From what to look for when buying an RC submarine to how to build one and how to recover a lost sub, read the detailed answers to frequently asked questions about RC submarines.
Just like with other RC vehicles, there are both similiarities and differences between toy-grade and hobby-grade RC subs.
RC subs operate primarily below the surface of the water. The best places to use an RC submarine might be the water in an aquarium, a bathtub, a swimming pool, a pond, a lake, or even the ocean. The size of your sub and the quality of the water all help determine the best bodies of water to use an RC submarine.
The best answer I've ever read is that an RC submarine can go as deep as you want. You just might have a little trouble getting it back. The best depth is one where you can still see and control the RC submarine.
Sometimes an RC submarine sinks. If your RC sub sinks in a swimming pool, diving in and bringing it back to poolside is a fairly simple task. If your RC submarine sinks in the middle of a deep lake, you have a bigger problem on your hands recovering that lost RC sub.
When it comes to the hobby of RC subs, you don't want an underwater rocket.
One of the key features that sets RC subs apart is the method of diving. The two types of subs are dynamic divers and static divers. The best RC submarine diving system depends, in part, on what you expect to get out of your RC sub and how much you are willing to spend.
For a lot of RC owners, as-is is never good enough. We want to tinker with our RCs -- make them faster, make them run longer, make them look more (or less!) realistic. As with other RC vehicles, you can usually do a lot more modifications and upgrades to a hobby RC sub than to toy RC submarines.
If you buy a Ready-to-Run kit or toy-grade RC submarine chances are you will have everything you need in the box, already assembled. Some kits even include the batteries. For building your own submarine, you can either purchase a kit that contains most (but rarely all) of the parts or purchase everything separately and start from scratch.
Found in hobby-grade RC vehicles, the receiver and the controller each contain a crystal that is set to a specific frequency band and channel. Sold with Ready-to-Run vehicles, you can also buy pairs of crystals independent of the RC vehicle.
A submarine torpedo is an underwater tube-launched missile that carries a deadly explosive charge. In most cases your local, state, or federal government is going to frown on RC subs firing real torpedoes. But...
