Spektrum dx6. Cheap and 100% simpler to use than the $1100 Airtronics Vision I had once upon a time. The tech we have now still blows my mind.

I tried a fresky Xlite briefly with open tx too. Decided not to stick with it but it is also great… but a WHOLE other animal to learn to use.

Spektrum programming is reminiscent of what I learned on the Vision 25 years ago so that made more sense to me.

Stylus radios were really nice too though in their time. Is there a module you can buy to convert it from FM to 2.4 ghz? Can’t obvi use FM frequencies any more with all the cell phones in the world now. Your plane wouldn’t last one launch before interference would have it crashed. Fm/am radios are dead tech.

There is- I am pondering the question as I get the gear sorted to start getting flying again.


What?- I didn't know this:

Originally Posted by Dan81

Can’t obvi use FM frequencies any more with all the cell phones in the world now. Your plane wouldn’t last one launch before interference would have it crashed. Fm/am radios are dead tech.

I had thought there a still some few folks on old 72 gear and no problems?

Originally Posted by trbnt

There is- I am pondering the question as I get the gear sorted to start getting flying again.


What- I didn't know this:



I had thought there a still some few folks on old 72 gear and no problems?

If they were still as expensive as they were in the 90s I’d say it would be worth the mod. But my dx6 was $150 used in perfect condition on eBay. Easy decision. The open tx radios are all pretty cheap as well brand new. Well ‘cheap’ by my standard of what elements of this hobby used to cost. Vs today. Lol

People are balking at the kst Xo6 being $40 a piece but I’ve paid over $100 per aileron servo before in the 90s for what was the best needed back then. So it’s all relative.
I have 12 x06 as a result. :-). Don’t tell the wife. She thinks I’ve only bought 4. HAHA

MAYBE if you’re WAY out in the bush to fly would 72mhz work. But I doubt it. Charge a battery and turn that thing on with some servos plugged in. You’ll see.
Last contest I flew in in 1998 a friend got his plane shot down and we were sure it was a cell phone signal from someone driving by on the highway over a mile away from the sod farm we were flying on. THAT was in 1998. Imagine now….

There are 100bilion more radio signals floating around our airwaves now than there were in 1998…. 2.4ghz and frequency hopping was a necessary design to specifically defeat this problem. And it works beautifully. No more crystals. No more frequency pins. All that crappola.

Well I found the boom in my gear- 850 mm length and weighs 17 grams.

Also found a bunch of built up sailplane wings- I have no ideal what they were all from....

Sounds like you got most of what you need man. Awesome. Look forward to seeing the progress. :-)

Originally Posted by Dan81

Sounds like you got most of what you need man. Awesome. Look forward to seeing the progress. :-)

Thanks- yeah I am happy.
It has been years and I was hoping a couple of key parts survived and they have.

Go to Lowes and grab a piece of the green XPS I have. It’s sold in a 2’ by 2’ square labeled as a ‘project panel’ for crafting. It’s labeled online as 25 psi just like the blue or pink foam. BUT I tell ya. It’s tougher than the blue stuff in the hand. (I have both). I bet in reality it’s more like 35 or 40 psi. GREAT for your tails
I personally like the minty green color too

The project panel is $5 and it would be enough material to make 30 tail pieces easy if sliced up into 5mm slivers like I do it. 1 piece makes 3 of my 1m wing sets too. So $1.50 each wing set. Aprox.

I save all the little pieces of it too. Did the pylon for the stab out of it this time too.

Have decided next proto to scale it down to dimensions of the MD 2 but keep my wing shape. Smaller tails, 145mm chord wing and shorter boom. All these elements will help bring the weight down of course. Will rework my templates this weekend and formulate templates for glass fuse as well

Want to have this Fling for windy days (and slope once we relocate to Virginia) and (hopefully) a lighter one for calmer days. And also the MD2 of course.

Dan thanks for the foam tip but as it turns out the core set I have has the wire cut tail cores included.

I have no excuses but to put this together lol..

Originally Posted by trbnt

Dan thanks for the foam tip but as it turns out the core set I have has the wire cut tail cores included.

I have no excuses but to put this together lol..

Even better! Cool. :-)

Well if anyone in the US is needing XPS. That green stuff is the best you’ll get off the shelf. You have to special order the 60psi high load stuff.

I can't keep up with this thread!

Re: Disser: There used to be a German company that sold light Kevlar fabric with the carbon disser woven in. I have a small piece someone gave me, but not enough to do anything with I think.

Re: 72mhz: I fly with several guys on Cape Cod who use 72mhz exclusively with no issues at all. Cell phones operate at 800mhz or higher. There are certainly all sorts of other communications that have potential to interfere with a 72mhz Tx but I think that is dependent on your flying location. I thought the switch to 2.4ghz radios mostly had to do with never having to worry about conflicts between flyers who accidentally chose the same channel at the same time? But I came into the hobby long after 2.4 was well established, so I could be wrong there. 2.4 is great, just turn on and fly...no "channel boards" or worries about getting "shot down" by someone on the wrong channel.

Dan, my DX6 arrived the other day. Essentially brand new, not a scratch, factory protective plastic still over the screen and switch inserts, and the latest firmware on board. Never registered so I was able to create an account for future warranty & upgrades. And it came with a nice case. All at a killer "used" price

Awesome Jim. You’ll love it. I really like mine.

As far as interference from other sources (not other flyers which was also ALWAYS a problem) I can tell you I’ve witnessed it personally going back to the early 90s. I’d never ever trust even the cheapest plane to 72mhz ever again. Personally. I myself was close to losing a plane in a contest due to interference but I got control back at about 50 feet and pulled out luckily. Ruined my score for the round though. Was pissed. :-)

Wing joining in progress...

I still have a an older JR X378 72FM (works well) - If you are use to programming an old radio you can get a simple module and convert FM to 2.4GHz.

Originally Posted by trbnt

There is- I am pondering the question as I get the gear sorted to start getting flying again.
What?- I didn't know this:
I had thought there a still some few folks on old 72 gear and no problems?