FASST goes slow

Futaba have at last acknowledged what many already knew - that a number of FASST systems have been released in the wild with identical GUID's, which has resulted in at least one crash in the UK. This issue affects the 6EX and 7C transmitters, as well as the TM-7 module.

For background on this issue, see my earlier report. For advisory bulletins, see

• Futaba USA
• Ripmax (UK)

The bulletins are identical except Ripmax make no mention of the Futaba 7C (perhaps it's not on sale in the UK).

Curiously, both bulletins mention another issue which appears to be unrelated to the duplicate GUID problem. I quote: "if the transmitter and receiver have lost their binding which required them to be re-linked, we recommend returning them to the Ripmax Futaba Service Centre for analysis. This is not expected behaviour and should be investigated accordingly."

A break from RC - my new Asus EEE PC

As a complete change, here is my new toy - an Asus EEE PC. This seems to have been a huge hit in the US over the Christmas period, and having had mine for just two days, it's not hard to see why.

There are two great things about it - firstly its ridiculously small size - it fits easily in a small corner of a small backpack, with lots of room for camera, groceries, transmitter etc. And secondly there are no moving parts (except for a processor fan which is not always on anyway).

The EEE PC has built-in Wifi, three USB ports, an SD card slot (great for reviewing photos), a small but perfectly formed keyboard, and a 6.9 inch screen. And a solid state disk, so no whirly bits to go wrong. It even comes with a stetchy neoprene case.

Yesterday I took it to my local Costa Coffee for a test run. Surprised myself at how easy it is to use a public Wifi network, and in a couple of minutes it was all up and running. I finished off the Futaba 12FG review, checked my email, surfed the Futaba site, and remoted into my work machine - with not a glitch or pause. I could swear a neighbouring iBook owner was casting envious glances in my direction...

The EEE PC runs under Xandros Linux, and has a fast and easy to use front end and takes only about 25 seconds to boot up. It comes with OpenOffice 2 preinstalled (this is largely compatible with MS Office). And all for a bargain £220. Here's the link.

2.4 GHz is totally secure. Or is it?

There are be thousands of modellers who entrust their models to 2.4 GHz radios, in the belief that 2.4 GHz spread spectrum transmission is inherently more secure than narrowband FM. And ignoring issues of external interference, hotspots, trees, water etc. 2.4 GHz is indeed much more secure than 35 MHz, because two spread spectrum transmitters simply cannot interfere with each.

...or can they?

A guy in my club claims that at another club he's a member of, two 2.4 GHz transmitters interfered with each other, leading to a crash. On further examination, the two transmitters were able to control the same receiver. Both transmitters were the same brand and type.

Now the only way this could happen, is they if the affected transmitters all left the factory with the same GUID. Since generating and loading GUID's is ultimately a human-managed task, we have to consider that this scenario is not as unlikely as it may at first appear.

If correct, this would be a pretty serious matter. Unless the offending transmitters could be identified by their serial numbers, the only totally option left to the distributor would be a total recall of all such sets sold. Otherwise, the manufacturers claims of interference immunity could not be guaranteed, and the purchaser would almost certainly have recourse under the law for a replacement set anyway.

Watch this space.