Unsupported Hype?

I read an ad in the Sept 2008 K-Factor. A competitor of Airtronics says in their 2.4GHz radio ad.. and I quote: “Since the competition has flooded the marketplace with unsupported claims and hype,…”

Unsupported hype? Well, maybe they’re not talking about Airtronics. Clearly other people sell 2.4GHz radios too. However, I thought to myself when I read this, do they really think we’d make a claim or post or comment without some sort of test first? Really?

Maybe this accusation is all hype? They didn’t put a name on it. They didn’t actually say what “claim” was actually hype. So, OK, maybe they are not talking about Airtronics. Fair enough.

So, I thought I’d just make a few claims here thare are simply the results of the test we ran that I was personally involved with…

1. The receivers work at 2.0Volts. Yes, that’s right, when your servos have stopped working and are just sitting there motionless because anything much below 3.1volts doesn’t make most servos work, the Airtronics RDS8000 receiver is still working. Why does that matter? That means it doesn’t “reset” or “brown out” or “turn off” if the voltage goes below 3.5volts.

2. The receiver works above boiling (212F). Yes, this seems to be a concern. Mostly because motors, esc, and those big power converters in the big planes can operate about 170F, there is now a concern about the receivers working at that 170F temp. The Airtronics receiver in the RDS8000 (and the receivers in the MX3 and M11 2.4GHz systems too) work above boiling. So, your battery could be so hot water would sizzle on it and you could put the RDS8000 receiver on top of it and it would still work.

3. The radio is full range. On the ground, I personally performed tests at over 4000 and the radio still worked properly. Signal was reliable, the servos worked smoothly, the receiver was getting all the little tidbits of information the way it is designed to. That’s line of sight in good conditions. Not perfect conditions, but good (there were some high lines around the area). Maybe that’s a better test anyway. Most people do not fly in “perfect conditions” do they? The point is that my ‘helper’ was so far away we had to use cell phones to communicate. We then tested it in the air in several models including sailplanes and in the air it is well over a mile. This is not hype, it is simply what we have done with the radio. And yes, we used maps and other devices to ensure that really was the distance. And we did it several times, with several radios, thus it was no fluke or 1-off non-repeatable result. This is not anecdotal. It is quantifiable and repeatable.

4. Solid link in a crowded environment. I have tested this. I posted my results. My REPEATED results. I posted about it months ago. I won’t repeat it (it’s a LONG explanation). But here’s more commentary: Recently had a pilot at a major heli fly-in. The 2.4GHz band was so crowded that some of the systems would not link. This pilot, Tyler, while sitting side by side with his friend’s “other brand” radio could turn on the RDS8000 and it worked while the other brand “would not link”. I personally do not recommend flying if it is that crowded and uncontrolled, but he did it anyway and the results were perfect. The Cypher flew great as always. Yeah, I’m plugging the Cypher too, but Tyler loves the thing. So, I thought I’d throw that in for good measure.

I think these are all the claims I’ve made. Well that and the radio really is FHSS. I’ve made them only because I personally ran these test and/or experienced these things myself. This is first hand knowledge. I stand behind each claim knowing that it is repeatable and not just anecdotal. And each claim I made is quantifiable, not just qualitative.

So, if any of you read this and/or see our ads and then see ads from other radio makers, remember that when you see a claim, we made it because it was tested and not some theory or “hype”. It’s not a “claim”, it’s what we did.

On a personal level, I’ve decided to not be offended. I’ve decided that they’re not talking about me or the Airtronics brand. They certainly didn’t say it was Airtronics so I assume they meant someone else. And they’d have to because our radio works as perscribed. I know, I shouldn’t get too personally involved. So, I won’t. But really shouldn’t they be careful about what they say too? Unsupported claims? Really? Definately NOT at Airtronics.

Anyway, please if you have questions about these or any other details about the Airtronics RDS8000, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Mike

It’s Sept 12? Really? Already????

Where did the last 3 weeks go? I mean really?!?!?!?! One minute we’re enjoying the summer vacation with the kids, the next thing I know I’ve got a kid in college, a junior in high school, and my “baby girl” is almost as tall as me (that’s not saying much I suppose) and now in MIDDLE SCHOOL! What the heck?!!!!

So, why does that matter? Because I think like a lot of people in modeling, I have kids and wow did the start of school get in the way of modeling.

Work’s no better. We have Chicago show in a MONTH! (www.ihobbyexpo.com) and I think we spent the last 2 weeks getting Airtronics service parts ready for inventory.

So I was asking myself, what’s the good news in all of this? The good news is that in this hobby you can pick up right where you left off. Just because I haven’t flown a plane in awhile doesn’t mean I can’t. Good thing because I’ve got about 6 prototypes to go fly. The Ultrafly SR-22, the Big Super Fli, a little profile indoor foamy, a little foamy trainer rtf (yet to be named), and waiting in the wings is a new helicopter. Sheesh this stuff piled up quick.

I got to tell you there’s a ton of new stuff coming from Magnum, Ultrafly, Airtronics, ASM, etc… If you can make it to the ihobbyexpo show next month, stop by the Global Hobby booth and let us show you all the new stuff coming! There’s a LOT of great airplanes and equipment coming.

OK, I’ve whined enough. Let’s hope the rest of Sept is a little slower-paced than it has so far so that we all get a chance to get some flying and building in!

Mike