I have the Futaba 8FG ( H model with the smooth throttle by default which still has a ratchet but isn't engaged ). I'll try to answer your questions... but I'm also going to have some fun doing it...
Model match ... If I recall, Spektrum came up with that feature and name ... Futaba users didn't need it since they don't forget which models go with which aircraft ( ah hem, cough cough ).
The 8FG has a transmitter ID that the receiver records and only will bind to that ID after the initial binding but a model match feature hadn't been thought of by anyone yet ( at least not released yet ). The 8FG is claimed ( by Futaba ) to be the first to support flybarless heli's and it has an internal model memory of 20 but that is extended to infinite with the included SD card reader. I don't believe a radio that supports telemetry had been released at the time they had made my radio... those came out shortly after, perhaps a year or two later. Another cool feature it had, it was released as an 8ch radio and later upgraded to support up to 14ch.
I can only think of two telemetry features I'd probably use... Primarily the battery capacity/condition would be what I'd like to have the most. Second to that and not as important would be receiver radio signal strength although I never fly out of view of my model... but it'd still be nice to check on occasionally. If the data is recordable and you could look it over after a flight by copying it to the SD card and evaluate it on a PC, that could have it's uses as well especially after some incident happened.
I do think the model match feature is a nice one. I don't recall any time I ever had chosen the wrong model or forgot to switch to the next model I was going to fly... but brain farts do happen and it'd be nice to have something "have my back".
The reason I asked was because when I first got into this awesome hobby, I had a friend that was just getting into to it too and had a Align 500 and 600 flybar birds. His TX was a Futaba digital 6 channel but I forget the exact model. As I remember, he wanted instant gratification. After two crashes, he rebuilt both of them. The next thing I know is he crashed the 600 bad because he said he was on the wrong model setting with the TX. Can that really happen, or is it pilot error again. HA! Next thing I know, he sells everything and I was on my own. That's when I bought my DX8. Because it had (Model Match).
Oh hey, about telemetry, I heartily agree with you on that.
On to the adendim. Now you've done it..
Aren't those tiny coaxial cables cool that their using for the antennas.. Yup for sure the li'll wires sticking out the them- li'll gray wires are indeed the radiators and or receiver elements of the RX/TX.
Kina brings me back a while.
Antennae are so important to the mix. Way more than the average man knows.
Not to get off topic to far, enjoy what we learned throughout the years. Antennae rule!!!
The Coaxile Phased Array nearly sent us both to the coo, coo house. Seven months of absolute tuning chaos and then one day, BOOM, I figured out what was wrong. I did this and that and we had a perfect SWR of 1:0 to 1.... Hint, it was all in the feed point. Bro Tom freaked out at the instant transformation from completely uselessness and something you'd never connect to an RF amp, to perfect tuning, whew! Nice..................
The KHKU project's antenna was a bit easier. Many less radiators and lower frequency meant easier tuning. But nevertheless,, the tuning was critical to the final amps 50 Ohm match to the 50 Ohm antenna. Remember this was a multiplex broadcast and that at the time had its own set of problems, LOL!! But we beat it and were jam'n at 107.3 mHz FM stereo for years! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now the antenna shown in the first frame, that's a UHF Coaxial Collinear Phased Array. We used that babee for short range com. We took a 2.3 watt handheld transceiver, with a SMA antenna connector, that allows for the removal of the little short whip antenna, and hooked it up to a nice base antenna. Wow! After that we started to learn about knife edge refraction. That is to say, sometimes when we were testing range, we were facing a 2000 foot mountain between the two TX's,, and wow we had great performance. The folks at the time with the Cell Phones, couldn't believe it because they had no reception in the valley where we were at, HA!
There is so much more to this story, but I think I go to bed before my brain gets' soar....
, there is no love for me here. I think Spektrum has a "smart" safe that keeps the model level with the ground but I've only heard about it and know nothing else. If it ( smart safe ) works as I think, that would be nice but I suspect it would only work with something that also has the AS3X features since some type of gyro would be required to know what is level.
