Real Cost Narrow Banding price updating equipment coming use oddnumbered channels might best investment RC gear ye ever made EChuck Smith HOW OFTEN have us said Im just going keep using wideband ra dios until quit working wellafter theyll still legal after 1991 equipment legality stake would fine real RC environmenta 20-kHz-separated flight line situation combined 10-kHz nearby potential PRS public radio ser vice interferencewhats legal isnt neces sarily appropriate FCC intentionally made new standards unconstraining possible Using FCC standards guide equipment needs 90s can result lots headaches onewideband users included other words FCC legality doesnt relate realworld radio requirement disciplines Post-1990 wideband usage rural areas smaller private-land club sites back yard fields wont out place years long areas arent plagued hot PRS activity Busy public land sites such Cook County Chicago area another story extended use wideband radios such settings could pre cipitate dark age RC model aviation could defer normalizing use channels would take lot fun out sport everyone circumstances anything like dont despair curse going nar row band doesnt have cost arm leg its approached thoughtful de liberate way First have embarrassingly large collection semiusable wideband equipment probably have mess thatll benefit weeding-out anyway Try look curse blessing disguise Decide hoard ra dios really worth saving Figure cut ting down quantity moving up quality Few us can keep up main taining three four radios safe well-aligned battery-fresh working condition anyway Now mental attitude hope positive establish own cri teria determining wideband equipment really worth saving De cide radios really need Af ter quantity has decided dont gluttonitll just cost itll time consider quality Decide transmitters likely give best extended ser vice Start FM units may have Theyll have purchased re cently havent sticker station chances theyll go gold modification Next pull out recently pur chased AM units Theyre relatively fresh pots mechanicseven batteriesshould up snuff have features would ex pensive match new equipmentend point adjustment mixing etc babies hold Heres interesting part end up two units two new receivers transmitters al like doubling number radios can save several possibilities using approach First off manufacturers update pro gram receiver exchange deal have same-model receiver transmit ter don t wish exchange include savable radio theyll sell two receivers match transmitter send must supply two ex change receivers Otherwise youll just have purchase second receiver via normal means itll expensive cant pull trick consider new aftermarket receivers backup Theyre highly regarded experts average cost around $80 bad means keeping good radio alive Next evaluate servo situation may need new connectors keep pig tail cost labor minimum try ing save Again select quality quantity now youve probably got picture Examine options figure what goes what keep calculator handy youll surprised much narrowbanding can relatively modest expenditure What little equipment really worth saving An updated radio doesnt net savings least $40-$50 against cost equivalent new equipment may worth updating Youll have keep calculator working calculator tells updating isnt cost-effective its no great tragedy Just forgo some bells whistles Continued page iSJ September 1990 37 ity time ran assuming run un dl power drops off unusable level example have 800-mAh battery motor runs six minutes average cur rent about 006 x mAli/minutes Average current 006 x 800 mAh/6 mm ps estimated 06 multiplier contains 60 minutes/ hour divided 1000 milliamps/amp make units come out right reasonable estimate because motor current almost constant thats due flat voltage/time discharge characteristic good Ni-Cd batteries can rearrange formula estimate bat tery capacity way acts service measure motor current ground see average about 10 amps find pack lasts five minutes air use ful capacity about amps x minutes/006 10 amps x 5 min/06 mAh no matter what label battery says can apply above formula radio bat teries 500-mAh pack flew plane two hours average current drawn 006 x 500 mAh/120 mm amps considering radio system service should keep mind oniy transmitter cur rent constant receiver current varies minimum current servos quiet about 10 amp maximum current sev eral servos working hard can sev eral amps depends number type servos connected receiver ihey used above learn make few con trol inputs necessary after low battery voltage detector tells batteries have discharged warning point less current demand likely have enough land formulas correct regardless number cells battery set up Airtronics Vision 8 Sail plane transmitter complex process friend John Clarke has spent much time learning spent time making videotape showing process step step separate illustrate process John has cluded some great Sailplane videos Order tape John F Clarke 911 Cov ert Ave New Hyde Park NY 11040 price $1995 plus $350 P&H New York residents add sales tax Narrow Banding/Smith Continued page 37 concentrate really practical equip ment five excellent Guidelinecertified FM radios available under $220 Six-channel models two brands commonly sold under $170 both outstanding high-quality val ues Now time fret about chang ing horses midstream brandwise Youll starting fresh some degree would probably good idea think twice about empowering collection old servos dictate new-equipment selec tions us careful approach narrow-banding can present serious sticker shock Establish plan begin im plement new-equipment purchase way youll get encourag ing taste flying least plane new rig experience will help keep narrow-banding program track Re-equipping pain theres no ques tion about concentrate what youll gain rather what youll giv ing up perhaps youll feel cheerful about abandoning much less-worthy gear Actually figure what renewed equipment will deliver length service factor security dandy new stuff can impart might come conclusion price youll pay could best RC investment youve ever made Its investment will come added payoff knowing youll well de fended battle frequencies Nineties may experience warm feeling about sacrifice will benefit fellow RCers Okay okayjust pretend didnt make last comment responding advertisers mention read about Model Aviation September 1990 151
Edition: Model Aviation - 1990/09
Page Numbers: 37, 151
Real Cost Narrow Banding price updating equipment coming use oddnumbered channels might best investment RC gear ye ever made EChuck Smith HOW OFTEN have us said Im just going keep using wideband ra dios until quit working wellafter theyll still legal after 1991 equipment legality stake would fine real RC environmenta 20-kHz-separated flight line situation combined 10-kHz nearby potential PRS public radio ser vice interferencewhats legal isnt neces sarily appropriate FCC intentionally made new standards unconstraining possible Using FCC standards guide equipment needs 90s can result lots headaches onewideband users included other words FCC legality doesnt relate realworld radio requirement disciplines Post-1990 wideband usage rural areas smaller private-land club sites back yard fields wont out place years long areas arent plagued hot PRS activity Busy public land sites such Cook County Chicago area another story extended use wideband radios such settings could pre cipitate dark age RC model aviation could defer normalizing use channels would take lot fun out sport everyone circumstances anything like dont despair curse going nar row band doesnt have cost arm leg its approached thoughtful de liberate way First have embarrassingly large collection semiusable wideband equipment probably have mess thatll benefit weeding-out anyway Try look curse blessing disguise Decide hoard ra dios really worth saving Figure cut ting down quantity moving up quality Few us can keep up main taining three four radios safe well-aligned battery-fresh working condition anyway Now mental attitude hope positive establish own cri teria determining wideband equipment really worth saving De cide radios really need Af ter quantity has decided dont gluttonitll just cost itll time consider quality Decide transmitters likely give best extended ser vice Start FM units may have Theyll have purchased re cently havent sticker station chances theyll go gold modification Next pull out recently pur chased AM units Theyre relatively fresh pots mechanicseven batteriesshould up snuff have features would ex pensive match new equipmentend point adjustment mixing etc babies hold Heres interesting part end up two units two new receivers transmitters al like doubling number radios can save several possibilities using approach First off manufacturers update pro gram receiver exchange deal have same-model receiver transmit ter don t wish exchange include savable radio theyll sell two receivers match transmitter send must supply two ex change receivers Otherwise youll just have purchase second receiver via normal means itll expensive cant pull trick consider new aftermarket receivers backup Theyre highly regarded experts average cost around $80 bad means keeping good radio alive Next evaluate servo situation may need new connectors keep pig tail cost labor minimum try ing save Again select quality quantity now youve probably got picture Examine options figure what goes what keep calculator handy youll surprised much narrowbanding can relatively modest expenditure What little equipment really worth saving An updated radio doesnt net savings least $40-$50 against cost equivalent new equipment may worth updating Youll have keep calculator working calculator tells updating isnt cost-effective its no great tragedy Just forgo some bells whistles Continued page iSJ September 1990 37 ity time ran assuming run un dl power drops off unusable level example have 800-mAh battery motor runs six minutes average cur rent about 006 x mAli/minutes Average current 006 x 800 mAh/6 mm ps estimated 06 multiplier contains 60 minutes/ hour divided 1000 milliamps/amp make units come out right reasonable estimate because motor current almost constant thats due flat voltage/time discharge characteristic good Ni-Cd batteries can rearrange formula estimate bat tery capacity way acts service measure motor current ground see average about 10 amps find pack lasts five minutes air use ful capacity about amps x minutes/006 10 amps x 5 min/06 mAh no matter what label battery says can apply above formula radio bat teries 500-mAh pack flew plane two hours average current drawn 006 x 500 mAh/120 mm amps considering radio system service should keep mind oniy transmitter cur rent constant receiver current varies minimum current servos quiet about 10 amp maximum current sev eral servos working hard can sev eral amps depends number type servos connected receiver ihey used above learn make few con trol inputs necessary after low battery voltage detector tells batteries have discharged warning point less current demand likely have enough land formulas correct regardless number cells battery set up Airtronics Vision 8 Sail plane transmitter complex process friend John Clarke has spent much time learning spent time making videotape showing process step step separate illustrate process John has cluded some great Sailplane videos Order tape John F Clarke 911 Cov ert Ave New Hyde Park NY 11040 price $1995 plus $350 P&H New York residents add sales tax Narrow Banding/Smith Continued page 37 concentrate really practical equip ment five excellent Guidelinecertified FM radios available under $220 Six-channel models two brands commonly sold under $170 both outstanding high-quality val ues Now time fret about chang ing horses midstream brandwise Youll starting fresh some degree would probably good idea think twice about empowering collection old servos dictate new-equipment selec tions us careful approach narrow-banding can present serious sticker shock Establish plan begin im plement new-equipment purchase way youll get encourag ing taste flying least plane new rig experience will help keep narrow-banding program track Re-equipping pain theres no ques tion about concentrate what youll gain rather what youll giv ing up perhaps youll feel cheerful about abandoning much less-worthy gear Actually figure what renewed equipment will deliver length service factor security dandy new stuff can impart might come conclusion price youll pay could best RC investment youve ever made Its investment will come added payoff knowing youll well de fended battle frequencies Nineties may experience warm feeling about sacrifice will benefit fellow RCers Okay okayjust pretend didnt make last comment responding advertisers mention read about Model Aviation September 1990 151