"Drifting" radio - cure???

Post by **Lonestar** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:52 am

Hey All

as I was running my TRX-1 for the first time this weekend (OMG what a lovely moment when you run a long-time project for the very first time, feels like sleeping with a lusted after girl for the first time!!! anyways that's offtopic), something happened. After a minute or so, the "neutrals" started drif ting, both on steering and throttle. Read that the more I was running the car, the more it would veer on the same side at neutral, and the more it would move forward at neutral. The radio is a brand-spanking-new period EX-1, 40MHz FM. Of course, when I dropped my 27MHz FM Helios in there, it didn't happen, so that must be coming from the radio. Unfortunately, this is the only radio I have in 40Mhz, so
I can't test another RX or TX separately to isolate the issue.

any ideas? Is this typical for older radios, the componentry just "ages"?

thanks

Paul

Post by **Charlie don't surf** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:17 pm

Isn't 40mhz a ground frequency in Japan/Europe? You are likely getting interference from another FM band in the area that has been assigned that frequency-

Post by **drbelleville** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:40 pm

What area are you running the car in, as previously stated it may be interference. I ran into similar issues back in the 90's while running my boat with an old 40Mhz Graupner D8 - while running in ponds / lakes near busy residential areas.

Regards
Maurice

Post by **Lonestar** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:36 am

Thanks for the suggestion guys. The band shouldn't be an issue here, this is one of the normal frequencies for RCcars... if it were real interference, it would be intermittent, like working one second and not working the next one... whereas here we're more looking at something very progressive, a consistent trend of drifting neutrals, think of some kind of cap loading and screwing the whole thing.

Which is a shame really as the car was superb the minute or so I ran it!

I guess I'll have to purchase another FM rx (currently KO 296) and take it from there to figure out if the issue is the TX (I hope not)...

I was kinda concerned this was a common issue for older radios...

Paul

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