Wanted -- universal buddy cord!

Aug 26, 2003 5 Replies

This has been on the group before, but I have a Futaba system and two newbies I'm instructing who have JR radios. The LHS is partial to JR and that's what most new fliers end up with here. The only way I can teach them to fly is the old "grab the transmitter when they goof" technique. I know there's a gentleman in the U.K. that makes a universal buddy cord kit, but there is no commercially available off-the-shelf device that will buddy box a JR to another brand of transmitter. I realize one of the problems is that JR assigns its channels differently from other systems, but in this day of microprocessors, somebody should be able to come up with a way to switch them around so each function goes to the channel used by the other brand's radio. Everybody's servos are interchangable now, so why can't we have a standardized buddy cord setup? Is there some enterprising soul who can come up with a device to let different brands of transmitters buddy box together? How about it, manufacturers?


-- Morris Lee snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net


If you are serious about instructing, simply contact JR and get a "Buddy transmitter" for about $35+/-. (Let the newbies pay for it)

There are eons of old transmitters around. Ask around. JR does require batt. power in the slave to operate properly.

I keep Futaba (Fut and Hitec) Airtronics, and JR dummy Tmtrs.

Even the new Tower radios now use their own buddy cord. Standardize? Not when Tower / Great *Pains*/ Futaba can jerk another $ out of you!!

HC

You got that right. And the reason the LHS is selling JR's is they get a better wholesale deal from the JR distributor (Horizon) than the Futaba (GP). Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

Hi,

I guess indeed that the best solution for a trainer is to have a buddy box for EACH brand/type of transmitter and the appropriate buddy lead. But who's gonna pay that?? ... Futaba-Futaba/Robbe-Hitec (and 4 different connectors) ... JR/Graupner ... Sanwa/Airteronics ... Multiplex

This means 4 buddy boxes and all appropriate buddy leads... But anyway, it's probably the easiest and best soltution...

Other (sometimes) feasable solutions to be found on my website. Olivier

Yeah, but a guy can dream, can't he, of transmitters that hook together with a simple mini phone plug with perhaps a multiposition switch or programming menu to allow your transmitter to "talk" to another brand? If there's enough demand...

-- Morris Lee snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net

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