Frustrated Newbie

I feel the need to blow off some steam since I am frustrated over my new project that is now collecting dust. I recently purchased a Slow Stick starter set that included the GWS 4 channel radio. I bought this because of the good reviews on the plane for beginners and the fact that this was supposed to be a complete starter set. We'll, a month later I still don't have the plane together and I'm not sure when if ever I'll get it off the ground.

For starters, the instructions for the plane are just not adequate for a complete beginner in RC like myself. The instructions assume that you've had some experience with basic RC, especially installing the radio control equipment (servos, etc). The instructions that come with the 4 channel radio are also sparse. I have most of the plane electronics hooked up although I have no idea if the servos and control rods, etc are installed right. Also, I'm not too sure how to balance the center of gravity considering you'r supposed to move the wing forward or backwards. How do you do this if the control rods are already installed? By the way, what position is considered neutral for the servos?

My latest problem now is that the battery connection is not compatible with the wiring that comes with the motor. I e-mailed the company and they sent me a wire but it's still not what I need. In fact, in the GWS catalog I don't even see the wire connection that I would need. Similarly, the charger connection will not work with the batter either. So now I need two connectors before I can even attempt to hook everything up to see if I did it right. I am going to be checking with some local hobby shops to see if I can get some battery connections to work. Should getting some type of battery connection adaptor work?

Am I the only one who has had this much problem with a supposed complete starter set for beginners? I'm not ready to give up yet but I am a little frustrated. Of course, I know that the best way to get help is to hook up with a local club. I am trying to meet some of the folks locally but I just haven't been able to yet. Thanks for listening. Joe A.

Reply to
Modrocket
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... Of course, I know that the best way to get help

Hello, Joe -

You hit the nail on the head - you need a local person to help you. I'd start with the local hobby shop and ask what organizations exist locally. Go out the the field and introduce yourself. Maybe attend a meeting. See who the instructors are. I think you will be surprised at how much we all like to share our knowledge of the hobby.

Cheers - LeeH

Reply to
LeeH

I am also thinking of joining the RC air hobby, I havn't bought a plane yet, someone told me I need to join AMA for insurance purposes. Is this true? I don't plan of flying near houses or in crowded areas and am only going to fly electric.

Reply to
Scotty

Hello Scotty -

Heh, heh - there are differing opinions on this question :-) But I can tell you my local club, to which I belong, requires AMA membership to join. Yes, they want you to be insured.

I agree with you about not flying near houses or crowded ares, especially for the beginner.

I would wholeheartedly repeat the recommendation often heard here that you find an instructor - this will save you much grief and give you the best chance for a successful start in the hobby.

Cheers - LeeH

Reply to
LeeH

Yeah Modrocket, I'd be pretty pissed too. A basic starter kit that a novice can't put together without the help of an experienced model builder? ...and everyone's comfortable with that? It's similar to going to a barby, and some techno-nerd starts spruiking off about his job using mnemonics and assumes you know what the hell he's talking about! I hate that.

Reply to
Mack

Modrocket,

First, don't despair! As suggested, go to the local Hobby Shop and ask where the nearest club is. Seek them out and ask for help. Admit to them you're dumb even if you aren't. They'll be more inclined to help that way since they now feel superior! :)

Second, don't drag the whole thing into the local Hobby Shop and ask for help. Although most hobby shops will probably help, it's simply bad manners to seek help from a shop you didn't buy the thing from. Persevere and we'll get you through this. On the flip side, It's perfectly fine to take your battery, charger and speed control in there and ask if they can hook you up with some connectors to make it all work. Just a matter of finesse!

Third, centering a servo. Plug the servos into their respective spots on the receiver. Make sure you have fresh/charged radio batteries and turn the Tx and Rx on. Move the sticks and see which server relates to what stick movement. Now you'll notice the sticks are spring loaded. And there's an adjustable tab below and to one side of the stick. Let go of the stick and allow it to go to center. Then make sure those tabs are in the center too. This should bring the servos to center. Note the location of the servo arm in relation to the servo body. It should be square with the body. That is, one of the arms should be pointing directly out to one side of the body and/or directly off one end. If not, you can remove the arm and manually adjust it. A little experimenting should make it all clear.

Now, with the servos centered and in the model, connect the pushrods and adjust the pushrod length so the related control surface is even with the part it is hinged to. In other words, the elevator is neither bent up nor down in relation to the rest of the stab. Ditto with the rudder. Does this all make sense?

Center of gravity (CG) is a point from where the plane can be suspended and it will hang level. Without a proper CG the plane simply will not fly right if at all. The plans or instructions should tell you where on the wing that point falls and it will probably be in relation to the center of the wing. Mark/extend that point to the wingtips. Now, the easiest way to check it is to support the model by placing something under each wingtip (a finger works well) at the suggested balance point. The model should balance with a slight nose down attitude. If not, adjust the wing until it does. A note here, most models do not adjust the wing for this. Instead they move equipment or add weight to balance it. Also make sure everything is installed in the model before checking the CG. It should be ready to fly when you do this.

Hope this helps get you back to it. Any more questions, feel free to ask.

Chuck

Reply to
Chuck Jones

"Modrocket" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Jest curious, but does "Modrocket" come from the Mods and Rockers, scooter/biker gangs in the '50s, '60s in UK?

Reply to
High Plains Thumper

Basic information can be had from books sold in most hobby shops. Us

your common sense in buying them. Also check websites and think abou subscriptions to "RC Modler" (commonly caller RCM), "Fly RC", and "R Report". These three are fairly affordable. "RCM" is oriented mainl toward building and builders but moving with the mainstream into ARF's "Fly RC" is mostly ARF's with an emphasis on electrics, usually. "R Report" is almost a newspaper but the collumnists are among the bi names in the hobby and some of the articles are mind expanding abou model planes. The news stand price of 4 or 5 issues will equal th price of a year subscription. AND NO I do not get a commission

-- Charlie6

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Reply to
Charlie65

| Well then it must be you as the problem! | The SlowStick is one of the most simple planes to build

Now that's not even remotely true.

Yes, it's simpler to build than most ARFs, and certainly better than any kit, but it's nowhere near as simple as some planes.

For example, there's the glow trainer type planes that come almost completely assembled -- all you have to do is glue the wing together. You can be flying 20 minutes after opening the box. (Though you'll probably need a fast charger to charge the batteries that fast.)

And then there's the planes that all you have to do is rubber band the wing on and charge the batteries -- planes like the Firebird.

And then there's planes that all you have to do is charge the batteries, like that little itty bitty plane that GWS or Great Planes makes. I forget the name.

The Slow Stick is certainly one of the easier planes to assemble, but you still have to pick your radio gear and battery, and so you may have to make some connectors if you didn't choose your gear properly, and you still have to mount all this gear and do some gluing and such. But even so, it's an order of magnitude harder than the other planes I mentioned in this post.

| & fly!

Now, that part may be close to true. It flies very slowly and is very forgiving. It's not as strong as some, however, so crashes will probably require some time to do repairs.

To the original poster, you're probably right about the instructions.

My advice? Bring the plane and your tools and batteries and such down to the local R/C field and ask somebody for help. Even if they can't let you fly it there (many clubs require that you be an AMA member so they know you're insured), they can help you get it assembled, and you're likely to find somebody who is willing to help.

If things are already really close to done and the batteries charged and such, they may even be able to take it up and make sure everything works before you fly it.

Reply to
Doug McLaren

Reply to
P B

No, I just happen to also be into rocketry.

Reply to
Modrocket

Concerning the question about my screen name "Modrocket," I just happen to also be into rocketry. I failed to give the context to my previous post. Joe A.

Reply to
Modrocket

"Modrocket" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

No problem, Joe. I did model rocketry in high school in the early '70s, revisited it when my son was 10 years old, we had a blast.

Reply to
High Plains Thumper

Modrocket, I too was surprised at the poorly written instructions accompanying my GWS Tigermoth. I'm sure direct translation plays a big part but you'd think a company the size of GWS selling thousands of model planes would at least have sufficient funds to hire technical writers and proof readers who have a better comprehension of English translation. Though a few years of building experience helped me finish mine and in truth the Tigermoth flew well, I found their instructions to be littered with, omission, ambiguity and contradiction. I can truly empathize with you as a beginner.

Dont give up though, find a local club and join.... this will immediately put you with experience and the help you need. RC Flyers are a wonderful group of people, in 20+ years of model building and flying I cant say I've met too many modellers I didnt like. Hang in there bud.

Rob

steam since I am frustrated over my

Reply to
Rob Stearns

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'm planning on going to my local hobby shop this week. Joe A.

Reply to
Modrocket

OK, Joe - thanks for the update. I'd be interested to hear your adventures as you proceed, and I bet some of the others in the newsgroup would too.

Best wishes - LeeH

Modrocket wrote:

Reply to
LeeH

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