Spektrum DX3 interference?

[ScarabChris]

This has happened a few times. Running the boat and all of a sudden the thing takes a hard turn.

I thought a bad servo so I changed that. Then I thought a bad RX so I changed that. It still happens from time to time. Like tonight in my house I am reprogramming the ESC and all of a sudden the outboards are turning left and right with no input from the TX.

Any ideas?

[Fluid]

- When was the last time you bound the transmitter and receiver together?
- What throttle and rudder positions did you program as the failsafe?
- Receiver and transmitter packs fully charged?
- What hull - any carbon fiber in it?
- How is the receiver antenna positioned and how far out of the hull?



.

[JimClark]

Ya what Jay said

[AndyKunz]

What receiver are you using?

Andy

[ScarabChris]

- When was the last time you bound the transmitter and receiver together?
- What throttle and rudder positions did you program as the failsafe?
- Receiver and transmitter packs fully charged?
- What hull - any carbon fiber in it?
- How is the receiver antenna positioned and how far out of the hull?



.

I just rebound them last week when I switched the RX.
All neutral on the failsafes.
Batteries fully charged.
No CF in the hull.
Its the SR300 RX with the small antenna, it doesn't exit the hull at all. Keep in mind this was happening on the bench with the TX six inches from the boat.

[dana]

have you waterproofed the rx with anything?

[ScarabChris]

have you waterproofed the rx with anything?

Nope.

I just tested the boat and its working fine. The boat must be haunted because I have this interference and the ESC problem at once.

[dana]

try another radio system

[Darin Jordan]

It's not the TX, it's the RX... Thats a car RX, and was never really meant to be used in a boat. You really want the MR200 or MR3000 RX for this application.

[NativePaul]

Why should being a car RX matter if its inches away from the TX on the bench, which is I guess on land? If 2 different RX are doing the same thing on the bench it sounds like a TX problem to me, but what do I know, I don't even run spectrum.

[AndyKunz]

It could also be a power supply problem in the boat.

Darin's right about the receiver. When you have the boat on the water, you should be running an MR-series receiver (make sure your DX3S has a picture of a boat on it, though. Early DX3S's were not Marine compatible and didn't have the boat picture).

Verify that you have good voltage getting to the receiver. Carefully measure it! You don't want to short anything out. I have a servo lead that I removed from a dead servo with the leads trimmed to different lengths. I can just clip my voltmeter to it and they won't short out.

If you have good voltage on the receiver, good voltage in the transmitter (above 4.5V), and it's doing this on the bench, you need to call our Customer Support line. It will probably have to come back here.

Is this in that boat in your avatar? Sure looks like fun!

Andy

[ScarabChris]

OK here's the scoop. Yes the boat is the one in my avatar. Do a search on my username or "scale scarab sport" to see build pics.

I got the radio system from Steve here at OSE. The original was the Spektrum DX3E with the SR300 RX. I was having the issue with this setup.

Then for my new build I purchased the Spektrum DX3S also from OSE. This unit allows me to use it for more than one boat. It also came with two RX. One was the SR300 and one was the SR3300T.

I installed the new SR300 in this boat and am now using the new TX with this boat and will also use it with the new boat using the SR3300T once that build is completed.

I am having the same interference issues even with the entire new radio system.

And again this was happening even with the boat on the bench in my shop with the TX 6 inches from the boat. But I was also able to run the boat today for a short time with no problems but it did occur again once I was running for a few minutes. In fact it was so bad the boat was running at full speed and out of nowhere it hooked hard and I almost stuffed the boat.

There is no rhyme or reason to the interference. It comes and goes at will and is very unpredictable. And it didn't always have the issue, it just started a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure its a radio problem but something in the boat causing the problem. I just can't figure out what it is.

[BHChieftain]

OK here's the scoop. Yes the boat is the one in my avatar. Do a search on my username or "scale scarab sport" to see build pics.

I got the radio system from Steve here at OSE. The original was the Spektrum DX3E with the SR300 RX. I was having the issue with this setup.

Then for my new build I purchased the Spektrum DX3S also from OSE. This unit allows me to use it for more than one boat. It also came with two RX. One was the SR300 and one was the SR3300T.

I installed the new SR300 in this boat and am now using the new TX with this boat and will also use it with the new boat using the SR3300T once that build is completed.

I am having the same interference issues even with the entire new radio system.

And again this was happening even with the boat on the bench in my shop with the TX 6 inches from the boat. But I was also able to run the boat today for a short time with no problems but it did occur again once I was running for a few minutes. In fact it was so bad the boat was running at full speed and out of nowhere it hooked hard and I almost stuffed the boat.

There is no rhyme or reason to the interference. It comes and goes at will and is very unpredictable. And it didn't always have the issue, it just started a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure its a radio problem but something in the boat causing the problem. I just can't figure out what it is.

Have you tried using one of the spektrum's marine receivers? They are specifically designed for water applications (ie, two attenneas, plus water resistant casing).

Chief

[AndyKunz]

6" away is a problem. Try 6' away. When you are that close, you are hammering the receiver way too hard.

What was the result of your voltage measurement test?

Do you have only one BEC enabled?

When you get to the point where you're ready to run the boat, BE SURE you have the right receiver in in (MR-series, not SR!).

Have you tested the steering servo(s)? Try connecting a good servo instead, and power it with a single BEC/battery. What happens now?

Andy

[CornelP]

I had a similar problem last week with my boat. Tx is a Dx5, with AR500 Rx or the cheap Orange DSM2 compatible Rx (which, by the way, is very good even on water) . The ESC was a Turnigy 180.
After doing some testing, I got rid of the glitch by using a battery pack instead of the internal BEC. I was running only on 4S, so it was supposed to be ok...

[ScarabChris]

I have the BEC disabled on the ESCs. I am powering the RX with its own battery back which is a Futaba NR-4QB (4.8 volt) and was working very well like this.

I'm not sure the problem doesn't lie within the steering servo. Its just strange that it will work fine for a couple of laps then take a mind of its own.

And this happens weather the TX is 6" from the RX or 100 feet away.

I'll put a new servo in and try that. I guess I should also buy the MR receiver which is slightly disappointing since I bought two surface radios, both of which say "marine" and have a little picture of a boat right on the TX but both systems came with the SR receivers.

I'll have to buy two more receivers since I bought the new radio primarily for my 54" Fountain build and with the money I'll have wrapped up into that I would hate for it to run out of control at 60 MPH.

[boogaloo_d]

I had the same problems using the same RX in my tunnels. I switched to the MR3000 RX and haven't had a problem since. I have in all 5 of my boats and have been running them for over a year not sealed they have been soaked many times and haven't failed once. Just my opinion hope it helps.

[ScarabChris]

I just went out to my local hobby shop and picked up two MR3000 receivers at 80 bucks a pop. I also picked up a new servo. Hopefully this is the end of the issues.

[siberianhusky]

Could be your pack voltage is too low, my dx2s starts acting funny when the voltage gets low, changed over to 1.5v alkaline batteries and have no more problems, for Ni-xx I'd use a 5 cell pack, mine gets down to 4.x volts and starts beeping low voltage warnings,
Mine also seems like it is glitching on the bench with the tx close to the rx, I cross the room and the problem goes away.
Sounds like it is going into failsafe mode when the voltage drops.
I've had no problems with the telemetry rx as long as I run the antennae up a tube a couple of inces long, when it was in the hull I think it was ending up below waterline in turns and go into failsafe mode, the hull would level out and regain the signal.
2.4 is way better than the old am & fm stuff but still not perfect by any means.

[ScarabChris]

The charger I use tells me the pack voltage and it has never been run down below 4.5 volts. In fact the charger says it has just over 5.8 volts. And this happens even on a fresh charge and only with the steering. No effect on the throttle.

Anyway we will see with the new RX and servo.

[RandyatBBY]

Sorry Andy and Darin I got tired of the radio problems and just switched back to Hitec and no problems now.

[siberianhusky]

I'll also admit that if I had waited a couple more months I would have bought the Futaba 3 channel, I didn't know it was coming out.
I have had no problems with mine that a properly placed rx and the marine rx's didn't cure. This is my first non Futaba radio since the 80's when I bought my first Magnum Sport. I actually still use it in my vintage RC10 gold tub buggy.
I'll wait 'til the next great leap in technology for another radio, this one does work fine for me. No reason to change. LOL need more than a 10 model memory though!

[Darin Jordan]

Sorry Andy and Darin I got tired of the radio problems and just switched back to Hitec and no problems now.

I've been using Spektrum in everything, glass, wood, carbon... FE, Gas, Nitro... Wet, Dry, Sport, and Race, for two seasons now, and have yet to even have a glitch. Not ONE glitch...

I wish I HAD had some issues, so I could be of more help with some of these problems people seem to have, but I just haven't. I use the recommended equipment for the applications and it works flawlessly.

There HAVE been a couple of unexplainable issues that I've seen that have never been really fully explained, but the majority of the issues I've seen are installation or otherwise user error. Sorry, that sounds harsh at times, but it's just the way it's been.

If this setup, the DX3S with the MR3000 RXs, fails to work with you, I have a brand new DX3S and MR3000s that I'd be happy to bind up here, and then send to you in trade for your existing DX3S and MR3000, which I will send back to Spektrum for analysis.

Let us know what you figure out.