radio upgrade?

[Apples1]

Can anyone recommend a easy radio upgrade for the BJ26, i want to get rid of the glitchy AM and go to Fm .
However i also want adjustable steering throw and a plugin change over?

[ETOWNE]

Can anyone recommend a easy radio upgrade for the BJ26, i want to get rid of the glitchy AM and go to Fm .
However i also want adjustable steering throw and a plugin change over?

If your gonna throw any money at a radio, I would go 2.4ghz. Even if you have to look for a used one. Check the swap pages, maybe Ebay.There are a alot of other discussion boards to check the for sale ad.

[Wakesurfer]

A Spektrum 2.0 will give you adjustable end points and no glitching. I picked up another SR3100 for my DX3R and dropped it in my boat. Switch the leads from the ESC and servo from the stock Rx to the Spektrum, bind the system and reverse the steering throw at the transmitter. My ESC was cutting out at 3/4 throttle (silly LVC, got the programing card tonight) but with the steering EPA at 85% I wasn't seeing any signs of flipping while turning. Boat is still box stock except for the Spektrum, and running 4.4K Nimh. My wakes were a little bigger than the wind ripples. I was very happy with the DX2.0 and 3.0 radios, but I wanted the 30 model memory so I got the 3R. I wouldn't really recomend the the other models now. The 3R is lighter, has a better 'feel', and has more features than I'll probably ever figure out how to use. The thumbwheel and menues are so easy to use you probably won't need the book to figure out how to use the DX3R. (Probably should read it though).

[tattooedchef]

i have a dx3r and hh told me not to use it with my boat

[EPower]

Hi I did have a DX3 but had too many problems with it on the water I now own a Futaba 3PM Fasst and it's the best radio i have ever owned
Tony Grinter in Oz sells them
http://www.hobbysupplies.com.au/Radio.htm

scroll down this page and you will find it
I now never have an antenna out of my boats one less hole for water to come in
Cheers Adrian

[dodge4x4]

I have a Futaba FM 2pm and It works great. Think I gave around $80.00 for it
new.

[JimClark]

I am utterly convinced the vast majority of people using Spectrum radios in boats who have problems do not have them set up properly.
Jim

Hi I did have a DX3 but had too many problems with it on the water I now own a Futaba 3PM Fasst and it's the best radio i have ever owned
Tony Grinter in Oz sells them
http://www.hobbysupplies.com.au/Radio.htm

scroll down this page and you will find it
I now never have an antenna out of my boats one less hole for water to come in
Cheers Adrian

[Bill-SOCAL]

I am utterly convinced the vast majority of people using Spectrum radios in boats who have problems do not have them set up properly.
Jim

Which begs the question of why Horizon, when questioned, will specifically recommend against using their Spektrum/JR systems in a boat.

[JimClark]

Bill I have never spoken to them I have used mine in various boats and seen lots of others used and never had a problem. I might remind you in a similar discussion on here or RR you agreed that the majority of problems were very early in the introduction and setup issues. Probably 85% of a very large club ERCU uses spektrum and they have been rock soild

[JimClark]

That being said I still don't know enough about it but the Aquacraft 2.4gig system at least warrants a look see

[EPower]

In our club five of us used to have the DX3 now only one runs one after making the antenna twice the original length, the rest of us all run Fasst system as i said earlier the DX3 runs fine on buggies but on the water not so good i can also say that the failsafe on the FASST is much faster to react

Again each to their own i know what radio i want to use on my 5k rc boat

Cheers Adrian

[Bill-SOCAL]

Bill I have never spoken to them I have used mine in various boats and seen lots of others used and never had a problem. I might remind you in a similar discussion on here or RR you agreed that the majority of problems were very early in the introduction and setup issues. Probably 85% of a very large club ERCU uses spektrum and they have been rock soild

I am not disputing that many of the radio "problems" we see are no doubt the result of user error. Having said that, many many people who have contacted Spektrum/JR/Horizon directly have been advised to not use their radios in boats. Lots of people seem to have no issues, but many have and those seem not to fall into the user error category.

[AndyKunz]

after making the antenna twice the original length

Adrian,

That's not a good thing to do. If he needs a longer antenna (ie, to make it visible to the transmitter because it's buried in the hull) then he's using the wrong receiver. Let me guess - current rx = SR3000. He needs the SR3100 - the actual antenna is only the last inch or so (it's visibly different).

Do a few searches on this site. I have photos of both rx's in boats, and the range of 700' is the limit I can get on the lake I usually run on (in my development).

DX3 runs fine on buggies but on the water not so good

I'm using the same SR3000 and SR3100 and not having any problems at 700' with mine on the water.

Even people who do bad installs in buggies have problems - usually they leave the rx where the signal can't reach it: on the bottom of the metal or CF chassis (it should be about 1.5" away from any conductive surface), hidden behind the engine/motor (it should have 360 degree horizontal visibility to the tx), or otherwise buried.

Again each to their own i know what radio i want to use on my 5k rc boat

Me too:



Andy

[AndyKunz]

ILots of people seem to have no issues, but many have and those seem not to fall into the user error category.

Gee, Bill, where'd you get THAT data?!?! You should try being on this end of the phone lines some time

Andy

[Bill-SOCAL]

Andy -

So the question is, are the people who answer the phone at Horizon telling callers not to use Spektrum in boats, or are the people who are reporting this on the various forums mistaken about what they have been told?

Or is it that the user error in this case is the decision to use Spektrum in the first place? Sorry, you left that door wide open!!

Also, can you comment on the rumors that JR will be coming out with their own spread spectrum system that does not use the Spektrum brand equipment or technology??

[Blackjack-sven]

I'm running a DX3s radio with both the 3000 (in my bj26bl) and 3100 (in my bj55) and don't have any problems at all. My bj26bl has the antenna sliding past the stock esc and out the tube aprox. 1 inch. My bj55 also has the same config. except for the fact that it runs past nothing and goes straight into the tube.

If the 2.4 GHZ technology is the same as the phone's then in a wide open area it should TECHNICALLY get to aprox. 2 km. Thats just theory but I do know that with my heli I've been told to run one rx with 2 antenna's one antenna being horizontal the other vertical.

ANY antenna should be 1.5 inches or more away from any electrical source to reduce/eliminate noise/glitching

[AndyKunz]

Maybe there's a reason they tell them that. Think that might be?

No, I cannot comment on that or any other rumors, other than, if that's true, it ought to disprove once and for to folks all that JR is owned by Horizon. But you know, that rumor is still alive and well, too. And remember, rumors about your team are rampant too, so how many of them are true? Like why they bailed on going to WRAMS at the last minute?

Andy

[EPower]

Adrian,

That's not a good thing to do. If he needs a longer antenna (ie, to make it visible to the transmitter because it's buried in the hull) then he's using the wrong receiver. Let me guess - current rx = SR3000. He needs the SR3100 - the actual antenna is only the last inch or so (it's visibly different).

Do a few searches on this site. I have photos of both rx's in boats, and the range of 700' is the limit I can get on the lake I usually run on (in my development).



I'm using the same SR3000 and SR3100 and not having any problems at 700' with mine on the water.

Even people who do bad installs in buggies have problems - usually they leave the rx where the signal can't reach it: on the bottom of the metal or CF chassis (it should be about 1.5" away from any conductive surface), hidden behind the engine/motor (it should have 360 degree horizontal visibility to the tx), or otherwise buried.



Me too:



Andy

LOL

[Bill-SOCAL]

Maybe there's a reason they tell them that. Think that might be?

You've lost me. Does Horizon tell customers not to use Spektrum radios in boats? Or are you implying that they do so but because they think most boaters will do something wrong (user error) so they figure it is best to tell those dumb boaters not to use the radio? Honestly, I am not getting you.

No, I cannot comment on that or any other rumors, other than, if that's true, it ought to disprove once and for to folks all that JR is owned by Horizon.

Sorry, I really should not have asked the question. I know perfectly well that nobody will comment on rumors. And I agree, it still amazes me how many people think that JR and Horizon are parts of the same company. But then most people cannot distinguish between Hobbico and Futaba. They meld into one and the same. The JR radio brand was around for a good many years before Horizon ever came into being. We have Mr. Bill Bennett to thank. He started Circus Hobbies back in the 70's and was the first to bring JR (Japan Radio) to the US.

But you know, that rumor is still alive and well, too. And remember, rumors about your team are rampant too, so how many of them are true? Like why they bailed on going to WRAMS at the last minute?

Andy

Even I have not heard that rumor. Which is what makes the so much fun

[EPower]

So Many people talk about carbon fiber and radios not mixing together i have run this setup for months now never had a glitch as you can see the antenna is also sitting very close to the motor, receiver on a CF tray i have taken this boat 700 to 800 feet away from me

i must be the only person in the world doing this i guess but it works for me
or maybe i have a special radio FASST

Cheers Adrian

[Bill-SOCAL]

How far up the sides does the CF go? What is important is trying to keep stuff from getting between the RX and TX antennas. Your installation is certainly not optimal and is counter to what Futaba recommends, but if it's working you cannot argue with success. But it does seem like you have gone out of your way to test the limits!!

[EPower]

Hi The CF goes right up the side of this boat, I just love the fact that i don't have an antenna coming out of the boat

Cheers Adrian

[AndyKunz]

You've lost me. Does Horizon tell customers not to use Spektrum radios in boats? Or are you implying that they do so but because they think most boaters will do something wrong (user error) so they figure it is best to tell those dumb boaters not to use the radio? Honestly, I am not getting you.

Click the link under "a reason" under my original post. Unfortunately, the guys (and gals) on the phone lines have to do what they are told, and cannot always give a reason - sometimes they aren't allowed to know (ie, prior to product announcement) and sometimes they can't grasp it. You understand how that works, I'm sure. I really wish there was more I could say.

When I worked for the gov't sometimes I couldn't tell my wife where I was going, just that I wouldn't be in my office that day. By the time I could, they had a sign on the interstate pointing to the front gate 20 miles away. And then Janet Reno spilled the beans on a lot of what we had done just a few years before

Andy

[Bill-SOCAL]

When I worked for the gov't sometimes I couldn't tell my wife where I was going,

I understand that. I worked for the Government as well for a time. My job was so secret I didn't even know what I did!!!