The 2.4 GHz Radio Revealed

Over the last several years there has been more and more talk about the new radio technology.  This technology is the 2.4 GHz Spread Spectrum System.  So why is this technology better than conventional AM or FM frequencies.  I am going to visit some of the most common advantages and let you determine if this is the new direction or just hipe.

1. The 2.4 GHz radios use a range of frequencies tht are much cleaner.  They have very little interference and therefore much less chance of glitches.
2. The antenna is rarely over 4 inches in length and is flexable.  This greatly reduces the chance of bending or breaking the antenna.
3. The 2.4 GHz system uses over 4 billion signals.  This means that you will never have to wait for your channel to clear.
4. The transmitter and receiver do not use crystals. They automaticaly search for an open signal when switched on.  Just think how nice it is to not have to scramble around swapping out crystals before that big race.
5. The nature of the the technology allows for additional information about you RC car to be transmitted to a display on the readio.  Speed, RPM, running temperatures are examples of information that can be brought directly from your car to your display.
6. The antennae on your car is also shorter.  This means there is a smaller chance of damage.  It also means your car will look more scale.  It definitely is more realistic without the antennae hanging out.
7. The radio itself is more lightweight.  Most of these radios will use only 4 “AA” alkalines rather than the bulky 8 we are so used to.
8. Less trouble with receivers.  It is the crystals that usually go bad over time.  For those of use that love off road cars are used to the fact that all that vibrating will eventually cause the crystals to fail.
9. Faster response.  Because the transmitter sends data to the receiver more often than AM or FM transmitters.  This means you get a much faster response time.

So in an nutshell it looks like 2.4 GHz spread spectrum technology gives a definite increase in the safety of the RC hobby by reducing the chances of runaways and glitches.  It also increase the performance of your radio signal.  This gives you a much better experience whether you are a basher or a racer.