great

Another useful topic along the same lines. 

http://www.rcindia.org/chatter-zone/can-a-plane-be-made-with-the-budget-of-5k/

PS: Not merging as they have each grown significantly on their own.

Hi guys, this is warrel here from Bombay, just found out a few months back that i have a new hobby. rc planes :p

been flyin on the fms sim for a while now.. nd finally decided what to buy:
4 CH Art-Tech 2.4GHz Supermarine Spitfire 3D Aerobatic Radio Remote Control Electric RC Warbird Airplane RTF w/ 2.4GHz Technology + Brushless Motor + ESC + Li-Po
from banana hobby: http://www.bananahobby.com/1863.html

Specification:

    * Wingspan: 880mm (35 inch)
    * Length: 820mm (32.5 inch)
    * Flying Weight: 680g (24 oz)
    * Drive System: Brushless OutRunner High Torque Motor
    * Propeller: 3 Paddles
    * Speed Controller: 20A Brushless ESC
    * Servo: 4X 9g high speed micro servos
    * Battery: 11.1V 1300mah Li-Polymer
    * Control system: 4 CH 2.4GHz Multifunctional Transmitter and Receiver
    * Radio Control Range: 3000 feet (1000m)

Package Include:

    * Airplane (90% assembled)
    * 4 Channel 2.4GHz Multifunctional Spectrum Transmitter
    * Wall Battery Balance Charger
    * High Quality Rechargeable 11.1V 1300mah Li-Polymer Battery
    * BONUS Simulator Kit and Software (Practice flying helicopters and airplanes on your computer)
    * BONUS Training Video CD (RC Helicopter & Airplane Education)
    * English Manual


Need to know if this is a good buy or not. will be booking the same tomo. With shipping nd all to India, its coming to like Rs.10grand. good buy?

Welcome to RC India

The package sure seems nice.  Here are some concerns though.

1.  You may end up with customs issues while importing ARFs including radio.  Also, customs charges have to be factored into the costs, which mean that you may find similar deals locally.

2.  A low wing plane like this Spitfire require good flying skills and are not really recommended for beginners. You may be able to get away with it if you try the first few flights on places like paddy/wheat fields covered with tall plants AND you have tons and tons of simulator experience.  A high wing plane is highly recommended.

hey thanks anwar for the speedy reply
so far i found bananahobbies with great deals, especially with rtf with 2.4ghz radios.

its gonna be shipped via ups from there. any idea to how much approx is custom charges to the same, rather how its figured. so i know, and dun end up spending 10grand extra more :-(

i already started training on the fms sim.

or; what about this baby; a parkflier f4 phantom II. http://www.bananahobby.com/1916.html

i am too flippin excited to jus buy one:p awaiting ur comments

That is even more trouble (harder to control) than the Spitfire

Also beware that Bananahobby itself has a level of bad feedback that can be considered a notch above what is normal for such businesses.

Regarding the duty, it seems to be entirely at the discretion of the customs official (although though there are published rules/rates).  A lot of times nothing is charged, various percentages of duties are charged at other times, and finally, at other times radios are confiscated !

Overall, please do consider the landed cost of what you are trying to get, and see if you at least get the radio locally.

Hi Warrel,

Welcome!

As regards customs, please check so many posts dedicated to this topic here. Just search "customs" and you should have them listed.

As for models, if you are ok with building, go for a foamy with so many plans and options available to start with. A search here should give you good options like blue baby and others...

If you dun want to build and one of those who like flying more than building or are too busy to build your own plane and experiment, go to a LHS and pick a high winger trainer (better still a glider). I am saying go to LHS because the feel of feeling the model and the radio etc. before buying, cant be beaten. Specially for a first timer. I am talking out of experience.

You could try the India Hobby Centre near congress house, off Lamington Road...

Many learned folks here will help you make a good and more importantly wise choice.

Have fun  

+1 Srikant! A full blown RTF with Radio is all trouble to invite, specially in sensitive place like national capital!! I think someone already had his RTF held at customs, though few got them passed thru (but was some time back).

I too would suggest you to visit LHS for sensitive items like Radio and ARF/RTF. Don't do all the preparation to never enter the hobby if things gets stuck. I faced similar dilemma, so giving earnest opinion.

@ - Anwar, Shrikant & Ujjwaana!

thanks so much guys!

i am that impulsive buyer types :p and you guys saved me a great deal here i guess. Will take this saturday and go riding around the LHS around bombay, and get some more info and rnd out. and who knows, meybe buy myself a rc plane while me at it :p


till then cant wait for my sim controller to be shipped..all excited, and still flying planes using keyboard keys on fms :p

i plan to get my first plane asap, but also want to invest good. as i would want to buy first  a 4channel 2.4ghz radio for starters.


p.s. if anyone could come along with me, or give me a contact, nothing like it. cheers!

If you really intend to stay in this hobby a 6 Ch computer radio would be a better choice than a 4Ch Radio. One would outgrow a 4 Ch radio pretty fast. Also don't buy RTF kits. It is much better to buy the Radio System and the Model separately. Go for the best radio you can afford and buy a kit or an ARF plane of your preference. Also go for a 4 ch control [ Ele, Rud, Thrtl and Aileron ] model trainer plane instead of the 3 Ch [Ele, Rud,and Throtl ] plane. In the beginning you can learn flying using only Rudder, Elevator and Throttle only and keep the Ailerons stationary and without aileron servo installed. When you are past your 1st learning phase, and ready for ailerons all you got to do is installing an aileron servo and start using the ailerons also and continue your training without having to buy a new plane with ailerons.  

Quote from: Rao on March 05, 2010, 04:36:22 AM
Also go for a 4 ch control [ Ele, Rud, Thrtl and Aileron ] model trainer plane instead of the 3 Ch [Ele, Rud,and Throtl ] plane. In the beginning you can learn flying using only Rudder, Elevator and Throttle only and keep the Ailerons stationary and without aileron servo installed.

Not really  as per me  :
1) GWS  Slow stick : one of the most best Beginners plane widely discussed on RG  running in to 9 threads  is a 3 channel beginners plane :
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=407136&highlight=slow+stick
2) Multiplex Easy Star : needs no Introduction as the best beginners planes  again a 3 channel.
3) Multiplex easy Cub : One of the new ones of Multiplex another 3 channel.

Even very experienced  RC Pilots  I know of eg Prady from Pune  or Chan still fly their easy Star  .

These 3 channels planes utility  does not end with learning they are the preferred  platforms for many FPV and UAV applications  which   use advanced Model avionics.

Sai

I agree with Mr Rao. getting a TX just sufficing your present need is no good. Invest in a good 6+ channel TX

1. Sanwa RDS8000  (13K)
http://www.rcdhamaka.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=89&products_id=225

2. Buy a used Fuataba/JR 7+ channel Tx and put an Assan Hack for 2.4Ghz (suggested for beginner so that they don't mess up with others Frequency on FM)

http://cgi.ebay.in/ASSAN-X8D-2-4GHz-trainer-port-X8-hack-module-PPM-Only_W0QQitemZ150371344086QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_203?hash=item2302d49ed6#ht_1126wt_939

Quotep.s. if anyone could come along with me, or give me a contact, nothing like it. cheers!

Warrel

Only two LHS in Mumbai. Call: 98202 84641 and will advise.

Hello all,
Let me first say i am VERY new to this hobby. And had been looking at some options to buy basic Radio systems (Rx/Tx). Checked with India Hobbies at Lamington Road, Mumbai. but found the Futaba unit they have is quite costly and as of now out of my budget. So was looking online. found Rcforall (chennai) is reasonably priced. but like mentioned here there are lot of options and much cheaper if bought from, say Taiwan or Singapore. and surely will like to buy from there. a 4-channel costs Rs.3500/- @chennai while ~Rs.1850/- @ HObbycity.com. also found lowpricerc.com a good option(excl taxes, i dont mind paying them). surely want to save on those 000s as i wud be messing around with this one(and a good posibility that i might damage it).
Have some questions regarding the same:

1) I read ppl r suggesting against buying Radios from abroad.. Why so?? whats the prob? if it attracts customs duty, how much is it?

2) most units available are 2.4GHz, but read in other posts that it requires Govt. permission. whats the story for 72Mhz? doesnt it require permission? (there are much more options available in 2.4Ghz range!)

3) my one friend is in US now n will be back in 2 weeks time. what if he carries a radio system for me on him? does it still attract duty, if brought in open condition (out of box). Or is it advisable to just purchase it locally??
sorry for the long post and the trouble. There might already some post regarding this but i am still reading them!!!

And RCFORALL, sorry brother no offence please, infact i appreciate your efforts on all online forums to make this sport more popular, but i am really on a budget and want to experiment first!!

Thanks in advance.

1) Multiple people have run into customs issues with importing radios.  There are threads here with details.  Some people had them held by customs, but submitting some paperwork got them released, but the experience was not pleasant at all.  http://www.rcindia.org/rc-general-topics/hobbycity-parcel-detained-at-customs!!!/msg14733/#msg14733

Others have had no issues.  So be aware that you are trying your luck.  If you get customs charged, it is usually less than 25%.

Remember that you need to weigh in the customs, shipping charges and delay/hassle when ordering radios from outside.  Typically, the differences are not worth it, certainly on the low end.

2) 2.4Ghz is de-licensed for general purpose uses, so it is easier to explain to authorities (like in the thread above).  But to be fully legal, each model/unit has to be approved, in which case the only current option is IndianHobbies.com.  72Mhz is totally unapproved at this time, but it is widely used because of its availability (as opposed to 27Mhz, which is the only one specifically approved for RC in India).  2.4Ghz is more convenient and certainly the future, so that would be the preferred option.

3) Even though some risk exists in carrying a radio in person (only in checked in baggage, NOT hand baggage), so far every reported experience is that customs authorities have not created any issues with this method.  We have many experiences here of the same.  I guess they see it as toy remotes in Xray pictures, which they see many many times, so they do not specifically question it.  This may be a good option for you.  You can get some pretty good deals on US forum market places, like this : http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/category.cfm?catID=29 , if your contact in the US can get the deal done quickly.

I would suggest that you look at buying locally or getting it via your contact in the US. And 2.4Ghz, if you have a choice.

Hello Anwar,
Thanks for your guidance.. i am now waiting for my friend to contact back. also thanks for ur link. means if he cant bring it(he's travelling around) my best option would be buy locally!! will surely go for 2.4GHz then. BTW, IndiaHobbies' shop in Mumbai were selling 72Mhz.
thanks

"Indian Hobbies" that I am referring to is in Pune.

http://indianhobbies.com/shop/index.php?main_page=contact_us

PS: BTW, I would say that pretty much 100% of the existing RC flyers are, as of today, using a non-fully approved radio.

Thanks Sai for raising to the occasion.

Mr Mpp, As Sai has said, please don't try to get ANY kind of Tx via post unless some one can carry it personally from US/West which again could be bigger disaster if they catch your friend at the ariport. Anyway, after Customs, Postage, the price advantage you percieve would greatly diminish.

You have decent options now from RCDhamaka, Rcforall and IndianHobbies, both Type Approved and grey.Go for them.

Definitely 2.4G is better for beginners, both as they wont interfere others on the fields accidentally (may be more common  with rookies) and you don't have older FM Rx/TX for Re-use. There are many cheaper 2.4G option there which are even more cost effective than FM. You can go for the cheaper 2.4 systems in the market like Sai has, better still, look out for good OEM used Tx (Futaba, Jr, Sanwa etc) and get Assan Hack module. This would give you better support, feature, reliability as you would have a proven base (OEM TX), and continued support from Assan in form of Rx.

Like Mr Astha I thought I will also share my experience of getting into RC on limited budget so here it goes.
   
Though there are many ways of getting into RC in most economical ways, I for one would very strongly agree with Mr Anwar on the choice of Radio aspect and the time to be spent on SIM and Mr Sai on the choice of airframe and electric aspect.  

Though getting into RC was since my young year's dream, Like Mr Astha I had started very late in this hobby at the Age of 37, just year and half before.

I read, read and read a lot. Though many cheaper radio were available, decided to pick up Futaba 7C 2.4 Ghz on the line of Mr Anwar's point of view.

However I was very, very lucky to have picked up the 7C 2.4 Ghz first and then later 6EX 2.4 Ghz from ebay bid under 7K only ( I was lucky that it was before the Radio and customs issue). Only that it was Mode –I and I had to convert them both to Mode –II both mechanically and in the setup. Even the almost brand new 6EX 72 Mhz picked up from ebay last was for under 4K. (The Idea was adopted from how Mr Dave entered into RC in youtube video RCPower.com)

For me understanding basics of RC Plane was from many hour of reading again and again

http://sky.prohosting.com/air2/index2.htm

Building and flying technique was from many, many endless hours of youtube video's which is by the way still continuing.

Development of flying skill was purely from many hours of FMS, since I am alone in RC in Jhansi. Now improvement of skill is still going on FMS and Clearview SIM.

So I started into RC in electrics under 12K (May be I was way too lucky, or may be my patience paid off)

So when I actually went to the field and started flying it was within two to three crash, trashing of only airframe (Since I started with EPS Only) I was comfortably airborne even though being alone.

I for one would strongly recomend that one should not compromise on the RADIO. As it is one of the most important component which will stay with you for many many year now that you have taken a decision to venture into the world of RC.

Thanks Guys for ur reply,
Anwarji, deals on RCuniverse are lot tempting, only prob is doing the payment! and my friend is unable to arrange that with the sellers there. :-( He'll be in California for a week but i dont think any stores could guarantee delivery that fast??
I think i'll go for RCFORALL. Just waiting for my friend to give a (negative) confirmation.!
Btw, Ujwaana, i didnt understand this:

Quote from: ujjwaana on March 15, 2010, 06:45:07 PM
" You can go for the cheaper 2.4 systems in the market like Sai has, better still, look out for good OEM used Tx (Futaba, Jr, Sanwa etc) and get Assan Hack module. This would give you better support, feature, reliability as you would have a proven base (OEM TX), and continued support from Assan in form of Rx."

Also "both Type Approved and grey.Go for them. " do they also sell in grey??
I also have some basic questions about the systems which i'll post in beginners section.
Thanks
Meghan

Do we have any branch in Mumbai ? Pl give me contacts

Sorry, but "branch" of what ? What does "we" refer to ?

PS: Kindly do not use all capital letters, as it is considered SHOUTing on online forums. Also, if you have a question that is unrelated to this thread, please start a new topic on the same.  I can sure feel your excitement Please take your time, and read the "RC India Gems" before asking questions.

Hi,
   I am restarting after > 20 yrs lay off. Need advice on this radio KDS  2.4Ghz 7ch w/ 5 Model Memory TX & RX V2 (Mode 2). Rs 5300+shipping. Worth it?

Depends on your budget and plans.  If you have enough budget and long term plans, a brand radio with better display and features would be the right thing to do.

I am not sure if more can be said about this subject other than what is in this thread : http://www.rcindia.org/radios-and-receivers/is-this-a-good-radio-offer/ .  If anything is left out in that thread, it is that Airtronics does not seem to have got the exposure it deserves.

Quote from: gauravag on April 03, 2009, 06:39:18 PM
Guys. I do not support piracy, but you can get the RealFlight form here too.
http://thepiratebay.org/search/realflight/0/99/0
An option for people on low cost.

Is this site a fake or actual prog download site??