Call for Help!

[balsa basher]

This is part a plea for help and part rant…I have been flying off an on for a good 30 years and I sort of know what I’m doing. At least I thought so since FF. At FF my planes were immediately diving to the ground. I checked everything and in the end thought maybe I was experiencing brown outs, until today, same problem, with multiple planes and receivers.The planes today weren’t even at FF. The planes are balanced, throws are correct, batteries fully charged, receiver is bound with transmitter. What else am I missing! I am doing the exact same pre-flight check I have always done and I have never experienced anything like this! What am I missing?

 

[AIRFORGE]

This is part a plea for help and part rant…I have been flying off an on for a good 30 years and I sort of know what I’m doing. At least I thought so since FF. At FF my planes were immediately diving to the ground. I checked everything and in the end thought maybe I was experiencing brown outs, until today, same problem, with multiple planes and receivers.The planes today weren’t even at FF. The planes are balanced, throws are correct, batteries fully charged, receiver is bound with transmitter. What else am I missing! I am doing the exact same pre-flight check I have always done and I have never experienced anything like this! What am I missing?

Same thing with multiple planes? When it happens, what are the commonalities? Radio? Batteries? Range? A specific maneuver?

 

[Mr NCT]

This is part a plea for help and part rant…I have been flying off an on for a good 30 years and I sort of know what I’m doing. At least I thought so since FF. At FF my planes were immediately diving to the ground. I checked everything and in the end thought maybe I was experiencing brown outs, until today, same problem, with multiple planes and receivers.The planes today weren’t even at FF. The planes are balanced, throws are correct, batteries fully charged, receiver is bound with transmitter. What else am I missing! I am doing the exact same pre-flight check I have always done and I have never experienced anything like this! What am I missing?

Did you do a range test? How far away did you get?

 

[LitterBug]

I suspect a possible transmitter issue. What transmitter are you using? Do you have a different transmitter you can test with?

I had an issue with my DX8 back in the day. The antenna could rotate and bend. The coax for the antenna had fractured at the bend causing signal issues.

 

[Merv]

+1 on Tx issue

 

[balsa basher]

Thanks guys, that’s what I was afraid of, unfortunately I don’t have another one to test with. It’s definitely not the range because the planes are nosediving immediately

 

[LitterBug]

What Radio make/model do you have?

 

[Houndpup Rc]

This is part a plea for help and part rant…I have been flying off an on for a good 30 years and I sort of know what I’m doing. At least I thought so since FF. At FF my planes were immediately diving to the ground. I checked everything and in the end thought maybe I was experiencing brown outs, until today, same problem, with multiple planes and receivers.The planes today weren’t even at FF. The planes are balanced, throws are correct, batteries fully charged, receiver is bound with transmitter. What else am I missing! I am doing the exact same pre-flight check I have always done and I have never experienced anything like this! What am I missing?

I know my brother had the same problem because with his plane but it was because the BEC in his ESC was not able to keep up with the draw of his servos.....But being that it is across all of your planes....

 

[balsa basher]

What Radio make/model do you have?

Cheap one - fly sky ia6
What would you suggest as an upgrade?

 

[Houndpup Rc]

Cheap one - fly sky ia6
What would you suggest as an upgrade?

For something that is mid grade but does anything you will ever need is the Radiomaster TX-12 for top tier the Radiomaster TX16....The Jumper T-14 and T-15 look pretty nice too!
I use the Flysky FS-i6X and it works great for my airplanes!...Not so much for longer range stuff though.

 

[LitterBug]

Do you know anyone with a similar radio you could use for testing?

 

[balsa basher]

My fly sky

Do you know anyone with a similar radio you could use for testing?

Unfortunately no

 

[Merv]

...What else am I missing!...

Is it possible you have a bad electrical connection somewhere.
I use XT60's, every once in a while one of my connectors on the ESC will go bad. I will need to spread the prongs on the connector to get good contact. Each prong is split into quarters, just take a knife & spread them slightly.

Intermittent electrical problems are the worst to diagnose.

 

[Mr NCT]

Intermittent electrical problems are the worst to diagnose.

I work on CNC machines - Amen, brother!

 

[Houndpup Rc]

Is it possible you have a bad electrical connection somewhere.
I use XT60's, every once in a while one of my connectors on the ESC will go bad. I will need to spread the prongs on the connector to get good contact. Each prong is split into quarters, just take a knife & spread them slightly.

Intermittent electrical problems are the worst to diagnose.

Maybe give a tug on your XT-60 wires, I have had then just come off before on my cheaper ESC's....

 

[Piotrsko]

Geezer here..... need to replicate the launch without the plane actually flying to see what event is happening like houndpup suggested. If you aren't moving equipment between planes it has to be the transmitter so do a wiggle test on everything and tape the ends of the battery just in case they are shorting to case. My stuff takes a second to reinitialize with servos going every which way before they snap to center. Might also want a bare naked setup minus plane to see if that replicates symptoms

 

[Bricks]

Common denominater is the transmitter turn everything range check have someone hold the plane and start walking away see if the controls are working as they should and at what distance, wiggle antenna on the transmitter. Watch for unwanted control surface movement, it does sound like it might be the RF deck in the transmitter or loose broke transmitter antenna wire. Good Luck. Transmitter battery????

 

[Piotrsko]

Could also be spurious emission. seems lately everyone and their uncle is using this band for whatever garbage they want to remote control