Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Land Models / September 2003

hugh jass tried to scribble ...

Sometimes other manufacturers crystals work with other transmitters and
receivers, sometimes they just don't.. ;)

Suck it and see .. you can't harm anything, other than perhaps the model,
though bench-testing and range testing first will help a whole lot .. ;)

I run KO equipment, but also have Futaba Tx / Rx and Sanwa Tx / Rx
combinations.  The KO and Futaba pieces swap over easily, the Sanwa doesn't
like _anything_ else at all .. ;)

You cannot swap crystals from two different bands they will not work.  Not
sure if it will actually hurt anything.  The receiver and controller are
tuned to the specific bands labeled on them, and cannot be changed by a
crystal swap.  You can send in your receiver to the manufacturer and have it
retuned for a few bucks.

Just to add to Paul's and MrDiesel's answers...

You shouldn't swap crystals between Tx and Rx (i.e. Rx crystal in Tx and
vice versa) - it will work, but you'll be running on a slightly shifted
frequency and anyone trying to run on a neighbouring freq may well get
pi$$ed off with you :-)

You cannot swap crystals between different bands (27 MHz, 35 MHZ, 40 MHz,
49 MHz, 75 MHz etc, depending on country and whether it's an aircraft or
not).

You *can* swap crystals within the *same* band - so you could replace your
27.145 (Yellow) crystals with a 27.195 (Green) pair, for example.

(Note: ISTR hearing once that US law prohibits *any* changing of frequency,
which may be what MrDiesel is referring to; however, I can't see how R/C
modelling works at all in the States if this is actually enforced.)

HTH,
Jonny