Your first radio?...

[TM4197]

A very unique system!! I would have given up...my brain can handle about 3 clicks..before its overloaded! Great that you have it and can "upgrade" it. Seeing these older system really shows were we have gone in tech. Wait for about 5 to 10 more years, when we can bank, climb and throttle by thought!

Very cool system...thanks for sharing that!

[pyroarch57]

Originally Posted by TM4197

A very unique system!! I would have given up...my brain can handle about 3 clicks..before its overloaded! Great that you have it and can "upgrade" it. Seeing these older system really shows were we have gone in tech. Wait for about 5 to 10 more years, when we can bank, climb and throttle by thought!

Very cool system...thanks for sharing that!

Just to clarify. The Macgregor was my first radio, but that`s Philg`s vid of his one.

[TM4197]

Ahhhh...I see now! Thanks!

[old grump]

MY first was an ACE COMANDER . Some time it actually worked. That was back in 1955. THE OLD GRUMP

[Leadchucker]

Two of my old radios recently that were given back to me. I sent them off to radio South to have them updated to narrow band so they will be in use sometime this year.

[50+AirYears]

Just came across this article a couple weeks ago. An Air Trails tech report on my first store (Kit) built radio. I think I got it through America's Hobby Center for maybe $19.95, plus P&H? Got it with my first job while going to Community College. Took 2 weeks pay to get it, fed min at that time to start, $1.13/hr, and I started out 10 hours/ week. Couldn't find any pages showing the first radio I bought that actually worked, an F&M single channel (Venus??)transmitter on 26.995 MCS (Then, megacycles, shortly after while I was still in school, they changed to Megahertz) for the huge price of $29.95, and later an F&M Pioneer transistorized Relayless Super regenerative reciever for only $19.95. Whi9le waiting to build upthe money to get the F&M, since I apparently was able to get the kit Transmitter to work but not the reciever, I actually tried to build 3 different recievers from mag articles, first was a tube/single transistor unit, small mini tube and a 2N107 transistor that cost me almost $8.00, then a single RK-61 Gas Tube rcvr from Flying models that I could get to turn on (Gas Tubes had a very attractive violet glow when on) but had to cut power to turn off, and then a WAG 3 tube job. None of them worked. When I got the F&M equipment, I finally started learning how to crash. Went from self neutralizing escapements, to compound escapement, to cascaded compound escapements, then an amazing new thing, an F&M Superhetrodyne reciever. Crystal controlled! No longer had to sit around waiting for an opportunity to fly, because with the old Super Regen, only one person could turn on the transmitter at a time. Of course, first came single channel motorised rudder and throtle servo, then one single try at Galloping Ghost. Then in the AF, just before rotating stateside from Wheelus, I bought my first proportional outfit, a Control-Aire 5 channel proportional, on clearance sale for the amazingly low price of $350.00. Onluy about a 1.5 months salary for a recently promoted E-4. With NiCad batteries, reciever and 5 cell battery, and 4 servos, only a 28 ounce airborne package weight. And I found out before my first flight with it, the metal encased radio was VERY sensitive to metal to metal electrical noise. But ground range was line of sight. And, with a voltmeter, there were two leads from the rcvr case so you could always keep the reciever in tune by following the instructions.

[E-Challenged]

Originally Posted by TLyttle

Ace pulse, '66 or so. Radio control was far more complicated then: one had to trim the model for climb, and stable glide (freeflight stuff). If you wish to find out what that was like, just pull the plugs on everything but the rudder, and run the slimer flat out. Then go fly!

Next radio was an EK, with the brick and 2 extra servos, much more sophisticated, but my models crashed just the same...

Planes designed for single channel were basically stable and could fly hands off if right and down thrust and cg were about right. I got pretty good with Ace Pulse Commander and eventually had success converting Berkeley, Flyline and other scale rubber powered models to 1/4 to 1/2A power and even rolled some of my own designs. Much better than my struggles with mail order DIY hard tube receivers, sensitive relays, escapements and A,B, and C batteries.

[50+AirYears]

I remember around 1964, a plane designed for what was then called Class 1 RC, which meant an aerobatic class for rudder and engine throttle only. Plane was named the windmill, was about the size we were flying with .15s to .19s, but this design used a .45, and several degrees of UPTHRUST on the engine mount. This on reeds, not proportional. The article on it included a circuit board that let the flyer jump between an idle, a cruise setting, and a high throttle for takeoffs and loops. Flyer had to jump off the ground in high throttle, then cut back to cruise, then select whichever throttle position was best for the particular manuever in the flight order. I only saw one fly, was very scary.

[pd1]

Originally Posted by 50+AirYears

I remember around 1964, a plane designed for what was then called Class 1 RC, which meant an aerobatic class for rudder and engine throttle only. Plane was named the windmill, was about the size we were flying with .15s to .19s, but this design used a .45, and several degrees of UPTHRUST on the engine mount. This on reeds, not proportional. The article on it included a circuit board that let the flyer jump between an idle, a cruise setting, and a high throttle for takeoffs and loops. Flyer had to jump off the ground in high throttle, then cut back to cruise, then select whichever throttle position was best for the particular manuever in the flight order. I only saw one fly, was very scary.

What you're describing sounds like the quick blip throttle for single channel.
I had one setup like that, it took two escapements, one for the rudder and one for the throttle, I never had a lot of success with it.

I flew reeds for years and the throttle was adjustable because you had a special servo that didn't return to neutral after each command.

I'm building an old class one ship now, but I will never give up my proportional equipment, or elevator. Now it's class two.

[WileECoyote]

I was supprised that no one said anything about my first radio , a Hobby Lobby blue case about 1969 then a 70 series Kraft .

[50+AirYears]

While my first proportional radio was a very heavy Controlaire 5 channel, with linear rack servos, it was all discrete components and transistors. My first modern radio was a Pro Line, sold by Hobby Lobby, with the Signetics chip set. I think the Pro Line with 4 servos weighed less than the Controlaire reciever alone.
I remember a number of guys I flew with who had flawless operation on quick blip throttle escapements. I was not one of them.
I just looked up my file on the Windmill. Seems the designer used 8 channels on his reed system and several switcher boards from the original ACE RC to drive 2 Bonner servos. Using the rudder switch got him 5 degrees either side of center, while using the aioleron switch to get 15 degrees right and 45 left. A similar set-up on the trimmable throttle servo got him a number of different fairly precise throttle settings for various stunts. He did admit that it might have been easier to use a proportional system. Sounds like it should be easy to do the set-up with a modern computer radio.

[dgjessing]

I don't remember the name brand but it probably was whatever the least expensive single channel system advertised in Model Airplane News to be had in 1972. The transmitter had a on-off switch and a momentary contact button. No memory of the receiver; had a rubber band escapement for the rudder. Put this stuff in a balsa and tissue glider and flew it off the highest hill around. Managed a few turns (it worked!!!), gained some altitude, and went out of range. It flew very nicely on it's own, way out over the forest below. Never found it...

[Panther]

You didn't wind your rubber band up enough. lol My brother and I had one of those as well.
My first proportional was The Blue Max and I remember it well as I had so much darn trouble with it. I even remember it was Mick Wilshire in England that sold it to me. I lived in NZ then. The servos looked good in their day but they were rubbish and never centred. I had a helpful technician who did a lot of letter writing to Mick in those days but achieved nothing. So I bought a Sky Leader set. Chalk and cheese the difference. Never bought another thing off Mick all my life.
Next was Futaba several times. Batteries lasted forever then. Never had to replace a flight or transmitter pack nor even servos. They just kept going.

[E-Challenged]

Why... in my day, we used a tin can in the plane and one on the ground with 300 feet of string and hollered directions to the model. This worked as well as gas triodes that needed baking in the oven, "sensitive" relays and rubber band escapements that locked up or unwound. First real success came with transistorized superhet receivers, like the CS-501 "Honeybee" and later the ACE Pulse Proportional Commander with Adams actuators and button-cell nicads.

[lazystik]

1960, 1st R/C plane a Babcock Piper Ti-Pacer with a Kraft K3VK single channel receiver built from a kit controlling a Citizenship SN-2 escapement. Guidance by a Citizenship SPX tone transmitter, power by a Cox Baby Bee .049. Could never get this combination to fly but put the system in a Goldberg Junior Falcon and had some success. All bought at a real hobby shop with my paper route money!

[KillerChaos]

My first radio system was a Heathkit 5-channel. I bought it in April of 1970, right after I got out of the Army. $239.95. Spent 2 weeks building it, then built a Top Flite Headmaster, (under) powered by an Enya .15. Taught myself to fly it. A lot of good memories there.

Still have the radio.

Killer Chaos