RC Airplane Radio Systems

"The RC airplane radio system is the heart and brain of radio controlled model airplanes!" There are many varieties of radios for model airplanes ranging from very simple to very complex. You can probably imagine that the more complex the system is, the more expensive its going to be. There is no point in breaking the bank to get a radio with all the bells and whistles if you don't need them or can't use them with the RC airplanes you plan to fly. On they other hand, you don't want to buy a radio that you will "outgrow" in a very short time. By the time you finish with this page, you'll be able to make a well-informed choice when shopping for that perfect radio! What Does a Radio System Consist of? An RC airplane radio system consists of a transmitter, receiver, servos and batteries.

Transmitter (Tx): -Hand held controller that sends the pilots inputs to the airplane. Receiver (Rx): - Electronic unit that rides in the aircraft. Receives signals from the transmitter and relays these signals to the servos. Servos: -Small proportional controlled gear motors that mechanically move the control surfaces on the airplane. Servos are plugged into the receiver where they receives input signals from the pilot. Batteries: -Both the receiver and the transmitter require a battery pack to operate. The battery packs usually consist NiCd (Nickel-Cadmium) or NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries.

How does an RC Airplane Radio System Work?

The transmitter converts the pilot's movements into a radio signal. The process of converting this signal is called modulation. The transmitter then broadcasts this signal. The receiver inside the airplane picks up this signal the same way the radio in your car picks up the local radio station. The receiver pulls the information from the radio waves and relays this information to each servo. The servo has a servo horn that is attached to its shaft. This horn is attached to a control surface, or engine throttle, via a push rod. When the servo rotates the horn translates the rotation into a linear movement that moves the control surfaces. The movement of the servo is directly proportional to the movement of the control sticks on the transmitter. So the control surfaces on the airplane move exactly the way you move the stick on the transmitter.

The servos and receiver battery simply plug into the receiver. Most people add a switch between the battery and receiver. The switch allows you to turn the receiver off without removing the battery when you are not flying. A switch with a charging harness allows you to charge the battery without removing it.

Signal Modulation
The four ways that the transmitter converts the pilots movements into radio signals are: Amplitude Modulation(AM) - With AM, the radio signal is switched on/off rapidly on a single frequency to modulate the modulate the signal. AM is more prone to interference than frequency modulation. Frequency Modulation(FM) -With FM, this single switches between two frequencies to modulate the signal. FM is less prone to interference than AM . Standard FM is also referred to as PPM (Pulse Position Modulation). Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) -PCM is a digital form of FM. The transmitter basically sends the data to the receiver in binary code, which is "0's" and "1's". The standard FM(PPM) transmitter sends the signal to the receiver in a series of pulses.

Spread Spectrum - This is the latest and greatest technology available for RC airplanes. The transmitter checks which frequencies are available and only transmits on frequencies that are not being used by someone else. The transmitter continuously changes the frequency several times a second.

Which is best for you ?

There is no doubt that Spread Spectrum is the future of this hobby. Eventually all RC airplane radio systems will be spread spectrum. Although Spread Spectrum is quickly gaining popularity, many people are still using FM radio systems. Radios aren't exactly cheap so most people will keep using the radios they have until they have a need to upgrade. If money is no object than Spread Spectrum is definitely the way to go. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting an FM Radio. The prices are coming down due to the introduction of the spread spectrum systems. There are some AM systems available for very cheap that will fly your airplane just fine. They are cheap because they are dinasours, but they still work! Just keep in mind that the vast majority of RC airplane pilots use either FM or Spread Spectrum. If you decide to go with an FM system you may be wondering whether you should get a standard FM (PPM) or a PCM system. If you are just starting out in the hobby your best bet is to get a standard PPM system. To help you make this decision I recommend that you read Pulse Position Modulation vs. Pulse Code Modulation. You will find that the majority of the people at your flying club will have PPM systems.

Frequency Control
Whether using an AM or FM RC airplane radio system you have to be extremely careful not to transmit on the same frequency as someone else! Two airplanes can not fly on the same frequency at the same time, at least not for very long! Every club has as system for keeping track of which frequencies are in use. Learn how clubs keep track of which RC airplane radio frequencies are being used at any given time.

Radio Functions
Each RC airplane radio function requires a channel on the radio. To fly an airplane with rudder control only, with no ailerons you will need at least a "3-channel" RC airplane radio system. A channel each for throttle, elevator and rudder. To fly an airplane with ailerons you will need at least a "4-channel" RC airplane radio system. A channel for throttle, elevator, rudder, and ailerons. If you plan to stick with the hobby it would make sense to go ahead and buy a "6-channel" radio. This way you won't have to buy a new radio when you get an airplane with flaps or retractable landing gear. People in different parts of the world use different transmitter modes. Make sure you know the difference between the two transmitter modes. It is important that you get the transmitter mode that your instructor and friends have so they can help you learn to fly. Most RC Airplane radio systems are available for each mode.

Computer (Programmable) Radios

While the big question now days is whether or not to get a Spread Spectrum radio system, the big question used to be whether or not to get a computer programmable radio. Programmable radios were very expensive compared to the standard radios that most people were used to and perfectly content with. Thats why you will hear a lot of old timers claiming that you dont need a programmable radio. There are few things in this world that we need, but there are many things available to make our lives much easier! Programmable radios not only make setting up your airplane a breeze, they also provide an entire range of features that maximize the performance of your airplane while making it easier to fly! Without computer radios, the type of flying that many pilots now enjoy would simply not be possible. The prices of programmable radios have come down significantly in the past few years. This combined with the fact that computer radios bring the control of RC aircraft to an entire new level has made programmable radios the choice of most pilots. Servo reversing is about the only feature available on basic 4-channel non-programmable radios. Basic non-programmable 4-channel radios such as the Futaba 4YF are still available. If you have a habit of not sticking with interests very long you may want to consider one of these. However, if you plan to stay with this hobby, a programmable radio makes sence.

Best Place to buy your radio?

Choosing your first radio can be a daunting task. On the sides of this page you will find eBay listings of some of the most popular beginner radios. I have included a brief explanation of each in order to help you make the right decision based on your situation. Hopefully you can save some cash by finding a good deal on one of these systems. If you see something you like don't be afraid to bid on it! More often than not, you will find extremely good prices on eBay.

Controlling RC Frequencies
"RC frequencies used by toy airplanes are different than the frequencies used by hobby class airplanes." Toy grade RC airplanes are generally geared towards children and can be found at most department stores. These airplanes operate on RC frequencies of either 27 MHz or 49 MHz. Most toy airplanes can not run on both of these frequencies at the same time. Some toy airplanes operate in a band (narrow portion) of these frequencies allowing more than one toy to operator in a 27 MHz or 49 MHz frequency range. While there are some pretty neat toy class aircraft available, this web page focuses on hobby grade RC aircraft. Hobby grade RC aircraft have a much wider range of frequencies available so that many enthusiasts can fly their airplanes at the same time while at the local flying field.

Until the most recent explosion in Spread Spectrum technology, all hobby grade RC aircraft transmitters used RC frequencies in the 72 MHz range. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulates all public airwaves in the United States. The FCC has designated the range of frequencies between (72.010 72.990)MHz for radio controlled aircraft.

What is a channel?
Two radio controlled airplanes can not operate on the exact same frequency at the same time. The receivers in both airplanes would be getting signals from both transmitters. That leads to a pile of balsa scraps in a hurry! For this reason the RC frequencies, designated for RC aircraft, have been divided into 50 designated frequency bands within the 72MHz range. It is much easier to assign each of these 50 frequency bands a reference number instead of having to reference the entire 5 digits. These reference numbers are called channels. Don't be intimidated by all of these numbers. If you decide to get an FM transmitter all you have to know is what channel your radio uses. This is simply a two digit number between 11 and 60 and is labeled on the back of your radio. This can be confusing because each function that a transmitter performs is also called a channel. So the word channel means two different things:

Specific transmitter function Frequency the transmitter is utilizing

RC Frequencies at the Airfield

Flying clubs consist of tons of people that are just as excited about flying their airplanes as you are. So how do you know if someone else at the airfield is using the same RC frequency that your airplane uses? Every club has a frequency board. The frequency board system at each club varies in detail but all accomplish the same thing. A frequency board is a designated place at the flying field where every pilot MUST clearly communicate to everyone what frequency they are using.

At my club there is a board with 50 card holding slots. Every pilot is required to put their AMA card in the slot that corresponds to their frequency (channel). There are also 50 cloths pins numbered 11 - 50. After the pilot leaves his card in the appropriate slot he takes the cloths pin with his channel number and clips it to his transmitter antenna. Every pilot must check the frequency board before turning on his transmitter. If a card is in the slot for his frequency he knows who it is because this person's name will be on the AMA card. Most everyone is more than happy to take turns using the frequency. This system has double protection. The pilot MUST have the cloths pin and have his card in the appropriate slot before turning on his radio. If a pilot breaks these rules, even if on accident, and causes another airplane to crash then they are held responsible for the cost of replacing the airplane they destroyed. Some of the airplanes I've seen at my club probably cost more than my car! So you must ALWAYS follow the frequency board procedure with no exceptions!

Changing Your Frequency

Have you bought a radio system only to realize there are 10 other people at your club with the same frequency! While most pilots are more than happy to share the RC frequencies pin with you, this is still a pain in the butt! It is much more enjoyable when you don't have to worry about handing the frequency pin back and forth like its a baton in a relay race. If your transmitter has a plug-in module you are in luck!

Changing Transmitter Frequency

Transmitters and receivers have what are called crystals. The crystal determines what channel the system uses. Both the transmitter and receiver crystals must be of the same channel. It is against FCC regulations (against the law!) to replace the crystal in a transmitter. But it is NOT illegal to replace a plug-in module that contains the crystal. If your radio has an RF plug-in module you can simply pop it out and replace it with a module of a different channel.

Some higher end transmitters have what are called synthesized RF modules. With a synthesized module such as this Futaba 9C/9CS you can simply turn the dials on the module to choose any channel you want! If your radio does not have a plug-in module than you would have to send the radio back to the manufacture to have the crystal changed.

Changing Receiver Frequency

Once you've changed the transmitter's crystal all you have to do is replace the receiver's crystal so that both are using the same RC frequencies or channels. Simple right? Well, it's almost that easy. There are a few things that you need to check before going out and buying a crystal.

Positive-Negative Shift If you live in North American you need to make sure the transmitter and receiver uses the same "shift". The transmitter could be positive shift or negative shift. An FM radio control transmitter uses two RC frequencies. The two RC frequencies are the carrier frequency (frequency corresponding to the channel) plus 0.005 MHz, and carrier frequency minus 0.005 MHz. So a channel 43(72.650 MHz)transmitter transmits on both 72.655 MHz and 72.645 MHz. With PPM one frequency stands for pulse on, the other frequency stands for pulse off. With PCM one frequency represents a zero, the other frequency represents a one. Positive shift is when the carrier plus 0.005 MHz represents a pulse on. Negative shift is when the carrier minus 0.005 MHz represents a pulse one. Other than that there is no difference.

All you really need to know is that Airtronics and JR use positive shift RC frequencies. Futaba and Hitec use negative shift RC frequencies. For a transmitter and receiver to be compatible they have to be of the same channel and shift.

Instead of bouncing back and forth between two RC frequencies to represent pulse on or pulse off, AM radios only have one frequency. Frequency on represents pulse on, frequency off represents pulse off. For

this reason you don't have to worry about shift with AM radios.

Dual Conversion Receivers Receivers produce an internal signal that is very close to the frequency coming from the transmitter. When this signal is added to the transmitter signal it produces a much lower frequency signal with the same information. Lower frequency signals make it possible for the receiver to amplify the signal while eliminating noise when the airplane is far away. This new signal at a lower frequency carrying the same information is called an intermediate frequency (IF). The receiver decodes the information (radio language) from the IF and passes it on to the servos. This is called a single conversion receiver.

Dual conversion receivers came about when the AMA divided the 72 MHz frequency band into 50 channels from what used to be 7 channels. This meant that each channel had to operate in a much smaller frequency range. To avoid interference from the neighboring RC frequencies, another intermediate frequency was added in series with the existing IF. A dual conversion receiver converts the signal to an internal frequency. It then repeats the process again to create a second internal frequency. This makes it impossible for the neighboring channels to interfere with the signal.

Any radio that is being used at a flying field will be a dual conversion receiver or have some means of filtering out interference from the neighboring channel.

High Band/Low Band Futaba receivers are tuned to the center of either a low band frequency (channel 11 to channel 35) or high band (channel 36 to channel 60). So if you have a low band receiver you are limited to the channels 1135. Similarly if you have a high band receiver you can only use crystals for channels 36 60. If the receiver is not marked high or low, you can look into the crystal slot to see if there is a red mark. A red mark indicated a high band. No red mark indicates low band.

PCM Receivers All brands of PPM FM receivers are compatible with all brands of PPM FM transmitters provided that they have the same shift and same channel crystal(or pcm module). PCM receivers are only compatible with transmitters of the same brand. While the PPM radio language is common to all radio brands, each company has its own proprietary "PCM language". The difference is in the way that all those 0's and 1's are magically converted to the binary numbers representing the servo positions.

Flight Packs
If you are purchasing a second airplane it is not necessary to buy an entire new radio system. You can simply buy another receiver, crystal, servos, and battery. You can purchase these items together as a package much cheaper than buying them separate. This package is called a "Flight Pack".