One Tx for All: An Impossible Dream?

No.

No: you can't get a set that will do the different frequency bands... or if they claim to, it will be a bad compromise.

As radio receivers are so cheap now, fix on one frequency, say 35Mhz and replace the receivers. Find a 35meg Tx with many model memories.

J.

I would change everything to the 2.4 MHz radios. The for 4 models, cost would be in the $300 range and you would have one Tx for all plus the advantages of the 2.4 MHz technology (see

"mjc13 @verizon.net>"

In article , J. wrote: | wrote: | | > I'm looking for a single transmitter that will control all of my two | >channel (thrust vector steering) planes, plus any three or four channel | >planes I acquire in the near future. Most are on the 27mhz channels, but | >two are on 49mhz, IIRC. Is there a reasonably priced three or four | >channel unit with either multiple installed crystals or a synthesizer | >that can produce the necessary frequencies? Needless to say, it would | >also have to have a high-capacity rechargable battery, or accept NiMH cells. | | No: you can't get a set that will do the different frequency bands... or if | they claim to, it will be a bad compromise.

Oh, it's possible to include two different RF stages in a TX and let you switch between them.

What he wants could be made ... but nobody makes it. It could be custom made, but then it wouldn't be reasonably priced.

| As radio receivers are so cheap now, fix on one frequency, say 35Mhz and | replace the receivers. Find a 35meg Tx with many model memories.

Since he says 27 MHz and 49 MHz, and said `thrust vector steering' he's obviously talking about the `toy' R/C things like those sold at Wal-Mart, and these don't have replaceable RXs.

The thrust vector steering could be done with some mixers, and computer radios also usually give you multiple memories, but you'll never find any computer radios on the 49 MHz band, unless you get somebody to modify a 27, 50 or 72 MHz one, I guess. And then the toys are usually AM, so that makes it even harder -- you'd have to modify an AM module. Or build one out of the TX for your plane -- that would be doable, but hard for the layperson.

Ultimately, what it boils down to is this -- if you want one TX for all your planes -- buy better planes first :)

I figured that. It surprises me, though, that even for those more expensive planes you can't just buy a Tx with a recessed socket on the back for modular crystals. That technology was available in 1972...

Anyway, thanks for the response. I'd be a lot more willing to spend more on a plane if they weren't all made in China, and if I could get a rugged starter plane that was full-featured. Say a better version of my pusher gliders, but with shorter wings, stronger motors and working control surfaces. I'd cheerfully pay $250 for one of those - if it were made in Japan or the US. As it is, I don't like to see hobby companies getting rich by building in China, so I buy discontinued "toys". That will be the case even when I move up: buying closeouts or used planes.

Sounds like you mean a Easy Star RTF...

Great flying bird, durable, easy to repair,easy brushless upgrade later if desired, and a real, albeit limited radio.

20% off this weekend too! ( click on the banner on the home page for the discount, the link is regular price)

PCPhill

Looks close to what I want, but I assume it's made in China. It also looks very close to the Hobbyzone Commander 2 I hope to have flying next week - it had a defective motor, and the new fuselage is en route to me. So wish me luck with that!

Oh you can get that, but only withing one BAND. YOU need a LOT of different tuneds stiff to make e.g. te same aerial work on 27Mhz and

35Mhz or whatever.

Its your requirement to have a transmitter on 27Mhz AND other bands that is the problem.

well how about Germany. Look at the Multplex Easy Star.

Multiplex won't like you for assuming that.

It also

hobbyzone are toys more or less. get that easy star. Its VERY crashproof and really flies well. I saw one pile in from 40ft. Dusted it off and flung it in the air again. Not pretty, but a GREAT trainer.

I have several planes on 27mhz - most of them. Any transmitters that have that capability? Only two are on 49mhz.

I'll check. Thanks.

Pretty much all 27Mhz that are not supplied with the model, should have swappable Xtals. My guess is that you have a few 'toy' planes/cars/boats that came all in, and these are pared to the bone costwise..soldering a crystal in makes them that much cheaper..

I am trying to work out which country uses 49Mhz..its a new one to me, but likewise outside the USA swapping TX Xtals is common practice.

The real answer is to spend a little more on a transmitter with multiple model memories, standardize on a band, and stop buying 'toys'.

There are only half a dozen 27MHZ frequencies available anyway.

Not sure about 49Mhz..ah, wiki to he rescue. That's another US 'toy' band.

Look, you need to start doing this properly. Get something like a secondhand futaba FF6, and some receivers, and some xtals, and start doing things properly on the 72Mhz band, or better still get a 2.4Ghz rig.

Stuff on 27Mhz and 49Mhz is just 'toy' stuff. Its meant to be for people who don't know, don't want to know and wouldn't understand if you told them.

By asking here you already demonstrated that you've outgrown that ;-)

There are a couple of reasons why I probably won't follow your advice, at least not totally. ;-) I have zero interest in building planes, and my interest in flying them doesn't extend even to four channels. I would prefer to have found a plane like the EasyFlyer off the bat, but I didn't so I now find myself with a collection of 'toys' that I will probably use until they are all too broken to fix. Meanwhile, I do plan to acquire one respectable plane, but it will have to be a RTF three channel...

Once you get a decent plane, the toys will loose their appeal.

Fix on one band (frequecy range), buy a good multi-plane memory Tx (transmitter), and use your throw-away money to buy several Rxs (receivers). I mention throw-away money, because buying toys and ready-to-fly stuff is throwing away money IMHO.

Despite what someone else has said, you will not find a multi-BAND transmitter. It is possible, but no-one makes an affordable one.

On the other hand, go your own way. (Why ask a question and then ignore the answers.)

J.

"mjc13 @verizon.net>"

| Once you get a decent plane, the toys will loose their appeal.

That's not entirely true. The toys can still be fun even when you have better planes.

| Despite what someone else has said, you will not find a multi-BAND | transmitter. It is possible, but no-one makes an affordable one.

You can get a TX with modules, and that gets you multi-bands.

Of course, nobody makes a 49 MHz module, and 27 MHz modules are rare (Ebay might be your friend here.) For the 49 MHz module, modifying a

50 MHz module would probably be the way to go -- but the right crystals might be hard to find.

And then you're looking at $50/module, and then about $200 and up for the TX (new, anyways -- used you can do cheaper.) This may not be considered `affordable'.

The EasyStar is a winner. Get one!

I didn't ignore the answers. The question was about transmitters, not planes. As for the 'toys' being a waste of money, I've spent the total I would have spent on one good 'plane', and gotten through the learning curve, including several crashes that would have destroyed that one "good" plane early on. With a couple of planes left over.

The EasyStar RTF, BTW, is now made in the Phillipines, which is pretty much another sweatshop country. Better than China, but not by much...

It does look nice, but it's made in the Phillipines, according to the company, not Germany. I'll watch Ebay for a slightly used one.

While irrelevant for the original post I can positively refute that first hand, having been at their HQ.

shows a few images of their production facility.

But hey, believe who and what you want.

Jenni

I don't think you understand what "globalization" has wrought. Goods that were made in country A last year are made in China this year. Also note that I didn't say that all of their products are made in the Phillipines; I had emailed the company, and their product rep looked at what the box the plane comes in says. It reads "Made in the Phillipines." You too can believe what you like.