Comprehensive Testing
| FACTORS INCLUDED
IN A RANGE TEST |
| USING THE SYSTEM DESCRIBED |
·model generated rf and emi
(bearings, pumps, batteries, loose bolts, mufflers, etc.) |
| ·transmittter output (module condition) |
| ·transmitter frequency tuning |
| ·receiver tuning |
| ·receiver sensitivity |
| ·vibration test |
| ·receiver antenna placement |
·model structure interference
(receiver signal re-radiation) |
| ·transmitter/receiver crystal condition |
Range testing is comprehensive in nature
Unlike battery testing, which is focused on one issue - battery capacity, the range test is very comprehensive, taking into account a host of different aspects critical to the success of your model. There's no doubt that many modellers are successful without performing a range test. But having performed some "post mortem" reviews of models that met their demise, it's clear that many may have been saved had the modeller performed an adequate test.
While it's nice that many modellers have confidence that their JR equipment "has worked flawlessly in the past" and therefore conclude it should be true in the future, it just isn't so. As the sophistication of modeling increases, the number of variables that affect radio performance increase. JR builds a superb system, but even the best receiver in the world isn't going to be able to reject the interference caused by a 35,000 volt spark ignition system that's placed in close proximity to the receiver. That's a gross example, but there are many other examples of model-generated RF, the cumulative effect of which is to degrade radio range. In polling JR team members, all agreed that model-generated interference is equal to or more common than product-related or extraneous interference. The ONLY way to test for model generated interference is through an engine-on range test. Clearly, the more expensive the model, the greater the need for a comprehensive range test. What's more, AMA safety rules wisely call for every model to be range tested. Let's get on with it.
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