Radio Technique
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE for your RC transmitter? Our AMA, acting in its capacity as National Representative of Aeromodeling for the United States, has two missions: 1) To promote aeromodeling; 2) To keep records. In performing those missions, our AMA does the following: 1) Advertises the benefits of model aviation and the accomplishments of AMA members; 2) Codifies and publishes rules for competition; 3) Sanctions contests conducted by members; 4) Conducts national and international contests; 5) Homologates (certifies) records, both nationwide and worldwide.
Radio Technique
WHAT INTERFERENCE? For the past two years, I have been loaning out (on request) an AMA frequency monitor to clubs in District II. You know what they have found? Nothing! They haven't found any interference on the new RC channels. Oh sure, they have found a bridge tender here, and a pocketpager there, located on the old, even-numbered channels (72.080, 72.160, 72.240, 72.320, 72.40, 72.96, 75.64 MHz). But we knew that would happen. It was happening before we got the new channels. That's why we got the new channels! By law, there shouldn't be any interference on the new RC channels, which we have for our exclusive use (except for interference we get from other modelers). According to this small set of tests, we have what is expected.
Radio Technique
MORE ON MICRO RC. My comment on RC "insects" in the July issue has produced a surprising amount of mail. I've included a photo and two of the letters. If you are interested, you might write to these fellows. The first letter is from Harry Apoian (Apoians Model Aerodynamics, 27704 Saddle Road, Rolling Hills, CA 90274): "Enclosed photo is of my 1/14-size Pietenpol built in mid-1982. It was the result of a challenge posed by Larry Renger, master of small RC models. Larry supplied the Albin receiver and matching transmitter-and the dare to build a CO-2-powered RC model.
Radio Technique
ABOUT 900 TRANSMITTERS were processed for the 1985 Nats. Helicopter radios were predominantly PCM. Pattern radios were about 50% PCM and 50% other, with more AM than FM. Pylon and Sailplane were about 70% AM and very few PCM. Radios for Scale were about 85% old AM, with the balance split between new AM and FM. Interference problems were minimal. This was more due to the Contest Directors' planning than anything else. Jeff Troy had a 2 1/2-min. walk set up between the Sailplane launch site and the landing circles. Result: tired feed but no intermod problems. Pylon, Pattern, and Scale used frequency groupings that avoided the usual problems. Result: very few crashes, and practically all of them were due to pilot error, or were the result of some kind of failure.
Radio Technique
MERRY CHRISTMAS. It seems a bit odd to be composing the Christmas column in the dog days of summer, but I am, with the temperature in the high eighties and the humidity likewise. The magazine business is a peculiar business. From time to time, it has been remarked (usually by someone unhappy with something I have written) that what I write in this column is just my own opinion, and not Official AMA Policy. That's right! Official AMA policy is obtained from the deliberations of the Executive Council. This column is a personal letter from me to you, and I want to keep it that way.
