V
FUTABA 9Z
THE UNOFFICIAL WORKSHOP MANUAL
WARNING:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS MANUAL IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY BE INCORRECT, CAUSE DAMAGE
TO YOUR RADIO OR INJURY TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS. IF YOU USE THIS MANUAL YOU DO SO SOLEY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
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Page 47 of 84
number of times I’ve seen short 2.4GHz aerials in the wrong position and sticking
straight up.
Figure 42 Optimal antenna position for 2.4 GHz
There are a few upgrade modules on the market which position the aerial on the top of
the transmitter without the ability to change its angle to the horizontal. These are setups
to avoid when selecting your 2.4GHz upgrade. There are some range advantages in
2.4GHz from having the antenna positioned at the top of the transmitter (rather than the
back) and the corresponding “line of sight” connection to your receiver. However, these
advantages are insignificant when compared to the disadvantages of having a vertical
antenna. In other words, never select a 2.4GHz system that cannot have its antenna
positioned horizontally just because it locates the antenna at the top of the transmitter.
4.6.2. Upgrading to 2.4GHz using the FrSky DHT-U
Recommended Option: This is my setup and it has performed flawlessly. It is slightly
more difficult to fit than other options, but the functions, cost and performance easily
make up for this.
My recommendation would be to use the popular FrSky DHT-U if you wish to upgrade to
2.4GHz. The DHT-U is a hack module that can be wired into your trainer/DSC port or RF
module pin-out. Although the DHT-U comes with everything you need to connect it to the
9Z transmitter at the RF Module port, the proposed solution by FrSky is visually messy
and spoils what is otherwise an excellent 2.4GHz solution. As supplied the DHT-U has
individual connectors to attach to three of the pins on the Futaba RF Module Pin-out
instead of encapsulating the connectors in a separate RF Module case to plug into the
back of your 9Z.
