A lot has changed in radio control since I
purchased my first system sometime around 1974. It was a used, 3-channel OS Digital system. The servos jittered to beat all, and the range was lucky to
go as far as 1,000 feet. It was sent back to the factory for re-tuning and check-up two or
three times, and it came back the same every time. In that day, all the transmitters and
receivers had metal cases -and it's a good thing because one time I sent the transmitter on
the top of my friend's 1965 Mustang while loading the plan into the car, then forgot about it
until I saw it hit the road while looking in the side mirror. It had a couple scratches, but
worked as poorly as ever.
While looking back at some of the editions of
American Aircraft Modeler from the time I first joined the Academy of Model Aviation (AMA), I
ran across a lot of familiar old advertisements. As with almost all other things electronics,
the quality has obviously gotten better while prices remain the same or drop. It's been a good
ride for modelers. In trying to find some of the old ads online, I could not locate any, so
what the heck - I scanned some of the pages and put them here. I think all of the companies
are out of business now (except Futaba). A lot of these RC systems can still be bought on
eBay.
OS Digital 6-Channel
World Engines American Aircraft Modeler 1970