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Conference vmszoo::rc

Title:	Welcome To The Radio Control Conference
Notice:	dir's in 11, who's who in 4, sales in 6, auctions 19
Moderator:	VMSSG::FRIEDRICHS

Created:	Tue Jan 13 1987
Last Modified:	Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1706
Total number of notes:	27193

484.0. "FM on car frequencies?" by SNDCSL::SMITH (William P.N. (WOOKIE::) Smith) Fri Mar 04 1988 13:55

    OK, now I'm completely lost!  Just got a call from Ernie at McManis
    in Fitchburg and he tells me that they told him that there is no
    such thing as an FM radio on car frequencies, and he can't get the
    transmitter and receiver modules I need to be legal cuz Futaba doesn't
    even make them.....
    
    Anyone know if any other manufacturer makes 7 channel radios that
    will tune them up for car frequencies?
    
    This is really beginning to annoy me, I'm making every effort to
    get 'legal', but now it's starting to look like I have to throw
    out my $230 Futaba rig and start over....  GRRRRRRR!
    
    Willie

T.R Title User Personal
Name Date Lines

484.1 We're Futaba, we don't have to care! SNDCSL::SMITH William P.N. (WOOKIE::) Smith Fri Mar 11 1988 13:06 32

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
484.1	We're Futaba, we don't have to care!	SNDCSL::SMITH	William P.N. (WOOKIE::) Smith	`Fri Mar 11 1988 13:06`	32
	To answer my own question again, just in case anyone is interested, I called Futaba and had the following experience: I talked to someone in Sales who confirmed that there was no such thing as FM stuff on car frequencies from Futaba and there was no way to convert the modules I have. I then talked to someone in Service who said that yes, they could definately convert an FM module from 72 MHz (plane) to 75 MHz (car) frequencies. I told her that Sales disagreed and she went away for a while and came back and told me that while they don't _sell_ them that way, they can _convert_ them after you buy them. I then talked to someone in sales again to find out if there was any way to have them pass the modules through the service department to get them converted before they sent them to me. She said that a distributor could special order the modules that way _BUT_ only AM modules. It turns out the only way I can get the modules is to buy them on aircraft frequencies, have Futaba ship them to me from California, and then ship them right back to them to have them converted (at an additional charge of $40+) so they could ship them back to me. When I get those back I can use them while I send the original set back to be retuned. Not only that, but the availability of crystals for the new car frequencies is unknown, so it may be a while. The machinations you have to go thru to be 'legal' are almost not worth it (in addition to an extra $80++), I'm almost tempted not to bother. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Willie

    To answer my own question again, just in case anyone is interested,
    I called Futaba and had the following experience:
    
    I talked to someone in Sales who confirmed that there was no such
    thing as FM stuff on car frequencies from Futaba and there was no
    way to convert the modules I have.
    
    I then talked to someone in Service who said that yes, they could
    definately convert an FM module from 72 MHz (plane) to 75 MHz (car)
    frequencies.  I told her that Sales disagreed and she went away
    for a while and came back and told me that while they don't _sell_
    them that way, they can _convert_ them after you buy them.
    
    I then talked to someone in sales again to find out if there was
    any way to have them pass the modules through the service department
    to get them converted before they sent them to me.  She said that
    a distributor could special order the modules that way _BUT_ only
    AM modules.
    
    It turns out the only way I can get the modules is to buy them on
    aircraft frequencies, have Futaba ship them to me from California,
    and then ship them right back to them to have them converted (at
    an additional charge of $40+) so they could ship them back to me.
    When I get those back I can use them while I send the original set
    back to be retuned.  Not only that, but the availability of crystals
    for the new car frequencies is unknown, so it may be a while.
    
    The machinations you have to go thru to be 'legal' are almost not
    worth it (in addition to an extra $80++), I'm almost tempted not
    to bother.   AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
    
    Willie