Substantial range issue with my spekky system......

[gsbuickman]

Hi guys

This is not intended as a spekky bash thread. Its more directed at the guys on the spekky team. I took my cf mean machine out for a 5s test run today & ran into a radio range issue that bugs me because I even have this same issue @ my test pond.

About 1:07 in I lose radio signal. You can see the boat, it can't be any more than 125' out in front of me if that. When I get up and move 5' to my left it reconnects . this is irritating & sometimes it won't reconnect. & needs retrieved. I get better range than this out of a FM radio or a tactic, any ideas ?.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8WiWw1q0Yw

My radio is an Airtronics m11, with a Spectrum sm1001pro series module & a sr3001 pro series Rx. The Rx is velcro'd to the side of the hull with 6" of antenna thru the hull straight up above the hatch. Any ideas would be appreciated, thanks....

[flraptor07]

I see your boat is Carbon Fiber? Do you have the antenna routed out of the hull in a tube?

[gsbuickman]

Mean machines come with a factory layer of cf already installed. Yes, I have 6" of antenna thru the hull & straight out above the hatch / deck with an antenna pocket and antenna tube.

[flraptor07]

Is the antenna in good condition? No nicks or bare spots at all?

[Rumdog]

Might have something to do with that plasti dip, huh

[kfxguy]

Try holding your arm up.


Seriously...I have that issue only when my son drives. Doesn't do it with me. After thinking about it, he uses his right hand for the trigger and left for the steering. This is on a right hand radio so his left arm goes over the antenna nub (dx4s). It does not do it on a dx3s because the antenna sticks up on the radio. You don't drive weirdly like my son does, do you?

[Allrc]

For what ever it's worth are you aware your M11 is reversible for left hand steering?

Bill

[Darin Jordan]

These OLD Spektrum surface systems do NOT work well on water. It's a well known issue. If you don't have a DX3S or newer (DX2E, etc.) with the MARINE logo on it, and are NOT using the MR-series RXs, then I'd expect you to have range issues. I'm sorry about that, but it's just the way it is.

NOW, that being said, I ran the older SR3100 RXs in my boats for years without any problems, but all I was doing was racing, so it was good for the distance out that the course was laying. Anything further and I don't know. I always got my antennas up as FAR as I could, etc.

I wish is wasn't this way, and that ALL of the surface receivers that Spektrum put out prior to 2006 weren't this way, but it's just that way.

If you want to stick with Spektrum, you'll want to invest in the correct MARINE compatible equipment. Otherwise, you'll continue to have issues.

[tlandauer]

Had short range with these rx on cars that came as Losi RTR's.
Marine series Rx has no such problems at all. I know this is not the answer you are looking for, but honestly speaking, the price on the link you gave was not that cheap , with all the headaches you had encountered, I would have opted to buy a MR200, $49 retail.

[AndyKunz]

Why are you using CAR receivers in a BOAT?!?!?!?! They don't work nearly as well on the water as MARINE receivers do.

Andy

[Luck as a Constant]

I see your boat is Carbon Fiber? Do you have the antenna routed out of the hull in a tube?

its not a cf hull. it has a carbon fiber layer on the floor of the boat.

[Fluid]

I tried the Spektrum car module in my HiTec transmitter when they first came out, using the pre-marine receivers. I had intermittent control issues in any hull with carbon fiber in it, even though I had the antenna well outside the hull. Once I went to the marine-compatible transmitters and the MR3000 receivers I have had zero issues.


.

[NativePaul]

Why are you using CAR receivers in a BOAT?!?!?!?! They don't work nearly as well on the water as MARINE receivers do.
Andy

To be fair, they don't work nearly as well on land as MARINE receivers do either. I have an old DX3 I use in my cars and if I wasn't so tight or if I cared a tenth as much about crashing them as I do my boats, I would have got rid of it years ago. I suspect they came up with the original surface DSM1 protocol and technology before you joined them, because it sucks harder than Linda Lovelace. The tech can't help either, with the aerial soldered directly to the board so it cant be possibly be shielded there, I'm not even sure it is a tuned length of coax like all other 2.4Ghz sets, there is no exposed section at the end, it looks just like a shorter 27Mhz aerial.

[gsbuickman]

Thanks for the feedback guys .

The reason I am running these recievers with this radio system, is this is the way the system came when I got it, & its not compatible with mr Rx's. I was interested in the radio because its a damn nice full option $400 system to begin with. Guess I'll have to sell it & buy something else.

For t he time being I pulled it & installed my tactic system, never had a problem with it either, I just don't like a basic 2 channel radio........

[Luck as a Constant]

What else do you need with a boat? Throttle and steering.