Flying on 27 Mhz???

Although I have not flown on 27 mhz for many years, I have gone back to using these channels. Some of my older 53 mhz radios are getting hit so bad at our field that I started getting some of my older 27 mhz gear out and checking it out. I have a few Futaba 5UAF and 7UAF transmitters that take the smaller rf module. Now if I could find a

27 mhz am module....Great Planes/Tower/Futaba said they no longer made a 27 mhz module and none are available for the later transmitters that take the small rf module. Baloney! I began to dig around found they do indeed have a tx module that fits and costs about 30 + dollars. I ordered one and bought some of those 4 channel AM HPI receivers that are usually used in cars. They work great..super range checks, too...plus they are small and usually found on ebay for about twenty bucks. Flew a number of planes yesterday using the 27 mhz Futaba AM module and a couple of these receivers and it was just great. No glitches...and nobody there but me...I previously had access to a spectrum analyzer to use at the field to find out why my six meter stuff was being hit. Solution there was to move to the low end of the 50 mhz band, like channel 00 and 01 and so on. However, I checked the 72 amd 27 mhz bands while at the field and 72 was ok with a couple of pager signals showing up..and 27 was totally clear. So why not fly there?? If anyone wants to discuss this with me or find out about getting a 27 mhz am Futaba module for the later model transmitters (not the old Gold face units) they can contact me direct at snipped-for-privacy@bellsouth.net Frank Schwartz....
Reply to
Frank Schwartz
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| However, I checked the 72 amd 27 mhz bands while at the field and 72 | was ok with a couple of pager signals showing up..and 27 was totally | clear. So why not fly there??

There's a few reasons not to fly there --

1) they're in the middle of the CB band. CB radios should not transmit on the R/C frequencies (except for channel 6, which is shared with the CB band) and should not use more than 4 watts, but there are people out there who transmit all around the CB band with thousands of watts ...

I don't think is is nearly as much of a problem as it used to be, as CBs aren't quite the fad they used to be ...

2) Many of the low end R/C toys use the 27 mHz band, both ground and air vehicles. So you run the risk of being shot down by lots of things.

3) There's only six channels in there to choose from.

Of course, all the other R/C bands have their own similar problems. So if 27 mHz works for you, great! Some added benefits are that it's likely to be legal in most of the world, and you can use the same equipment on R/C cars if you want.

Of course, what we really need is spread spectrum radios ... make most of these problems go away all at once.

Reply to
Doug McLaren

As to the notations by Doug..I know the R/C Frequencies on 27 mhz are in between CB channels.. Never had problems in years past when CB was roaring and we only had the 27 mhz channels. Most "toy" units that are on 27 mhz are very low power and not likely to be found at any R/C field. And most R/c fields are far away from metropolitan areas and interstates where there might be some of the CB nuts. Now, at night they come out of the woodwork and make a lot of radio noise...but who flies at night...and remember they are NOT on your R/C channels.... Maybe in your neighborhood...but at the flying field? Not likely at all. I'm flying a number of planes on 27 mhz and it is mine...all mine...nobody else there to worry about.....think about it.....

Frank Schwartz in the Nashville, TN area...flying on 27mhz....nowadays my own r/c band!!!!

Reply to
Frank Schwartz

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