[50%300SFlyer]

Andreg00,

Send me an email at mlaclemmens@cogeco.ca containing all of the details as to what has happened, dates, ect... as well as the names of the people at Futaba you have spoke to, and I will see what I can do to help you out.

Thanks

[Heli-Flyer]

andreg00, I am sorry to hear that. I can understand your frustration. In your case, since you had 2 broken switches, you had no choice but to send it back to Futaba for repair. However I do notice that there are a lot of RC modellers send in their Tx to the manufacturer every year for tune up. Is that really necessary? Tune what? I just don't understand. I have only sent in mine once for the backup lithium battery replacement. Other than that I have never done any maintenance work and it seems to be working fine without any problem. So my question is: "Is it really necessary and worth to take the risk and send the Tx to the factory for an annual checkup????"

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Heli-Flyer

andreg00, I am sorry to hear that. I can understand your frustration. In your case, since you had 2 broken switches, you had no choice but to send it back to Futaba for repair. However I do notice that there are a lot of RC modellers send in their Tx to the manufacturer every year for tune up. Is that really necessary? Tune what? I just don't understand. I have only sent in mine once for the backup lithium battery replacement. Other than that I have never done any maintenance work and it seems to be working fine without any problem. So my question is: "Is it really necessary and worth to take the risk and send the Tx to the factory for an annual checkup????"

Yes.....is the short answer

TX's like servos have pots to define position, so if your servo pots wear (which they do) and need service why would your transmitter not? In fact if you use your TX on multiple models the pots in the gimbals have actually seen more use than most of your servos.

Ever swithched a dual rate switch and noticed that a servo twitches slightly? Thats your gimbal pots telling you that they are old and need replacement.

There are other components such as wiring that sometimes move with the gimbals and over time can crack and cause a serious potential for a crash. If you TX is not module equipped then sending it in just for re-tuning is a good idea.

As for the frequency, annually is probably a bit much for the average joe, maybe something like once every two-three years depending on how much flying you are doing.

Personally, all my radio equipment (servos, receivers, modules and TX's) get returned for a full service annually. Sometimes my servos go back twice a year for service though. Get a very accurate throw meter on your control surfaces and you will see why radio equipment requires service just like an engine

[JimBrown]

I recently received my JR 10x and nine receivers back from service. I had sent it in after three years of use because I had noticed a few small glitches during last seasons flying, and I had lost one plane due to a radio failure of some kind (definatly radio failure, it was PCM, and the failsafe kicked in.)

I sent it to Radio South because I had heard good things about them, and my equipment was no longer under warranty. I sent the radio and receivers in the aluminum radio case, packed in the original JR box. It was sent late November via Canada Post Expedited Parcel with full insurance. Cost $45.00. I got it back last week. Yes, that was a long time, but I knew it would be, as I had talked to them first and they told me they were quite busy. Not a problem during the winter though.

They fixed one problem on the TX, moving the throttle up and down would cause slight movement of the elevator. The also recalibrated the TX. On the receivers, they recalibrated everything, replaced five antenaes, one crystal, and one case (from the crashed plane.)

Total charges were $239.85 USD, which included $175.00 for 5 hours of labour, $37.85 for parts, $18.00 for shipping, and $9.00 for insurance. Interestingly, the actual shipping was $52.00 USD, as they sent it back via USPS Expressmail instead of standard parcel post. I didn't ask them to do that.

There was a slight glitch on the way back. A company by the name of PBB Global Logistics apparently is the customs broker for USPS Expressmail shipments. I got a letter couriered to me requesting information about the package for customs purposes. I had to fax to them the original sales receipt from when I purchased the radio, and the postal receipt for when I sent the radio to Radio South. This was done so that I did not have to pay taxes on the purchas price of the radio. I also had to tell them the value of the work done on the radio. Once they had that information, I had the radio two days later. I beleive I will be receiving a bill from PBB Global Logistics for the taxes on the work that was done.

Unfortunatly, Radio South made one screw up on the recalibration of the TX. When moving the throttle through its full range, it moves the servo between 50% and 100%, instead of between 0% and 100%. I called them about it, and they apologized and asked me to send the radio back to them. They will fix it under warranty (no charge) and will credit me with my cost to ship it back to them.

Other than that, I'm satisfied with their service.

My advise to anyone considering shipping their TX/RX for service is to call first and discuss it with the service people, always ship with insurance and make sure you keep receipts, including your original sales receipt, and the postal receipt.

Regards,
...jim

[craigk]

Hey Jim

have you ever sent your JR's right back to Horizon
I found them to be real fast and don't recall them being too expensive

I smoked the computer in my 622 - being clumsy hooking up a recycler -
quite a while ago though

I now have a "new" 783

[JimBrown]

No, I haven't. Since starting in this great hobby in 1990, this is the first time I've sent a radio in for service. I didn't keep the other ones long enough (kept upgrading.)

Four of my receivers are not JR and I wanted everything done at the same time, and calibrated together.

Regards,
...jim