Post by thevon on Sept 25, 2008 8:12:11 GMT 10
Guys as I mentioned in my report from yesterday I had a prang purely due to interference from my mobile. I'll repeat that bit here and a bit more detail. Worth being aware of this risk.
Yesterday I flew the Wizard Compact BPV for the first time since a major repair. It flew just like new, absolutely an amazing slope rocket. DS’ed it a bit and it was as always, stable and excellent. Then my mobile phone rang, and since there's lots going on with work I answered it, clicked speakerphone, dropped the phone on the grass and knelt beside it talking while still flying the Wiz. No probs, I do this a lot. I circled the plane close to the slope & just then Sean landed & offered to fly the plane – I nodded - I went to hand him the radio, steering with the right hand - as I stood up I picked up the phone with the left hand – wanted to turn off the camber slider on the left side (Multiplex Coc-kpit SX) so I grabbed the left side of the radio with the phone cupped in my left hand, as the Wizard suddenly went crazy and flipped and rolled out of the sky, with me stunned and madly trying to regain control. Soon as it crashed I looked down and realized I’d been holding the phone pressed against the back of the radio and said “It must have been the mobile causing interference!”
It was a terrible disappointment, finding the Wiz’s nose bent and cracked behind the nose cone. After I’d stopped screaming, foaming at the mouth and punching the sky I tried to work out what had gone on. Had I stalled it? I guess we both had doubts about the mobile phone theory, but I switched the Wiz and the Tx back on, dialed Sean on the mobile, then held the phone behind the Tx and BAM!, the servos went crazy. It didn't just glitch - it locked out on maximum servo travels etc. We were pretty surprised. We tried the experiment again with the same result. There’s no doubt that’s what did it.
It only did it when it was actually on a call. When the phone was on standby I was able to hold it against the radio with no problem, but when it was dialling/ calling the plane went mad.
I do seem to have more radio glitch problems than most, and now that I think of it, I keep my phone in my front pocket and hold my radio level with my belt (no strap) which is very close to the phone - so this may account for some of my glitching. In future I'll be keeping the phone in my back pocket.
I didn't realize a mobile phone could glitch up a transmitter so I posted this on RC Groups too, and there are a few responses to see:
www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=928733#post10613100
Yesterday I flew the Wizard Compact BPV for the first time since a major repair. It flew just like new, absolutely an amazing slope rocket. DS’ed it a bit and it was as always, stable and excellent. Then my mobile phone rang, and since there's lots going on with work I answered it, clicked speakerphone, dropped the phone on the grass and knelt beside it talking while still flying the Wiz. No probs, I do this a lot. I circled the plane close to the slope & just then Sean landed & offered to fly the plane – I nodded - I went to hand him the radio, steering with the right hand - as I stood up I picked up the phone with the left hand – wanted to turn off the camber slider on the left side (Multiplex Coc-kpit SX) so I grabbed the left side of the radio with the phone cupped in my left hand, as the Wizard suddenly went crazy and flipped and rolled out of the sky, with me stunned and madly trying to regain control. Soon as it crashed I looked down and realized I’d been holding the phone pressed against the back of the radio and said “It must have been the mobile causing interference!”
It was a terrible disappointment, finding the Wiz’s nose bent and cracked behind the nose cone. After I’d stopped screaming, foaming at the mouth and punching the sky I tried to work out what had gone on. Had I stalled it? I guess we both had doubts about the mobile phone theory, but I switched the Wiz and the Tx back on, dialed Sean on the mobile, then held the phone behind the Tx and BAM!, the servos went crazy. It didn't just glitch - it locked out on maximum servo travels etc. We were pretty surprised. We tried the experiment again with the same result. There’s no doubt that’s what did it.
It only did it when it was actually on a call. When the phone was on standby I was able to hold it against the radio with no problem, but when it was dialling/ calling the plane went mad.
I do seem to have more radio glitch problems than most, and now that I think of it, I keep my phone in my front pocket and hold my radio level with my belt (no strap) which is very close to the phone - so this may account for some of my glitching. In future I'll be keeping the phone in my back pocket.
I didn't realize a mobile phone could glitch up a transmitter so I posted this on RC Groups too, and there are a few responses to see:
www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=928733#post10613100
.