Re: .40 trainers

Problem is, they are

>prior to the frequency chage that occurred some time ago

Radios that are not 1991-type accepted, i.e., "narrow band/gold stickered", can not be upgraded. The whole RF section must be replaced. With the price of excellent computer radios now-a-days, you're better off scrapping them and buying new units.

Welcome back! Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

Reply to
Dr1Driver
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All Futaba FM sets produced actually met the 1991 specs. Unfortunately, if they didn't go through the sticker program at that time, they are no longer useable.

Another thing to consider is that the batteries are probably not reliable any more if they are also the originals. Good quality 4 channel radios are only a little over $100 now days and you may be able to get by with just buying a transmitter, receiver and flight battery for under $100.

Reply to
Paul McIntosh

My information from Futaba a few years ago said that if it was "FM" and Futaba it is 1991 legal, sticker or not!

Dan Thompson (AMA 32873, EAA 60974, WB4GUK, GROL) remove POST in address for email

Reply to
Dan Thompson

True. But its still an antique. Its legal, but will you trust it? My old am futaba radios were garbage when i pulled them out of storage a few years back.

Reply to
MikeF

That's what I was told when I called them to check on a transmitter last year. If it's FM you are good to go. Eddie Fulmer

Reply to
Efulmer

| >Problem is, they are | >prior to the frequency chage that occurred some time ago | | Radios that are not 1991-type accepted, i.e., "narrow band/gold | stickered", can not be upgraded. The whole RF section must be | replaced. With the price of excellent computer radios now-a-days, | you're better off scrapping them and buying new units.

To expand on that, the transmitters could probably be modified to be narrow-band, and while they'd certainly work perfectly (and be perfectly safe) after that, I believe this isn't legal. (Not that I claim to understand the FCC regulations.)

(Don't ask this group for advice regarding FCC regulations -- that is, unless you like getting several totally different, mutually exclusive answers :) )

The receivers cannot be reasonably modified to be narrow band. They can legally be used, even today with modern equipment, and will work fine, but they'll pick up interference from adjacent channels. Don't use them except maybe in your shop and then only for testing. If you do that, be sure to mark them very clearly so you don't accidently use them in a plane.

(In theory the receivers could probably be modified to be narrow band, but they're so small and everything is so crammed in there, that once you pay somebody $40/hr to do it, you could have bought several brand new narrow band receivers for the cost. The transmitters are easier, but again, it's cheaper to just buy modern equipment.)

Don't throw away the transmitters, though -- depending on what you've got, they might make nice buddy boxes. Do remove the crystal and battery though, to make sure you don't accidently use them, once you've verified that they're not narrow band.

(What models are they, anyways?)

Oh, the servos you have will almost certainly still work with modern equipment -- they haven't changed.

Reply to
Doug McLaren

True!

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Reply to
Mathew Kirsch

BBBbbbbzzzzzttttt !!!

No cigar.

The 'sticker' program never had any legal standing, rather it was simply a way to conveniently identify those transmitters which met the

1991 standard (gold sticker) and those transmitters which met the extant wide-band standard but did not meet the 1991 standard (silver sticker). Transmitters with no sticker didn't meet the wide-band specs.

The phase-in period for the 1991 standard expired in 1998, at which time the silver-stickered transmitters became illegal, and only gold-stickered transmitters were legal for continued use.

Post-1991 transmitters may never have had a sticker; there never was a legal requirement for transmitters to be so marked.

The definitive answer(s) are on the Futaba web site in the 'narrow-band' FAQ,

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If you have an older Futaba transmitter and it is legal according to that FAQ, print a copy and keep it with the transmitter(s). I keep a copy with each of my Gold Face units, which are still in prime condition according to Futaba techs.

Never know when you'll run into a field Nazi (not you, Paul) who thinks he knows it all.

Cheers, Fred McClellan the dash plumber at mindspring dot com

Reply to
Fred McClellan

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