Some know that I have a number of hobbies ... yachting ... fishing and of course models (boats, cars and flying stuff).

Earlier this year decided to use some of that money sitting around in company - so picked up another car .. Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 ... very nice ... even wife likes it !! One of the last real Range Rovers made ... 2012 - L322.



I think the later models have 'lost the plot' regarding off-road etc. Become more street machines than real RR's.

Anyway - still had money sitting spare ... so why not go for a new boat ... I mean full size real job ...

Existing boat - 25ft Motor Sailer has crossed Baltic .. cruised Swedish Islands .. Finnish Islands etc. Been marvelous - but is getting old and would be nice to keep at bottom of garden for river use.
Looked online ... travelled to Sweden and looked - but nothing struck as YES - that's it ...

Then we went back to Sweden on an off-chance viewing ... not expecting great things .... but stepped on board and YES - within less than a minute - this was THE boat.

Day later sailing her across Baltic to home port ... she's too big to go upriver to my private mooring ... so will stay in harbour for seagoing 'duties'

Conqubin 38 Cruiser Racer .... intention now is to get her sorted ready for next year to race her ... which she is primarily designed for ...



Here she is next to my other boat ... which is now having repairs to keel after hitting underwater concrete block ...

...Continue Reading

I see too often certain members post again and again so near the unacceptable level. Why ?

I accept that my views are not accepted by some as I do not accept some others. But is no excuse to be rude.

I know for myself - after travelling the world and meeting many different nationalities / cultures - I try as best as possible to make allowances in peoples posts.
But too often it is obvious that there are those here on RCG unable to even try.

I do not believe in using 'Ignore' ... I prefer to read what rubbish they may be posting than not know.

Twice in last 3 days I have had penalty points ... for quoting and replying to anothers insulting post. I have had to edit HIS QUOTED text to void the points ... seems a bit unfair.

I run a number of forums ... moderate some .... and none of those has this problem.

Yet again - the self-opiniated show their colours .........

I understand that RCG is one of the biggest Model Forums out there and will attract not only the good - but also the bad. Its generally tolerated, many of us old-hands here have identified the ones to 'steer clear of' and those that are worth following.

What amazes me is where a person is insulted - they kick back - and another blames the victim !! People say their are no 'cliques' on here ............ rubbish. Not true. There definitely are and they do nothing to advance RCG standing. In fact they just show how blind they can be.

Yes I am angry.

When a person posts a question or asks help - it is expected of us ALL to stay respectful and try keep to subject. It is also good if any reply can actually show / explain clearly ....
If the reply includes a snide or insulting remark - do not be surprised at reaction by victim. But for the victim to then be attacked by someone else - claiming victim is the instigator ??? WOW !

There are many forums out there that do not allow such and quickly stamp on it. RCG fails unfortunately in this regard - possibly due to size of the forum, but it does not excuse the wrong of it.

If it was not for the majority of good people here - outweighing the 'obnoxious' ... RCG would not be the success it is. But take note ... I know of many who have decided to never post / grace RCG again ... I have plenty of emails / comms about this.

So 'Cliques' .... Buddies .... take note ...

Not so long ago - the likes of Hobby King and similar had budget as well as more expensive gear. We all break props .. need wheels ... etc. etc.

But now you go online and its hard to find those items we took for granted ... or the shipping is just crazy.

I need 4.1 x 4.1 R props as pusher ... HK had loads of these and similar but now ??? Nothing.

I found APC style on another site - but for ONE prop - they wanted $17 shipping .............

In the end AliExpress came up with what I wanted but still not exactly budget priced.

The Ender 3 Pro is a good machine as a starter unit and can produce some amazing results. But it has one limiting factor that I am surprised they accepted. Single Z drive rod supporting a heavy Extruder arm.

Initially - the arm rose and lowered with only a tiny change in its horizontal level ... but as time went - despite adjustment / calibration - that change increased. It resulted in strange thin / thick first layers as the arm changed ... BL Touch could not compensate as it was on the arm itself.

I finally looked for solution and watched video of a Dual Z rod belt system ... sorry but I'm not so sure about making the one stepper motor drive not only its own rod - but via belt / pulleys - drive a second Z rod ?
Then I found Creality's own solution ... a Dual Stepper motor kit ...

Ender is Creality ........ so surely if they produce the kit as well as the machine its intended for - it must be a good match ?

Second - it was actually a lot cheaper than the 3rd party belt system and cheaper than other stepper motor offerings.

Click on Buy ... it was ordered. Few days later in my hands.

Took about 1 hour to fit ... includes having a beer !

Because my BL Touch had thrown its handf in ... I had to flash non BL Touch FW ... easy peasy as the BL Touch had sorted bootloader before ... so connect to PC ... and zap ! Refitted Z stop switch .. unplugged BVL Touch ... manually levelled bed ...

Did a couple of calibration ruins ... and WOW ... now I have a rock steady arm and nice evfen first layers ......

Recc'd ? You bet !!

OK .. we have had a number of posts and threads over the years about bungees and various setups. One of the most useful threads was destroyed and became a soap-box platform.

Lets get back on track and also try to log the various ways its accomplished .. with / without ramp / rails ... tension amounts .... min / max size of model ...

First I would ask people to look at the Poll and check those that apply. A short post could be made as well if felt necessary to explain why something is added or not.

I would like to think that the end result is that more people get to enjoy this way of launching models.

Descriptions - modifications - diagrams - tables - all welcome.

So onto Poll .............. you may click as many as are relevant to your usage.

There are some really ignorant individuals who frequent forums. The fact that they get banned from other forums - doesn't seem to change their attitude or ways.

You try to accommodate - you go the long road to accept their way of doing things - pointing out that their way is theirs and others have their ways .....

Its a wasted effort .... they keep plugging on ruining good threads - oblivious that literally no positive replies to their self-indulgent posts and videos ....

I understand that the larger a forum membership gets - the likelihood of such idiots increases ... but it still destroys good threads and makes for moderators headaches.

Anyone reading this - I am sure know exactly which idiot I am talking about ....

I have had a 3D printer for quite a few years now ... Hobby King sold the DIY Printer ... from Colida. A budget machine that has some good and not so good features.
Best feature is the dual Z drive rods - making sure the head as it rises and falls does not suffer from the weight of hot head moving across the work area ... it keeps uniform height ...
Another is that the filament is fed direct to extruder without a long Teflon tube .... so any changes of filament have only a short piece to clear.

But main disadvantage is the lack of bed adjustment to level. Its a fixed bed and to adjust there are two ways : a) to effectively twist the frame by shimming under the main feet but this is unreliable, b) to remove bed and shim the mounting bolts with card etc.

The Colida has no Heated Bed - but the control board does have facility to connect. A number of people online have advised not to use this and to separately power / control any bed added to the unit. They report the board burning out as its 12v and pushed to limits ...

The Colida is best when connected by USB to a computer and then use Repetier Host or Simplyfi3D ..... SD card (standard size) is possible but you have no screen to monitor ... so still use the computer.

My other printer is the Ender 3 Pro .......... a very good machine BUT it has its quirks.

The main area that I find is not so good ... the main horozontal beam that carries the head unit has only one Z drive rod at one end. When watching the...Continue Reading

Prompted by long running thread on Bungee use - I decided to create a video showing the advantages of using a ramp to get model of the ground and avoid damage.
The system has been created years ago after many years of Hi-Starts and different versions. The system here has served perfectly and performs just as well today.

General Bungee video 21 May 2021 (24 min 21 sec)

Based on over 50years of model flying ... 35 odd years of Ducted Fan ..... and the actual gear in the video being ~over 10 years old and still today performing faultlessly.
Its main benefit is the model can be launched regardless of ground condition. Rough fields particularly can damage models and this removes that at launch, leaving only the landing to sort.
I've tried so many different forms from free style Hi-Starts for Thermal gliders ... to board based short run launchers ... but finally settled on this system. Easy to set-up ... safely removing operator from props and blades .. Highest cost item is the bungee cord itself - rest is easily obtained in any local DIY shop.

Simple ...... Safe ....... Easy to make ..... Easy to set-up ......

Using Eagle Tree Pitot Speed checker - a 50mm EDF Skyangel T45 was launched on this system with no motor power. Model allowed to glide to a landing .. the Speed Checker showed 113kph ...

I hope the video can help people with set-ups ...

I have 3 hobbies ..... RC of course, then full size Yachting, and finally fishing.

2020 of course was a disaster for all 3 as CV19 swept across the Globe causing lockdowns and restrictions for all. As time went on - easing Lockdowns and CV19 hit back ... so even tighter lockdowns ...

Here we are in 2021 with Vaccinations in progress - but still CV19 has a grip on us.

Is there a light at end of tunnel ? Yes a small flicker is appearing - but it all hinges on us all getting our vaccinations and doing best to reduce spread of the CV19.
It will be a long while before open full flight line meetings and TBH - I think CV19 is never going to fully go away. It will sit there waiting its chance to strike out ..

Here in Latvia - the pandemic is serious - hospitals full and staff struggling to cope. But movement is still relatively free. We have restrictions on numbers in gatherings ... masks ... controlled access into shops etc.

Maybe I am not alone - but the urge to go out and fly is there - but the actual will to get up and go is ?? after all this time locked down. I'm sure that once I get a model back in the air - the drive will be back again ... its just that initial get up and do it !

Lockdown has created a hangar full of new models to maiden .. but flight fields have been lost. The CAA has issued more Red Zones making the distance to travel to fly greater. Owners / those responsible for land suitable are increasingly reluctant to agree use.

I wonder what the future is ?

Ice fishing and winter Ventspils 07 02 2021 (8 min 8 sec)

Pretty cold out there .... and I of course suffered near frozen hands doing it !!

IMPORTANT TO NOTE :

This 'blog' is in no way intended to detract or deny the excellent work and effort put into the 3D Vulcan by MK9 and his son. It is intended to COMPLIMENT and provide ideas / suggestions / examples of failures / success that could aid in getting the design to a generic print.
To not clog up the original thread with experiments and modifications. This is by suggestion of MK9.... which I fully respect.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...n-FMS-50mm-EDF

MK9 and his son have produced what must be one of the most iconic Cold War aircraft ever. The Avro Vulcan.

I have built 3 of my own design and still have the 3rd in full flying order and I thoroughly enjoy flying it. Its profile - but that wing shape in air is so distinctive - the profile form is ignored.

The 3D Vulcan linked to - many are printing and providing input to MK9 and son ... hopefully another example will soon grace the air.

My efforts so far are to translate the STL's from CR-10 to a more compact sized bed machine as many have ... from the 300x300 to 200x200.
During prints - I have found the wing skins to actually sag due to lack of internal support - in the quest of MK9 / Son to keep weight down. To fly it on a 50mm EDF is some achievement IMHO.

So far I have printed about 80% of one wing panel and find that its form sags and joints are subject to the bottom layer ... so further tests will be made removing the 2 bottom perimeter layers and substituting 2% infill .......Continue Reading

I'm coming on soon to be 64yrs old and I have being flying models since about 6 - 7 yrs old ... I was youngest of three boys and my older brothers were into tow launched gliders and Control Line. I used to be the daft one who had to run the field towing up those gliders or get the 'wrath of brotherly love' descend on me !
But as soon as I could - it was into RC ... especially when I had no brothers at home to hold the C/L model while I picked up the lines ... Oh what a dance that was early days of RC ... never knowing if it would work or not. Hours spent fiddling about to end in failure at field.

But memory plays tricks and I look back at balmy days ... sunshine, gentle breeze ... beautiful days to go flying.

Today I have gear and models that you know as long as you setup correct - will fly and fly again. No longer a wing and a prayer ... but what happened to the weather ?
Now we seem to lurch from one extreme to another ... the number of suitable flying days are so few that it makes me wonder if I will fly again.

Are we now suffering Global Warming affecting our hobby ? I certainly do not remember so many lost weekends to weather as now. I admit that the weather limits are lower now for me than in past. Because I was in UK - the wind and weather was always 'breezy' and we lived with it ... but models then were more robust, heavier. Today models are lighter, more skeletal and do not suffer the wind so well.

Maybe its time to start resurrecting some of the older construction methods and more robust models ?

Despite representation and links to the offending - I am still penalised even though I am the victim.

I also seem to have had my Blog altered !!

Seems "Cause and Effect" has no value here.

RCG is not unique in the problem - it happens in all forums ....

People post and tend to forget who reads. We all do it. We read a post and reply ... our attention is on that post we reply to. Trouble is - that and our reply are read by others who's minds are not similarly 'focused'.

The result can be less than desirable - especially for a newcomer to the hobby.

Bias is all part of our individual make-up, we like to think we can step outside our bias and preferences, but in fact its not that easy. Especially if a discussion takes a path that gets somewhat heated. The 'gloves come off' and bias rears up to serious levels ...

It becomes sad when a poster then resorts to insults or name calling. It usually means the person who resorts to insult has lost the argument and has nowhere left to go. It would have been much better if they had left the discussion alone with their previous.

Sometimes the poster with nowhere to go - resorts to 'baiting' - trying to provoke a response. The best reply to that is NO Reply ! That infuriates the antagonist much more than any reply.

Above is a part of every forum - some have moderators that deaol with it quietly and effectively, others don't. But its there and well to remember that we cannot control who reads our posts and the consequences.

Its funny .. in every Forum there is often one that seems oblivious to world around them. With Jo - not only blind but paranoid !

Yet again - he attacks me for what he thinks is a post targeting him .... why would I target him ? It has no purpose - I long ago got tired of winding him up. I can go real fishing instead of baiting hooks for Jo !!

RCG is the last refuge he has after being booted of various other forums ... he denies it - but its common knowledge.

Hang in their Jo .... they haven't thrown you out of RCG yet !!

I turned 63 in January .... but in fact only when climbing stairs do I feel old !

But my flying standards are getting worse. I swear I am going backwards ... especially when it comes to landings and such. Major problem is 'depth perception' - I swear I am lined up with runway ... but find myself landing into the rough !

Maybe its my glasses ?? I wear varifocal glasses having got fed up carrying two pairs, one for normal and others for reading.

I must say though ..... my flying today is improving my repair skills !!

I have created / I am moderator on various forums and Owners Groups.

The range of styles and moderators is wide and can at times be bewildering.

I have been in the modelling hobby for over 55yrs and seen development and changes that we could never have imagined. Leaving aside the electronics and models themselves - one of the most useful but also can be destructive - is the advent of Internet and Forums.

Forums and sites such as Youtube give instant access to all. Whether experienced or newcomer. Because of its instant factor - it can also be carrier for the less informed or those with 'character'.

Recently a Vendor posted on Phantompilots.com a text that caused a number of members to reply in terms of disbelief. The vendors claims were in all honesty ridiculous.

As I say - various members posted such and I decided to add some experiences and questions to the thread. The vendor continued his stance and debate continued. While I was typing my next reply - the moderator of that section "Dirkclod" posted a message informing that he would ban anyone who continued to 'bash' the vendor. I was totally unaware of his threat and clicked POST. Once my text uploaded - I then saw his threat ... but before I could edit / delete my post - which actually was NOT bashing the vendor but questioning his claims - I was banned.

I was not able to edit / delete or even contact the moderator to discuss or solve the situation.

Two weeks later - I was allowed back to...Continue Reading

With the building of workshop / garage / club room ... I will be moving gear soon. That frees up the house as Wife is tired of my modelling !!

With so many models of so many different types - I need to learn to stop buying / building and just fly what I have. When it comes down to it - I enjoy the building .. not so much the final installation / setup ... and then the nervous maiden flight !! The joy of that successful maiden is something else. Never again do you get that 'rush' of satisfaction that you have 'done it again' ...

My dragging out of storage many of my models is giving me a bit of a rush ... so I hope that working through these will help me get over the Click to Buy !!

One of the biggest hurdles I have to sort : Every day literally I find something I need to order. Is there any way to organise orders so I can order less frequently ?

I ordered various ESC's ...

then I ordered Linkage stoppers

then I ordered landing gear clamps, saddle clamps

then I ordered 9 / 12 / 13gr servos ...

Now why did I not know to order in one time and save shipping ?

I bet I am not only one !!

Nigel

I don't know about 'you' but I have a large number of models covering cars, boats, heli's, multi-rotors and fixed wing.

I sit there sometimes and just consider why i have so many. Is it the love of using so many different ? Is it the looking at them and knowing all mine ? Is it the joy of putting them together and seeing them create in my hands ?

I really do not know. But what I do know is that over 50% do not get to be used as I develop a collection that travels usually to / from flight / model area. I cannot really say I prefer those models - but somehow i feel more confident with them.

Lately - I have been looking through my vast hangar and checking out which is still really in condition to see use again. Its terrible to admit this - but near all are fit to go. Its a sad indictment of my waste of good models.

Additionally its terrible that I still scan through Hobby King ... and various online sites looking for the next model !
When at the PC ... one of the websites usually open ... Windguru ... checking out the weather over next days !!

Am I alone in this or is it really a common problem ?

I don't want a cure .. no way ... but would be nice to know I'm not alone !

Nigel