vintage ignition engines

[billgstra]

Ok guys i've been flying rc since escapment days been through world engines futaba kraft and jr have been flying spektrum for the last several years and not real happy with the quality and have been having problems with my old times
I'm runnine antique engines with point ignitions and on one as soon as the engine starts it shits the ignition off have had servos jittering like an old pulse radio have had primary controls shut down and airplane flew away it was a playboy an old free flight design
my setups have genuine spektrum recievers rcexel kill switches and a 10 ohm resiter in the primary ignition lead
found out at sam champs eveyone was flying airtronics and futaba
I really don't like the new futabas
So i guess after all this explanation what I need to know is anyone flying frsky in old times with original engines ie brown jr mccoy super cyclones etc
I'm looking for something I can depend on
Thans
Billgstra

 

[Wayne]

First off welcome to the forums!

I have no experience in the hobby with ignition engines, just glow. But a number of our customers do contact us when they run into issues with ignition noise in an airframe. Any ignition engine can output a lot of RF noise that is capable of taking out any RC system that exists today, but luckily most are pretty clean. Stay on top of the ignition system maintenance and you should be OK. With this said every now and then a problem arises, and troubleshooting will begin to track down the problem. I do not care what radio system you are running, ignition noise can be a huge problem.

IMHO Spektrum has the lowest tolerance for noise of all major brands, so not surprised others have learned to avoid it with ignition engines.

FrSky has done some extra work to develop some receivers to help fight ignition noise, the "PRO" labeled receivers have additional filtering to aid them in this situation. It is no guarantee, but should offer added security.

Another thing you could try if you really want to get your hands dirty, the new FrSky X20 radios offer both 2.4ghz and 900mhz bands. You can setup your plane to use both frequencies to help combat the ignition noise. I would think this would be an added benefit, but I also understand that the ignition noise can and will saturate a very wide range of frequencies, so both the 2.4 and the 900 may have a tough time with an engine that is really dirty.

If you would like to give the FrSky world a try I'd suggest these items:

FrSky Tandem X20S

This is a PRE-BUY! Your order will ship ASAP once the radios arrive from FrSky. We are limiting our pre-buy to the number of radios FrSky has reserved for us. Other dealers may be selling to empty promises.We are told FrSky will start shipping at the end of March. Shipping may take sometime to...

alofthobbies.com

and

FrSky Archer Plus R8

The FrSky R8 PRO receiver is a great choice for gas powered aircraft, it's equipped with RF shielding and is less susceptible to vibration, but unlike it's older brother, the RX8R PRO,it is packed with ACCESS firmware and is OTA capable. Wireless firmware updates are possible and binding has...

alofthobbies.com

This should be a good combo. The X20 is a pretty easy radio to use compared to some of the other Frsky radios, and the R8-Pro receiver has the extra filtering to help fight ignition noise.

Hope this helps.

 

[sande005]

Not flying really old ignition engines, but Wayne's recommendations are spot on. And, of course, all the other rules apply:
1. Plug cap must be tight and shielded. Many caps are made for a specific brand of plug, and using others allows RF leakage.
2. NOTHING conductive from the engine/ignition to the rest of the radio gear. No wires, no metal/carbon pushrods. Separate switches/batteries. Try to get at least 12" separation.
3. If you must have a kill, dump the rcxell, and get a TechAreo IBEC. Optically isolated and heavily filtered.
4. Do what you can to shield the points from emitting RF.

 

[Txmustangflyer]

Heck..while you are fiddling..show off your engines.
Us rc junkies like that sort of thing.

 

[Tony Hallo]

I use D&B engines, they do not use shielded plug wires that is todays standard, the engines have CM6 non resistor plugs and use a resistor plug wire, the ignition is located in the rear of of the engine and is unshielded. I flew a 25% Cherokee with this 3. 7 ci engine and a single X8R receiver for several years without incident. Was flying at the Wings over Piper fly in and the field control officer told me every time I flew past the tower he heard noise in his Nav radio. I ended up putting caps and shields on the wire and plugs and closed the rear of the engine to shield the ignition. I also have a D&B 5.7 flying unshielded without incident.