today's work

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Don’t trust it! Send it here and I’ll look after it! Better safe, right?

Good plan, Boss. I'll let it stew for a month or so and if I don't get any word from this guy, it's yours.

David

[SubHuman]

I just got a mystery box with a completed HUNLEY within it. Slightly damages, but otherwise in fine condition. Came from Ron LiButti. I have no idea why I got this. Anyone know anything about this?

David

Don’t trust it! Send it here and I’ll look after it! Better safe, right?

[a1965l]

The only reason airplanes are hanging on like they are is because of RTF's and ARF's. Building isn't anywhere near as common as it used to be, I guess nobody feels like they have the time for it. And there is some draw to being able to buy, out of a box, a very scale, detailed, reasonablly priced, working gear, well painted foam model of your favorite warbird, ready to fly, just throw in a battery and add some (hopefully!) skill and hit the friendly skies. And if they're not so friendly, parts are available, and not expensive. Oh, and did I mention the autopilots, that will just about fly your shiny new airplane for you? Yeah, it's keeping the hobby "alive", if you can call it that. I hope that dosen't happen to subs.... it's something not everybody can do, or has the patience or skill to do.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I just got a mystery box with a completed HUNLEY within it. Slightly damages, but otherwise in fine condition. Came from Ron LiButti. I have no idea why I got this. Anyone know anything about this?

David

[Subculture]

I don't think it'll die out completely, I just don't think it'll be the same, and I think the hobby will probably be a lot smaller and/or participation will be very different.

There are lots of factors that influence this, some of which are easier to mitigate than others.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Fantastic radio equipment available these days, and much of it uses modular tuners e.g. the Frsky and Jumper ranges are excellent examples, and they can be had for much less than the cost of a basic 2-channel rig back in the day.

The snag is that the older lower frequencies are no longer of interest to major manufacturers as there is little market for them beyond lunatics like us.

Here's the thing, it's just a basic tuner and receiver that is required, all the clever stuff is done inside the transmitter. The designs for tuners are mature and by and large open source, so they could be reproduced.

Course to make that viable, we need a few buyers. So it needs a bit of organisation.

In another vein, there is still a lot of good secondhand and NOS radio equipment washing about to largely satisfy demand. I haven't soon too many people complaining about difficulties entering the hobby through lack of available radio equipment.

I still maintain the biggest existential threat to the R/C sub hobby is the ageing demographic, and I'm far from convinced organisations and groups representing the hobby have the will or concepts to address this.

As usual, Andy, you put the point on it. Bottom line: this 'hobby' dies with us.

Twenty-years from now all this gear will be at the mid-level of the local active land-fill.

David

[Subculture]

Fantastic radio equipment available these days, and much of it uses modular tuners e.g. the Frsky and Jumper ranges are excellent examples, and they can be had for much less than the cost of a basic 2-channel rig back in the day.

The snag is that the older lower frequencies are no longer of interest to major manufacturers as there is little market for them beyond lunatics like us.

Here's the thing, it's just a basic tuner and receiver that is required, all the clever stuff is done inside the transmitter. The designs for tuners are mature and by and large open source, so they could be reproduced.

Course to make that viable, we need a few buyers. So it needs a bit of organisation.

In another vein, there is still a lot of good secondhand and NOS radio equipment washing about to largely satisfy demand. I haven't soon too many people complaining about difficulties entering the hobby through lack of available radio equipment.

I still maintain the biggest existential threat to the R/C sub hobby is the ageing demographic, and I'm far from convinced organisations and groups representing the hobby have the will or concepts to address this.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

We will just become 72 mhz outlaws! We need new sombra labs recievers !

Sadly you are right on point, my snow covered creature friend. Thank god I held onto the airplane gear -- it might come to that some day.

David

[Rick Teskey]

We will just become 72 mhz outlaws! We need new sombra labs recievers !

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

No such thing as a dual conversion TX crystal. The dual conversion only applies to the RX, and that is the only part that requires a special crystal. Can't help you with the receiver crystals though, the 75mhz band is largely exclusive to USA.

I take it you've thrown in the towel with the Novak RX, as it looks like a synthesized model.

Yeah, I knew that. I pretty much cut-and-pasted what the SKIPJACK customer was looking for.

Like Bob's current battle with his big Type-21, this RTR job has taken a long time with many 'interesting' problems to solve.

And you're right, the Novak just would not talk to the transmitters the client submitted to me. However, by going with one of my VEX transmitters and the synthesized Corona (love those things!), I did come up with a workable r/c system for the job. Likely I was trying to get the Novak to work a band it was not tuned for.

Crystals are becoming an ever increasing source of angst in this game.

I imagine in a few years I'll retreat back to static scale model building -- my roots and my first love. R/c aircraft, boats and cars interest me not in the slightest.

David

[Subculture]

No such thing as a dual conversion TX crystal. The dual conversion only applies to the RX, and that is the only part that requires a special crystal. Can't help you with the receiver crystals though, the 75mhz band is largely exclusive to USA.

I take it you've thrown in the towel with the Novak RX, as it looks like a synthesized model.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

OK, this request goes out to you common air-breathers who bask in the glory of my earth-shaking presence, a request of assistance:

May I ask you kind sirs, does anyone have any Futaba, 75Mhz FM Dual Conversion Crystals for sale? Specifically I need a TX and RX pair; and if at all possible, I would like two of the RX crystals.

And I want them now!

Thanks.

David
The All Powerful

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Good stuff, Manfred. I'll employ these ideas if the others don't pan out. Thanks.

David
electronics moron

[MFR1964]

David,

Take some copper mesh, make a small box, in which you can place the BEC, this will act as a cage of farady, keeping the RF signals inside.
Maybe also some a ferrit core around the leads coming in and out.

Manfred.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Thank you for the quick response and pointer. Battery ground it is, sir. I'll keep you informed. Before that I'll isolate the BEC and range check with a dedicated receiver battery.

David