I just acquired what appears to be an older nitro plane, with radio
set. The plane looks to be in good shape - used but not crashed. I don't
know about the motor or radio. I intend to try to revive the radio, but
have no desire to tinker with an IC engine of this sort. It's labelled
"Royal-Air 20H" on the wing, and I guess the motor is .20. The radio set
is a Futuba 4 channel "Conquest FP-4NL." I'll post some photos in the
binary group. Any help would be appreciated. I'd like to know more about
this model and what it's worth today.
I'm familiar with the airplane. They were one of the early ARF's.
Royal made a 20H (high wing), 20L (low wing) and a 40 H and L.
They were poor quolity including the covering which was stick on
like shelf paper.
The radio , which was mfd in the 80's is NOT LEGAL now and has
not been since 1991 whem all transmitters were required to be
narrow band. Many transmitters could be updated to narrow band ,but
not this one.
Not only would you be endangering other flyers but the receiver
that came with these were not dual conversion and would be subject
to interference from adjacent channels.
The older radios on 72 mhz were even channels only from 32-60 ,
pretty sure they started at 32 ...... and had a .040 mhz separation.
This gave us a grand total of 15 channels...I think this number is
correct , very close anyway.
1991 was the year we got all the new channels from 11-60
odd and even , and these are only separated by .020 mhz .
giving us 50 channels on the 72 mhz band.
Sorry to burst your bubble , but the whole system is pretty much
worthless. Even if you would only use the servos , you would have
to put different plugs on them as these had the G series plug.
The newer ones have J series plugs , and I certainly would not trust
those old servos.
FWIW , I wouldn't consider buying a Royal even of you found one.
The newer ARF's are better .
Hope this helps.
Ken
Thanks for the info. I'm not thinking of buying another one, I'm
thinking of selling this one, maybe to a collector. Ebay would
apparently be the place, as it's more or less worldwide. Maybe there are
fans of the plane around. It's certainly *solidly* constructed!
Follow Ken's suggestion and don't put this item on ebay, or at a minimum
don't put the transmitter on ebay. Take a hammer and smash the transmitter
and dump the remains in the trash can.
Marlowe Follow Ken's suggestion and don't put this item on ebay, or at a minimum
Heh. I just had a mini-argument this morning with a guy selling one
on Ebay. I suggested he note in the listing that the unit isn't legal in
the US, and he snapped back that it's the buyer's responsibility to
comply with regs. If I do sell it there, I'll make it *very* clear that
it isn't legal here. Unless the ban applies in Europe and Asia as well,
though, I don't see why I can't list it with that caveat.
As for the plane, am I correct in assuming that there are people who
collect older models? I'm not looking to get much for it, just get it to
someone who actually wants it. I'll take $35 plus actual shipping cost,
if anyone wants it. It includes a spare motor, although I don't know if
either one runs.
mj13 BEFORE you bust up that illegal transmitter...it may have some use..
I just stumbled across a very old quote on the Watt-flyer group about using
old radios as buddy boxes and as a training simulator.... I don't know
enough to know if that might be an option for you..but...it might be????
regards, rich
***************************************************************
" I purchased a used Futaba conquest 4 channel FM radio for $10 to use as a
buddy box and to use on a simulator"
"mjc13 wrote
Should be no problem with the servos.
All I did when I converted to the new standard, was to buy a new receiver
and transmitter, and go flying. The old servos stayed in the plane.
| > I'm familiar with the airplane. They were one of the early ARF's.
| > Royal made a 20H (high wing), 20L (low wing) and a 40 H and L.
| > They were poor quolity including the covering which was stick on
| > like shelf paper.
Yup. I had one too, until it crashed. Bought the whole thing for
like $20. It was so heavy the 0.20 could barely power it. It did OK
with the 0.42 Thunder Tiger, however -- your basic lead sled.
| > Sorry to burst your bubble , but the whole system is pretty much
| > worthless.
Even modern trainers, complete with radio gear, engine and flight box
tend to not go for much more than $100. This, with an obsolete radio,
old plug servos, and known poor construction is worth much less.
The engine might be worth something, if it's in good shape. And by
something, I mean like $20 or $30, unless it's something special and
in good condition.
| Thanks for the info. I'm not thinking of buying another one, I'm
| thinking of selling this one, maybe to a collector.
Collectors probably won't want it. They want things that were somehow
special, unique or nostalgic -- and this plane wasn't it, unless it
was somebody's first plane. And collectors tend to want things that
are brand new, in the box. They'll pay a lot for an old kit, even a
crappy one -- but will pay much less if it's been assembled. If it's
assembled and was done well, they might pay something for it, but this
plane is known for being a poor quality ARF -- and they're not rare.
You might find a sucker, however.
| Maybe there are fans of the plane around.
Good luck with that.
| It's certainly *solidly* constructed!
That's a bad thing. That's another way of saying `heavy', which is a
bad thing when it comes to flying models.
...
| > Heh. I just had a mini-argument this morning with a guy selling
| > one on Ebay. I suggested he note in the listing that the unit
| > isn't legal in the US, and he snapped back that it's the buyer's
| > responsibility to comply with regs.
In short, being honest might cost him money, so he's not interested.
| > If I do sell it there, I'll make it *very* clear that
| > it isn't legal here. Unless the ban applies in Europe and Asia as well,
| > though, I don't see why I can't list it with that caveat.
Europe and Asia use different bands, so it'll be illegal there too.
The radio might be useful for parts of some sort -- the gimbals and
case might be useful -- but it's basically useless. On the bright
side, the batteries are likely shot, so that greatly reduces the
chance that anybody will actually try to use it.
| > As for the plane, am I correct in assuming that there are people who
| > collect older models?
Sure. But they generally want older _special_ models.
| > I'm not looking to get much for it, just get it to
| > someone who actually wants it. I'll take $35 plus actual shipping cost,
That price might be reasonable, especially with two motors.
| A related question: will the installed Futuba servos work with
| newer, legal Futuba receivers? I'm leaning towards selling just the
| plane, as-is.
Yes, but they probably have the old plugs which will require replacing
with new plugs. Not really difficult, but it requires some time and
soldering. And considering that new servos are only like $9 each and
the plugs are like $2.50 each, it's not really worth it to re-use
old/iffy servos.
I'll post a couple more photos. The old stock ARF kit is going for a
decent price on Ebay, so maybe a used but assembled one is worth
something as well.
They also make great simulator controllers. Or someone may want it for
the sticks case and switches, to build their own.
Or you might live out in the boondocks, where they still brew moonshine
and don't give a rats ass about what goes on as long as no one notices.
Or keep it long enough, and its value as a curiosity goes up. Lot of
people buying up rubber escapements and SC radio these days..
The motors, according to the boxes, are OS Max. One is a 25 series
and the other a 40. I'm assuming that the owner upgraded from the 25 to
the 40, so assuming it runs it should have adequate power.
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