Spektrum DSMX indicator

[Hugh Wiedman]

OK, stupid question #500. I've been using a DX 6 gen2 for about 7 years and just noticed in the upper left hand corner of the screen, the DSMX indicator. I know this shows up when it is bound to a receiver, but just to the left of it when bound to a plane is a 4 bar indicator like you have on your cell phone for signal. When I'm close to the bound plane, all 4 bars are up. As I get further away, they start to drop off and about 50-100 feet away there is only a line. I have over 25 planes with a spektrum AR636 in them and at first I thought it meant that I was losing signal to/from the receiver. Turns out it's like that on all my planes and they still fly fine even as I get quite far away. Have to admit in over 500 flights I never looked at it while flying, but just happened to the other day. Can't tell if it's always been that way or just started to happen recently. Eventually going to a DX8 when I finish my next bank heist, but for now just wondering if I've got a potential problem. Of course the manual is totally useless on this issue.

[xviper]

I only had the DX6 G2 for about a year before I moved on to the DX8. I vaguely recall that “meter” but I also seem to recall it was specific to the AR636. The 636 has some sort of telemetry and those bars may have something to do with that. Have you noticed the bars on any other model of receivers? Do you even use other RXs?
I noticed that the telemetry on the 636 reports primarily RX voltage. When I’m also using a Lemon telemetry unit, I get very few parameters like altitude until the plane moves to about 150 to 200 feet away. I think the 636 telemetry overshadows the Lemon till it gets that far away. That’s when those bars disappear. I may be wrong about this since my recollection of this goes back some years now. Anyway, it never seemed to have any affect on how the plane flies so I stopped wondering about it. I don’t remember seeing those bars when using other non-telemetry RXs.

[Hugh Wiedman]

Thanks xviper for your input. I exclusively use the AR636 in all my planes as I've gotten fairly proficient in programming it and I've never had an issue with them, so I can't say if those bars show up with other receivers. I did have a 627T in both F4's initially which I used to report battery pack voltage, but got tired of the voice callouts of voltage and didn't find it all that useful (and it always dropped dramatically when pushing the throttle giving a lower than true voltage). Switched to the AR636 in both those jets after about 10 flights as it really smoothed out the performance and can't remember if the bars were present.

[xviper]

You got me curious. I went and plugged a battery into a couple of planes. On my Radian XL, with the 636, I get the bars, which quickly disappears when I walk away or if I turn a certain direction. If you open up your telemetry menu and ask to see a display of RX voltage and the full screen where you can see a summary of other parameters, you'll see under the RX voltage readout, a couple of items just below. One of them is "F". I have no idea what "F" is for but that number is somehow associated with the strength of the bars.
Then, when I plug in a different non-636 RX, there are no bars. A 636 is both a receiver and a transmitter of sorts. It has to get information back to your TX. That bar has some relationship to the strength of the "send/receive" signal. What exactly, I have no idea. Find out what "F" represents and you may have an answer. I doubt that it's important to most of us.

[Hugh Wiedman]

I think you're on to something. On my telemetry menu, I have 12 items, most of which read "empty", except 11 is RxV and 12 is Flight Log. I have changed #1 to AS3X (which defaults to empty also), and this allows one of the in flight screens (accessed via the right roll bar) to show gains in all axes. I use this to change gains (if programmed to absolute instead of relative) during flight. This screen, along with the flight log screen and RxV screen can only be accessed via the roller when a 636 receiver is bound and connected. Mostly, I only check that AS3X screen before taking off to make sure the AS3X is working and giving the correct values in each of the 3 flight modes I have programmed (1: fly around, 2: take-off flaps, 3: landing flaps). It seems as I move away from the plane further and further, the values in the screen go from populated to blank as the bars go away!

Thanks again for your input; looks like something that not's critical, now I can go back to only having to worry about taking off, flying and landing instead of loosing signal control as well.