Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: boatmadman on March 05, 2012, 08:57:43 am
-
The following post has appeared on my flying club forum, I thought it would be useful info for rc'rs in general:
I had an interesting chat today with the guy from Troutbeck model shop, He recons he has been told by a rep that all the Orange type Rx's bought from ebay and hobbyking etc are not CE marked and consequently will invalidate your BMFA insurance should you have an accident with one here in the UK, I know there are a lot of people including myself who use these Receivers in the club and will be as concerned as me if this is true. I have sent a PM to ..... to see if he will contact the BMFA and ask the question direct. Although i have had hundreds of trouble free flight with these, if you had a servo failure and crashed into a car or worse hit someone it could if true end up costing you thousands .
Apparently just this actual event happened to a guy in the uk and it cost him £16000, as the BMFA ruled his insurance invalid due to non CE marked equipment.
Now this information maybe a load of old tosh , but until its confirmed either way, im grounding my models with an orange rx in.
The following was the reply:
The BMFA says on pages 78 and 79 of their handbook that " you should take care that equip you are using carries a valid CE mark otherwise you become personally liable for the legallity of its operation" Also " if you have imported equip from outside the EU for your own use then you are personally responsible for its legal operation within the UK. This is extremely important to you as a user because you may inadvertantly find yourself in serious trouble if you are involved in an accident"
Clearly the BMFA are warning people not to import and use non CE marked radio gear .
So what happens if one buys a "budget" Rx from a UK supplier?? Is that supplier then responsible for the CE etc??
Well the answer to that is simple... Yes, to quote BMFA Handbook....." the onus for making sure that the equip meets EU standards rests not on the manufacturer but on the original importer into the EU.
So the BMFA has made it clear the importer must ensure the equip meets EU standards. Or presumably face the legal consequences if anything goes wrong.
It's in our own interests to ensure that only RC equip meeting EU standards is imported and used here. Bear in mind that most RC 2.4 ghz stuff will have been made to cater for the much larger US market which uses more powerful transmitters. Unscrupulous importers might bring in RC ( toys etc ) that cause problems with our legal gear.
Interesting though I remember reading this warning a number of years ago before these Orange Rx's started being used and it said the same then its interesting that the warning has not changed because they don't feel the need to enhance it. the responsability is yours.
At shows all our transmitters are checked for Kite marks. I even have to take my module out of the back of my FF9 and proove its a Puka module before I fly.
Here is something also...the CE Kite mark in the pic below is not a real kite mark... Thi sis what is known as a China Export Mark... A clever play on words to feel most UK Buyers.
The Kite mark usually has to be on the device not the bag it comes in. The spacing on the lettering is too close together for a real CE Kite Mark.
http://forum.slmfc.co.uk/download/file.php?id=111&mode=view
So to Summarise....
You fly with a non CE Marked Rx if you have an accident then you take the risk.
My view is that we spend loads on our models as it is and there are areas we can cut back....but why skimp on the one most important piece of equipment.
I know boats arent as risky as planes, but some fast electric 'pilots' might not be aware of this.
Ian
-
Interesting reading.
I can understand their standpoint on this
-
Just cancel your membership and arrange insurence elsewhere. Making sure the insurence company is aware what rc you are using.Personally if flying a plane the best rc might be better just as a precaution. John.
-
Just cancel your membership and arrange insurence elsewhere. Making sure the insurence company is aware what rc you are using.
gut feeling......
I think that ALL insurance companies are the same as CE/ BS kite marks are a sign of legality/ compliance
then using illegal/non-compliant equipment would probably make the insurance void
-
First - Orange Rxs are available from Micron RC and other reputable UK dealers and I can't see Micron flogging non-CE marked kit
Second - Orange Rxs are not copies, they are Spektrum compatible
Thirdly - Hobbyking have made available the D of C for the Orange receivers if you want one, just ask them for a copy
To be honest - it sounds like 'sour grapes' from a rep - yeah right who's he a rep for, Horizon Hobbies by any chance %)
Mark.
-
I've heard this garbage on other model forums. CE is self certified so any exporter just certifies that his product is compliant.
Have a read of this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark
A lot of this is pure protectionism on the part of importers. And as a comparison with the rest of the world FCC & Australian RF requirements are hugely more stringent than Europe for instance.
A lot of the regulations concern labelling, packaging & instructions. I work in the computer industry & I was shocked to find that one of our rack power distribution bars has 27 different versions in order to ensure compliance around the world.
-
Tr/7/8 you are so right, just spreading rumours to hurt their competition. Having to build 27 different versions of anything is just disguised protectionism. It is now a continuous battle to protect what little rights we still have left, we are heading fast in all the wrong directions. Mick B.
-
If Eggs are being forged in China, what price a label?
Many years ago, a textile supplier in Taiwan was questioned as to why they were embroidering "Made in Huddersfield" on the selvage of export quality cloth?
"Because we like the pattern"
Figure.
Regards Ian.
-
So much stuff comes out of China with the official stamp on it 'CE' China Exported, it's very difficult to identify which are valid and which are not.
But I suppose it falls down to due diligence, and if you have a piece of paper from the non EU supplier saying that it conforms to CE, you as the importer have done your bit.
If the item is a FAKE, then this is a different story, but with Compatible hardware (assuming no infringement of patent/IP) I would think that this is enough for the insurance to cover you.