Futaba 10C from JR eyes...

[Disc]

Ah ignore my post

[simon_t]

I know, and your dad will know, that this mod is unlikely to affect the Tx performance (may even improve it with the antenna better placed) but I fear that you will certainly have invalidated the sets CE status, hence making it illegal under the current Ofcom rules. I spoke to Manny Williamson at the BMFA regarding similar, who said it would not be legal under current Ofcom interpretation of rules. Its mad, I know. As a radio ham you have a lot more options to change things, but it seems we are wrapped in a strait jacket under CE interpretation

Simon

[SimonV6]

check out this:
http://www.rc-heli-fan.org/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=53287

its in german, but if you scroll down the page you will see a futaba 10c that is fasst ONLY.....so looks like Futaba are bringing one out for those that need one
maybe people can then buy the spares to then change there older 10c's to fasst only?

for the time being I will stick to the antenna as is, it shouldn't make any difference to performance of the tx anyway


Simon

[mchristyuk]

Hi Simon,

I'm not so sure it does invalidate the CE.. and as you are probably aware I'm quite concious of making sure my equipment is legit!

Here is why I feel what what I have done is ok..

1) The position and orientation of the aerial is user configurable out of the box. It is designed in this way so you may position and orientate it to get the best signal reception.

2) You can purchase base loaded antennas for 35mhz Tx's and Rx's and fit them yourself without invalditing CE status.

3) It is my belief that only the end 1/3rd of the aerial wiring is the actual aerial (much like the Futaba receiver aerials) and that the rest of the wiring leading to the module is non transmitting.

4) We are allowed to change stick units (and therefore passive wiring) around in the sets to change from Mode 1 to Mode 2 and this again does not effect the CE status.

What I have done is positioned the aerial in a place to achieve optimum reception. I have not changed any power outputs, nor have I changed the shielding or position of any active components.

Had I removed the RF parts from the module case and put them in the main TX case then yes that would invalideate the CE status.

Had I recased the RF parts in another material (home made case) then yes I would invalidate the CE status.

Had I drilled holes in the PCB (like some have!) then again I would have probably invalidated the CE status.

Rerouting of passive wiring to achieve optium aerial positioning I feel does not effect the CE status as non of the electronic components have changed, nor has their shielding or power output.

There are people who have made their own intergrated sets that have done all kinds of mods which I think may be dubious in regards of the CE status.. but I have not changed anything except the path of the aerial connecting wire.

Of course I could be completely wrong.. but I feel I'm far safer on this issue than if I were using a grey import set!

Cheers

Mark

[Ade_Law]

wow... who would have thought it, Mark Christy no longer flying (J)unk (R)adio!!

welcome to the 21st century, Im loving my 12fg, it was a very close call between the 12fg and the 10c for me.

Ade

[marktigere1]

wow... who would have thought it, Mark Christy no longer flying (J)unk (R)adio!!

See here: http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/f34/lo...ou-leap-19295/

[Toolman]

Ade,

Have we got continual JR/Spektrum bashing to look forward to throughout 2009?


Tim.

[Ade_Law]

most definitely :-)

Ade

[Toolman]

Personally I am more interested in Mark opinion, because he gives useful facts and isn’t on a crusade.

Sure the 10C may be a great radio but note that Mark didn’t set out to buy one but rather was forced into it by circumstance!

Tim.

[mchristyuk]

Ade,

As I pointed out I just could not afford 2 sets of PCM12x to compete at international level. 1 set would have taken a leap of faith but 2 just was totally out of the question.

The JR/Spektrum gear is great.. I have had no issues at all with any of mine. I just couldn't afford it.. simple as.

Futaba really have sorted out their User Interfaces in the past few years because the 9z was an absolute obimination of a radio to program.. so too the original Field Force sets.

The 10C is not as good as my 10x or my dads DSX9 in terms of quality... BUT.. it has a lot of features and it comes in at a fraction of the price. It has more features than my 10x.. but that is understandable as the 10x is an old radio now. The fact the 10c has one of the lowest latency outputs is a bonus!

Had the 12x been the same price as the 10x when it was for sale (£900) it would have been a no contest choice. However there is no way on this earth I'm plumping that much cash into a transmitter... silly money.

Cheers

Mark

[Ashley Davis]

I don't understand all this futaba / JR / Spektrum bashing that's going on.

Surely:

1) set your budget
2) select the tx in that budget
3) find out what the people you fly with use so if you have a problem / issue you may be able to get local help
4) go buy it, fly, be happy

All this utter crap about spektrum / jr failing this. futaba failing that is just people who once had a model crash (get over it, it happens in this hobby) or failure(s) of some description and have an axe to grind. Sure we all have problems but there are plenty enough people flying both systems to show that any system is as reliable as it needs to be.

Thanks Mark for the useful post, which at the end of the day proved that both systems have their advantages and can do the job perfectly well.

[jiberjaber]

The only thing I miss from my recent move from a DX7 to a 10c is the lose of model match and the module sticking out the back - both of which I can live with.

Other than that it feels like a far better radio in terms of flexability of programming. I would have gone to a DX9 if it hadnt have been so expensive. Even when I factor in the cost of upgrading all my receivers (2x 7ch and 1x8ch) it was still cheaper than buying a DX9. I got my 10c for £349 from Inwoods.

The cost increase of the step up from the DX7 has been a bit of an own goal for JR/Spectrum IMHO.

[Ashley Davis]

Agree Jason, Futaba is currently offering more features at a lower price. Maybe JR will take note, maybe not.

[Ade_Law]

ok lets get some facts straight to justify my "crusade"

lets look at the JR 9x,

orriginally had some issues with software mainly on Vtail stuff for planes horizen in the USA refused to sell it, so eventually they created the 9303/9x2

switch assignability is a joke,
cant start timer from throttle stick,

the dsx9 is just 9x2 with 2.4 tacked on. its only 1024bit resolution and the reliability of the spektrum rx's is questionable.

thats not progress, thats lazyness on the part of the R&D department!

the 9c was a good radio in its time and they sorted some stuff for the 9c super although the way it handled CCPM with channel 6 lag is questionable. the user interface was good but switch spacing on the top switches was a bit narrow.

I agree that for 35mhz the 9x2 is a better radio than the 9c other than the switch assignability and timer limitations.

however...

lets compare the 10c and DSX9

10c other than the slightly plastic feel to the case beats it hands down in terms of price, software and performance. 2048 on 8+ channel rx's. Whilst the rx's are more expensive im yet to hear of any issues with them.

model match is a nice backup feature of spektrum but i have seen so many people not doing pre-flight checks because they dont believe they need to. You should always check all controls before flying.

you wanted facts, you got them. Im not forcing you to buy anything. If your happy with your radio keep it. however if your finding your dx7/ff7 2.4 lacking then there is no doubt in my mind that the 10c and 12fg kick the JR offerings squarely in the nuts.

Ade

[Ashley Davis]

Timer .... I prefer to press a button
Switches .... happy with where they are on the JR set

9x2 was an incredibly popular set, it made sense to just turn something people are familiar with into a 2.4ghz system.

Fuataba 2.4 market penetration is FAR smaller than Spektrum and they aren't producing stuff for the lower end of the market, so problems are very likely to be less at this stage.

However, pointless argument, refer back to my orignal post for how to select a tx.