Am or FM

I have flown many a Futaba Attack four channel AM radio in the modern RF environment and have never experienced a problem. I have even owned and flown a couple of them and could see no difference between the performance of the Attack and the Conquest FM version. Have a ball.

Ed Cregger

I forgot to mention that they are legal and are considered narrow band.

Ed Cregger

| Is AM used in Aircraft these days? I picked up an Attack 4 cheap | and could use it in my trainer if it's appropriate. I bought the kit for | the servos and batteries so the Radio and receiver are extra. Don't need | to use it unless it's ok to do so.

As Ed said, AM is still used and works fine. FM gives you better range, but AM still lets you go further than you can see the plane. I guess that FM should reject interference better, but in practice I haven't seen any real difference.

Many of the low end radios, especially on the 27 mhz and 75 mhz bands, are AM. They're still making lots of them today (mostly for cars, but there's some for planes too, especially for small park fliers.)

With any old radio, there's the danger that it's not narrowband, but I think all the Attack 4's are. There's probably a gold AMA sticker on the back -- if so, you're fine. If not, you might want to ask Futaba about it.

You say it's for use in a trainer? I have an Attack 4 radio, and I don't think it has a buddy box connector. So if that's your plan, forget it. And even if it does have a buddy box connector, it won't work with an FM radio -- you'll need to use another AM Futaba radio for the buddy box.

They haven't been made in a while, so the batteries are probably dead or dying. Replace them, or at least cycle them and see what kind of capacity they've got left.

I have a Futaba FP5UA that I still use today. I also used it in a trainer and buddy boxed it with a Skysport 4 FM radio and it worked fine. (FP5UA master / Skysport slave) Some AM radios will buddy box just fine with FM boxes. I still use it from time to time but not as much as my FM radio's simply because of the computer TX's. I have to say though, next to my 6XAS, the FP5UA is the most feature rich TX I own and it is much easier to set up than the 6XAS. If I could find more receivers for it, I would use it more often.

David

AM or FM does not really matter.

In tune - now THAT matters! Especially if it is an older radio It would not hurt to send it off to the radio doctor and get a little piece of mind - AM or FM.

At the very least do a range check before you fly - AM or FM!

I am flying both.

Mine are perfectly legal, thank you very much.... 1991 recievers and Gold-Stickered transmitters.