Darwin, I think your answer lies in the unique qualities and general low numbers of the soaring communities.
INMHO I think the lack of Soaring adoption into 2.4 occurs for a few reasons that follow but are not limited to: The standard TX for many soaring enthusiasts is the Sanwa / Airtronics Stylus and many are waiting for a 2.4 GHZ module due out before next season. The JR and Futaba systems offer most of the Stylus functionality and in some cases a few features I would like to see on a stylus but many pilots are loath to give up their Stylus yet. If Sanwa fails ot get thier module out I May have to fly JR myself. People don't want to poke holes in their nose cone or fuse to allow the two whiskers to exit. 2.4 friendly noses are becomeing main stream and this may also push adoption up. The FUD (fear uncertainty and doubt) factor is still high. I just attended an f3J contest and someone on my flight line had to get a backup model because thier primary failed to bind up. Many see 2.4 technology as still teething and would like to see it get to a more critical mass before putting it into something as unforgiving as an unpowered aircraft. Fail safe in a glider is a crap shoot at best so trying out a new technology that could leave you free flying is just plain scary. The real pressure to move to 2.4 is to attain a frequency-less situation that avoids conflicts. Glider pilots are the geeks of the R/C crowd and at the fields I fly, on a sunny Saturday or Sunday morning I have a hard time finding another pilot to talk to let alone conflict with. I have to make a call and organize to get someone to show up there when I am flying! Contest pilots are the ones who are moving fairly fast towards 2.4 which is a very small number of a select small crowd. I will be there next season myself. My secondary field is very close to a private power field so the prospect of removing conflicts is my main advantage. My main concern is that 2.4 is unregulated. I wonder how long will it be before we are competing for space along with channel hopping WIFI cards, SUPER long range household phones and other devises. Unregulated spectrum rarely creates good communication between industries. I am sure that given any pressure that manufactureres will inovate and overcome so I will see you in 09 with a 2.4 glider :) Just my two cents. On Thu, May 29, 2008 at 7:14 AM, Darwin Barrie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I thought 2.4 was all the rage. People abandoning 72 and ham band en masse > to use 2.4 and selling everything off. So, why are we not seeing it as much > in the sailplane world? > > At the SW Classic there were not nearly as many as I expected. I did not > get the count but it was far less than we thought we'd get. Now, I was > reviewing the pilot list for the IHLGF and see that there are only 4 pilots > using 2.4, myself included (53 total entries). > > I am using the Futaba Fasst System. I have the 9C Super transmitter with > the 2.4 Fasst Module and the 607 Fasst receivers in my Blaster, Blaster 2 > and Vandal. These small receivers fit nicely and the two whisker antennas > are easily exited from the fuselage. > > So far they are working great with no range issues. Admittedly, I have not > used the system in a crowded environment, but I have no doubt it will work > fine. > > Darwin N. Barrie > Chandler AZ > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and > "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that > subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with > MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL > are generally NOT in text format >
