Category Archives: Radio Equipment

Futaba Controllers – Have You Seen a T6 10J ??

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My recently arrived K2 came with a complete Futaba T6K transmitter setup. It’s the second one I’ve tried. The loan boat I borrowed had the same thing. I’m getting to love it.

At the weekend, we had some chatter at the lake-side with other owners saying they could usefully be more robust. There have been slider switches coming off, water getting in, and so on. Admittedly it does feel a tad ‘plastic’.

VS suggested we all take a look at the T6 model 10J. He says it’s a whole lot stronger, uses the same receivers, and is frankly roughly the same price…. well, there’s not much in it. It’s the difference between ‘quite a bit’ and ‘a lot’.

This is the first link I found when I googled it.

https://sloughrc.com/futaba-10j-10ch-combo-2-4ghz-ts-fhss-mode2-r3008sb.html

This is a pretty good description on the Ripmax website

http://www.ripmax.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=P-CB10J/L&Category=025-060

This is what they show on the Futaba USA website, and it does look a lot more metal over there

10J

If you have any experience of a 10J for radio sailing please leave us a comment on this post.

I’ll try and write something up, just as soon as I’ve seen one for real.

“Antenna Frame” Anyone??

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When I read up about my transmitter’s working range, of course it’s all about airplanes and drones. “1.5km range”, I think it said.

Honestly, if the boat is further away than about 150m, frankly we’re on the limits of my eyesight! I’m sure most folks would pay no attention to the layout of the onboard antenna (two wires that stick out of the onboard receiver). I’d forgive anybody who thought it doesn’t really matter. I did notice though that when we initially rigged my new IOM at the Datchet club, the first thing PH told me to do was walk a really long way away and see if I could waggle the sails via the mainsheet joystick. The “voice of experience”, I suddenly thought to myself.

Did you know, the theory is that the two antenna wires should lie at right angles to each other?? The IOM I had been borrowing from a totally amazing man at Chipstead had this simple idea.

Aboard my new K2, the builder has integrated something into his proprietary pot that ties the antenna at right angles. Very neat actually, … job done.

For the F6 Marblehead, GH suggested looking at two potential antenna frames on the Sailsetc website. We chose this one….

You might miss it at first glance. The frame is that little black moulding at the top of the photo. The two “arms” at right-angles are hollow – you can thread the wires inside them easily. It weighs about the same as a sheet of Kleenex. I’d guess its is 3D printed. Very neat. It simply sits inside the pot and grips the edge. It is shaped for the standard 60mm Sailsetc “pot” that the majority of us have. You thread the antenna wires through the 90 degree “V”… then what? I just wound my antenna tails around the pot rather than thread them back over the frame. It keeps it jolly tidy in there, plus at least some of the wires’ length lies at 90 degrees.

https://www.sailsetc2.com/index.php/aerial-arc.html

Lipo and Life Batteries – So What’s That About …?!

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If you’re just coming in to radio sailing, it’ll be about two hours before somebody mentions LiFe and LiPo batteries to you in the cafe! Baffling.

Well, there is a bit of a debate to say the least.

https://www.large.net/news/8eu43mr.html

This link above is quite a good description of what is at hand. I am still trying to nett it out, but I think it comes down to:-

  • LiPo batteries are a fire risk (gulp), but perform better apparently
  • LiFe batteries weigh a touch more for equivalent power/life/durability
  • RW says that LiPo can deliver different winch power on a surge.

My new IOM arrived with LiPo’s. They are definitely of the 2-cell variety. I notice also they come with a fire proof pouch!!

So I thought,…. use LiFe in the IOM and work within permitted minimum weights… but in the Marblehead use LiPo’s as we are mad about weight saving as there is no minimum weight rule.

Then I thought I would pop them on the scales and find out…..

The red battery is LiPo and the blue is LiFe… 92gms and 49.6gms respectively….NOT what I expected! There is obviously a physical size difference to consider when you buy!! By the way, I find you need a different charger (or a sophisticated universal charger) for LiFe batteries.