FUEL STORAGE FIASCO
QMy job has forced me into a temporary move, and I am not going to be able drive any of my RC cars for at least six months. I still have a couple of nearly full
bottles of nitro fuel. What is the best way to store them so they will still be useable
when I return?
ARC nitro fuel is a blend of three ingredients: methanol, nitromethane, and oil. ;e nitromethane and the methanol are the combustible mixture that provides the
power for the nitro engine. ;e oil is added to provide lubrication. ;e methanol is
hygroscopic, which means that it will absorb water from the air over time. ;is is the
primary concern with storage of nitro fuel. If too much water gets
absorbed, the mixture becomes far less combustible and it can
make the engine hard to keep running and may hurt engine
components. With a little bit of e;ort, it should be easy
to keep the fuel viable for this amount of time. ;e first
concern is to make sure the cap on the fuel is tight and
has a good seal. Sometimes the gasket under the cap of
nitro gallons falls out or gets dislodged. Make sure that
this seal is still in good shape and that the cap has no
damage that would cause an air leak. Storing the fuel in a
cool dry place is crucial to long-term storage as well. ;e
drier the air is to start, the less water that is available to
be absorbed. If you need to transfer it to a di;erent container, make sure that it is aluminum or stainless steel, as
copper or copper alloys can hurt the fuel too. In terms of
safety, it is recommended to store the fuel in a detached
structure as opposed to inside your home, especially if
you will not be around to keep an eye on it.
QI just bought a Team Associated RC8.2e buggy.
;e antenna tube provided with
the car is about 10-inches long,
but the product photos on the box
show an antenna tube that is only a
couple of inches above the body. Can I
cut the antenna wire down to a size closer to what is on the
box, or will this cause radio performance issues?
AIt is generally not a good idea to cut the antenna wire on any receiver. ;e length of the antenna wire is
tuned for each receiver and radio combination to get the
best reception and the longest range. If the antennas are
cut down from their stock length, you may experience
loss of range and potential glitching. Typically, the higher
the frequency of the transmitter, the shorter the antenna
can be. Old FM radios transmitted at 75MHz and required
long antennas, but 2.4GHz radios that are ubiquitous in RC
now can use much shorter antennas. If you want the look
of a short antenna tube, there are a couple of options. ;e
excess antenna wire can be coiled up and hidden inside
the receiver box so that only a couple of inches are left to
reside in the tube. ;e other option is to switch to a di;erent
receiver or transmitter/receiver combo that has a shorter
tube. Most aftermarket 2.4GHz receivers have short
antennas that can be hidden within the body of most types
of RC cars and trucks and will stick outside of a 1/8-scale
body like the picture on your box.
