I'm new to rc flight and I come to the forum with problems.

Chaplain

New member
I'm new to the hobby, I've been pulling out what little of remains of my hair to get an eclipson blackwing into the sky but I'm getting the run around from local hobby store owners that seem less interested in helping people into the hobby than making money so, here I am going to the one place I know I might find answers before I give up and throw about $600 worth of tools and parts I've accumulated to break into this hobby in a dumpster somewhere
 

mayan

Legendary member
I'm new to the hobby, I've been pulling out what little of remains of my hair to get an eclipson blackwing into the sky but I'm getting the run around from local hobby store owners that seem less interested in helping people into the hobby than making money so, here I am going to the one place I know I might find answers before I give up and throw about $600 worth of tools and parts I've accumulated to break into this hobby in a dumpster somewhere
Don’t fuss about over the hobby store owners some are very not nice experience talking. Build yourself a Tiny Trainer that will get you into the hobby cheap. It will allow you to crash and repair and that by itself will teach you plenty.
 

Chaplain

New member
I don't have the parts to build a tiny trainer, all of my parts are heavier stuff designed to haul the EBW into the sky.
 

Chaplain

New member
My most recent purchase was a $30 Spektrum rx that first test, worked fine on the second I heard a pop from inside the rx and smelled burnt plastic hobby guy said because I bought it like a month ago he wouldn't refund it and accused me of to replace parts from an existing project with new parts at his expense
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
I'm new to the hobby, I've been pulling out what little of remains of my hair to get an eclipson blackwing into the sky but I'm getting the run around from local hobby store owners that seem less interested in helping people into the hobby than making money so, here I am going to the one place I know I might find answers before I give up and throw about $600 worth of tools and parts I've accumulated to break into this hobby in a dumpster somewhere
There are many on the forum who will provide any advice you require but we need to know what assistance you require!
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
My most recent purchase was a $30 Spektrum rx that first test, worked fine on the second I heard a pop from inside the rx and smelled burnt plastic hobby guy said because I bought it like a month ago he wouldn't refund it and accused me of to replace parts from an existing project with new parts at his expense
Do you have access to a multimeter?
 

Chaplain

New member
No, more importantly I wouldn't know how to use one if I had one. My problem is something that won't be fixed today as obviously now my goal is to find a new rx that will work with my Spektrum dx6e and that's cheap enough I can buy two of them incase one messes up. I just purchased an ESC/Servo tester to add to my toolbox of disappointment so when that comes in I'll at least be able to check the ESC and motor and pray that whatever happened to the RX didn't effect them as well
 

danskis

Master member
This hobby can have a steep learning curve...especially if you have no mentor. The successes you see on the web make it look easy but its not. You need patience. Get guidance here on how best to spend your money...ask before you buy. As Hai-Lee said Go with a Lemon or Orange receiver....both good.
 
...but I'm getting the run around from local hobby store owners that seem less interested in helping people into the hobby than making money...
Wow, hands on, face-to-face service/relations/chitchat is the only thing brick & mortar hobby shops have going for them at this point!
 

Chaplain

New member
The guy that lives closest to me treats the entire business like the comic book store owner from the Simpsons. Customer service to a few.
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
The guy that lives closest to me treats the entire business like the comic book store owner from the Simpsons. Customer service to a few.
One of my pet subjects!
Rather than getting upset at the poor and even wrong advice from such places and their less than helpful nature I often have to remind myself that the LHS does not make a lot of money, (even with high profit margins), and so they need to pay pretty low salaries. Add this low pay to the old adage, "When you pay peanuts you get monkeys"!
Finally the LHS is not the greatest source of technical information especially when you have a great deal of knowledge yourself. Often the "Monkeys" will avoid the knowledgeable customer because the wish to protect their "Air" of superior knowledge with the majority of their customer base. Besides often they simply cannot answer your enquiry, or question simply, because they do not know the answer.

Time to take a deep breath, calm down, and stop expecting even a basic level of knowledge on the part of the LHS. Get the information you require from the internet and then buy what you want from the LHS, (if you must and can afford it).

I need a coffee!

have fun!
 

JasonK

Participation Award Recipient
I definitely see this as a strong miss match in expectations. OP went in, expecting the LHS to tutor them, however the specific LHS doesn't do tutorials/troubleshooting (or at least not here). Given the irritated tone of OP, we are likely getting a very skewed report, which may or may not be reflexive of the actual interactions.

That out of the way, lets start with some of the addressable issues in the comments:

eclipson blackwing - from what I can see this is a 3D printed wing, definitely not a first plane for someone to be flying. 3D printing is going to make a plane that is well heavier then foam and much harder to fix when it crashes. It is also a wing, which is more sensitive to CG issues. Given the context of the original post, this feels like it was a first plane option.

spent over $600 trying to get into the hobby - ouch, sounds like you could have used some better 'getting started' information. You can get a Spetrum 6e + 6 channel receiver for ~$200, ~$80 for a power pack A, ~$15 for a battery, ~$30 for a charger and under $5 materials if you have basic crafting supplies. (you could even get a cheap namebrand TX/RX for about $60 for the combo and get this total around $200 to get in - someone might even be able to point out a cheaper path). Unfortunately it appears that you got pointed in a very poor direction on what was a good idea to start with. Best thing to do next is to learn from above mistakes and move forward. I don't know if I even have $600 in the hobby and that is with 2 TX/RXs, 4 planes worth of electronics and enough foam/etc. to make more planes then what I know to do with...

pop from inside the rx and smelled burnt plastic - my thought would be something incorrectly plugged in, which caused an overload in parts and released the magic smoke, definitely not something I would expect the LHS to fix/replace for you. You might be able to contact Spectrum and see what your warranty is, but unless they use the LHS to handle the warranty, it isn't the LHS' job to replace it for you.

Interactions with the LHS - Sounds like the LHS isn't the right place for you. I can't comment on if the issue is with the LHS, you, or some interaction issues with you and one of the employees. Either way, It sounds like a bad place to continue interacting with for both you and the LHS. I would just move on to another method of getting your parts... or at least rethink your relationship with the LHS.

Multiple comments - sounds like you definitely need a local mentor, if your in the US, you could check for AMA fields and see if one of the ones near you offer training/mentorship. Just make sure to come in with a good attitude and willingness to learn.

What to do next: I would suggest giving the fine people here a list of the equipment that you already have, then _listen_ to the recommendations of what to try to start flying with. I only started this hobby not to long ago and the Tiny Trainer took a bit to get the hang of. I have actually built the fuselage 4 times (one of the builds was to make one for my son, so 3 rebuilds and 1 extra).

I personally would recomment putting the 3D printed wing on a shelf until you can fly a traditional wing foamy airplane. Ideally with the help of someone local who can buddy box you or give you guidance. Please reflect on all of this and remember that the people are people too and the best way to get positive reactions is to treat the people around you the way that you would want to be treated, even if they don't treat you that way back.
 
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dahacker

Member
I'm new to the hobby, I've been pulling out what little of remains of my hair to get an eclipson blackwing into the sky but I'm getting the run around from local hobby store owners that seem less interested in helping people into the hobby than making money so, here I am going to the one place I know I might find answers before I give up and throw about $600 worth of tools and parts I've accumulated to break into this hobby in a dumpster somewhere

Did you 3D print the blackwing yourself? I've been 3D printing stuff for years now. It must have taken weeks to print and assemble the wing. I know you are hyper focused on getting a new receiver and jumping into the sky, but please listen to the others here. If you are not experienced at flying fixed wing RC aircraft and particularly flying wings, you would do best to shelve the blackwing and learn to fly with a cheaper model that can handle crashing. If you have not ever flow fixed wing RC aircraft, even if you get the receiver, ESC, motor, battery all working together, there is an extremely high chance you will crash and smash your wing on the first flight and it will not be repairable. These are not easy to fly like a quadcopter toy.

Also, some critical electrical skills are required to troubleshoot RC plane problems. A $10 multi-meter and some time on youtube learning how it works will go a long way in this hobby to help prevent further frustration and loss of money. Plus that multi-meter and skill will work well in the future with many other aspects of life beyond this hobby.
 

whackflyer

Master member
Did you 3D print the blackwing yourself? I've been 3D printing stuff for years now. It must have taken weeks to print and assemble the wing. I know you are hyper focused on getting a new receiver and jumping into the sky, but please listen to the others here. If you are not experienced at flying fixed wing RC aircraft and particularly flying wings, you would do best to shelve the blackwing and learn to fly with a cheaper model that can handle crashing. If you have not ever flow fixed wing RC aircraft, even if you get the receiver, ESC, motor, battery all working together, there is an extremely high chance you will crash and smash your wing on the first flight and it will not be repairable. These are not easy to fly like a quadcopter toy.

Also, some critical electrical skills are required to troubleshoot RC plane problems. A $10 multi-meter and some time on youtube learning how it works will go a long way in this hobby to help prevent further frustration and loss of money. Plus that multi-meter and skill will work well in the future with many other aspects of life beyond this hobby.
Well said. I second this!