R/Cast

We're very thankful that winter is starting to end and spring is right around the corner. One of the first signs of the year that things will warm up soon is the annual NASCAR Raybestos Rookie of the Year RC race that happens every year at Daytona Speedweeks. RC Driver magazine's Bob Hastings has been one of the driving forces behind the scenes in getting this going every year. He took a break from prepping a batch of Losi Mini-Sliders to join us and talk about the history of the event, RC and full-size racing and even makes some predictions for 2010. We have split this interview into two sections ---- one with the main interview and a second with the guys' predictions for the season. We hope you enjoy it.

We're very thankful that winter is starting to end and spring is right around the corner. One of the first signs of the year that things will warm up soon is the annual NASCAR Raybestos Rookie of the Year RC race that happens every year at Daytona Speedweeks. RC Driver magazine's Bob Hastings has been one of the driving forces behind the scenes in getting this going every year. He took a break from prepping a batch of Losi Mini-Sliders to join us and talk about the history of the event, RC and full-size racing and even makes some predictions for 2010. We have split this interview into two sections ---- one with the main interview and a second with the guys' predictions for the season. We hope you enjoy it.

If there's one area of surface RC that continues to change, progress and evolve it's motor and speed controller technology. Specifically in terms of brushless motors and ESC's. Dynamite has recently started shipping their new Fuze series of brushless motors and speed controllers and we've had a chance to test them and have been very impressed. We caught up with Dynamite's Lee Morrison to learn more about some of the intricate details of this new gear and get some setup tips too.

We're excited to announce that the Horizon Hobby family is growing and expanding and our newest members could include you. We have growth opportunities in both the air and surface side of things and Chris Dickerson, Director of Horizon's Surface Category, and David Eichstedt, Director of Aircraft Development, stop by to fill us in on the different positions we have available. If you're interested in designing, developing and bringing new RC products to market you'll not want to miss this Webisode.

Last week E-flite dropped quite a bombshell with the announcement of the Blade SR. We're used to products getting quite a buzz after their introduction, but the Blade SR took this to new heights. Well, we polled our fans on Facebook to see what they wanted to know most about the Blade SR, and E-flite's David Eichstedt was kind enough to sit down with us and answer your questions. We apologize for the audio quality at the beginning of the interview as we had an unforeseen technical issue. The audio quality does improve shortly after the interview begins.

It?s a new year, making it the perfect time to talk about the newest RC gear. JR has updated one of their most popular radios of all-time, the X9303. They have tweaked it, improved upon it and have announced the new X9503. With 50-model memory, ModelMatch, backlit display, a throttle-activated timer and much more, this is one high-zoot radio. JR's John Diniz joins us to talk about this hot new radio from JR.

Well this is it, the end of another year as we bring 2009 to a close and ring in 2010. With Jim out for the break, Gary was left all by his lonesome to handle this week's RCast. This week Gary dives back into the e-mail bag as there were a ton of e-mails to read and answer. Come along with us and ring in the new year!

With gifts being opened all over the place, more and more people get into RC cars and trucks at the holidays than any other time of the year. Getting off on the right foot can have a major impact on how enjoyable your RC experience is. Todd Hodge has been at this RC thing for quite a while and has taken the time to visit with the guys to lend his experience in getting you up and running quickly and easily.

With the holiday season in full swing people are starting to give and receive radio controlled gifts. Getting up and flying with a new RC helicopter or airplane can be challenging, especially if you don't have previous flight experience. We've caught up with John Redman to get some key tips and tricks to ensure you will be successful. John has helped many RC pilots earn their wings and gain the knowledge they need to get off the ground the right way. We didn't want to split this between two weeks so we've broken this week's R/Cast into two segments due to the overall length. We hope you enjoy it.

With the holiday season in full swing people are starting to give and receive radio controlled gifts. Getting up and flying with a new RC helicopter or airplane can be challenging, especially if you don't have previous flight experience. We've caught up with John Redman to get some key tips and tricks to ensure you will be successful. John has helped many RC pilots earn their wings and gain the knowledge they need to get off the ground the right way. We didn't want to split this between two weeks so we've broken this week's R/Cast into two segments due to the overall length. We hope you enjoy it.

Indoor electric racing is in full swing as HorizonRC.com's Gary Katzer recently attended the 2009 Spektrum Electric Off Road Championships. Held December 4th-6th at the world-famous SN's Trackside Hobbies in Brookfield, Wisconsin. some of the drivers on-hand included Matt Chambers, Dustin Evans, Dakotah "the Phenom" Phend, Chad Due, Ryan Cavalieri and many more. Gary sat down with Team Losi Racing's Matt Chambers and Dustin Evans to talk about the event itself, Xcelorin Brushless Technology and much more.

Spektrum Technology has opened up the doors for many hobbyists to enjoy RC in ways never before conceivable. From individual radio systems and receivers to Bind-N-Fly or Bind-N-Drive products, there are more Spektrum users now than ever. We caught up with Spektrum's lead engineer John Adams to pick his brain about some of the most common programming and technological items with air and surface systems. From binding to latency, QuickConnect, ModelMatch and more, we get the answers straight from the source.

Mode 1? Mode 2? What do these modes mean and which one is right for you? We've seen many questions come through the pipeline asking for some specifics on Mode 1 versus Mode 2 and how to pick the right one. JR's John Diniz stopped by, along with a surprise appearance from Quique Somenzini, to help determine what each mode is, how they're different and which one is right for you.

ParkZone and E-flite have created many wonderful and capable planes but few compare to the recent generation of ultra micro planes. Two of the newest releases, the Ultra-Micro Sukhoi from ParkZone and the Ultra-Micro 4-Site, further push the envelope in terms of performance and capability. David Payne has helped develop and design a number of excellent models, but he's especially proud of the Ultra-Micro 4-Site. He sat down with us to talk about these planes, their capabilities and addresses many questions that people have had regarding their performance.

It's hard to believe but this week's show marks our 1-year anniversary here on the R/Cast. We'd like to thank everyone for their continuing listenership and support of the show. This week Jim and Gary conclude their interview with ROAR's Competition Director Ruben Benitez, talk about Dynamite's new Personalization Kits for 1/8-scale buggies, and announce a new promotion on HorizonHobby.com.