Tag Archives: mode 2

Transmitters for Beginners 2 – Are We “Air” or “Surface”? (Trick Question)

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So maybe you’ve just bought your first boat only to find you need to separately find yourself a transmitter? Or you just will get a new one?

The first thing you find when you google it, is that there are lots out there. On many occasions, you’ll land on a website only to discover that the seller splits the transmitters into “Air” or “Surface”. …. Baffling.

Before the modern wave of 2.4ghz radios it seems that it was thought better to help prevent signals on radio control race cars accidentally being picked up by a radio controlled plane overhead – and crashing them to the ground. So it was prudent to split frequencies – or at least I think that was the idea. To this day, you will see that MYA Entry Forms still ask for wavelength, a legacy of those days I guess – and we all fill in “2.4ghz”. Our radios all pair precisely to the receivers in our boats – no problems.

A manufacturer legacy of those days is still to classify their transmitters as either Air or Surface. You see that on seller websites a lot. Now before you immediately go and look at “Surface transmitters” as we sail on the surface…. Stop!! You want to look at “Air Transmitters”. We use airplane type transmitters for sailing.

It looks like “Surface” designs now tend to be pistol grips (rc cars?) and “Air” designs have the twin joysticks that radio sailors use.

So : You want to look for “Air” and “Mode 2”, the latter being about the way the joysticks are arranged. Mode 2 is rudder on the right. That’s what we use.

You might also come across the term “Open TX”. For now, just ignore this. This is the transmitter manufacturer equivalent of linux in the home computer world – free shared industry software for driving the transmitter as opposed to manufacturer proprietary software. There are pluses and minuses – and you’ll be wondering about those as you read. It should in theory make it all cheaper in the long run. At the present, Radiomaster, FrSky, Jumper and one or two others have adopted OpenTX.

http://www.open-tx.org/radios

Transmitter Mode – Mode 1 or Mode 2?? What’s That About ??….

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So you have started radio sailing and need to get a transmitter sorted out for yourself…

If you have bought a second hand boat, quite likely the previous owner has kept the transmitter and you need a new one. Obviously, if you buy a new boat, you probably want a new transmitter – or did you know you can share one transmitter across a number of boats. (The transmitter manufacturers call this “multiple models”)

So you have selected which transmitter you want, then the online ordering page asks you which “Mode” you want! Drives you mad, doesn’t it!!?? Well, for radio sailing you want Mode 2.

On that photo of a box lid above, you will see it says Mode 2 in the top right hand corner.

So what is all this about??

It’s all about which way around the joysticks are arranged. For Mode 1, the throttle (‘mainsheet’ to you and me) is on the right, with Mode 2 the throttle/mainsheet os on the left. The convention for radio sailing is that we all use “Mode 2″…. mainsheet on the left, rudder on the right. So buy a Mode 2….

This seems true for both Flysky and Futaba transmitters. Why?? I had wondered if it was all about being left handed or right handed, but it doesn’t seem to be that reason. As you have probably twigged, radio sailors are in the minority for using these transmitters. The major applications will be drones, helicopters, planes, gliders, race cars. I think that some of those require the joysticks the other way around. Or as I just learned, combat robots use the sticks the other way around.

If any reader has re-written the manuals for Flysky and Futaba solely for radio sailing, would you donate them to this website? Else, I shall I have to re-write them someday. I was just reading a piece by somebody reading a Flysky manual and he said, “Half of it is in Chinese, and the other half may have well been…”

Anyway – purchase “Mode 2″…..