Conference vmszoo::rc

    
    	Tower Hobbies, 1988 catalog, page 37 has something called the
    Kyosho Blizzard Tractor, like used in ski areas.  (Two buldozer-type
    tracks, a cab, space in back for your camera, and a plow in front.)
    The thing is 14" long, 12" wide, and requires a 2-3 channel radio,
    and 1 to 2 6-cell battery packs.  The blade comes in an accessory pkg.
    that costs $30.00 more, and if you want the blade, thats what the
    3rd channel is for.
    	You will choke at the price......$154.95 in the big catalog.
    It may be less in the current sale catalog, I don't know.
        It is said to climb a 45 degree hill, and will go through snow,
    ice, gravel, sand or grass.  Powered by two (2!) RS-380 motors,
    so you can move the tracks independent of each other or together.
    
    	Have fun!
    
    
    	Brian
    

    
    	I brought in the sale catalog today, and it is cheaper in this
    one...they have it listed in issue # 7 which expires Dec 31, on
    2 pages.  First, page 51 shows it with a Combo Price of $209.00
    for item # TZ7803...trouble is, they don't say what is in the combo
    package!  It is also listed  on pg 69, for $119.99 (tractor) and
    $22.99 (Accessories kit).  This is considerably less than the large
    catalog has it for.  If you choose, give them a call at a number
    listed below...good luck.
    
    	Brian
    
    
    
    		Tower Hobbies
    	Toll Free Orders Only:  800-637-4989
    	Order-assistance line:  800-637-6050  
    	Non Toll free orders:   (217)398-3636
    	
    

    
    	Sorry...forgot to add the stock numbers for page 69...
    	Tractor:   	TL1730
    	Accessory Kit:  TL1754
                        
    Brian
    

>        It is said to climb a 45 degree hill, and will go through snow,
>    ice, gravel, sand or grass.  Powered by two (2!) RS-380 motors,
>    so you can move the tracks independent of each other or together.

It depends what you have in mind but be warned...
With 2 RS-380 motors you will not "Move Earth".  I doubt if it
can plow any snow except for light fluffy stuff.  What it will do
is look like a snow cat.

    Many thanks, that's just about exactly what I was looking for! 
    A couple of questions (can you tell I'm new at this?):
    
    	1) What on earth is an RS-380 motor?  I would guess electric,
    		if so, how many amps/volts/etc?
    
    	2) I could get away with moving sand, this is just a test bed
    		for some teleoperated stuff, do you think it could
    		move sand?  Wet or dry sand?
    
    	3) How much would a good radio rig cost?  I'm going to need
    		a few extra channels, so count on 4-6 total.
    
    	4) Does anyone know of a video transmitter that would get the
    		camera signal back to the control point?  I've seen
    		a channel 15 TV transmitter for $50, but it's only 
    		good for 150 feet...
    
    	5) continued on next rock.
    
    Many thanks for the quick replies, the price isn't bad, and this
    sounds ideal!  The only problem is now you are going to get me
    pestering you all about how R/C stuff works....  :+)
    
    Willie
    

    
    	Well, I can't answer all of your questions, but I can point
    you in the right direction for a couple.
    	1) RS-380 and other engines are discussed in note 387..look
    there for help on them
    	2) Can't say if the thing will move any substantial weight,
    but reply .4 was most right...the 380 is much less capable than
    the 540.
    	3) Radio equipment can cost from roughly $50.00 on up. A Futaba
    6 channel is on sale in the catalog mentioned in reply 3 for $160.00
    	4) No idea...anyone else?
    
    	Best advise I can give is, call Tower's information/order line
    and tell them what you want to do...get some ideas from them!
    Or maybe someone on this network can shed some light??
    
    	Brian
    

    re .5 item 4
    
    	Where can I get one of those? You suggest its a wireless tv
    signal transmitter that broadcasts a signal 150 ft to channel 15
    on your set. Am I correct? I had heard that the FCC had banned those
    shortly after they came out and before I could buy one. If they
    are still available it would save a lot of house wiring for VCR/cable
    lines.
    
    	Thanks
    	Art

    re:
    
    < Note 392.7 by JUNIOR::NEWBERY "A 1 track mind takes no sidings"
    >
                                 -< TV Transmitter?? >-
    
    
    A place called PINECOM in CA. at 818-575-1882 advertized these things
    in Byte for several months, but I just called them, and they are
    all out and don't expect any more till the "new year".  $49.95,
    I'll let you know if/when I get one.
    
    I'm batting 1000 today, I also called the legendary Tower Hobbies
    and they have discontinued the Blizzard, have no more in stock,
    aren't willing to special order one for me, and are the only dealer
    in the US.   AAARRRGGGHHH!!!  If anyone know where I could get ahold
    of a Blizzard, or might have any other leads to something like it
    (I'd rather not try to work with a 4x4 pickup), please please please
    let me know.  A backhoe would even probably be OK...
    
    Anyone out there in a different country where there's a Kyosho dealer
    want to get me one and make a profit?  Anyone with a Kyosho product
    have a mail address for them?
    
    Many thanks for all the assistance, I've got to find _something_....
    
    Willie
    

    Actually, I'm kind of wondering about putting that TV transmitter
    in a model, as the 'rated' range is only 150 feet.  Of course it's
    probably possible to tune it up, and we could always point a Yagi
    at it from the base, but it would be nice to have some decent range.
    
    What is the range of your basic R/C radio rig?
    
    Willie

    Range for most RC transmitters is about line of sight in the air,
    somewhat less on the ground.  One thing to consider if you plan
    to transmitt from the model, is possible interference with the RC
    receiver.  The video transmitter may overload the front end of the
    receiver and give you control glitch problems.  Also, I don't think
    that you will be able to get a video transmitter that goes any more
    than 150 feet legally.  There are no frequencies defined for 
    telemetry use as far as I know.
    
    Charlie
    

    For what it's worth,
    
    At our last One-Eighth Air Force R/C Scale Fly-In [this past October],
    some guys came out and flew a very large Super Telemaster-type bird
    carrying a video camera and some(?) sort of telemetry which allowed
    the spectators to watch a TV monitor and "see from the cockpit"
    of the model.  I have no idea who they were or where they came from
    so, unfortunately, I'm unable to track down any meaningful particulars
    for you.  All I can say is they had a considerable array of ground-
    based paraphernalia, antennae, etc. supporting the system.  It appeared
    to work flawlessly, giving the viewer the impression he was sitting
    in the plane looking out the windscreen, and the spectators loved
    it!!  My purpose for relating this, while I can offer no help in
    the "how'd he do it" department, is to provide evidence that it "can"
    be done and, in fact, "is" being done in at least one instance.  
    
    Adios ang good luck with yer' project,	Al

    re .-1.Now that you mention this, I recall seeing something like
    that in RC video mag (The one with the red ME-163 "KOMET" on the
    cover). Getting in ftouch with RC video mag may yield some pointers.
    
    md

>    I'm batting 1000 today, I also called the legendary Tower Hobbies
>    and they have discontinued the Blizzard, have no more in stock,
>    aren't willing to special order one for me, and are the only dealer
>    in the US.   AAARRRGGGHHH!!!  If anyone know where I could get ahold
>    of a Blizzard, or might have any other leads to something like it
>    (I'd rather not try to work with a 4x4 pickup), please please please
>    let me know.  A backhoe would even probably be OK...

Do not despair,  this is just God's way of pointing you in the right
direction.  Tamiya makes scale model TANKS!  They are available from
most local hobby shops and I have seen some in stock in a hobby shop
in NH (tho not so cheap $250.00 or so).  I assume that they are geared
way down and could probably do a better job of moving earth (light sand)
than the Kyosho.  The hobby shop that I saw them in was the little one
behind the Green Ridge Turkey farm in Nashua NH.

              _!_      
Bye        ----O----   
Kay R. Fisher / \     

================================================================================

    YOU MAY WANT TO LOOK INTO SLOW-SCAN TV THE HAMS USE.
    

    Kay,
    
    	Thanks, I'll look into the tanks, though I'm a little paranoid
    about having to add a blade.  The people I'm doing this with are
    talking about wanting a backhoe too, though that may be a project
    for the machine shop at school....  :+)
    
    Willie

    I just saw a video at our club meeting this past monday (CMRCM)
    of the Scale Master's taken by Jack Buckley.  He caught all of the
    aircraft on the ground and a few in the air.  He also had a video
    taken from an RC plane flying at the Sudbury Field (Charles River
    Club)  The plane was one of his own design that he flies for the
    Army I think.  It weighs in at 60# with two Quadras for power.
    There was some interference in the video from the engine ignitions.
    I think that he had the recorder in the plane as well. (He said
    that it weighs 5 lbs)  He plans to add a down link in the future,
    I believe.  (By the way, Al, I didn't see you in the video, but
    he caught a quick shot of the Mig on the ground.)
    
    Charlie
    

    Charlie,
    
    I'm almost relieved to hear that Jack didn't get any in-flights
    of the MiG-3.  Except for round two, I did very little I'd want
    publicized (HAH!).  I got one fair takeoff (round-2) and two pretty
    sorry ones, the air-work was fair in round-1, quite good in round-3
    and miserable in round-3 [in the rain].  Fortunately, I got three
    text book, grease-job landings.  At any rate, dependant upon "when"
    someone was taping, I might find the evidence embarrassing.
    
    I just got notification from Werner Kopp (Propwash Videos) that
    his tape on the `87 Masters is ready.  Werner included a note saying
    he got a segment on the MiG-3 and I'm almost afraid to order a tape
    for fear of what I might see. :-)
    
    Adios,	Al

    Well, Steve Peters just showed me the error of my ways!  The Blizzard
    would be nice for this application, and I don't think I can use tanks
    (they don't have independent tread control), but what I really want
    is one of them "articulated front end loaders"!  Steve, does the
    name Kyosho Hanomag ring a bell?  I talked to a guy at an R/C place
    who called his distributor and they have been discontinued, but
    I may be able to find one at a dealer somewhere, if I call every
    Kyosho dealer in the US....  :+{                     
    
    Willie

    Yup, it's definately a Kyosho Hanomag that I'm looking for, but
    unfortunately they have been discontinued.  Anyone out there have one
    they don't want (in an shape at all) or know of someone or know a hobby
    shop that has one in stock that they couldn't unload or anything like
    that?  I'm prepared to pay a 10 percent finders fee (or $30, whichever
    is _highest_) for one of these babies!  No unreasonable demands
    refused.  Why is all the good stuff so hard to find?
    
    Willie 

    Hobby Time in Rich's Plaza (Marlboro) was assembling a Tamiya tank
    this summer.
    	
    Each bogey wheel was independently sprung (torsion bar) - wonderful!.
    The gearbox was an adaptation of the WWII "Christy" box- dual clutches,
    dual brakes, only 1 motor needed (but could be run with 2, just omit 2
    gears and one shaft).  Beautiful design!  Can either control steering
    with one servo, throttle with another, or buy a second motor and
    speed control and have full independent control.
    	
    But the treads were plastic- and the tread bearings were steel pins,
    inserted in holes in the plastic treadpieces. As any tanker knows, the
    treads go first.  Especially bearing-type treads, instead of
    rubber-block type treads.  It started looking bad there...
    	
    And then I read the manual.  Tamiya suggests avoiding "loose sand,
    for the abraisiveness will damage treads", and likewise, "Avoid
    canyons and other places which press the outside of the treads only".
    The picture showed a frowning tank (!) driving between two 45-degree
    embankments.
    
    It seems that Tamiya treads are rather easily damaged, and rather
    easy to "throw".  Why they couldn't have done the "right thing"
    and used a tire-sidewall type hinge rather than pin-in-hole hinges
    I'll never know.  It isn't like there aren't economies of scale
    on their side, and it's even prototypical to use it!
    
    	
    Finally- the price.  Over $200, before radio and propulsion battery.  
    
    	-Bill Yerazunis
    

    Wow, it was sounding real good until the part about avoiding sand....
    I'm planning on digging in the sand, so that wouldn't work well.
    I'm currently looking at a MRC/Tamiya Clod Buster and adding a blade
    of some kind (assuming I can't find a Kyosho Hanomag).  Anyone know
    what it takes to replace the motors in an R/C vehicle with something
    completely different?  I have some low RPM, _very_ high torque 12
    volt DC motors, but I'm not sure if I can retrofit a standard vehicle.
    
    Willie

    Since the gear cases are designed so that bolting the RS540 motor
    on seals the unit and prevents sand/dirt/water from entering, I
    suspect that if your new motors are radically different from the
    540 shape, you'll be buying plenty of differential gear bags ;^)..
    
    Furthermore, while I don't pretend to be extremely mechanical, I
    wonder whether introducing motors with significantly different
    characteristics w/o changing the gearing in the rear end at the
    same time will gain you anything...
    
    Doug