - 168 12v LEDs on mine!

Pat