April 2022 Propwash Web

Three In - One Out By Dave Rychalsky NAMBA Historical Chairman I have been involved in model boating since the late 1970’s and a NAMBA member since 1984. I have seen dozens of racers come and go. Each with some reason or another as to why they put their boats in the shed under blankets. A number of guys stop because of family obligations, financial reasons, health concerns, job restrictions, or their best friend stopped racing, so he stopped, too. There are people who are driven away because of another boater. The bottom line is we need to promote the hobby and when two or three people drop out, we need to get one, two, or three people to join. We can not survive if three people leave and only one joins. One thing for sure is that we can’t be chasing possible boaters away because of the way members act at a race. Fifteen years ago, when my son was seven, he was racing Crackerbox with five other adult boaters. During the heat, one guy, Larry, deliberately turned left into the side of another racer’s boat, and they collided. Well, all hell broke loose. Joe (the other boater) had just finished building that boat and Larry was, is, and always will be a “DB”. They started yelling at each other and had to be pulled apart. I was my son’s pitman and I took my eyes off the race and the next thing I noticed, was my son’s boat to the left side in the weeds. I asked him what happened and he said he didn’t know. Shortly afterwards, he asked me “If I do something wrong will they scream at me like that?” I told my son “Never, not a chance”, but as I gazed into his eyes, I knew his desire to race model boats was gone. We tried going to some of the FE races in the district for a couple of years, but my son never showed a real yearning to race any longer. It's a real shame that people do stupid things and act up at races. Many of us don’t realize the trickle-down effect, as it makes an ugly situation worse by scaring potential people from getting into model boating. During a major NAMBA event, we should all be cognizant of what we say and how we act. Do we really think a newcomer will want to join NAMBA after witnessing two members argue and make a scene? Especially these days, as we see the nitro-powered boats drift away into the sunset and boaters are focusing on Gas and Electrics to keep our competitive spirits up. I understand why nitro boats are resting on the shelf, because 33% of our hobby is not being run which equates to more lost boaters. Consider the young generation today who really don’t seem to have the fortitude to sit at a workbench and glue, sand, cut, bond, drill, paint, etc. If there are new kids interested in model boating, they merely want to buy and run, then sit indoors and answer their texts. I stopped model boating in 2015 because I became involved in my son’s sports interests as he grew up. Between basketball, soccer and hockey, I had to let the boats sit for a while. Fortunately, I came back in 2021, but many people do not. It is a chore to get back into a full race mode, and I think it will be a year or two before I am comfortable. In all, the purpose for this article is not about any specific situation but it is about how we can help keep the members we have and to help grow the hobby by setting examples. Be well and be safe and let’s do our best to make this hobby fun for everyone and not push potential boaters away. Liability and Accident Coverage ( Continued from page 3) and while the boaters recovered fully, those experiences make us realize how dangerous it can be if we ignore safety concerns. The Traveler’s Liability coverage and the AIG Accident policy are in place for all current NAMBA members, including Single Event Members. The coverage does not apply for an accident you have running a model boat in your backyard swimming pool. But, when you are at a NAMBA event, you have the best insurance coverage provided by any model boating organization. Your membership card is proof that you are a NAMBA member and that the insurance coverage is there to protect you. Make sure to have your membership card with you at all NAMBA events, as the CD may require you to produce that card to prove you are a member. I hope you never have a serious accident. Safe NAMBA boating. Future of RC Radio Frequencies Editors Note: The following is a response from Tony Coberly of Futaba USA Support to District 20 Director Mike Mullarkey inquiring about the future of crystal based surface 72 and 75 Mhz frequencies. The NAMBA Board of Directors recently passed a rule on the future use of frequency use for racing events as well as pleasure RC boating. Mike I hope all is well. Casual conversation about the movement from crystal-based RC systems to 2.4Ghz based systems for Air and Surface. Futaba first implemented its 2.4 Ghz FASST protocol in 2007 in the US, due to Japan’s telec regulation was lagging behind in the technology space. Transmitters and receivers with 2.4 Ghz FASST continued to be produced and in 2009, there was already a full lineup for air and surface for 2.4 Ghz. Around the 2008-2009 time frame was the point where most RC transmitter manufacturers focused their manufacturing to 2.4Ghz. The manufacturers of crystal-based systems had begun the winding down of support and their hardware base. The crystal technology had recached its end of useful life for the RC community. The fragile nature of the crystal systems, the tendency to drift off frequency and frequency coordination requirements were the final death of the crystal. The 2.4Ghz solid state systems proved to be simply less susceptible to the being knocked off frequency. Contest Directors previously would have transmitter impound of the 72/75Mhz transmitters at large events to prevent interference. Frequency control had become a thing of the past with the 2.4Ghz systems. The 2.4Ghz systems used varied methods, depending on manufacturer, in order to find a usable channel and therefore causing must less stress at large events. The popularity of 2.4 Ghz was garnered in the competition community as several events, like SEFF, Top Gun, and AMA Nats instituted 2.4Ghz ONLY transmitter policy. At this point in time, most manufacturers offered 2.4Ghz systems only. I hope this helps. Tony Coberly Futaba USA Support PROPWASH 4 April 2022