Tag Archives: flysky

Beginner Guides and Radio Sailing Transmitter Manuals…. POPULAR !!!

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When we launched the Datchet Radio Sailing website in late 2023, we had an eye on trying to reduce the inhibitors people often feel when they get into radio sailing.

A few “Beginners Guide” manuals were created as downloads, mainly for radio transmitters, but also the likes of installing new winches (very popular!), diagnosing problems in the electrics, installing new transmitters and so on.

The response has been amazing. In a few days time, the radio transmitter global downloads of the manuals are going to reach a total of 1000. It’s 985 downloads as I type (August 2025). Of those, about half are for the Radiomaster – interesting.

The beginners guide on how to fit a new winch has, alone, been downloaded 255 times. How to install a new transmitter has been downloaded 72 times.

The Futaba and Flysky manuals are about equally popular as each other – Futuaba slightly more so.

I have a Spektrum in the workshop ready to install on a Proteus IOM. I had a plan to produce a manual for that also (one day … takes a lot of time). In the meantime, there is a link to an excellent radio sailing manual for the Spektrum DX6 on a US based website. If anyone wants to give a hand with that, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Really interesting.

Transmitter Type and Snug-Cover, Best Fit…..!!

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We had something of an “ah ha” moment here the other day when the Domestic Steering Committee (a seamstress of note), reminded me that transmitters and snugs are a 3-dimensional design challenge not easily thought of or seen in 2D…

We went back to the snug and transmitter inventory and tried all combinations of transmitters and snugs to see if basically it really is “choose anything you want”. If you’re a Flysky or Futaba user, you might get an “ah ha” moment too.

First up, when I use my Radiomaster Pocket I realise now I’ve always tended to use it without a cover. The transmitter is so ridiculously robust I suppose it felt best to use it in the open air. It was anyway so small it is lost inside a snug.

The second really important thing is that my fabulous Catsails snug is a terrific cover and will basically take anything you want to pop in there with ease – with a Spektrum it can easily accommodate the stubby aerial at any angle you prefer.

It’ll be interesting to see what SailboatRC come up with in their forthcoming snug design.

What’s the Thing About a 3D Snug Design?

It’s in the implementation….

The Steering Committee’s head seamstress pointed out there are differing approaches here to creating a 3D space for the transmitter. Catsails are basically using what a dressmaker thinks of as “darts”… apparently… there’s a single seam with different material sizes each side of the seam causing a ‘compartment’ effect.

The Rooster…

That brings us to the Rooster…. with a different approach to creating a 3D shape based upon multiple seams. They are creating the 3D space more by design with seams along the edges of the 3D space. (see photo at the top of this article)

Can you see there are four seams on the Rooster?? Taped flat on the outside (the Catsails outside seam is “piped”) and also miraculously also flat on the inside for comfort maybe…

In sewing, this is apparently called “flat felling” or “flat locking”. Just so you know…

Given the two people that will have had a big hand (sic) in designing the Rooster snug, it suddenly comes as no surprise to me now that the Rooster 3D space is a really great fit on Flysky and Futaba, like it was designed for them. Like a glove….. My lovely Spektrum is a better fit in the Catsails snug. The antenna stem is something of a compromise inside the Rooster. Enjoy choosing!

Beginner’s Guide : Choosing the Switches on Your Radio Transmitter…..!!

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Do you think radio control aircraft flyers ever get cold hands?? I’m beginning to wonder…

Maybe they don’t!! Radio Sailors on the other hand usually do want some warm, dry, hand protection and it’s extremely usual for us to use “Transmitter snugs” to keep our fingers warm !!

Our transmitters are generally model aircraft transmitters and we use a tiny proportion of their capability in Radio Sailing. Not all of them come with switches for aircraft pilots to play with, but the more you pay the more switches you will see on there. Lets be clear – far fewer radio sailors use ANY of the switches, but if you find yourself tempted quite possibly your transmitter is festooned with the them..

By “switches”, I am referring to those little silver spikey things such as the ones you can see in the photos above. If you are tempted to try one of these switches for sailing, then read-on.

In way of a suggestion, consider whether when inside a “transmitter snug” the switches can get inadvertently flicked/activated by the very material that is keeping your hands warm. Certainly when you take your hands out of the snug and perhaps place the transmitter to one side, you are open to this happening.

It won’t happen on the Radiomaster Pocket (switches safely recessed) but Flysky, Spektrum and the Futabas generally have them running along facing you on what I think of as “the top” …. meaning the console where the joysticks are located. Futaba and Spektrum also have switches on the back panel, slightly hidden away from you. To make it more interesting there are often two different switch arm lengths. What I have been finding is that the longer switch arms (lovely action!!) are the ones that can snag on the inside of the transmitter snug. When it happens, it’s quite difficult to spot until something doesn’t work on the boat as you expect…. usually at a crucial moment!!

The Flysky I tried at the weekend additionally needed those switches all in the off position just to power up successfully. The Flysky only has switches along “the top” if I recall correctly. (see photo above)

So my suggestions if you really, really want to try switches would be :-

1/ Choose the short stubby switches if you can, as they are often “protected” against snagging by a tall switch located next to them.

2/ Consider only using short stubby switches on the back panel if it fits your way of thinking. A reduced chance of snagging back there….

3/ If you get cross, don’t throw away that transmitter snug!!