Futaba 9chp Super & rudder control

[Crelum]

I need someone with a Futaba 9CHP Tx to check something for me.
I've only had my transmitter for about 4 weeks and I am not having any luck getting rudder response with my models. I've only tried setting up two models on the radio, all the other model settings are still at default.

I've noticed that when I go into the basic menu, in any model, and go to the servo submenu to check the motion of the servo on the bar graph, I have very little movement on the bar graph when I apply rudder with the stick. The bar on the graph for channel 4, that represents the rudder, is extended about 3/4 below the baseline with the rudder stick at center. When I apply left rudder the bar moves to the baseline but does not cross. When I apply right rudder the bar graph lenghtens the other 1/4 below the baseline so that the bar is fully extended on the graph.

Is the rudder on my TX screwed up?

Should the bar be crossing the baseline in both directions (up and down) equally as I apply left then right rudder instead of just staying on one side?

Can you folks with the 9CHP's check out the servo menu and see if yours responds the same?

Also, when I go to end point menu to adjust the rudder, I can only adjust the right end point value. When I move the rudder stick to the left to highlight the left end point value, nothing happens. I can only get it to switch to the left end point value after I adjust the rudder trim to the left - about half way or so.

So, is this normal or does my TX need to be worked on?

It acts this way in acro (airplane) settings also.

[j bomb]

On the servo graph, the bar should extend the same in both directions as long as the endpoints are set the same. The little hashmark next to the bar indicates the distance the bar should move w/ the endpoint set to 100. Your Tx should reset all of the endpoints to a default of 100 when you create a new model, if it doesn't there is probably something wrong. Reading your description of how you can't adjust you LH endpoint, it really sounds like the pots that give the stick position information to the Tx's computer are messed up. You will probably need to send it in for service.

[BarracudaHockey]

If you are wanting it to go all the way to the end then you need to max out the end points. As he said, the hash marks are 100/100 if its not making it that far, and you dont have any mixing enabled, like REVO, then you need your transmitter recalibrated.

[Crelum]

The endpoints are 100/100, since the model is still at default settings, but I still only have 1/4 movement one way and 3/4 the other (according to the graph). On the actual servo, I only have movement one way and not the other reguardless of how much trim or subtrim I apply (no mixes or other stuff enabled - straight default ).

I didn't think the rudder pots were responding correctly, but I wasn't for sure since I am still new to R/C stuff. I just needed someone with experience to confirm it. This really sucks. My first computer Tx ever and its a lemon - what luck!!:mad: :bawl When I recieved it from Dee Tee Enterprises, the Tx was missing the Futaba neck strap. I wonder if it was returned to them by another costumer, minus the strap, because it didn't work. Since I don't know much about computer TX, I kept it, even though I've had problems getting rudder response. On a side note, Dee Tee did send me a replacement neckstrap, but its an Align strap. Oh well.

I guess I'll call Futaba and talk to them. Shouldn't cost me anything but shipping I guess, since the TX is only 4 weeks old and still unused. I wonder how long it takes to get them back after service?

[BarracudaHockey]

In my experience you will have it back to your door in about two weeks.

[peter84]

Suggest you verify that the expo and dual rates are set to 0% & 100% respectively. When you look at the smae thing on another model does it act the same?
Safe flying, Peter

[Crelum]

I just talked to the support guys at Futaba. They said it sounds like a bad potentiometer and I should send it in for service.

[Crelum]

Looks like they aren't going to backup their warranty. I've gotta pay to get my transmitter fixed even though they confirmed that it was a factory defect..... Hows that for service!!!!:mad:

I've had the Tx since Oct 19, 2007, and I haven't been able to use it, and it's already costing me more money.:arggg:

[krysta]

Sir,
I am sorry you are having problems with your Futaba transmitter, but yes, if you purchased this through Dee Tee Enterprises, you will need to contact them for warranty service.

Dee Tee Enterprises is not an authorized Futaba Dealer, and as such we do not honor any warranty claims for product purchased from them. While we can repair items that you purchase through them, you must pay for these repairs.

Futaba has a one year warranty on all of their products sold thru authorized Dealers to the "original purchaser"of the item.Since Dee Tee Enterprises is not one of our Dealers, they are considered the original purchaser.When you bought this from them, you were then the second owner.


Sincerely,
Krysta
Product Development & Support Specialist
Futaba Service Center USA

[Crelum]

Sounds like the old legal "two-step" to me.

All I know is that I bought it "new" from a store on-line, and I can't get warranty service on a product that was defective from the manufacturer. I didn't know that the store that sells the item is the first owner and I'm the second. I didn't know that only certain stores belong to the warranty club - in which case I guess the store isn't the first owner....Seems simple enough - stupid me, my loss.

Score : Big Corporate 1 Little Consumer 0.

I've already paid for the repair so its a moot point now, but if I would have known, I would have sent it back to Dee Tee Enterprises (the first owner) so they can send it in instead of me (the second owner) sending it directly to the service center. Thanks anyway for the reply Krysta, I'm just frustrated that I find all this out after the fact.

I'm sure my mood will improve ten fold once I get my transmitter back from the shop.

[krysta]

Crelum,

I am very sorry that this happened to you, but unfortunately, it is happening to many people who are finding this out about Dee Tee Enterprises.

We have had quite a few repairs sent to our service center lately that cannot be warrantied due to purchasing from this company. We do feel bad having to tell each of these customers that they purchased from a non-authorized hobby store.

Again, I am sorry, but hopefully this will let other consumers know to beware.

Krysta
Futaba Service Center USA

[DavidH]

Sounds like the old legal "two-step" to me.

All I know is that I bought it "new" from a store on-line, and I can't get warranty service on a product that was defective from the manufacturer. I didn't know that the store that sells the item is the first owner and I'm the second. I didn't know that only certain stores belong to the warranty club - in which case I guess the store isn't the first owner....Seems simple enough - stupid me, my loss.

Score : Big Corporate 1 Little Consumer 0.

I've already paid for the repair so its a moot point now, but if I would have known, I would have sent it back to Dee Tee Enterprises (the first owner) so they can send it in instead of me (the second owner) sending it directly to the service center. Thanks anyway for the reply Krysta, I'm just frustrated that I find all this out after the fact.

I'm sure my mood will improve ten fold once I get my transmitter back from the shop.


I don't know much about Dee Tee Enterprises. But I am guessing that some of his items he does not buy directly from distributors like Horizon or Great Planes. I would think he does not deal with Great Planes as they are the authorized Futaba distribution and service center for North America. So I am guessing that Dee Tee buys his Futaba radios thru another hobby business and then resales them online. If this is what Dee Tee is actually doing, then DeeTee is the only one that can honor the warranty. The warranty is only good to the original owner of the radio. Since he purchased the Futaba radios somewhere else besides from Great Planes. He is the original owner.
Dennis started off selling light kits for helis for night flying. He expanded his business from there.
I don't think it is right for the distributor to honor a warranty for items that were not purchased directly from them. So Futaba/Hobbico is not the problem with warranty work. Send it to Dee Tee and let them warranty it.

David

[BarracudaHockey]

I figured there was more to the story than it was a factory defect but they refused to fix it.

Take it up with DT, its not Futaba that misrepesented themselves.

[Crelum]

That's the problem. The Tx has already been sent in to Futaba earlier this month. I've already paid for the repair because they said it wasn't covered. Now I'm finding out all this stuff, but its too late. I don't fault Futaba nor do I hold a grudge and, yes I will buy Futaba products in the future.... But, finding out tid bits of info like this when its too late still sucks.

I didn't know that Dee Tee was small time. When you shop online you can't tell if they're a big business that orders from manufacturers or just someone who collects stuff and sells it on their web page. How do you know the difference? Not like they post "We are NOT an authorized dealer" on their web site. If they do I must have missed it.

So, if I understand correctly, that means the warranty is only good for one year after Dee Tee obtained the Tx - whenever that was. Correct? And the warranty covers Dee Tee and not me and if I need warranty work done I should have sent it to DT and not directly to Futaba. Live and learn. However; the warranty could very well be expired anyway depending on how long they had it in stock. Sound about right?

I never knew what the big deal was with stores that said they were an "Authorized Dealer", but now I do. Education complete. Maybe all this will help dispell some confusion for others and point them in the right direction.

Anyway, nuff said. I have to go and find out who owns my new dishwasher so I can get some warranty work done.:thinking

Consider the matter resolved.

[WellGrounded]

Why do manufacturers do this ?

krysta, did the company you work for make this product ? Why not just honor the warranty ? What is it going to cost to fix this mans radio ? $1 worth of parts ? $2 ? What's customer satisfaction worth to Futaba ?

I guess if one of my Futaba radios (I have many) needs service, I'll just pitch it in the
round file (and replace it with a product made by an honorable company)....:roll:

If this is Futaba's current customer service attitude, they've taken their last dollar out of my pocket....Reminds me of AMF/Harley-Davidson back in the 70's :thumbdown:

Signed, Disgusted in Michigan

Edit: David, I see (and respect) your point...but if you bought...for the sake of argument, a 6 month old Chevrolet
from a Toyota dealers used car lot and before you even got home with it the transmission failed...Who would you expect to honor the warranty ?

Say, you call Chevy customer service, and they say "Sure, we're aware that there was a problem with your car, and that it is in fact within the warranty period, but you didn't purchase it from an "authorized Chevy Dealer" . Would you expect Toyota to honor the warranty, or Chevy ?

I don't know about you brother, but I'd be on the phone to Detroit in a hot second! They manufactured the product, they should honor the warranty...PERIOD...no debate, no legal mumbo-jumbo...just fix it !

Either you stand behind your product (and your customer), or you don't. Simple as that.....You want loyal happy customers, you provide good customer service.


Sir,
I am sorry you are having problems with your Futaba transmitter, but yes, if you purchased this through Dee Tee Enterprises, you will need to contact them for warranty service.

Dee Tee Enterprises is not an authorized Futaba Dealer, and as such we do not honor any warranty claims for product purchased from them. While we can repair items that you purchase through them, you must pay for these repairs.

Futaba has a one year warranty on all of their products sold thru authorized Dealers to the "original purchaser"of the item.Since Dee Tee Enterprises is not one of our Dealers, they are considered the original purchaser.When you bought this from them, you were then the second owner.


Sincerely,
Krysta
Product Development & Support Specialist
Futaba Service Center USA

[WellGrounded]

My apologies for continuing this, but I feel this post warrants further comment....

krysta,

Are you (as Futaba's representative) accusing Dee Tee Enterprises of purposeful manipulation of this product ? Was there evidence of tampering ? Has the product been altered in any way by the seller ?

If none of the above is the case, than why not do the honorable thing and repair this customers defective product ?

At the expense of sounding like a broken record, what would it cost Futaba to repair
the radio..a couple dollars at most, I'll bet. What is the true value of customer satisfaction to Futaba, less than this ?

I'm sorry, I just don't understand any company taking this stance regarding product support. I spent 15+ years in the manufacturing sector, a good deal of that in customer
support, and would never have even considered treating customers in this manner.
(just to be clear, we did $1.5m to $1.7m per day in sales, and the cost of supporting
our customers was well above a couple dollars per incident)

Customer satisfaction and loyalty, in todays hyper-competitive world marketplace is
essential.

Larry

Crelum,

I am very sorry that this happened to you, but unfortunately, it is happening to many people who are finding this out about Dee Tee Enterprises.

We have had quite a few repairs sent to our service center lately that cannot be warrantied due to purchasing from this company. We do feel bad having to tell each of these customers that they purchased from a non-authorized hobby store.

Again, I am sorry, but hopefully this will let other consumers know to beware.

Krysta
Futaba Service Center USA

[Crelum]

Kinda burns you up doesn't it.

Got my Tx back this morning.

$8 to ship it to them

$2 in parts
$15 for labor
$8 to ship it to myself

I hope all their products aren't like this. I don't like the idea of buying something expensive AND paying to repair it before I can use it.

[DavidH]

My apologies for continuing this, but I feel this post warrants further comment....

krysta,

Are you (as Futaba's representative) accusing Dee Tee Enterprises of purposeful manipulation of this product ? Was there evidence of tampering ? Has the product been altered in any way by the seller ?

If none of the above is the case, than why not do the honorable thing and repair this customers defective product ?

At the expense of sounding like a broken record, what would it cost Futaba to repair
the radio..a couple dollars at most, I'll bet. What is the true value of customer satisfaction to Futaba, less than this ?

I'm sorry, I just don't understand any company taking this stance regarding product support. I spent 15+ years in the manufacturing sector, a good deal of that in customer
support, and would never have even considered treating customers in this manner.
(just to be clear, we did $1.5m to $1.7m per day in sales, and the cost of supporting
our customers was well above a couple dollars per incident)

Customer satisfaction and loyalty, in todays hyper-competitive world marketplace is
essential.

Larry

Larry,
Krysta never implicated that DeeTee had did anything to the radios. All she said is that DeeTee is not an authorized Futaba dealer for the USA. Hobbico/Futaba is the sole importer and warranty service center for Futaba in the USA. They only warranty Futaba products that were purchased thru there authorized dealer network in North America. Since DeeTee does not get the Futaba products from Hobbico/Futaba/Great Planes, they are getting them some where else. Could be they are buying them thru another hobby dealer, which if is the case, then Dee Tee is the original purchaser and is the one that must honor the warranty.
One Year Limited Warranty
Futaba digital proportional RC systems are warranted to the original purchaser for one full year from the date of purchase against defects in material and workmanship. During this period Futaba will repair or replace, at our discretion, the defective component.

This warranty does not apply to improperly installed, handled, abused, damaged in crash, nor to any unit which has been repaired or altered by unauthorized agencies. under no circumstances will the buyer be entitled to consequential or incidental damages. This limited warranty gives you specific legal rights; you may have other rights which vary from state to state. Batteries and plastic housings are not covered by warranty.

"This warranty applies only to Futaba products purchased from Hobbico or its authorized dealers and used in the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska and Canada."


The last line in the warranty explains it clearly I would think.
Or it could be that Dee Tee got the Futaba items from a source outside the USA. Either way the radio could have been sent to DeeTee and they could have handled the warranty issue. Or the radio could have been sent to Futaba Japan and let them do the warranty work. Futaba has these agreements with distributors all over the world. Would be the same in any other country, where the radio was bought from another country. The distributor in that country would not repair it under warranty. They would repair it , but charge for the repairs.

This line in the warranty is why Dee Tee has to handle the warranty.
Futaba digital proportional RC systems are warranted to the original purchaser for one full year from the date of purchase against defects in material and workmanship.

Since they did not get the Futaba items from Hobbico, they are the original purchaser from what ever dealer they got it from. If DeeTee is getting the Futaba items from Hobbico, then they need to contact them and let them know they are an authorized dealer.

David

[jlr]

Crelum,

I understand your frustration, but in the big scheme of things $33 isn't a huge amount relative to the cost of the radio. Have you approached Dee Tee? If they didn't make it clear to you that the warranty was through them and not Futaba, then I think they have some responsibility to make you whole again. I doubt they'll cut you a check, but $35 in store credit sounds reasonable. It's worth a try. Good luck!

--Jeff

[WellGrounded]

Larry,
Krysta never implicated that DeeTee had did anything to the radios. All she said is that DeeTee is not an authorized Futaba dealer for the USA. Hobbico/Futaba is the sole importer and warranty service center for Futaba in the USA. They only warranty Futaba products that were purchased thru there authorized dealer network in North America. Since DeeTee does not get the Futaba products from Hobbico/Futaba/Great Planes, they are getting them some where else. Could be they are buying them thru another hobby dealer, which if is the case, then Dee Tee is the original purchaser and is the one that must honor the warranty.

David,

Please understand that I'm not attempting to "stir the pot" here, or directly attack any member here...or manufacturer for that matter. But Futaba happens to be the subject
in this thread. (although, after reading Futaba's original reply, I'll admit that my "knickers
were in a bit of a bunch") :o

I understand what the "warranty" states, my point (as I thought I clearly stated with my
analogy, and in this line " If none of the above is the case, than why not do the honorable thing and repair this customers defective product ?") was that regardless of
where the product was purchased, Futaba is still the manufacturer of said product, and
as such "should" honor their warranty. If for NO other reason than to satisfy the end user of their product. (unless, as I stated, the product was altered or damaged by the
dealer that sold the it to him)

It saddens me deeply to see what has happened to "Customer Service" in our society
these days. "Caveat emptor"

With that said, I'll now step away from participation in this thread and return to my lowly
position as "noob level lurker":noteworthy

Blessings to all Freaks

Larry