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[dodgy geezer]

I'm looking at these 6Ch 2.4 Ghz radio systems from Giant Cod that everyone is shouting about.

Any good are they?

Mum' s offered to buy me one for Christmas

Which do I go for, the Heli version of the Plane version?

Mode 1 or mode 2?  I'm used to rudder on right stick side to side plane?

I want it for the sailing trawler build I'm on with. I want four channels for winch control and one for rudder.

What servos and battery set up are folks using with these sets?

It's been a 15 year gap in model building and technology has moved on and left me behind somewhat and I'm a bit rusty on the jargon!

All advice gratefully received

I have a couple, with some extra receivers.  I would say:

Compared to other sets on the market at the moment, these look to be the cheapest.

They seem to work well.

They are basic 4 channel - no programming, so it makes no sense to talk about heli or plane. Giant Cod do a £55-odd similar programmable set for helis and fixed-wing.

The Transmitter box is simple but strong. It takes 8 AA cells (in a very strong set of clips) and has a charging socket. Some people have upgraded them by putting a futaba 8-cell pack in the battery area.

The decorative trimming on the transmitter is poor and tatty. For instance, the servo reverse feature is four holes badly cut in the front ali trim, through which you poke little switches on the PCB inside.

The Transmitter has a Mode1/Mode2 switch and a Channel Mixer on/off switch on the PCB inside. Not easy to get at, but these unadvertised features are there.

The set comes with no instructions, in a simple packing carton.

There is no rate switching, and the end 1/4 of each stick throw does not produce any servo movement. Giant Cod have a mod on their forum to rectify both these issues, and there are extra sockets on the Transmitter board, so extra channels might be able to be easily added. The receiver is 6/7 channel.

You buy your own servos and flight battery. I have several different servo makes, all of which work with the system (but see above).

2.4 Ghz means you don't worry about frequency clashes, since the receiver 'binds' to a specific transmitter. However, 2.4Ghz does not go through water. So submariners can't use this frequency, and you should make sure that the receiver aerial is not tucked low in the boat under the waterline.

Quality control may be a bit weak - there is one report of roughish trim function on the GC site, and you have to open up the transmitter box to re-align the aerial properly. Mine came with the on/off switch cover knocked off as mentioned above (easy to replace)

I would say they are a good buy, but don't expect a system with the quality of a standard make. Incidentally, I notice that the Planet 5 5-channel set is available from my local model shop at £40, http://www.allelectricrc.co.uk/planet-5-24ghz-tx--rx-set-1844-p.asp  and that has better quality trim and a small LCD screen. The GC system will cost £30 with postage. I suspect we are about to see a price war for Christmas, and there may be other bargains in the offing....





 

[Martin (Admin)]

Howes Model were advertising a 2.4 set at the Warwick show for £35.

[dodgy geezer]

Howes Model were advertising a 2.4 set at the Warwick show for £35.

It might have been the Planet one (in which case, that's cheap!) or the Giant Cod one (in which case, that's expensive!)

[Greggy1964]

The more I look the more I find,

What are the current legal operating frequencies for model boats in the UK?

Found this on e-bay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-4Ghz-6CH-Transmitter-w-6CH-receiver-R-C-Plane-Heli_W0QQitemZ330375462215QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_RadioC

Comments anyone?

[Greggy1964]

Also found this on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-4GHz-9-CH-Radio-Control-RC-Transmitter-8CH-Receiver_W0QQitemZ270483038758QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item3efa0ba226

and this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-4Ghz-RC-Plane-9Ch-Digital-Programmable-LCD-Radio-Gear_W0QQitemZ110423447877QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item19b5c01945

[andygh]

I have both the 6ch and the 9ch, they are excellent. Cheaper if you buy direct though

[FullLeatherJacket]

Greggy
27MHz, 40 MHz and 2.4GHz are all legal for surface models in the UK. There's also an obscure one around 459MHz which used to be popular but no-one makes the equipment any longer (was it REFTEC?).
Those fleebay Chinese sets seem to have proper proportional auxiliary channels, not just ON/OFF switches like the bigger "names". That alone makes them more suitable for scale model boats.
BTW Wombat has returned the company "test" Futaba 6EX 2.4GHz set.............he didn't like it much, either. He now has a shiny new Spektrum DX6 to play with - not cheap 
FLJ

[dodgy geezer]

Also found this on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-4GHz-9-CH-Radio-Control-RC-Transmitter-8CH-Receiver_W0QQitemZ270483038758QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item3efa0ba226

and this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-4Ghz-RC-Plane-9Ch-Digital-Programmable-LCD-Radio-Gear_W0QQitemZ110423447877QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item19b5c01945

You should be able to recognise the basic set from the picture. The one you mentioned in your prior post is very similar to the Giant Cod one - though it has 6 channels, and will cost you £42 to buy with postage, while GC is £29.

The other two are somewhat nicer, and will cost you £74 and £78 respectively. Look at the postage! You can get quite a good one from the UK for that money.

If you buy stuff direct from Hong Kong, you will get it cheap, though the postage adds a lot. But you get no buyers protection, and if anything goes wrong you will probably have a lot of trouble sorting the issue out. Check the 'extra costs' and check the buyers feedback before committing anything, and don't spend money you aren't prepared to lose...



Then you must also allow for customs duty.

Customs duty is payable on any item costing more than about £18 before postage. Once the duty becomes payable, it is on the item cost plus postage. It is usually collected by the shipper, who can add their collection fees to this figure, and it is hard to find out what these may be in advance. So you are at risk of an unquantifiable extra cost. I suppose, in theory, since the adverts sometimes say the item will be mis-declared as a gift or at low cost, you could also be charged with conspiracy to defraud...

Having said that, I have bought expensive items from abroad before, and have never paid any tax. I once had a Royal Mail delivery pushed through my door with 'tax to pay' written on it, but no one ever asked me for the money! So the enforcement of this tax is variable, and it seems that you would be unlucky if you had to pay it. Nevertheless, it is still a possibility.

If the above doesn't put you off, go ahead. I have bought from Hong Kong before, and had a successful transaction. In most cases the sellers are not rogues, and what they are selling is cheap, but they won't be very interested in customer service, they'll be interested in shipping kit and making profit. In general, for expensive kit, I prefer waiting for an enterpreneur like Giant Cod to travel over, negotiate and purchase, and then sell in this country....

[Timo2]

Hi Greggy   /   AndyBailey


      Check out the units at     http://www.r2hobbies.com/products.php?cat=71    

     Timo2

  PS. we have 5 member with the 6 channel sets  

 

 

[Greggy1964]

Thank you for your input fella's it is most appreciated,

I have mixture of acoms and futaba  {-)servo's from previous model boats but no transmitters or receivers for some odd reason lost in the mists of time I guess.

Presumably I could hook these up to the 2.4Ghz set I buy?

I hear what you say about the risk of buying from Hong Kong but it's sooo cheap it's tempting

The r2hobbies site lists the Turborix digital 6h sets, am I correct in thinking all six channels are fully proportional?

Where are r2hobbies based? Presumably I'll have the same problems associated with Hong Kong buys if I'm importing into the UK?

The 9 channel set looks very impressive for the money and within my price range are there any testimonials for these sets I can check up on?

I'm now hopping between the Turborix 2.4 GHz  O06 channel set and the Eurgle 2.4Ghz 9 Channel

[Greggy1964]

Rc bargains do the Tuborix set of £59.99 free postage

http://www.rc-bargains.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_20&products_id=729

I guess with this set I'd at least get some comeback if things went belly up!

but reading the spec on the 9 channel set I've got to say I'm impressed for the money, 3 extra channels and no need for a computer to program the set!

I need input from folks already using these sets - help!

 

[dodgy geezer]

I hear what you say about the risk of buying from Hong Kong but it's sooo cheap it's tempting
....
Where are r2hobbies based? Presumably I'll have the same problems associated with Hong Kong buys if I'm importing into the UK?

No one's saying you will have problems. As far as I can tell, most people are happy with these purchases, and I know of no reports that the radios are badly designed or have a history of failure. Some of the cheapest ones have poor decorative trim, but they all seem to work well...

What I am saying is that there is an increased risk, compared with buying from your local store in the UK, where consumers are very well protected. I think you should assume that:

- All the the radios are good - there seems to be no major history of complaints or problems.
- The costs and what you are buying need to be studied. Look out for of extra costs like compulsory insurance costs being added during the purchase, or extra receivers being costly. Caveat Emptor....
- Remember that you are taking an extra risk, and that is why you are paying less. We have told you about some of the risks, and indicated that their occurance is low. Work out how much that risk is worth to you, and whether it is worth you paying more to buy from a lower-risk UK supplier. If not - go ahead...

  

[lozvik]

sorry for all these questions peeps, im looking to buy a new radio set for my next bait boat build, its going to be twin motors and will have 1 dropper so thinking 3 channel,  ive seen this  newish 2.4ghz malarky but do i really need it, or is it more for things that fly. ive seen one radio set called planet 5 that comes with  a receiver and costs around £40 or theres a 3 channel hitec for £35, help!

[craftysod]

Go for a 2.4ghz set,so if someone else turns up pondside,there will be no chance of radio clash,they are as cheap or cheaper in some cases than the old frequencies.
All radio gear is designed for the fly boys,because they need more channels,if you need 3 channels go for a basic set that lets you go forward/back and drop bait,then you have a spare channel as they are mostly start at 4 channel now
Mark

[lozvik]

Am i right thinking the hitec zebra 3 channel has v tail mixing, does the planet 4 or 5 radio 2.4ghz have this same function? does this function within hanset mean i dont need to buy a seperate v tail mixer??

[Peter Fitness]

Greggy, as far as I'm aware R2hobbies is Hong Kong based. As I mentioned in a post on another thread, a club in Brisbane bought 10 of the Turborix 6 channel 2.4ghz sets from R2hobbies, and sold them to their members for cost. Some of their members visited our club recently and said that they were very happy with the units, and they didn't have to pay any tax on them.

Peter.

[dodgy geezer]

Am i right thinking the hitec zebra 3 channel has v tail mixing, does the planet 4 or 5 radio 2.4ghz have this same function? does this function within hanset mean i dont need to buy a seperate v tail mixer??

The cheap Giant Cod £25 4 function transmitter has a chanel mixing switch. I have just tried it out on mine, and had servos 1 and 2 both drive one way when I pushed the stick forward, and drive in opposite directions when I pushed the stick sideways.

If you replaced the servos with escs, I reckon you would have what you want. For a small boat, R2Hobbies do a £1.90p esc, which must be the cheapest around at the moment. I assume that you only need to connect one esc to a battery - are there any electrics wizards around who can see a problem with this...?

[Greggy1964]

Why does the Eurgle radio set have two ariels?

It appears to have a traditional collapsable one and the modern shorter one that I associate with 2.4 GHz systems.

And why is the short ariel on a detachable module?

[barriew]

What you are getting is a radio trnsmitter designed to take exchangeable Tx modules for the different transmitter frequency ranges in use throughout the world, plus a 2.4Ghz module. All the other frequency ranges use the long aerial, but 2.4 Ghz needs the stubby one. Some of the more expensive Futaba, Hitec and JR  sets also have the exchangeable modules and can be converted to 2.4Ghz in this way. They also have the 2.4Ghz aerial on the module I believe. The optimum aerial length depends on the frequency, the higher the frequency, the shorter the aerial!

Barrie

[Greggy1964]

Thanks Barrie,

That does it!

Its the 9 channel Eurgle set for me!

Thanks for all your help guys

Much appreciated.

[Patrick Henry]

Only just got round to setting up my GiantCod outfit in my 575 yacht...followed Martin's instructions to the letter, and to my surprise, it worked first time! Binding couldn't be easier..well impressed.


Rich

[Martin (Admin)]

Oi! 

[dodgy geezer]

Only just got round to setting up my GiantCod outfit in my 575 yacht...f

Rich

inquiring minds would like to know if you have any range problems, or any glitches which might be due to aerial shadowing, etc.

both these issues have been rumoured - but no one has reported anything firm...

sorry no caps - i'm typing this one-handed from the bath as my wife insists i wash myself before a party...there's dedication for you...

[DickyD]

inquiring minds would like to know if you have any range problems, or any glitches which might be due to aerial shadowing, etc.

both these issues have been rumoured - but no one has reported anything firm...

sorry no caps - i'm typing this one-handed from the bath as my wife insists i wash myself before a party...there's dedication for you...

There's posh, a computer in the bathroom.

[Patrick Henry]

Oi! 

I meant I was most surprised that I got it to work first time...no reflection on your excellent instructions, Martin.

inquiring minds would like to know if you have any range problems, or any glitches which might be due to aerial shadowing, etc.

both these issues have been rumoured - but no one has reported anything firm.

Haven't got that far DG, only just installing in the boat now...will report back later. I did find that like Bosun, mine did absolutely nothing on my desk next to my laptop...across the room on the windowsill, everything fired up perfectly.


Rich