axial ax-3 loss of range

[andymac0035]

Short version:
AX-3 radio ran great all last year.
Sat on the shelf (no batteries) all winter.
New batteries for the new season.
range now sucks 10-30 ft.... WTF?!?

Long version:
Last year I got what was basically a new OG SCX10 for my birthday. My Father-in-law had built it. I forget if it was a Honcho, or built from all his spares, but it was all done up by him, not a scratch on it (there's LOTS of scratches now). He tends to build em'.. and then they sit.

I ran it all last season with the set-up that's in it now. Stock AE-5 esc, a low-end savox servo (the blue plastic case one), I pulled the 27t and put something slow in it and volted up to 3S.

The radio is the axial AX-3. I never had any trouble with it all last season as far as radio/receiver and/or range. I just ran it.... ran it a lot actually, as it was the new-truck-on the block so I was always trying to get out there with it and see what it could do compared to my other trucks. Radio worked great, even if the batteries were a little low it never gave me any trouble.

I put it on the shelf for winter (I have other trucks for the snow), and took it back out last month, and that's when it started acting up. Range averages from 10 to 30 feet depending on what's in between me and the truck (trees, people, ect). When it acts up it's default is to slowly back up, which is not a good thing on some of the mountain trails I run (and it's downright annoying!).

I rebound the tx/rx, but that didn't help.

I did some searches here (which is why I rebound the radio).

Anything else I should try before I pitch this thing?

[Voodoobrew]

I haven't a clue either. Maybe antenna wire broke lose from corrosion? Or oxidation on battery contacts? Rebinding was my first guess. Don't know if you can reset the transmitter / rx to default somehow.

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Handy gearing spreadsheet

[andymac0035]

I wish it was one of those guesses. I checked the RX antenna wire while I was rebinding it. No frays/tears/harsh bends. No corrosion. I can say the antenna at the TX "works" or is connected, because if I flip the antenna up range increases slightly.

I've got other gear to drop in this truck, I just was not expecting to need to.

[Voodoobrew]

Did you change motors? Maybe you need the one with capacitors to keep the interference down?

__________________________
Handy gearing spreadsheet

[andymac0035]

Originally Posted by Voodoobrew

Did you change motors? Maybe you need the one with capacitors to keep the interference down?

__________________________
Handy gearing spreadsheet

Nope, same motor, and it's got capacitors on it. I didn't change a thing from last season, just pulled it off the shelf and put fresh batteries in the radio. Weird.

[ferp420]

i had the same issue with one of my axial ax3 radios i never did anything to it i just used it on a rig that i would always be up close with and evetualy ended up using it for parts to fix another ax3
i changed the recivers too and it was definitlynthe radio