Archive for September 2004

Sat, 25 September 2004

Jim McCarthy and I had our 9303's out at the SOAR Hampshire field today, Jim was setting up his Fazer and I was setting up an ICON lite.

Jim (yelling across the field): "How do you turn off Aileron-Flap mix in landing mode"
Me (yelling back): "I'm not sure"  (mine doesn't have it on)
Jim: "So what you are telling me is you are no help to me..."
Me: "I didn't say I couldn't help you..."  8-)

Looking over Jimbo's shoulder we enter the AIL->FLP M menu and I see he has CRU and BTF switched on, I tell him to turn off BTF and he has a big smile on his face.  We both range check our radios and walk out to the winch.

I get a normal launch, but I am more sensitive on the ailerons than I am used to and my landing mode is ballooning like crazy.  It doesn't help we are flying in gusty conditions with major helpings of schmeg.  Everyone is leaving their models in the tall grass, well, except for TK. 

The response of this radio seems a little quicker than my 10x, Jim thinks it's fast too, I am not sure why it seems like that.  I start dialing in my model, I appreciate the ease of use on the field with it.  I am trying out 100% diff in launch mode, a suggestion from Mike Lachowski.  Wow, that is different, I see the idea.  I also work my way up to 100% aileron rudder mix in that configuration so that the right stick is very effective.  Every landing I don't have to stretch my way home I dial in the landing compensation a little more.  Slowly but surely I am getting my new 9303 to feel like I expect it to with a known model.  I need some more time on it before I can confidently contest with it.

Craig, I intentionally left the 9303's LCD panel in the sun while I took a lunch break.  Came back out to fly and I had to dim the contrast a bit, it did get darker, but it was easily controlled.

Hans, the 10x is still a very capable radio.  I could probably make identical setups (scratching head), but it is just simpler on the 9303.  Flight Modes are not new, but I like the way they are implemented on the 9303.

It has been fun exchanging email about setups with everyone, I have been learning some new tricks, and it has been forcing me to try things on the radio I wouldn't have otherwise taken on so quickly.

I put 2:08 of flying in on the 9303 today, and had the opportunity to range check it pretty decently at altitude.

I am still liking this radio quite a bit.

Fri, 24 September 2004

A 2m ICON?

(Click to enlarge)

Thu, 23 September 2004

The new JR XP9303 sailplane computer radio, part 2

OK, I like this radio a lot.  I am going to lead off here with a really strong statement, I am going to switch all my competition ships over from the 10x to the 9303.  The 10x has served me so well I find it strange to say that.  There is nothing wrong with the 10x and I will continue to use it on my scale aerotow models where I can utilize the extra channel.

I had a full F3J/TD setup done for my ICON Lite, first use of the radio in about a hour and a half, and that includes getting snagged on the old version of the manual.  No custom program mixes used.  The only thing I don't have implemented is the way I had my butterfly setup on the 10x, 1st  one third of the landing(throttle) stick caused full trailing edge camber, at one half throttle stick my ailerons are neutral, and full deflection my ailerons crow.  I am going to try to figure that one out...

I keep finding all kinds of neat things about the software, how cool is MONITOR mode?    I really like the way this software is organized, this was well thought out.  By the way, here is a link to the user manual which is online.

OK, nothing is perfect, right?  I think the Launch, Cruise, Land switch is upside down, and I know how to fix that.  Cal convinced me I need a larger battery for my 8 hour slope, so I figure I would upgrade one of those 2100mah units eventually.

Also I would like to thank John Diniz, John Adams and Peter Goldsmith for the top notch customer support during my early learning curve on the 9303.  These guys reply to their emails quickly, and they always have an answer for me.

I can't wait to go fly this radio this weekend!

Wed, 22 September 2004

I would like to welcome JoJo Grini's Diary to my blog links on the left.  JoJo has some of the best pictures and writing on the subject of R/C soaring on the Internet.  Enjoy!

P.S.  Hey JoJo, you really could use an RSS feed my friend.

Tue, 21 September 2004

The new JR XP9303 sailplane computer radio

(Click to enlarge)

I received the new JR XP9303 sailplane computer radio (9303) from Horizon Hobby yesterday, and got to start using it right after work.  My first impression is that I want to compare it to my 10x, which is only because that is what I fly now, I am sure it is not meant by JR to compete with this model of transmitter.  Just for history I own or have owned a JR Max, JR 783, JR 8103, JR 10sx (heli), JR 10x, and the JR 9303.  (Actually the 8103 is the only one I don't have anymore).

Before you jump in you have to consider some things, first off the servo mapping is different than previous JR models.  Actually what they did makes more sense, and allows 6 channel RX's to be used for 6 channel models.  But, more than likely this means you will have to change some servo plugs around at your RX if you are changing from another TX.  I turned on my 10x one more time, and marked my stab position with a pencil on the fuse so I could recenter it easily after I fired up the 9303.  In my case, I am moving an ICON Lite from the 10x to the 9303 and I had to pull the left aileron plug from Gear and move it to Throttle, I had to move right Flap from Aux 1 and move it to Gear, and I had to move left Flap from Aux 2 to Aux 1.  You have to give a little to get a lot, this is a template based programming system and the program expects these channels to be at those spots.   I thought about cross mixing the other channels so I could move back and forth from the 10x, but I don't want to mess with the simplicity of the 9303 programming at this time, so I chose to go with the flow of the design and not fight it.

(Click to enlarge)

Shown above is the main menu, you can scroll through it with the thumb wheel on the right side and select by depressing the wheel.  This is really fast, blows the 10x numbered menu system away.  It sounds like a caffeinated cricket when rolling through choices.   This software is the best I have ever seen on a computer radio, it is easily navigated, and if you follow the template design of flight modes, you will get a very sophisticated setup without a lot of effort.  I flew through the setup last night until I tried to find the CAMBER ADJ and CAMBER MIX menus.  Hmm, not there.  Up to the computer and Tom Copp of F3X.com had an email sitting in my inbox asking the same thing and if I was up.  "Ya, I am up, and doing the same thing as you are... give me a call."  So we talked about it a bit, both of us were stumped and fired off emails to John Diniz at JR.  John got back to us first thing this morning, it turns out the manuals need a revision to catch up with the new software on the TX, so instead of CAMBER MIX, use Flaprn MX, and instead of CAMBER ADJ, use FM Delay.  The same functionality is there, the names are just different. 

I just got the answer to that this morning, so I will have to finish my setup this evening.  I did see camber start to work, but I need more time to get it right.  I have not had to design a custom mix to this point, which is really impressive.  There is some fancy stuff I may try do to that I implemented on my 10x, but I want to get basic functionality first.  It looks to me that a full house sailplane can be setup with out using the additional program mixers, which in the end gives me more flexibility than my 10x.

Things that made me smile, general ease of use and ergonomics, Sub Trim adjustment with the thumb wheel, the new tones that the digital trims make, very easy to understand, the additional timer so I can run a countdown and a stopwatch from the TX, and the template design that really makes it simple to maintain the unique flight modes, and the flight screen has more information with a cleaner layout.

More on the 9303 later...

Thu, 16 September 2004

Every now and then someone asks me what I am using as a skeg on my ICON, this time it was the WinchDoc and I knew it was time for a picture and a blog.  Here's a neat little setup I have been using for about one season now, easy to obtain, easy to make, easy to mount and remove (I fly F3J too), and is very effective.  I only use this nose skeg, I do not use a belly skeg.

(Click to enlarge)

Start with a Tim McCann Tape On Skeg, shave off the post and cut down the blade as shown on the picture above.  I like to first attach the skeg with some wing tape (that won't pull off the paint on the nosecone), and then use strapping tape over that.  If you don't use strapping tape you will shear the skeg off on landing, thus shedding parts and not helping your landing score at all.  With a proper landing approach, this will stop my ICON dead in its tracks where ever I place the nose on the ground.

Fri, 03 September 2004

Downers Grove Corvette Night

Like many of the suburbs around Chicagoland, during the summer months Friday night is cruise night, and today it was Corvette night in the town where I live.  The weather was beautiful, perfect evening to take the Z06 for a spin and meet some of the people from CorvetteForum.com.

We cruised the main strip, then double backed and cruised down the Corvette strip where I was waved into a reserved Corvette parking place, a great spot.  I popped the hood, we sat down and talked to people for a bit.  Then we walked around town checking out all the nice rides, just as many cruising through as there were parked.

Stopped at the Irish pub and had some good beer, (I wish I could remember the name but I had never had it before), and dinner.  Then continued on checking out cars back to our original parking spot.  We decided to cruise the strip again and found all the CorvetteForum.com guys parked down by the railroad tracks so we parked down there and checked out an entire new set of rides.

Here are a few pictures from this evening...

My Z06 on the main Corvette strip

An import model revving his engine behind my Z

Not hers!

Sweet

Rides parked along the main Corvette strip

I spotted my neighbors car parked on main street

Jason's highly modified 1998 Coupe

Tommy and Jason's rides

CorvetteForum.com parking down by the railroad tracks

Wed, 01 September 2004

 Bacus Labs released WebSlide Browser v3.7 today, which is a software application that I have been developing for many years now.  This software is basically a web browser with custom designed functionality for viewing virtual microscope slides, which allows your personal computer to function as a powerful digital microscope.  This new version of software features support for the new COOLSCOPE VS.

I always like working on this application, it's large but very clean and well designed.  The software has a surprising amount of functionality, besides my daily use for virtual microscopy, I use it as a light duty web browser due to its very small size, multimedia capabilities and speed.  The other thing I enjoy about it is that I can share it with anybody easily, it's free to download, have a look.