Transmitter brake down

How’s this for old

22 minutes ago by 🇬🇧 EdW ( Captain)

Hobby Chit Chat

Anyone tried Solar Powered RC boat?

To return to the topic... A trimaran layout would be a logical one, with the central hull providing propulsion via a conventional motor and prop without the need for the complicated gearbox or twin motors of a catamaran. The outriggers could be attached by struts running underneath the overhead solar array. A 750mm x 300mm solar array of ten 150mm x 150mm solar panels would provide around 30 watts for a really good performance. Yabbie1

9 hours ago by 🇦🇺 Yabbie1 ( Able Seaman)

Hobby Chit Chat

VIPER Navy supply ship

I love the James-Bondy-look of the boat. And the dark windows help with this sinister image! The functional and constructional aspects also sound like Q had a hand at the design. What a refreshing alternative to a vac-formed plastic model off the shelf - nothing against those; they also have their worshippers. Ian

21 hours ago by 🇨🇭 IGinBasel ( Master Seaman)

Building Related

Question of the Day?

Right, I hope that puts the seal on all the puns! However, I would like to expound on the virtues of bathroom sealant! I use it to secure the prop tube inside my model boats. It can stand up to 50 watts power (that is as far as I have been), it keeps the water out cuts down vibration and allows time to exactly position the tube. I connect a 1.5 volt battary to the drive motor and adjust position until it runs as easy as possible. Ere in Oz I have to work hard to know what time it is. Nearly missed a QoD. Roy

1 day ago by 🇬🇧 roycv ( Fleet Admiral)

Website Related

1990 era Traxxas XL-1 electronic speed controller

The first of the RC tx's just turned the 27Mhtz carrier wave on and off, there was no modulation as that required a stable carrier frequency. My Fleet 4 Ch pre-proportional set had a blue crystal soldered in place to stabilise the oscillations. That was the first time I ever saw a crystal in use. That would be around 50 years ago now. In those days a servo was an electric motor powered escapement. I had a rudder servo that drove a screwed rod with a travelling 'nut' which was for the rudder movement. This needed 2 switch controls one left and one right, the rudder would move end points and then the end microswitch would cut the current and when you released the Tx switch it would centralise the rudder again. Very sophisticated! Back then for speed which was from dry batteries I had a sequenced pair of relays that would run the batteries in either parallel or series with stop in between. Still got them! I never did use i/c always electric. Roy

1 day ago by 🇬🇧 roycv ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

"Land" Ships

What about a DUKW or a hovercraft?

1 day ago by 🇬🇧 ChrisF ( Vice Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Artesnia Latina "Helen" trawler

I used the "grain of wheat" bulbs that came with the package deal that included the trawler. I should have known better. Perhaps back then the LEDs might not have been small enough for the fixtures. Can't remember. Anyway, I never used the lights except for the initial test. So my plans are to toss the "C" cells idea, and switch the NImh battery with a li-ion pack thus saving weight and devote the weight reduction to ballast low in the hold. Attached are some of the "night" photos with the lights on. Lew

2 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Building Related

Royal Navy Type 45

This is an easy to build RC model, especially HMS Dragon as it is basically a static model as it does not really have to go anywhere 🤣

2 days ago by 🇬🇧 EdW ( Captain)

Non-Hobby Chat

Dutch sailing barge

Andy, What a magnificent model—she looks absolutely great and very elegant out on the water. All your effort has really paid off; she sails beautifully. A real pleasure to see. 😎

4 days ago by 🇺🇸 chugalone100 ( Captain)

General Resources

Sequin

“ RMS Segwun is the oldest operating steam driven vessel in North America, built in 1887 as Nipissing to cruise the Muskoka Lakes in the Muskoka, Ontario, Canada, a resort area with many lakes and rivers. Early in the 20th century, Muskoka was poorly served by roads. Vacationers were transported to lodges, or private cottages, via a fleet of steamships. Segwun is the oldest of only three ships in the world still carrying the status of Royal Mail Ship, and the only steamer.” Wikipedia “Muskoka’s steamship heritage is older than Canada. The first ship steamed Lake Muskoka in 1866. In 2017, we marked the amazing RMS Segwun’s 130 year history. She is North America’s oldest operating mail steamship. Wenonah II, a modern interpretation of a traditional steamship, is named in honour of Wenonah, the first steamship to sail Lake Muskoka“ https://realmuskoka.com/muskoka-steamships/schedule-tickets/

4 days ago by 🇨🇦 Ronald ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Programming a seaking brushless ESC challenges..

Thanks JB. I am pretty sure that my Turnigy Marine ESC is a re-badged Sea King as it is identical to some that I have with a Sea King label on them. One thing they do have in common is that no program card that I have will connect to them. I remember back in the days of the iconic Post Office Red Telephone Box that it was possible to tap the spring loaded rest that held the hand set to dial a number without having to put any coins into it ........(or so I have been told...!). This gave me the idea of trying a mechanical connection to access a digital sequence - strange logic - but nothing else has worked................... When these marine ESC are first fitted they are "programmed" to work with the radio when they are first connected together by using various positions of the throttle. My ESC has been "paired" to the same radio since my Rapier 1 was first restored during the Covid lock-down. I experimented by moving the throttle stick to the full forward position and holding it there as the ESC was connected to the LiPo , and then moving it between full throttle and neutral until the motor gave a strange tone (instead of the usual continuous beep-beep). This is a similar sound that can sometimes be generated when an ESC enters the programming stage when the continuous beeping stops. By experimenting with this idea I found a position that has given me a forward/reverse operation! Getting out of this sequence and retaining the new reversing function did not work at first, but eventually I was able to get out without losing this new function. I have returned to Rapier 1 a few times and powered it up and it has retained the reverse function! I will not be able to get to drive this boat for another fortnight or so, but I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope that this new found function will remain as a permanent (and very welcome) addition without having to change what has been an excellent ESC. Table 3 on the back of the program card (pictured here) shows all the functions that should have been available to adjust if I were able to find a way of connecting to my marine ESC. I will not give up just yet, but for now I am happy to have gained a reverse function without being able to use the program card. Bob. 👍.

4 days ago by 🇬🇧 zooma ( Vice Admiral)

RC & Electrics

Stingray plans

Try this guy he’s in the USA but is very helpful bob@rc-sub.com They call him Bob Martin he can also be found on YouTube as the RC-Sub Guy Regards Pete

5 days ago by 🇬🇧 Ticker ( Recruit)

For Sale/Wanted

Final Paint Finishes

I don’t have anything to add about the paint, but as far as retirement…I may now have a little more money but time seems to move at light speed.

5 days ago by 🇺🇸 cjanik001 ( Warrant Officer)

Building Related

Southampton Tug Boat

Remove all deck fittings, vents, hydrants, bollards and bits, as screws are concealed under these, carefully save all screws and remember to replace and tighten them in a uniform order ! The boat deck and hull are sealed together with a rubber seal and grease gently go around the join with a flat tool like a putty knife and gently ease the two apart equally. Watch out for grease, can be messy !😠

5 days ago by 🇬🇧 Ballast ( Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)

Hobby Chit Chat

S.H.G Black tornado

Hi Patrick, Your Tornado is looking really slick. Have you ever clocked or calculated its top speed? I’d be curious to know what she can do out on the water. ⚓ 😎

5 days ago by 🇺🇸 chugalone100 ( Captain)

Hobby Chit Chat

Sterling boat models

Hh, note that these are not my boats, but belong to my friend Jim. He gets the credit and I will pass that on to him. Lew

6 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Wanted Pulley

Hi, I can recommend a reliable company for the selection of various pulleys and accessories https://www.rbmodel.com/ and https://abermodels.com/ Tom

6 days ago by 🇨🇿 tomarack ( Sub-Lieutenant)

For Sale/Wanted

3D Printings...

Jump, I have a few pics of the "Emma" in my harbor. If you want more I can post them. Thanks for the comments. Also, I saw the "Emma" along side the whaler Charles Morgan some 70 years ago. Lew

7 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Pats QOD 21/08/25

Hi Pat, I'll let you know how things are going. Unfortunately, it won't be turned into a museum. It will be given to Indonesia as you predicted, but it won't be sold as you were hoping. It will be given away for free.

7 days ago by 🇮🇹 AlessandroSPQR ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Dumas Products closing down!!!

As I said, it's a real shame. It's difficult to recover from a loss of quality and experience in many fields, but even more so in ship modeling. I was deeply saddened by the fate of the German brands "Robbe" and "Graupner." Sadness. I hope the Italian companies that still make quality ship modeling will endure for a long time to come. Currently, the world-renowned Italian ship modeling companies are: "Amati" of Turin; "Mantua Model" from the province of Mantua (which has absorbed the products of the "Sergal" and "Panart" brands); "Corel" from Milan. Then there are two niche brands, small, hyper-specialized companies: one makes only high-performance dynamic boats (electric and internal combustion), "Tempest RC Boats" [a tempting subject for Jumpugly], and the other makes only RC sailboats and submarines, "AMON (Nonsolovele)". I could also add "Italeri," which also makes plastic model kits of ships that can be made RC. I've analyzed some aspects, and (at least for now) there are many reasons and assumptions that give me hope. 1) First of all, the quality is generally very high and the selection is very wide; but this factor alone would not be enough for survival, as has unfortunately been seen in many cases. 2) The quality-price ratio is very favorable. 3) These companies offer a wide range of products. There are complete kits, drawings and plans only, and individual materials for the modeler who doesn't follow kits (wood, metals, plastics, and all types of accessories). What's important to keep in mind is that the dynamic part of the product range is a minority, so competition in this area doesn't threaten the company's entire distribution. Static materials and kits still face no competition from Chinese companies, and there are no real alternatives online to the products offered by these historic companies, neither in terms of quantity, quality, nor cost. Even a beginner modeler like me doesn't put these companies at risk because I turn exclusively to them (this type of company) for many materials and accessories. Unfortunately, companies that focus solely or primarily on dynamic RC models face strong competition. It's easy to understand why: you can find cheap electric motors, ESCs, servos, drive shafts, propellers, joints, etc. online. Furthermore, these models have a plastic hull that's easily reproduced with 3D printers, even by companies that aren't very specialized or high-quality. I try to buy from model shops in my city; for the static side of this hobby, there's still affordability and quality, but for RC and electronics, the internet offers more options at much lower prices. P.S. A separate mention goes to the Milanese company "Mamoli," which had a beautiful and extensive catalog. Unfortunately, a devastating fire there in 2014 caused the company's collapse.

7 days ago by 🇮🇹 AlessandroSPQR ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

8 Channel Transmitter

I'll cast another vote for the flysky i6x, for the price it's really hard to beat. There are 2 ways to adjust for throttle centring. The obvious way is to actually install a spring, which takes a few minutes and requires disassembling the radio and not letting the tiny spring fly away (serrated tweezers really help) The other way is to use the throttle curve function, map it to a switch and set UP to 50-100 and DOWN to 50-0. I think of this like the gas pedal and gearshift in an automatic car. Throttle stick down is zero, up is full and the switch determines direction. This could work if one still wanted to use the transmitter for aircraft as well Radiomaster is my go-to at the moment, very powerful for the price but the learning curve for edgetx/opentx is a cliff. The newer radios have an externally accessible grubscrew to adjust the ginbal springs. My Tx16s mk1 didn't have that so it got a new gimbal from a mk2 so I can switch between boats/trucks and aircraft with a 1.5mm hex

7 days ago by 🇨🇦 JSS4 ( Leading Seaman)

RC & Electrics

Is this site running slow?

Why do i not get any question of the day emails or any other model boat website emails now. ????????

8 days ago by 🇬🇧 BOATSHED ( Commander)

General Resources

Dumas Closing

Luckily I still have hiding in my unbuilt stash a Dumas 1/20 Myrtle Corey paddle wheeler kit with a whopping 38” long hull… well, at least I’ve got one giant paddle wheeler safely in reserve! 😎

9 days ago by 🇺🇸 chugalone100 ( Captain)

General Resources

Points system

Not an expert on this site but I do see that you posted photos to your harbor and blogs. You get points for those, but not the photos within those. I believe the "posts" photos get the "photos" points. Lew

9 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Website Related

Wood glues

Waterproof PVA works well for me but do apply weights to the decking to compress the joint.This increases the bond strength and pushes surplus glue into the joints between the planks. Its cheap and effective. I then varnish the deck to make the planks and joints between the planks waterproof

13 days ago by 🇬🇧 GrantH ( Recruit)

Building Related

LesRo Javelin (2).

Thank you Mike, I actually prefer restoring old Classic Model Powerboats to building new ones as it’s usually more of a challenge with lots of new and different problems to try to resolve. Bob.

13 days ago by 🇬🇧 zooma ( Vice Admiral)

Website Related

Current project

Acrylic paint has been used on the hull and deck structures. Wheelhouse, hatch covers, and other parts. Several applications of Minwax Polycrylic were applied after the paint was dry. Pleased with the results.

16 days ago by 🇨🇦 Ronald ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Fiskebaten Trawler?

Hey Dave! As a keen motorcyclist, cool trips are no problem for me! 😍😍😍 In June and July, my wife usually joins me on my camper van tours . . . But exceptions prove the rule . . We'll see how everything goes with your tour. Michel-C.

17 days ago by 🇨🇭 Mike Stoney ( Rear Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Sunday at the pond

Very nice facility! Congratulations on acquiring & maintaining such a nice spot. Our club is lucky to have a very solid relationship with the City of Edina, here in Minnesota. We are allowed to use the Centennial Lakes Ponds, and have access to a storage cage on-site for our equipment. Being a City Park, and a space we share with the park's paddleboats, we cannot set up permanent piers as you have. But that would most certainly be nice! Dave B

18 days ago by 🇺🇸 DWBrinkman ( Commodore)

Hobby Chit Chat

Faulty Spektrum TX

I've just read from the beginning. I've had dxi6 for many years, well into double figs, I'm using dx8, gen 1 and gen 2, and nx8, with planes, so I know the transmitter quite well. When a model is set in the memory, it won't get lost if the batteries get flat. I store my dx6i which is for boats without batteries, for many months, pop the batts back in, all the models are there in the memory. The scroll roller is a problem if it starts to malfunction. It might be that, and the on off switch can start to malfunction over time. I've had both issues, the roller can cause model memory to jump. Don't disregard it until logic have looked at it. If they advise against a fix, they usually won't charge you. It's a great transmitter. Just be mindful 2.4 ghz doesn't like water so mount your receiver above the water line or you could get signal loss, and remember the hull will roll in turns.

19 days ago by 🇬🇧 pmdevlin ( Lieutenant Commander)

RC & Electrics