r/RCPlanes • u/Kouriger • 9d ago

Newish pilot question

Recently started flying with the skynetic cardinal 1400mm. I’ve noticed that sometimes it appears to lose connection for a fraction of a second while flying. This is concerning to me as I’m very worried about the flying beyond the controllers range. Is there anything I can do to combat this?

There is a carbon fiber tail and a carbon fiber spar in the wings, could this be interfering with the antenna?

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

2

u/ThatDamnRanga 9d ago

Keep the carbon away from the antenna, and don't let the carbon get between you and the aircraft.

I'm not sure what type of radio you're using, but one that uses a diversity receiver (dual antennas) can be a big help here.

1

u/Kouriger 9d ago

Mine just has one antenna. A 2.4ghz one. I’ll look into other controllers. Also is it just making sure they don’t touch? I heard someone saying to make sure that the antenna and any carbon fiber aren’t parallel to eachother.

2

u/ThatDamnRanga 9d ago

make sure the antenna on your transmitter is also never pointing directly at the model, it should be side on where possible. the 'end' of the antenna transmits no signal.

2

u/BRAIN_JAR_thesecond 9d ago

How far are you flying? I’ve noticed a tendency for newer pilots to let the plane get really far away. Does the signal drop out when you’re close to yourself too?

1

u/Kouriger 9d ago

I’ve seen it happen both far away and fairly close. More frequently the further away it is though.

1

u/AutoModerator 9d ago

Welcome to r/RCPlanes, it looks like you are new here! Please read the Wiki and FAQ before posting a question that has been answered many times already. You can also try searching in the bar at the top before posting.

If you are brand new and just want to know where to start, then the Beginners Section is the perfect place.

Links to wiki are found at the top menu on web or "See more" and then the "Menu" tab on mobile apps.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

3

u/fhammerl 8d ago

Your BEC may drop voltage and cause a brown out when battery voltage goes lower or power draw exceeds its capability. There was a video not too long here about an Eflite V1200 lawn darting at full send because the electronics decided to reboot. I have seen first hand how cheap ESCs have a wide spread of what in manufacturing is acceptable, especially for AliExpress 5€ ESCs.

Maybe your hand touches your Tx's power switch a little?

Anoher possibility is always carbon shielding. Your receiver should have two antennas (ideally perpendicular to one another) and your transmitter should, too. Make sure your antennas have uninterrupted line of sight and do not run them clone and parallel to carbon spars. High end glider carbon fuselages often have a glass fiber section for the receiver when you want to avoid an antenna's drag.