A newbie (me) needs help!

[Qs-man]

First greetings to you all...!

I am super new and stupid when it comes to R/C stuff...and electronics... and I am VERRY interested in lerning this masterful art (heh).
I have been building (mostly from scratch) Rubber and C20 powered planes for some time (~5 years). So The problem is getting started cheaply with micro RC... I tried normal RC a few years back (a friend tried to get me into it) but didnt get too excited.
I still got the radio equipment though.
-I would like to know if there are "beginner kits" or something like that for sale...?
What would be an average price to get my self into this (get started)?
what do I need? what will it cost?
I would like to get things for 2 planes so I can fly one while fixing the other?
Please give me a kick in the right direction, because this sort of RC sound like it has a place in my hart!Please give me a kick in the right direction, because this sort of RC sound like it has a place in my hart!

P.S.
Here are some nice links to a few places with free drawings available. For those like me hwo love to build from scratch or design their own. You have most likely bumped into them but here they are for those hwo havent. http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/gthunter/planpage/index.htm http://members.nbci.com/dlivesay/plans.html http://rf-hp.npi.msu.su/~vasya/

[jberg]

Hi,

if you intend to build just normal slowflyers then an R4P receiver, two Pico servos and a DX-A drive, all made by GWS, are a good starting point. All this is available from different suppliers and not too expensive. You need an electronic speed control and a battery and charger also (I recommend a small Simprop ESC and 7-8 GP280 NiMH cells).

If you want to go to the weight range below about 150g then you need special, more expensive stuff, available for instance from Wes-Technik.

I would recommend to start with something easy to control like the Pico Stick.

[ 08-04-2001: Message edited by: jberg ]

[Qs-man]

Thanks!
Are the 150g+ planes the park and backyard planes?
Any suggestions of a reliable place to order them from? I tried to lok around but was overwhelmed with choises

[GHMBO]

Joel
This hobby is still evolving and there are so many choices. I also am a scratch builder as well as a half baked designer. I like the larger park flyers that are somewhat scale. I got involved by buying the JR Quatro Lite radio and have added several GWS recievers and servos. Most of my stuff is 280 powered and is in the 10ounce (280 grams) class. Like you my passion was rubber with the smattering of R/C glow experience. My self drawn plans show the rubber powered stick construction. I like this hobby due to the evolving technology and the guys who find stuff and use it for tasks that it was not intended for and the exchange of information. To my knowlege, I am the only electric flyer in my area and I don't feel like a lone eagle due to this bulletin board.
Other than getting in the air as soon as possible, I urge you to become familiar with CAD since this seems to be the up and comming plan media for scratch builders.
Welcome aboard.

[Qs-man]

Thanks GHMBO!

I have a "lot" of experiance with CAD and other software, Autocad and solidworks at work allmost every day.
I think I am the only FF/soon to be electric rc flyer in the nabourhood too. But thank god for the net! I am now looking into the suggestions given to me.
Can anyone recommend a kit or something like that so it would suite a "beginner"? I do prefer "designing" and scratch building my own planes but so I can get a good start I guess I could use help in this area too.
Is there some kind of kit that includes motor etc. that would suite a beginner?

[pease1]

Lite-Stik is the way to go. If you're pretty sure you'll like it, make sure to get a 7-cell nicad pack (or 7 or 8 cell Nickel-Metal-Mydride) and a decent charger right off the bat to save wasting money on cheap items you'll just have to replace later.

GWS receiver, GWS Pico Servos are good choices. Balsa products actually carries their own version of the GWS Pico flight pack with receiver, batteries, speed control and their brand of Nickel-Metal batteries for a good price. Add that to a Lite-Stik kit and a decent charger and you're running.

Al

[jberg]

Beware! Balsa Products sells the USA (72MHz) version of the GWS receiver with their pack. I dont know what frequencies are used in Finland but in Europe 27/35/40 MHz are common. The GWS receiver is available with 35MHz also.

[sbrauer]

Since you already have building and trimming experience- why not try something like a Herr Starlite? People seem to like the model, it's not a hard build, and you can use the aforementioned Litestik gear with it.

You might also be able to take an existing rubber ship and equip it- I did that with an R/N Super Snooper and it flies superbly- far better than any foam thingie such as a Litestik. Don't look at anything smaller than 150 square inches to start with and you should be fine.

Here's a list of places I've done business with and trust

New Creations R/C (Kirk)
Todd's Models (Todd)
Northeast Sailplane (Sal)
Sky Hooks and Rigging (Tom)

In the rubber conversion size- the guy with the most knowledge is Todd Long at Todd's Models or Tom McAnn at Sky Hooks and Rigging. Both of these guys know what they're talking about. Do plan on spending about $250-300 to get started, and don't you dare yell about which place has the lowest prices- the real differences are small and these guys knowledge is worth the ticket of admission. Tom McAnn may be able to give you a good steer about receivers for your transmitter.

You will need the following

Charger plan on $100 for a good one
Power source for the charger- car battery or you're on your own
Batteries $20-30
flight pack $75 plus (Tom McAnn's light stuff does work, but you're going to be shelling out a chunk more, plus it's delicate.)
speed control $35 -get a Pixie 7 and be done with it.
motor $20

Sam Brauer
Norwalk, CT USA

[gjohnson]

Sam,
Nice to see that someone else feels as I do that it is often worth a bit (or more extra) to get the good advice. I endorse all the suppliers you've mentioned above, but would also suggest Dave Lewis at http://www.homefly.com/ . He has been as helpful to me as the others you mention. Each of them has a slightly different area of expertise. I try to buy everything I can from them to support the service they provide and then buy the remainder of what I need from the majors. Rubber conversions and the very light stuff we are interested in is a niche area and knowledge is key to success.

In terms of the pixie ESC, check with Castle Creations first. Patrick told me he was going to be comming out(about Aug/Sep) with a Pixie 7 Programmable that had a high frequency (mhz) rate, higher than that of the JMP-HF9. He said it would also have the other features (SMD coil and capacitor) of the HF9 that make it the best choice (more efficient and doesn't burn out the brushes at low throttle setting) for coreless motors such as WES Technik's DC5-2.4 (a favorite for some rubber conversion sized planes). It would be a shame to buy one and then discover that waiting a couple of weeks would get you the new ESC.
--Gordon

[ 08-09-2001: Message edited by: gjohnson ]

[riks]

MMay I suggest the easiest way to get into RC?? By a Firebird..NOT the XL but the orginal 30 inch span one. About 120 bucks with an extra battery -- total 3. Two come with it.
Complete and ready to fly. Easy and if you do not like the sport what the heck your not out that much. Before I bought the bird I checked with my hobby shop and a Litestik with all th gear was around 200 bucks$ and it has a front motor and very easy to destroy. The Bird is a pusher and is
the perfect beginers plane. I never flew RC but this fail safe, get into the air plane has me hooked.
**** Scalone