Advice needed on Futaba R2006GS RX antennas

[liposucker]

I have just upgraded at long last to 2.4 ghz and all is going well. Glitches that I was getting have now vanished and I'm really pleased with my new system.

I would greatly appreciate some advice/suggestions to any who currently use the Futaba R2006GS....although the situation may well exist on other systems RX's.

I currently have my 2 new RX's in fairly large wingspan planes, thus the fuselages are quite roomy. I am intending to add some more RX's to replace the ones in my other aircraft some of which are quite tight on the interior space.......onto the problem.....

The manual states, and I quote..."the 2 antennas must me kept as straight as possible" and "the 2 antennas should be placed a 90 degrees to each other"

Now each antenna is about 140mm long, and whilst other things can be inbetween the 2 antennas, getting the above 2 criteria into a smaller fuselage has been quite challenging.

Do any of you seasoned users have any tips/tricks that you use in your aircraft?

Is it OK to place the antennas into thin drinking straws to keep them straight? I'm thinking I could then thread the antenna/straw into a normally inaccessable place.

Hope there are some suggestions out there.

Many thanks in advance.

[Rodneh]

Originally Posted by liposucker

I have just upgraded at long last to 2.4 ghz and all is going well. Glitches that I was getting have now vanished and I'm really pleased with my new system.

I would greatly appreciate some advice/suggestions to any who currently use the Futaba R2006GS....although the situation may well exist on other systems RX's.

I currently have my 2 new RX's in fairly large wingspan planes, thus the fuselages are quite roomy. I am intending to add some more RX's to replace the ones in my other aircraft some of which are quite tight on the interior space.......onto the problem.....

The manual states, and I quote..."the 2 antennas must me kept as straight as possible" and "the 2 antennas should be placed a 90 degrees to each other"

Now each antenna is about 140mm long, and whilst other things can be inbetween the 2 antennas, getting the above 2 criteria into a smaller fuselage has been quite challenging.

Do any of you seasoned users have any tips/tricks that you use in your aircraft?

Is it OK to place the antennas into thin drinking straws to keep them straight? I'm thinking I could then thread the antenna/straw into a normally inaccessable place.

Hope there are some suggestions out there.

Many thanks in advance.

Those antenna are not 140mm long, only the bare end on each of the cables to the antenna is the actual antenna, the line between is a coaxial cable and that part can be bent, not sharply (don't let it crimp) but you can bend it into gentle curves. Only the end (that shinny bare part) is the antenna and if the shinny part on the end of each cable is at 90 degrees to each other, that is all that is necessary. Yes, it is a good idea to encase those cables in some non conducting media such as your straw to hold them in place. You made a good choice in selecting Futaba, it is probably the most reliable of all the 2.4 GHz systems, after all they have been building them for the past 20 to 40 years for the military so have lots of excellent experience meeting some very demanding specifications.

[liposucker]

Hi Rodneh

Thanks so much for the info. On closer inspection of the diagram in the manual, I can see what you mean. It does seem to show slightly curved coaxials and straight antennas.
That should make things easier.

Another quick follow up query...I've always used rechargeable cells in my TX's. This manual says I can use for 4 AA alkalines (each 1.5V per cell..total 6.0v) or 5 AA nicads/nimhs. (1.2V per cell..total 6.0v). I decided to go for the rechargeable option.

However.....the battery compartment will only allow 4 AA cells. Either 4 individual cells or in a 4 cell pack. So, without taking a drill and hacksaw to the interior of the battery compartment, it is impossible to get 5 cells in there. So how am I able to use rechargeables?

Am I missing some information on this one?

[Clive Turner]

Hi. With regard to your T6J battery issues, I was also surprised to find that for NiMH operation you have to send the unit back to the agents for a 5 cell mod. I can't see what Futaba were playing at here for apart from this major oversight, the T6J is great. Anyway, there is a simple fix that works great avoiding any mods. Power the Tx with 4 NiZN 1.6v AA batteries (available at very good prices at Hobby King + they do a 5$ charger for these too). Problem solved. Clive

[Rodneh]

You can use 4 AA NiCad or NiMh cells as well, no problem. No need for the 5 cell mod. An excellent choice for AA cells is the Sanyo Eneloop cells, 2000 mah. They retain a charge as well as LiPo's do but have the added advantage of being able to charge them with the wall wart (the charger that comes with most RC systems). Just Google "Eneloops" for lots of info on that particular brand of NiMh battery,

[carlossp]

For one year I've used only 4 eneloop in my T6J without any problem.
I used to recharged the batteries when the voltage droped to 4.8v.
Since last January, I am using a 2S LifePo4 battery from Hobbyking.

Turnigy nano-tech 2100mAh 2S1P 20C LiFePo4 Transmitter Pack (Futaba T14SG)

The only modification you need to do is to cut the fins from the battery compartment door.
The battery fits perfectly and it is not necessary to remove the springs.
So, in case you arrive in the field and realize your battery is flat you can buy 4 AA and use them and don't spoil your day.

In my case, this battery lasts for about 1 month between charges and the recharge time is about 1 hour.

I am very satisfied whith this solution.