RC Cars HPI Dash

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

GETTING INTO RC HOBBY

Radio Control is like pursuing your dream clouds. It gives you the kick of piloting your own Air Force or commanding your own fleet. Beginners begin with RC trucks or cars and they love being totally in control of a fully functional scale model that is just waiting for your next command.

It is important to know the various type of options available to pursue your hobby. The most popular type of R/C car is the Off-Road Buggy. Big tires with "knobby" spikes, full-travel suspension parts and a high ground clearance allow the off-roader to go almost anywhere. They come with either two-wheel drive (2WD) or four-wheel-drive (4WD), and reach speeds of 15-30 mph. On-Road cars usually have lower ground clearances, slicks tires, aerodynamic bodies, and are capable of a bit higher speeds.

Cars use different kind of energy source to make them go around. The source can be either electric or fuel. Cars that run on battery packs are electric cars. They use a rechargeable NiCad battery pack for power. They can run up to 10 minutes and can be recharged in about 15 minutes. Nitro cars are actually powered by a small engine that burns a special glow fuel. Some can reach speeds of over 50 mph.

One can choose to make his own car or to own one that is ready for get – set – go. These cars can be identified as RTR (ready – to – run) which come with installed radio system or ATR (Almost – ready – to – run). ATR models need to have the radio systems etc installed into them Newbie can choose from models that are RTR. This helps them to enjoy the hobby more than getting into the technical details. Such pre-built models are also preferred by “backyard” drivers. For kits that need building up are suggestible for older hands who have been in the hobby rings for sometime. The advantage to building a kit yourself is that you will know how to repair any possible damage. These kits are opted by racers bent upon winning organized competitions and showing off their models on the tracks and hitting the tracks hard.
2-channel Radio system is also required to control the RC model in hand. Along with the same a pack of batteries preferably NiCad are required with a charger. Buying the car, radio, battery and charger together is preferable as you get all the compatible parts and save money too.
Speed of the model depends upon the fuel it uses. Although nitro cars that use glow fuel have more power and speed but electric models are also good for starters who want to chase around little buggies for the sake of hobby. But this does not mean that choosing an electric model is settling for a lesser performance. After mastering the skills of the hobby one can always upgrade the models and choosing new models as well.

Some other requirements to pursue the hobby are to have a tool box well –equipped with ordinary tools such as screwdrivers, nut drivers, pliers and the like. Although building a kit rather than buying prebuilt does require extra time, there are advantages. You'll gain a expert understanding of how your machine works, which comes in handy when performing maintenance and tuning.

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