John Sheehy

I presume you tow that LiPo around on a trailor ( : I use the electronics in small kits from www.micronradiocontrol.co.uk. They sell kits specially for the AR6400 receivers. Check out stevens aero kits. The motors also fit right in. John.

Regarding the Turnigy 9x running er9x software, since any button, knob or switch can be used for any purpose, I use the aileron switch for a trainer switch (so I don't have to hold the switch on) and the trainer switch for instant trim. Instant trim means holding the plane to fly straight and level using the gimbals and flicking the trainer switch momentarily. This trims the plane and the position you held the gimbals in becomes the hands off setting. I've never come across this function before and I find it invaluable. I'm very happy with my (two) 9x's running er9x but they do require you to learn how to program it . A man called Rimr has some excellent tutorials on youtube. You will also need a mod in order to upgrade the software. I use an item called Smartieparts which requires no soldering, but if you want a cheaper option you can do some soldering and buy a cheaper gadget $5 instead of $50 for the Smartieparts. I got both my 9x's from giantshark.co.uk at £68 each and the internal quality was good e.g. good soldering, wires in the right places without any pinching and generally tidy. I'm not very keen on the 9xr, based on the review by Bruce on rcmodelreviews.com Happy landings, John.

I use the boiling water method also. If there are parts you don't want to get wet, put the parts in a thin polythene bag or wrap in clingfilm making sure no edges of film go into the water. I was sceptical about Uhu Por until recently. It seemed weak and lacked grab, but having used it on a recent project I'm now sold. It's slow, giving plenty of time to get it right and it sets well.

If your transmitter has an RSSI indicator you can point the antenna at the horizon and move it slowly along in the general direction you think the plane went down. The RSSI reading will go down slightly when pointing directly at the plane. Again, the batteries must still be working.

John I don't understand your post. Dragon Labs is in China, how are UK customs involved? Also delivery options are; UPS £57

Hi Scott, I did look into OSD Pro but I was never sure what I needed or what I was buying. I don't know what an OSD expander is, Is that an expander for an OSD unit or is that the unit? Then there are the various plug in units for different functions. I don't know how much space they all take, how many channels I need to set aside or how much the final bill would be. Any help on these questions would be helpful. Do feel free to message me if you prefer. As to the suggestion that I buy from USA, I bought a motor from theUSA about 6 months ago and the US customs took more than the dealer. They took the duty and then charged me £8 for doing it. I don't shop from the USA for that reason. I guess it's not too early to wish everyone seasonal greetings. John.

Thanks John, I spotted this one too but it seems to be permanently out of stock. I've seen Hornet OSD but it's quite expensive with the FY-31 AUTOPILOT which is needed for RTH. One worrying factor is that some of these RTH OSD's use the failsafe to set the throttle at full (or a percentage) so when you get out of range (or flick the assigned switch) failsafe provides the throttle and the unit controls the Aileron and elevator. This is fine under normal circumstances but it means that if you inadvertently switch off the Tx on the ground before the Rx the motor fires up. Very dangerous.

PS. I forgot to mention that price is also an issue, I expect to pay around £150 or preferably less. John.

I currently have easy OSD fitted but it doesn't have RTH. I want to upgrade to an OSD with RTH. I'm looking for something as compact as possible and using as few radio channels as possible. I've looked at the nova but there is no throttle control, just ailerons and elevator, so I don't see how it can gain or lose altitude. I also don't know how many radio channels it uses. Any suggestions? John.

I've just got a telemetry transmitter but haven't had a chance to use it yet due to English weather. However I read of a chap who located a lost plane by pointing the Tx antenna laterally and noticing when the RSSI voltage dipped. As I'm sure most people know the weakest reception (two way telemetry) is when you point the antenna directly at the plane, so you will get the weakest RSSI when pointing directly at the model. As I said I haven't had a chance to try this out yet but next time I get to the patch I'll be sure to check this out. John.

There's a button between the two round things which alter the warning threshold. Mine came at 3.3v and I changed it to 3.6v. When you adjust it the setting shows where the voltage display is normally displayed. You don't have to set them up each time and they are quite loud so if you fly at park flyer distances they take all the hassle out of timers and tell you when to land. A really useful flying aid. John.

Thanks Frank, I'll look for one of those on Ebay. I use a Gum Cam on board attached to the back of the pan\tilt so it follows where I look, but I want to record my OSD output as well. The Gum Cam will probably provide a better picture but it would be nice to have the flight details such as height, speed and distance from the Tx.

My FPV flights.

Hello all, I'm looking for a cheap and easy way of recording my flights. I think my best bet is an old camcorder with AV in, but any suggestions welcomed. John.

I read somewhere that you can have the top half of the left verticle stick (throttle in mode 2) operating the throttle while the lower half operates crow braking. Does anyone know how I can do this? I imagine there would have to be a dead zone in the middle so both could be switched off for gliding. I should have said it's for a glider with 4 servo wings and using a Cockpit SX.