RC experts? i want to "make" something..

[vash]

i was cleaning my garage, and destroyed my slope racer. a TALON! ok, i fell on it. KABLOOSH! it fell apart. i salvaged the servos and radio. i was thinking about doing something cool with them. just checked everything still works. it is a simple two channel.

here is my plan. i want to doctor up my turkey decoy. i want to use the remote, to make the decoy raise and lower it's tail. the realism would be un-believable. they make one, where you pull on a fishing line that runs from the hunter to the decoy..but a remote system would be cool. i imagine my micro servos would be insufficient..maybe some big servos which would have enough throw to move a tail 90 degrees?

any ideas? maybe it is time to hit a hobby shop.

[slodave]

Ideas? You have the parts and turkey, so get building!

[jyl]

Two channels, two servos. One raises and lowers the tail. The other pulls the trigger on the shotgun the decoy's toting . . .

[Jeff Higgins]

Not to be a wet blanket or anything, but it is a violation of FCC regulations to use frequencies assigned for R/C aircraft for anything else, including R/C surface vehicles, like cars and boats. It is also more than likely a violation of your state's game laws to use an R/C decoy for hunting.

Sorry, I just don't want to see you get in trouble. About the only thing you can legally use this radio for is another R/C airplane.

[Normy]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Not to be a wet blanket or anything, but it is a violation of FCC regulations to use frequencies assigned for R/C aircraft for anything else, including R/C surface vehicles, like cars and boats. It is also more than likely a violation of your state's game laws to use an R/C decoy for hunting.

Sorry, I just don't want to see you get in trouble. About the only thing you can legally use this radio for is another R/C airplane.

Your post? That must be some sort of joke that I can't see, right?

-If not, then send the FCC after George Lucas, because he used a Kraft radio control model airplane system to control R2D2 in the first Star Wars movie!

Dude, these things get used all the time for other purposes! Getting in trouble with the FCC for something like this is about as likely as getting a ticket for doing 56 mph in a 55 mph zone- it isn't going to happen. Besides- what makes you think that a radio control turkey isn't a radio control model airplane? Turkeys fly, just like airplanes. Just because his model airplane is 100% underpowered doesn't mean that it isn't a model airplane.

N

[crustychief]

It is ok as long as it is 2.4 GHZ. If it is 72MHZ than it is a no no.
Normy, the law is in place to prevent our miniature aircraft from doing damage to persons or property from loss of control due to unrestricted use of our frequencies.

[slodave]

To further clarify...

When George Lucas used that stuff, they hadn't yet split the frequencies up yet. There was only one band for ground and air. Those radios are so obsolete and interference prone, you'd be foolish to use them today.

[vash]

i thought my radio is the same as the one made for cars?

the game laws..hmmm, that could be a problem. i think jeff may be correct.

[Tim Hancock]

I would have glued the glider back together. If you save EVERY little piece of balsa, with a little CA, pretty much any crash can be salvaged. Clear packing tape makes for a quicky MonoKote patch.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Make a Transformer Turkey, isn't it obvious?

[9dreizig]

Technically wouldn't the turkey be trying to take off?

[HardDrive]

This is not a job for R/C, this is a job for robotics. Do you really want to manually control the thing? A microcontroller, a few servos and a battery, and you can create whatever movements you want. You can do things with off the shelf components that would amaze. If its just a couple servos controlling the movement, they will run a long time on a 6v rechargeable battery. The servos don't need to be large if you design it well. Make sure everything is counter balanced to require the minimum amount of input to get the desired motion.

I have built a couple robots using OOPIC controllers, but I think they have went out of business. Parallax has been in the business along time. There is a controller out there by Trossen called the AxonII. Nice because it has everything onboard. Servo controllers, room for sensors, USB input....etc.

[mikester]

Just to follow up on the FCC frequencies and what not.

72Mhz is set aside for RC aircraft operations; even if you were using this for its intended purpose you would still need to make sure that the frequency was not in use to the best of your ability prior to turning that radio transmitter on. If you were to turn it on near someone else using the same frequency you would cause them to crash and could be responsible for the damages resulting from that crash. These damages could include property, personal injury, death - it isn't insignificant. If you are within 5 miles of an RC flying field or a popular slope soaring spot you should not turn on that radio without first checking to make sure that your frequency is not in use (there are devices that can check for signal on a given channel).

And while these eventualities are probably rare for your intended purpose - you still are taking a great risk whenever you use a 72Mhz, RC Aircraft radio outside of its intended purpose and away from a controller RC Aircraft flying field.

I used to fly my little park flier aircraft at the local ball field until I ran into a guy doing the same thing. I stopped by to talk to him and more specifically to check his frequencies to make sure we weren't using the same one. Turns out - WE WERE! Out of 50 possible frequencies I almost always run into folks who are on the same frequency. I don't understand the math, it always baffles me. In recent years they introduced gear that you could actually change the frequency on it was a little pricey and the frequency challenges only happened once in a while at the field.

Now, with 2.4 Ghz radios it isn't an issue (so far). 2.4 Ghz radios are designed (or are supposed to be) to gracefully degrade as the frequency band becomes crowded. I fly at the Basin in SoCal and it is pretty darned crowded there - especially these days with all the electric aircraft.

75 Mhz is much less risky but still defined for surface (including water) use.

Hugh is correct though, I think you're more interested in some automation than actual control. If you had a 75Mhz radio (which you could get off of ebay very cheaply or I think I have an RX/TX I could send you) you could most likely use the same servos and you wouldn't be risking as much.

check out Servocity for robotics stuff.

[Jeff Higgins]

There are a lot of things you can't see, Normy. You've demonstrated that rather convincingly.

The follow up posts after mine form guys who know what they are talking about are spot on, Vash. R/C model airplanes can be anything from your lightweight little slope soarer to 40 pound, 150 mph behemoths. Losing control of one of these is no joke. People can die.

As inexpensive as legal radios are these days, if you really want to animate your turkey, there is no reason you cannot do so (outside of game laws, anyway). Fifty bucks will buy all the radio you need.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

There are a lot of things you can't see, Normy. You've demonstrated that rather convincingly.

The follow up posts after mine form guys who know what they are talking about are spot on, Vash. R/C model airplanes can be anything from your lightweight little slope soarer to 40 pound, 150 mph behemoths. Losing control of one of these is no joke. People can die.

As inexpensive as legal radios are these days, if you really want to animate your turkey, there is no reason you cannot do so (outside of game laws, anyway). Fifty bucks will buy all the radio you need.

Ironic that his sig line says,
"-The two most common elements in the Universe are hydrogen and STUPIDITY~"

I did not know about the ramifications of using radio frequencies dedicated to certain RC activities. I do know when not to post (most of the time )

[mikester]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

There are a lot of things you can't see, Normy. You've demonstrated that rather convincingly.

The follow up posts after mine form guys who know what they are talking about are spot on, Vash. R/C model airplanes can be anything from your lightweight little slope soarer to 40 pound, 150 mph behemoths. Losing control of one of these is no joke. People can die.

As inexpensive as legal radios are these days, if you really want to animate your turkey, there is no reason you cannot do so (outside of game laws, anyway). Fifty bucks will buy all the radio you need.

RC Airplanes have an element of danger to them but it is fairly easily manageable by following proper safety protocols. Those protocols are defined pretty well by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (Academy of Model Aeronautics). Personally, I have always felt that the FCC should require a basic license for the use of 72/75mhz radio gear. Not as extreme as the Ham radio bands but something basic that would encourage a knowledge of what exactly you were doing with this radio gear. When I was younger I was instructed by an old school radio technician on the use of an oscilloscope and repairing the gear but I've since lost that knowledge. He had to be licensed to do the repairs I believe.

The 2.4 Ghz stuff is pretty darned amazing and we modelers don't have to worry so much about frequencies anymore. I have converted over to 2.4Ghz completely but still have some 72Mhz gear (what to do with it...).

Model aircraft defined by the AMA are 55 lbs or lighter but they can get a weight waiver. I've seen 1/2 scale Extra 300s at the basin. Yes, I said 1/2 scale. An Extra is not a big plane but a 1/2 scale model of an Extra is a BIG plane. It was awesome. I've seen turbine powered jets go over 200 mph (governed - they can go faster easily).

This is more than you need to worry about really - just don't turn that radio on if you aren't sure that there isn't anyone flying around there.

[lm6y]

As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.....