# Radio Control Gear



## BarryM (Jan 19, 2006)

I have 112 UK model-related website addresses in my Favourites folder. I can track down almost any bit of model gear however obscure. What I cannot do is find a company prepared to service or repair or modify a RC transmitter. My gear is Fleet/Digifleet control in origin but although they still maintain a website, emails and phone calls fail to get through and they appear to have gone out of business. If anyone out there can put me in touch with a person/company prepared to do Tx work, then I would be very grateful. Thanks


----------



## G-Dave (Oct 2, 2006)

Radio control gear is so cheap these days it will probably cost you more to alter a set than to get new.
Dave


----------



## 6639 (Apr 20, 2006)

hi barrym,fleet/digifleet were a small concern who produced ( so I have been told many years ago ) their man made ( as opposed to mass production ) systems and sometimes produced in kit form for the home electronics expert to buy and put together.as such very few companies will even look at them because they think ( usually wrongly ) that they have been cobbled together by the amateur. if you are wanting a working radio set,as g-dave says you are much better and cheeper buying a new one,as they are 1000% more efficient and reliable,and much lighter also.however should you want to retain your old set perhaps get in touch with the editor of the model boats magazine called John Cundell and ask him if a regular submitter of articles to the mag called david wiggins can help.he writes articles about old and collectable r.c and other electrical equipment,is a collecter of such and may be able to help with your quest.cheers,neil.john cundells phone no. is 01525 382847, email address is [email protected]


----------



## BarryM (Jan 19, 2006)

Gents,

To put the record straight, as far as I am aware Fleet never supplied kits. What they did produce was well-designed, bomb-proof radio gear that was ideal for model boat use and just kept on going. My 18 years' old 40MHz Tx/Rx combo (very light, reliable and efficient) is still going strong and the demand for Fleet gear continues. (Check out the prices it commands on eBay.) Will any of the foreign imports still be viable after 18 years? - I hae ma doots! The reason I want to contact Fleet now is because I was quoted a very reasonable price to modify another Tx and then they went into a black hole. The quote was much cheaper than a new Tx!!

The original owners of Fleet did sell up a few years back and sold off their old stock but then the business was bought by Lipeatts who recommenced production of Rx, ESC etc. They also had plans to restart Tx production but that came to nothing and I suspect EU type approval was the cause. 

As far as contacting the editor of Model Boats is concerned, Model Boats is no more; it went bust a few months back. Model Marine International is still going strong and I am in contact with their radio guru. If he can throw any light on the matter, I'll let you know.


----------



## 6639 (Apr 20, 2006)

i think you want to check your facts barrym before you slam those trying to help you!.for a start model boats did NOT go bust,it was the parent company who found themselves in financial difficulty and were subsequently bought out by another company,and model boats and all the other mags under the nexus banner are now being published quite happily and healthily,i'm just reading the latest publication as i type.as for the matter of fleet.i bought one in kit form nearly twenty years ago,and both I and g-dave were only trying to help you.if you don't want people's help,then please don't bother to post and ask for it.however,i for one think your casting aside, with contempt, of our well ment help was somewhat strong, to say the least.


----------



## flyer682 (Nov 20, 2004)

nhp651 said:


> i think you want to check your facts barrym before you slam those trying to help you!.for a start model boats did NOT go bust,it was the parent company who found themselves in financial difficulty and were subsequently bought out by another company,and model boats and all the other mags under the nexus banner are now being published quite happily and healthily,i'm just reading the latest publication as i type.as for the matter of fleet.i bought one in kit form nearly twenty years ago,and both I and g-dave were only trying to help you.if you don't want people's help,then please don't bother to post and ask for it.however,i for one think your casting aside, with contempt, of our well ment help was somewhat strong, to say the least.


I think you should go back and read BarryM's post again. You seem to have taken it in a totally different way to what was meant.


----------



## BarryM (Jan 19, 2006)

flyer682 said:


> I think you should go back and read BarryM's post again. You seem to have taken it in a totally different way to what was meant.


David,

Thank you for reading my posting rather than jumping to (wrong)conclusions. The point of my posting was to point out that an oldie can still be a goodie and match modern gear for performance and possibly outmatch it for longevity. 

If Model Boats is back on the shelves again then good for them; its a niche market that must be difficult to prosper in. 

If Fleet in its previous incarnation did make kits, then I stand corrected.

I hope NHP651 did follow your advice.


----------

