RE: Thorpe F-20 build
Glad you had success Terry. This has been a very interesting thread to follow. I really like this style of modelling. It is a rare thing you have created in a world of ARFs Thanks very much for taking the time to put it up for us. Roger
Posted on: 9/16/2012 11:13 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11230674

RE: Weatronics....considering a change .is it worth the investment?
[quote]Not to be a jerk, but your logic escapes me - you lost a model because of a poor RF link, but the advantage of the system is that it told you it was a poor RF link. I would think that the ideal would be a system that avoids having a poor RF link in the first place. As far as where its manufactured, some things manufactured in the west (or Europe) are far exceeded by things manufactured in Asia - it depends more on by whom than where... [/quote] You are far from being a jerk Bob. It’s a good question. Perhaps I need to explain better. It would be fantastic if I could purchase a system that avoids ever having a poor RF link in the first place, and I would do it in a heartbeat. I’m not sure however that such a system exists. There is plenty of anecdotal user evidence around that other top end radio systems such as JR, Futaba, Spectrum, Multiplex etc, do suffer from unexplained lockouts, albeit rare, but it does happen. I’m not saying Weatronics is better, (in fact my experience proves otherwise), but I don’t believe their RF system is any worse. The data told us that the cause of my lock out and subsequent crash was due to poor signal strength. I do see this as being a real advantage over other systems because if I did not have this data, I would have had to diagnose the crash by eliminating all of the items that can cause a lockout. Batteries, cables, plugs etc would all be suspects. With the data that the Wea system provides, we could at least narrow it to the Tx/Rx link. Now obviously this is far from ideal, as I still have no definitive answer why the link failed. Weatronics Gernmany suspects either external interference or a poor receiver/antenna installation. I’m not so sure, but with nothing else to go on I have accept it, and move on. So I was faced with two options after the crash. Persist with Weatronics, or ditch it all together and start afresh by purchasing all new equipment. Believe me, this was a very hard decision for me to make and gave me a lot of heart ache. An unexplained radio link failure really shakes you up. What decided it for me was that my incident aside, all other Weatronic users that I know of I have never had a problem with the radio link. It is only anecdotal, but the general consensus of users, (including people like Oli and DG) is that the Wea radio link is very good. My experience seems to be a one off. Aside from that I have a fair bit invested in Weatronics, and I really do like the telemetry and programmability. (This is nothing of course without a good RF link.) So I decided to stay with Weatronics. Your comment on the quality of manufacturing in Europe versus Asia is valid. Roger
Posted on: 9/16/2012 10:07 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11230648

RE: Weatronics....considering a change .is it worth the investment?
[quote]ORIGINAL: Boomerang1 You may want to PM roger.alli a regular poster here. He lost a Bandit while flying Weatronics & it was discussed on the thread mentioned above. I don't know the outcome & RCU has been on the fritz so I couldn't check it. - John. [/quote] Hi Guys, My final conclusion on my Bandit loss was posted in the Weatronics thread, post # 1881. In summery
Posted on: 9/16/2012 7:02 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11230515

RE: Temora Jets 21-23 Sept 2012 Who's going and what you flying?
Hey Mav I'll be there with the Bandit.. Looking forward to seeing the 22.. And your 140. Rog
Posted on: 9/13/2012 7:11 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11227853

RE: Weatronic 2.4 RF diagnostic tool
Thanks Thomas.. What I do like about it. It has nice shiny easy clean surfaces. [:D] Roger
Posted on: 9/10/2012 12:14 AM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11223404

RE: Weatronic 2.4 RF diagnostic tool
[quote]ORIGINAL: ktmraupe Hello, first pictures of the WEA-transmitter in this thread:) [link]http://www.rc-network.de/forum/showthread.php/349480-Der-neue-Weatronic-Sender[/link] regards Martin [/quote] Thanks Martin.. looks very egronomic but uncomplicated..
Posted on: 9/9/2012 8:34 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11223305

RE: Weatronic 2.4 RF diagnostic tool
[quote]ORIGINAL: Starbucks I don't know how to get this message into the right queue correctly so please forgive me if I've done this wrong. After talking to SidGates on the forum, we decided this information is important to all using the micro receivers. You may find this same issue with the larger receivers as well and it's worth looking to be sure you're safe. I don't know how much bulging can be present and not have any damage so you'll have to judge this one on your own. While flying a large gas airplane with a Micro 12 installed, I noticed the red warning flashing so simply landed. Control seemed okay but there was some type of warning. Through re-flashing the receiver and about an hour of frustration, happened to notice one receiver antenna had simply ''fallen off''. To make it clear, I do not swing the receivers over my head by the antennas and really do try to take care of them with good wire dressing etc but regardless after moving the receiver from a helicopter to the plane and back about 6 times, I have found that there is another impending failure with the product. Notice in one picture what looks like a good antenna (the one left connected) but it isn't good either. Basically that wire is ''all'' antenna, not just the exposed end. It may be the adhesive that they are using on the case or just another design issue. I found that I could cut along the glue line,scribe through it 4-5 times with an exacto, then do a little twist with a needle nose pliers at the jack side of the case and it popped open with no damage and the case will actually snap back together after the up-coming repair. I purchased new antennas from Gerhard and will soon have the repairs made with another modification. Here are the pictures of the repair and what you should look for before flying these receivers. I got lucky, no person nor plane was hurt. Check this very closely and see if you have some bulging of the insulation. That's the beginning of the failure. I have put RTV/Clear Silicone around the antennas on my 8 Channel to create a rubber relief in hopes this will stop the problem and will do the same with the new antennas on my 12 channel when I receive them. [/quote] As I just happen to have a used and suspect micro Rx to hand, (this is the Rx that was in the Bandit I lost), I thought I would check the antenna connections as suggest by Chuckstark. On opening the case I found that there was some small deformation of the antenna wire plastic sheaths, at the point where they enter the case. In my case the damage was not as sever as Chuckstarks, and the internal cable was still intact. This receiver had around 20 flight in a Bandit and before that 20 or so in a hack piston powered model.. This was not the cause of my problem.. As you can see, there was definitely some damage to the cable outer, and I could see this being a problem in the future, especially in a model that vibrates.. Wea could do this better.. Roger
Posted on: 9/9/2012 8:13 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11223295

RE: Cutting down a pipe that is too long?
I have had to cut down the BVM dual wall pipes, it is fairly simply to do both the inner and outer pipes . I cut away the exhaust end. The technique I used. Mark the pipe with pencil at the cut line, and then place masking tape around the pipe against the line, just up steam of the line. The tape makes the cut line very clear when you are working. Hold the pipe by taping it down to the bench. Use a Dremel with a 409 cut off wheel at high speed to do the cutting. Make a series of cuts using the tape as a guide and work slowly so that you just penetrate the stainless metal. Don’t get the wheel deep in the cut, less risk of catching the wheel that way. And wear ear protection because it is a loud process. . The finished cut will need a bit of tidying with emery paper but should be very accurate. Roger
Posted on: 9/4/2012 7:48 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11217766

RE: Dean Cutshall’s F-100 F
[quote]ORIGINAL: Terry Holston My Pleasure, Glad you all like them............... [/quote] I am of course building a BVM kit as well. The shear number of rivets and other visible fasteners is daunting!!!
Posted on: 9/4/2012 12:50 AM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11216595

RE: BVM F-100
[quote]ORIGINAL: sskianpour 4. This one is from Dan Avilla. He was right since I had to try it once. If you land hot...and you KNOW you will go long and OFF-Road. You can comfortably lock your brakes up, slam the steering left or rght, and literally do a ''hockey-stop'' with the Hun. Those soft BVM tires won't thank you, but your turbine will, and so will the hundreds of hours you spent on the finish. The ordnance will thank you, and also the wings that would have otherwise have the tanks and ordnance rip off them and possibly damage the wings. I did a full hockey stop one time last year. The Landing gear handled it as if they were purpose made for it. Any chinese ARF would have the trunions explode, the struts bend 70 degrees, then the Retracts pull straight out of that cheap 5 ply. My Hun just kind of came to a stop sideways and looked at me and said ''dude, you are weak, you are a pu$$y, you call that a hard stop? That was soooo easy for me to do that I think I liked it. Get your pathetic attempt at stressing my landing gear out of my face you panzy''. <-good. Happy Landings all! Shaz [/quote] Great post Sahz. Good tips, especially #4.. Motivates the hell out of me to finish mine.. Roger
Posted on: 9/2/2012 5:16 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11214940

RE: Dean Cutshall’s F-100 F
[quote]ORIGINAL: Terry Holston How about these pictures taken today at the Fort Wayne airshow Before the rains came............... [/quote] Thanks Terry, VERY much appreciated. It is extremely difficult for me to obtain reference photos down here in Oz. These are gold to me.. [:D]
Posted on: 9/2/2012 4:50 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11214907

RE: BVM F-100
Jack Proves my point exactly! Another stunning F-100. I really like the SEA camo. These jets were built for combat. If I can convince my self that I will be able to see it, that will be my chosen scheme. Are those Pro mark graphics?? Roger
Posted on: 8/30/2012 7:14 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11212155

RE: BVM F-100
[quote]ORIGINAL: Gary Jefferson Found a link to a restoration of a F-100 full scale. Just happens to be the same scheme I am doing but also has some very good detail photos...Click on restorations on home page. http://www.supersabre.com/ [/quote] Thanks for that. great site with lots of detail photos and links. An observation. Every photo I have ever seen of a completed BVM F-100 model, seems to be absolutely stunning. It must be in the genetics of the model. I hope I can do mine justice, but the building skills that some of you guys have!!!!!. Roger
Posted on: 8/30/2012 4:24 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11211999

RE: toledo- mythical beast
Rick, you are a genius. What's the collective noun for a group of Dragons.. A Dungeon?? Roger
Posted on: 8/29/2012 1:32 AM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11209963

RE: Twin Turbine Jets, loosing 1 turbine
[quote]ORIGINAL: David Gladwin Its avery dangerous thing to say all airplanes are a breeze to fly, it very much depends on the design of the machine. [/quote] Hi David, I think that sleepless meant to say "All (OF HIS) Airplanes are a breeze to fly". Meaning his SU 27, F 14 and F4 which have fuse mounted engines. A translation thing maybe.. I would not envy a Canberra pilot losing an engine on take-off. BTW, a genuine DH mosquito is about to take the the air on NZ.. test flight due Sept 29. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/7440401/War-Mosquitos-maiden-flight An amazing project. Could you imagine one of those on a single engine.. Roger
Posted on: 8/22/2012 12:15 AM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11201770

RE: New wireless airspeed/flameout monitor w/ audio
I like the concept of your system.. For the last 12 months I have been flying a Bandit fitted with a pitot tube, integrated to Weatronics RX toTX telemetry. At present the airspeed/altitude data is sent in real time from the model to the transmitter, and recorded on an SD card. This data can also be displayed in real time using a laptop connected to the pilots transmitter via a USB. (This is not that practicable on the flight line!) Weatronics have promised an English speech programme that will “speak� to the pilot via an earpiece or speaker, and call out speeds at pre-set intervals. For example, when on finals, the unit is programed to call out air speed every 2 sec, regardless of the change in airspeed. Unfortunately Weatronics have not yet developed this speech program, which is quite frustrating as this is the final component to complete the loop. BTW, the Weatronics telemetry down link uses frequency hopping on 2.4 Ghz. I will watch your progress with this. Roger
Posted on: 8/21/2012 5:39 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11201436

RE: Ultra flash or Bandit
The question has to be asked. Why on earth would you put a 40 lb (P 180) power plant, in an air frame designed for 20lbs? (BVMs website, recommended engine thrust for the BARF and Super Bandit is 12-20 lbs). When I built my Super, BV advised me that a P-120 was the maximum power plant for this model.. I realise that this is a contentious issue here on RCU, and am aware that a lot of people successfully over power their models, and do not have issue. But a 180 in a Bandit is well outside the manufacturers recommendation, and you should not be surprised if you have a problem with this combination.. On the original post, the UF and the Bandit are both very good air frames. I prefer the Bandit as I think it is more aerodynamically efficient. It has full gear doors and area ruled ducting. I have not flown an UF. Roger
Posted on: 8/19/2012 10:54 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11199348

RE: Thorpe F-20 build
Hi Terry, If the red has not cured yet, it may well do, given enough time. You could try warming it up to around 35-40C for a few hours, like a bake oven.. If it ever does harden, those tape marks may well polish out. You would be amazed what some 1200 wet paper and rubbing compound can do for to a painting error. I’ve fixed quite large runs like this. And Ron is quite correct. I have had ALL the issues that you are having. You can research and read up on this subject as much as you like, but there is no substitute for actual experience. Keep at it.. Roger
Posted on: 8/9/2012 10:20 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11187812

RE: Super Bandit hinges
[quote]ORIGINAL: Pat Barnes [quote]ORIGINAL: roger.alli Actually, the BARF, (now that it has gear doors) is a very desirable airframe [/quote] Hi Roger - this is one of the upgrades I plan for mine. They are just a little pricey to import to UK though... We had two Bandits at Merryfield yesterday - both with P100's. The Classic appears faster (but that may be because Jamie doesn't know
Posted on: 8/9/2012 6:16 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11187595

RE: F-100
Thanks Greg. Those pics are exactly the servos I intend to use.. On 6V. I suppose I am staying with what I know works, 8411s have such a good reputation. I have not investigated the HV servos yet. No regulator is an attractive pro. I have just last week installed 8411s in the wings for ailerons. There is no room to move here, but it all fits as per BVs plan.. Roger
Posted on: 8/8/2012 7:07 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11186310

RE: F-100
Hi Greg and Bruno. The manual that I have for the F100D lists all the flight surface servos as DS 8411s, and the slats as 3321s, which were analogue. This is the original list which of course is 10 years old now As Greg has done, it would be prudent to fit stronger servos that are now available, especially for the elevators. Bear in mind that there is absolutly no room for any servo cases bigger than the 8411s on the aileron or elevator servo boxes of the BVM F100. Roger
Posted on: 8/8/2012 6:10 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11186234

RE: Dean Cutshall’s F-100 F
Good work Don, And Nigel, if you get any photos, I would be very pleased to get any copies.. I am building a D version, but any detail is useful. I will pm you.. Roger
Posted on: 8/8/2012 5:54 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11186203

RE: Super Bandit hinges
[quote]ORIGINAL: Pat Barnes JT - who's painting your Bandit? Look forward to seeing it. Mine flew this weekend - thanks for the P100 Dave! Flies very nicely, and will be perfect once I get it dialled in! [b]I know mine is only a BARF, so I'm not worthy of you classic/super guys, but I like it![/b] [:D] [/quote] Hey, as the owner of a Super, (and a recently deceased Classic), I think ALL Bandits are worthy.. Actually, the BARF, (now that it has gear doors) is a very desirable airframe, and has a few advantages over the Super. It’s a good 3-4 lbs lighter to start with. I am seriously considering a light weight MKII to replace my Classic, and powering it with a VT 80.. Yours with a P100, is arguably the best sport jet in the business. (Flashes included.) You will love it.. [:D] Roger
Posted on: 8/8/2012 5:48 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11186195

RE: Thorpe F-20 build
Hi TJ, I also know your pain. Painting is not an easy skill to master, however it is a necessary skill if you are going to continue with these fabulous builds.. BTW, I love this thread. You have some great skills. This model will give you 10 times the fun and satisfaction of any ARF.. My only recommendations on how to achieve a good paint finish is as follows. Preparation is every thing. Practice on a hack model you don’t love so much. Use the paint manufacturers recommendation on thinners and mix ratios to start with!!. You can alter the ratios as you learn what is going on. Put the least amount of paint on as possible. (for me this is usually only 2-3 passes with the gun). Once the paint is on and you have a reasonable finish, clean up and get away from it for 24 hours. Leave it alone to cure. Don’t be tempted to just touch up a spot here and there. You will find that you are going to be very critical of your own work. A little orange peel is not the end of the world, especially for a beginner. Bugs and dust are a fact of life if you don’t have a $100K spray booth to work in.. Most blemishes like this can be polished out, and most likely, you will be the only person to ever notice them. (Go have a good look at any mass produced car finish, orange peel is normal). The best advice i was ever given, was to practise on a hack model. Putting paint on is a skill that can only be learned with practise. Keep at it though, because achieving a good finish is very satisfying. Very few modellers can do it nowadays. Good luck.
Posted on: 8/7/2012 1:26 AM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11183893

RE: Skymaster F-100
[quote]ORIGINAL: JackD Dantley, Dantley, Dantley..... you can't escape the force [:D] [/quote] This force you speak of, is immensely powerful. I could not resist it !!
Posted on: 7/25/2012 11:54 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11169685

RE: paint gun recomendation
[quote]ORIGINAL: LGM Graphix Buying a good gun won't make you a good painter, far from it, but with crappy equipment, even a good painter has a tough time getting GOOD results. [/quote] I agree with Jeremy. (which is not all that surprising given how well he can put paint on). Painting is hard enough without having to deal with inferior tools. Roger
Posted on: 7/19/2012 11:46 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11162111

RE: BVM F 100
Hi Rainer, Let me add to Dubds comment. GORGEOUS. Thanks for bringing this thread back from the past. Lot of good information. Roger
Posted on: 7/19/2012 7:08 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11161873

RE: Weatronic 2.4 RF diagnostic tool
I really need to bring to a conclusion the issues I have been having with my Weatronics systems, and the lock out and total loss of my classic Balsa Bandit. (I want to move on) The following is a bit long winded but I think should be relevant to every one using this system who knows how it operates . To recap, in April this year I was flying my Balsa Bandit with a Micro 10, I gyro, and a GPS fitted. Tx was a JR PCM 10X with DV3. The site was Wangaratta airfield, main runway, a full size airport.I was one of 4 models flying at the time This was the first flight of this model after updating the RX from 2.30 to 2.56. (Pervious to the model had 20 successful flights, on Ver 2.30.) At approximately 90 secs into the flight I noticed a brief loss of control during a vertical roll manoeuvre. I regained control, but the engine had auto shut down, so I commenced a forced landing. I had the model lined up on finals when I experienced another loss of control, this time there was no recovery and it simply flew into the runway, total loss except the turbine. On reviewing the log file it was apparent that the cause was a loss of up link to the Rx. For some reason the signal strength (RSSI) and frame counts on both Rxs started to degrade as soon and the model took off. (Co-related via the GPS) Prior to the take off roll the numbers were good. After take- off the frame counts started to degrade and actually seemed to oscillate between 40 and 100, over a regular 5 second cycle. Similar story with the RSSI. Eventually the link was broken and I lost my model. As you may know it took me a long time to get Weatronics involved with this problem. However Jens Ackerman finally reviewed my data and responded as follows. [color=#990000]Hello Mr. Perrett, I've seen your log file. It looks as if something disturbed some. For example, a mesh or a metal fence. Whenever they have flown a little higher, the signal was ok, but with waves of signal malfunctions. When flies and deeper in the close range wounds more disorders. See the two pictures. There is a star-shaped pattern sturgeon. I conclude that it be a source of interference from nearby needs such as a shut-off low, grid box or the like. [/color] He included the screen shots below. To me, this seems to indicate Wea believes the problem to be a very specific form of interference on the 2.4 GHz band. I responded stating that I thought interference to be very unlikely given the location, the fact that many hundreds of other 2.4 GHz flights took place that weekend, and that the Wea system is supposed to be very robust in dealing with interference. Data hopping over 81 channels, dual recievers etc, Jens responded as follows [color=#990000]Hello Mr. Perrett, As it is right to recognize a source of interference in your neighborhood, it can be shut-off (metal mesh), it can also be another source such as a laptop with a very strong Bluetooth or the like. I can only say from here, unfortunately, this has been receiving detrimental, so I can not see what. The RSSI values and related to the frame to be worse, depending on location and distance of the model. If an antenna is not optimally aligned, or a source of interference in between (carbon, trees, etc.) are worth the poor. If the stations are a source of interference, as expected, a low metal fence or other 2.4 channel with a higher power (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi is 2.4 Ghz) it dips to the transmission power can come or come to such a very short dips. As an example, if 2 2.4 GHz radio can be operated closer than 20 cm it be massive disruptions. The higher the transmission power must be the greater distance. Normally, the pilots are about 1 meter apart. So you can theoretically run simultaneously up to 120 Sytems. It can was a bit theoretical, but I hope you find something that could be a source of interference and can be trusted to fly again. [/color] At this stage I concluded that that Wea probably had no better idea than me as to why this crash happened. I certainly hope that a lap top computer was not the cause, otherwise we are all in trouble. Laptops abound at the field nowadays. I seriously doubt that interference is the cause. I also do not think that antenna placement is the cause. This model had more than 20 flights on it in the same configuration, with no issues. So, even with state of the art dual receivers, frequency hopping over 81 channels, Data logging, redundant everything,,,, $hit still happens that can’t be explained. I still actually believe in the Weatronics system and will be persevering with it, albeit with new hardware. In trying to pin point my problem I have been doing a lot of test running with the system and found a few faults and glitches which are not well known. (such as the post above). I will post some of my results here soon . For those that are interested, below are the screen shot of my crash flight, and the actual .nav file, converted to PDF. If anyone can shed further light on this, I am all ears. Roger
Posted on: 7/19/2012 6:40 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11161839

RE: Weatronic 2.4 RF diagnostic tool
[quote]ORIGINAL: David Gladwin With the experience of several models, using various types of Weatronic 2.4 receivers I don't think you will have a problem at all, particularly if you locate the antennae in the non carbon area, which is exactly what I do. [color=#990000]Since starting to use the Wea 2.4 I have not logged a single failsafe frame and I scan the logs after every flying session.[/color] Of course one of the great strengths of this system is that you[color=#990000] can examine your Rf signal strength and quality [/color]on Giga control using the data logged on the SD card. In addition you can set the value of your Rf alarm level at whatever you choose, I fly with a 50% setting and have yet to receive an alarm, even last week when flying my Hawk at fairly long range and doing Derry turns which completely rotated the antennae.The only alarm I ever receive is the occasional drop out of the downlink, usually on the ground, not a problem. If you DO have any concerns or encounter any problem you could use the external antennae, just over an inch long, which solved the problems on a very large high carbon content SR71 at Dayton last Duly but the recorded data will allow you to make an objective assessment. regards, David. [/quote] HI David,, I would just like to urge some caution here, and advise the limitations of the Wea failsafe data logging. You cannot rely on the SD card data to tell you if the model has gone into failsafe. You need to do exactly as you say and check the RF signal strenghts and quality (RSSI and Frame counts). The Fail safe logs are pretty much useless. When using the Wea micro receivers, you are very unlikely to ever log a fail safe frame. The down link always fails before the up link, and when there is no down link the SD card is not recording what is happening at the receiver. If you go into failsafe at this time, it will not be recorded.. I will explain. Imagine you have a model with a very bad micro receiver installation, the Rx antenna are partially blocked by something like a carbon plate. You might get a good enough signal to get the model airborne, and fly off quiet happily. However, once the model gets a good distance away, the signal will start to degrade until it fails. As the down link is weaker than the up link, it is ALWAYS lost first. (All Wea users will have experienced periods of lost down link during a flight which is a common occurrence and not usually a problem). During periods of no down link, the current Wea software instructs the SD card logger at the Tx to keep filling in data, but it simply records the last known values. This continues for at least 5 seconds if the down link signal is not restored. (After five seconds the values recorded then reverts to zero. ) Now imagine that this model, with a poor Rx installation, flies a bit further away and the up link is also lost. The receiver will now go into failsafe, and the servos will do as instructed by the failsafe programming . However, it cannot communicate this fact to the Tx, as there is no down link. No failsafe event is recorded on the log file.. If we are lucky, and the model immediately comes back into range, the up link is restored first. We may not have even noticed a loss of control. As we fly back towards us, the down link is eventually restored. At this point the SD card simply logs the data coming back which is that the receiver is not in failsafe mode. (The Weatronics micro receivers do not remember failsafe events.) The Rx was in failsafe, but no failsafe event is recorded. You can easily test this for yourself by forcing a failsafe event. What I did was set up a receiver on my work bench, turned it on, along with my Tx, with SD card in. Then I simply picked up the Tx and walked out of the house, and away up the road. Keep going until the down link is broken, (Indicated by the red LED on the Tx and a warning beep.) You wont usually have to go far, especially if you can put a few houses and other obstacles in the way. Then, continue walking away for some distance, the idea to get enough distance and obstacles between the Tx and Rx to break the up link as well. When you go back and read this data, you will see that the Tx has lost contact with the Rx, but no failsafes are recorded.. The 12-XX series receivers work the same, but as they have an on board SD card, you can at least check this to see if there has been any failsafe events. Attached is a file of a flight where at least one failsafe event should have been recorded (you will need to change the extension to .nav in order to open it in Giga). At 760 sec there is zero frames. No control. Roger
Posted on: 7/19/2012 6:09 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11161804

RE: Bandit Arf Wing tanks/ missiles
You beat me to it Tim.. Roger[:)]
Posted on: 7/4/2012 11:11 PM by Author "roger.alli" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11143465