How many channels |
2 |
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11% |
[ 2 ] |
3 |
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23% |
[ 4 ] |
4 |
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64% |
[ 11 ] |
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Total Votes : 17 |
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Spockie-Tech
Site Admin
Joined: 31 May 2004
Posts: 3160
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Just to reassure people... (who arent already aware that we discussed this issue on the old forum a while back).
I asked *two* MAAA (Model Aircraft Association Australia) approved Radio repair techies about this and both of them said *off the record* not to worry about it.
Yes, the fines in the regulations are huge, but thats because the government hates the idea of people transmitting *any* sort of radio energy without approval from the beaureaucrats. In practice, neither of them knew of any cases where people had been prosecuted for running their model radio on an incorrect frequency.
The flying clubs and other model associations will of course advise you to follow the rules (how could they do otherwise ?), and for that matter, I'm not advising you to do otherwise either (this being a public forum and all). Your actions are always your own responsibility IMO.
However, (according to these anonymous techs), given that we tend to operate our machines inside mostly metal enclosures, far away from any flying fields, and for just minutes at a time, the possibility of interfering with anyone, much less being triangulated down by some hypothetical big bad authority figure who has nothing better to do than drive around all day trying to catch broke modellers who are only on the air at extremely low power (less than 1km range at best - I wish we could get that) amongst all the other interference we put out just running our motors etc is vanishingly small.
Of course if you went and did something stupid like telling an insurance company that someone at your event was running on an illegal frequency I'm sure they would try and use that as an excuse to wiggle out of any payouts (thats what insurance companies do best after all). But I'll bet you that most of them wouldnt know what a frequency conflict was unless you told them anyway.
The radio-techs unofficial advice was "play nice", be aware of your own frequency control at your event, make sure you arent running next door to a flying field (since airplanes crashing into houses upset people a lot more than crashing remote control cars do), and dont worry about it.
What you do is of course up to you.. as far as I'm concerned its not my problem to enforce the authorities broadcasting regulations, thats between you and them
Last edited by Spockie-Tech on Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:54 pm |
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ffej
Experienced Roboteer
Joined: 22 Jun 2004
Posts: 595
Location: Kurrajong, NSW
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quote:
Originally posted by original_carnage:
But for frequencies, 27meg is permitted in Aust., but there is a good chance of interference (which is why few people use it). 40meg is also allowed but few importers/wholesalers bother to bring it into the country for some reason (probably because there are approx. 40 channels usuable across 27 and 29meg). Just check with your local hobby shop for what 4+ channel radio gear (usually for aero's) can use 29meg crystals, there are some out there - I use a radio set that can swap modules to allow 27, 29 or 40meg from the one Tx unit.
Taken from :http://www.aca.gov.au/aca_home/publications/reports/info/models.htm
"Specifically, the Class Licence provides for the control of model aircraft, landcraft and watercraft in the frequency band 29.72 to 30 MHz, and model aircraft and watercraft in the frequency band 36 to 36.6 MHz."
Nope, 29 Meg is the only legal frequency. I know they sell all sorts of others, 40Mhz, 27Mhz, 56Mhz 75Mhz etc, but according to the ACA, the only one legal for our use is 29Mhz (I suppose you could use the 433Mhz ISM band if you had the equipment).
BTW, sounds like you've landed yourself a nice radio there, is one of the more expensive futaba's? _________________ Jeff Ferrara
fb@ffej.net
ffej.net
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Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:54 pm |
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Spockie-Tech
Site Admin
Joined: 31 May 2004
Posts: 3160
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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quote:
Originally posted by original_carnage:
However I have known three people (2 RC cars and 1 RC heli) who were dragged through court (and heavily fined) for being caught using 75meg!!!
I appreciate your concern, but can you provide any proof of this ? Do you know these people personally, or is it a "friend of a friend" report ?
Neither of the techs I spoke to less than 12 months ago knew of any such cases, and both are well-connected within the modelling scene. It doesnt seem likely that an individual using a radio for hobby use would be punished so heavily as you describe.
A corporation broadcasting constantly on an incorrect frequency at a high enough power to be noticed yes, an individual with a hobby set with very low power intermittantly no. It sounds like a scare story by a hobby shop trying to make sure they sell the radios they have in stock to me.. I've heard them do it before.
Also your comment about "broadcasting interference near airports" sounds inaccurate.. All commercially made radio transmitters are very carefully tuned to output minimal power on frequencies other than the one they are operating on. They have to be to pass approval-testing.
Typically the channels have a 10kHz spacing, e.g. channel 68 with a nominal frequency f = 35,080 MHz uses a band from 35,076-35,084 which is less than .03% variation. Nearly all their output power has to be within this band, or they would interfere with other model sets on the next channel.
No airport in the world is going to be using frequencies that have been allocated to model RC use, so despite their insistence that you switch all electronic devices off when in their planes, I just cant see any way that your hobby set is going to upset them from kilometers away. If it was that easy they wouldnt allow mobile phones within miles of the airport, they create far more interference than any hobby set ever could.
Sorry to be contrary to your friendly advice,l but unsubstantiated "warnings" from well-meaning people without any evidence always annoy me..
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Wed Jul 28, 2004 1:16 pm |
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