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3D Heli Depot . JR-Spektrum . Gyro Hobbies

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Beginners Corner > Another Newbie says "Hello!"
 
 
kovar
Senior Heliman
Location: West Chester, Ohio

Hello everyone. I am new to the RC hobby, although I do have a Tmaxx and have a year or so of experiance under by belt dealing with nitro engines. Anyways, I find myself getting bored with it all and am now ready for a new challenge - RC Helicopters! This looks to be not only challenging but also seems to be very rewarding. I figured the first thing I should do is get the G2 SIM and bone up on some basic skills. I bought it last night and have been having a blast. Although, it took me a minute to figure out that I needed to be in HH mode for best results - Man the tail is hard to controll without it!

I probably won't be able to get a chopper until summer, so I have plenty of time to play with the SIM and to do research on what kit/radio I want to get. I figured the first thing to do would be to decide on a radio and gyro. I've heard that you want to get the best radio you can afford and this makes since for the long term which I know will be the case for me. I'm already addicted to the SIM.

Okay, so here is my first newbie question:
(Try not to laugh)

What's the difference between PCM and PPM (FM). What are the pros and cons? It seems the PCM stuff is way more expensive and am wondering if its worth the extra costs. Are there options that PCM offers that FM doesn't? Once I have this down, I'll start doing some research to find the right radio and gyro. Thanks again. Happy flying!

02-20-2002 Over year old.
 
 
BladeRunner
Elite Veteran
Location: Ontario Canada. Member of "some sort" s

Newbie.

Hello kovar, welcome to RunRyder. It's always nice to see someone new come along and join in the fun. You have made two wise choices,

#1 You joined the best heli site anywhere-congratulations!

#2 You are about to set off on the great and rewarding hobby of RC helicopters.

Soon you will find that as each new thing comes up and you master it the feeling of accomplishment will be a blast-the best part, compared to fixed wing anyway is; there is always something new around the corner.
Not to put down fixed wing, I also fly them, but, there are only so many times you can fly around in circles, that can be rewarding as well,but, there really is no comparison. You are on the right track with a sim. A simulator can save you BIG bucks in crash repairs,and don't let anyone tell you different-there will be crash repairs.
The difference in PCM/PPM is a can a worms that I don't want to open! You have the right idea,do some research and decide for yourself.

It has been said here many times,but, it's worth repeating, if possible get someone who knows helis to help you with the set-up at first; this may be the single most important issue (IMHO) when you start out, it will pay off and you will meet some great people in the process.
02-20-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Greg Takacs
Veteran
Location: Fort Worth, TX

To answer your question (BladeRunner took care of the welcome message ) PCM is digital while PPM (FM) is analog. PCM will send the signals to the receiver in a "coded" format and if the code block is messed up due to interference it will set your controls to either a preset value or hold the previous value that got there correctly. Therefore it cuts out the glitches and covers them up. PPM will send the signals in an analog format so if there is interference on the signal it will still be interpreted by the receiver. In case of bad signal you'll see rapid movement of servos called "glitching".

Some swear by PCM some say regular FM will do the job. I fly PCM and most guys at my field do. You make your own decision.

Mid range and high end radio transmitters (and some low end ones too) will be able to transmit both FM and PCM signals. So the Transmitter is the same in the packages. However it's not only the receiver that is different, but PCM radio packages tend to come with better servos as well. So you have to look into that too when comparing prices that you're not only getting a better receiver, but better servos as well. Generally the price difference in the servos covers the price difference of the whole package. Helicopters do require better quality servos then trainer planes so ideally you're better off with a PCM setup just for the above reason.......
02-20-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
kovar
Senior Heliman
Location: West Chester, Ohio

Thanks for the warm welcome and for the explaination of PCM and PPM. I think my next step is to go to my local air field and see what kind of radios they use. Thanks again!
02-20-2002 Over year old.
 
 
kovar
Senior Heliman
Location: West Chester, Ohio

WOW, you were right about the servos. I'm leaning towards the Futaba 9CHP (PCM) which comes with 9201 servos compared to the 3001 sport servos the PPM version comes with. The 3001 have a torque rating of about 40 while the 9201 have a torque rating around 70. Even though I plan on getting a .30 size to train with, the better servos would definatly come in handy for when I want to move up to a .60 and hang with the big boys. I'm still a newbie but would guess that it will take the stronger servos to handle the load of a .60.
02-20-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Greg Takacs
Veteran
Location: Fort Worth, TX

It's not (only) about the torque

Don't forget that the 3001 servos have standard 3 pole while the 9201s have coreless motors in them. This makes them better centering that is essential in helicopters.

Also on the tail speed is probably more important than torque. I'd recommend the GY401/9253 combo for the tail.....

Good luck!
02-20-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
ed vega
Key Veteran
Location: nyc, queens

your in for great times , welcome to the group ..
02-20-2002 Over year old.
 
 
42GPW
Heliman
Location: North Royalton, Ohio

Welcome

I am a bit of a newbie myself.

I also have done the fixed wing and have an Ofna 1/8 buggy that really smokes.

Things do get a little boring, going in circles, doing jumps or whatever. The heli is great if you like tinkering too.

I actually think that the first heli frame/mechanics is less important than all the other EXPENSIVE stuff you are going to need.

Get the absolute BEST radio you can afford. Most have programming for fixed wing, making a good radio selection possibly the last you will buy for a very long time. Note all the comments about servos that come with the PCM radios vs the PPM radios. I picked up the Futaba 9C. I am still farting around with it, but I think I have all the basic stuff set up well. I am looking forward to using it in my fixed wings.

Get a good gyro... I got the GY401/servo combo

Get a good motor... in you research look for comments about reliability, ease of tuning, etc. ... I got the OS .32 SXH

Finally, look at the chopper...


Good luck!
02-20-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
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Beginners Corner > Another Newbie says "Hello!"
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