Rcom 20 PRO USB Incubators

[Kentish Falconry]

I have just completed some Preseason tests on a Rcom 20 Pro USB Incubator Overall I have found this Incubator to be first class for the under £500 price range and at £349.99 from Hatch-it-Incubators the price is a steal so just contact Lewes and he will sort you out. (See Forum Sponsors)

Temperature
The Incubator runs at a steady temp throughout the cabinet (tested by mapping) and has remained stable though the whole cycle. Although the unit is factory set to temperature we did find that when initially starting up the Incubator and letting it settle down that it was 1.5 degrees centigrade low in operation, it is a simple job to re-set the temperature using the Menu once set it did not fluctuate once as we had it connected to a Laptop via the software supplied with the unit, you even get the USB lead. We use certified calibrated thermometers here as we need to be accurate when setting up our other Incubators.

Humidity RH

We needed to make no alterations to the humidity of the test machine and it was spot on with a fluctuation of + or - 1 degree RH during the whole incubation period this is an excellent result from a machine at £349.99.

Turning

The machine is set to turn each hour but are adjustable and if you can stand the tune it plays to warn you it is in turning mode then keep it running I have to admit I turned it off as it was driving me nuts :D it is simple using the menu to deselect the tune.
I found that initially the turning mechanism, rolling carpet was a bit jumpy and noisy but after a few days of running it smoothed out and was not a problem again our own test showed the turning was regular and all the test eggs hatched.

Trays

Each machine comes with 3 moulded egg tray inserts you just select the size of the tray to match your eggs, don't forget to enter the size you have selected into the Menu so that the egg turning is optimized to the correct amount of turn.

Manual/Auto Operation

The Incubator works well in Auto mode you just select the type of egg you want to incubate Chicken, Duck, Goose etc and the Incubator sets up the whole system for you.
There is the option to manually set the Incubator up and as there is no Auto setting for falcons then you have to set it yourself, all the options above can be set just how you want them including incubation period, this is handy when you are setting a whole clutch of eggs the display indicates a D day to hatch so you don't have to keep checking your records to know where you are but in our situation where we are setting eggs that require different lengths of incubation at the same time this function becomes useless.

Ease of use

The whole incubator is designed to make ease of use paramount the Menu is simple to use both in Manual and Auto mode, the instruction book is again simple to use and setting the machine to work how you want it to could not be easier. If I had to score this new Incubator out of 100 points I would give it 90% I have reserved the remaining 10% as we have not yet tested the Incubator for reliability during a busy season, in all other aspects this is a great incubator for the novice and professional alike.

Recommendation

If you are just starting out with your breeding project or are running old incubators and want to upgrade then this is the Incubator for you. it is possible to incubate and hatch your eggs all in one machine although I would recommend a separate hatcher but in saying that the whole thing can be stripped and cleaned in less than 5 mins so if you are only running a few eggs you can also hatch in it.
Incidentally I am not being paid to write this independent report nor am i getting any favours for it and the findings are my own.

Regards
Terry

[Paco]

Terry , first thanks for this post!!!!

I have some question:

¿Apart of usb conection , have the R-com Pro some advantages instead of R-com?. The R-com is cheaper( almost double) and i have said there are no really practical advantages in r-com Pro.

¿ Have the incubator a security thermosthat ? If no , can you burn the eggs if the normal thermosthat fails?

[Kentish Falconry]

Terry , first thanks for this post!!!!

I have some question:

¿Apart of usb conection , have the R-com Pro some advantages instead of R-com?. The R-com is cheaper( almost double) and i have said there are no really practical advantages in r-com Pro.

¿ Have the incubator a security thermosthat ? If no , can you burn the eggs if the normal thermosthat fails?

Hi Paco.........I have just telephoned Hatch-it-Incubators and they will be coming on line as soon as they can to answer your questions.
As for the Rcom PRO v's The Rcom I can't answer this as I have based my tests on the unit supplied to me but I am sure that Lewes will be able to answer this as I know his company have thoroughly tested both machines in their own breeding project as an independent supplier and all my findings were based on one machine set up in my incubator room all I can say is at the price they are selling for on special offer to the Forum Members grab one before stocks run out and he has to charge the normal price again
Regards
Terry
(am I on commission yet Lewis?? :lol: :lol: )

[Game & Pursuit Falcon UK]

'I had a RCom 20 Pro USB for several weeks on test before general release.
I have found them to disperse the heat equally and very acurately throughout the incubator and the egg turning is the best I have come across can be set anywhere from 10 mins upwards plus can turn a egg anywhere up to a 180 degrees. To use in PC mode it deals on a average weight loss which is designed on the setting of a clutch of eggs at once. So this may be limited if you are constantley adding eggs over a period of time. Also it is programed to incubate several species of eggs on a fully automatic mode, which works well, but not something I am real interested in. It will be a manual setup with my preferences punched in for falcons and hawks. On the down side the temp alarm is set at 2 degrees over the ideal which is not really good enough and it could do with a secondry thermostat if the first one fails. But its the best I have come across if it proves to be reliable, time will tell? I do like the Octogen 20's but always felt uneasy in the way they turned. Anyway took the test RCom 20 Pro USB back. And picked up 3 new machines 2 with the USB port and one with out, plus sold a fair few to other breeders. So its fingers crossed.
Regards Colin'


Colin Pass tested them before the UK release at the end of the last breedinng season. Hope his findings are helpfull in addition to Terrys post. There are quite a few breeders set up with these machines now on Colins advice. On the plus side I got some of the machines Colin has been using to great effect on his Perlins and Peregrines.

[PeregrinesUK]

Ive been testing an RCOM 20 pro aswell and the chicks are hatching as I post. Very pleased with the results so far. Mike

[Peregrine1]

Ive been testing an RCOM 20 pro aswell and the chicks are hatching as I post. Very pleased with the results so far. Mike

And you did'nt ring once (well may be once) unlike you know who :) my phone was red hot. But you got to go some to beat his hatch rate.
Regards
Colin

[Game & Pursuit Falcon UK]

Ive been testing an RCOM 20 pro aswell and the chicks are hatching as I post. Very pleased with the results so far. Mike
Top bombing Mike:yawinkle:

[Paco]

i have been in "hacth it incubator" page reading about r-com and r-com pro.
I think the more important diference is that in r-com pro you can select the frecuency and angle of egg turning. In r-com you have only hourly egg turning.

For Terry and the others who has used this incubator:
¿what type of turning have you use with r.com pro?

The defect i see in this incubator is that has not security thermosthat.

[Peregrine1]

[QUOTE'I had a RCom 20 Pro USB for several weeks on test before general release.
On the down side the temp alarm is set at 2 degrees over the ideal which is not really good enough and it could do with a secondry thermostat if the first one fails.
Regards
Colin[/QUOTE]

Hello Paco
As i said in a early post,it could do with a secondry thermostat if the first one fails. We have several most with the USB ports, but Interhatch do one with out the port, but to the Pro spec and it comes in cheaper. We have these as Well. Mike is at the moment in the process of fitting alarms and dialers, plus an emergency power supply. There is loads of unwanted features it would be nice to swap these for a secondry thermostat. May be in the future they will take this into consideration.
Regards
Colin

[Kentish Falconry]

i have been in "hacth it incubator" page reading about r-com and r-com pro.
I think the more important diference is that in r-com pro you can select the frecuency and angle of egg turning. In r-com you have only hourly egg turning.

For Terry and the others who has used this incubator:
¿what type of turning have you use with r.com pro?

The defect i see in this incubator is that has not security thermosthat.

Yes I do agree that the back up thermostat or lack of in this case could be a problem but as I said we have tested this one thoroughly and it has run without a problem and as Colin has said they could do with one as standard and I am sure our comments will find their way onto the right desk for that to be taken into consideration for any future upgrades.
Another problem I foresee is power failure we have been running the test model through a UPS (Computer back up power unit) we also have a Generator linked into our mains supply that starts up automatically if the mains drops or goes down completely. The UPS was run for 6 hours with the mains switched off and then it started to slow down but held temperature until the back up power ran out.
I like to turn my eggs once an hour so I did not bother to mess around with the turning times but the function is there if you want to use it. I set the angle up to an average egg by marking it and watching to see if it turned the correct distance. The only eggs I turn more than once an hour is pure Gyrs and 7/8ths and as they have not yet laid this season I have not needed to adjust anything also I would be rather foolish to put these type of eggs into an Incubator that we are not 100% sure of and as has already been said something could go wrong with the Thermostat or it jammed on and we could loose the eggs by over heating and that is not a risk I am willing to take at this time.
These little things that I am sure will be rectified by the manufacturer take nothing away from the Rcom 20 Pro it is still a great incubator and by far superior to the Brinsea, Marsh Farm ranges so once the teething problems have been resolved I don't think the Incubator could be beaten except by Incubators that cost £3 or 4K each by the time you have Imported them and paid the Tax.
Terry :D :supz:

[www.hatchitincubators.com]

Hi All

Thanks for the report Terry, I think most questions have been answered about the difference between the Digital and pro models

Some points worth making is that we only sell Brinsea approved and modified ones, Brinsea have the sole UK import, they do not have the pro version without USB, I am of the view that they can offer the best support for these machines and like I say they are the only approved models available in the UK.

The incubator now comes with a universal egg tray which is much better than the three trays, it uses a egg divider system so you can hold different eggs sizes at the same time and it is easier to set it up as you are not limited by the moulding size.

The price has gone up I am affraid since Terry took his model, the current price is £389, I can offer free UK delivery to forum members. This is still a fair bit cheaper than buying from Brinsea direct.

If anyone has any more questions just drop me a line

Regards
Lewis

[Kentish Falconry]

Hi All

Thanks for the report Terry, I think most questions have been answered about the difference between the Digital and pro models

Some points worth making is that we only sell Brinsea approved and modified ones, Brinsea have the sole UK import, they do not have the pro version without USB, I am of the view that they can offer the best support for these machines and like I say they are the only approved models available in the UK.

The incubator now comes with a universal egg tray which is much better than the three trays, it uses a egg divider system so you can hold different eggs sizes at the same time and it is easier to set it up as you are not limited by the moulding size.

The price has gone up I am affraid since Terry took his model, the current price is £389, I can offer free UK delivery to forum members. This is still a fair bit cheaper than buying from Brinsea direct.

If anyone has any more questions just drop me a line

Regards
Lewis

Hi Lewis.........Thanks for your input much appreciated M8.
Would you please be kind enough to pass our comments on to the manufacturer either direct or through Brinsea, the main pitfall as I see it is the issue of the back up thermostat appart from that the Incubator is first class for the right money as well
Terry

[Flintstonefalcons]

HI ALL
I HAVE ALSO TESTED A RCOM USB INCUBATOR. I STARTED WITH 20 CHICKEN EGGS,1 WAS INFERTILE,1 STOPPED ABOUT 19 DAYS,18 HATCHED THEY
WERE ALL VERY STRONG CHICKS. FROM THE 1st EGG PIPPING IT TOOK ABOUT 8 HOURS TO THE LAST EGG HATCHING.
EXCELLENT RESULTS,I HOPE ITS THE SAME WITH FALCON EGGS.
MEL KENNEDY.

[StoopDoggyDogg]

I hate to be contrary BUT!!!

I had an R-com pro on test from Interhatch who kindly gave me one on 60 day trial.

I found quite a few problems with it so i gave it back.after speaking at extreme lengths to the technical boys at Brinsea and interhatch i found out that they havn't tested them at any length,if at all.

Steve

[Paco]

And what was the problems????????

[StoopDoggyDogg]

i was unhappy with almost everything besides the ability to adjust the egg turning.
But what do i know ?




Steve




And what was the problems????????

[Jimmy]

Could you explain specifically what the problems were?

[Frank Duffy]

HI ALL
I HAVE ALSO TESTED A RCOM USB INCUBATOR. I STARTED WITH 20 CHICKEN EGGS,1 WAS INFERTILE,1 STOPPED ABOUT 19 DAYS,18 HATCHED THEY
WERE ALL VERY STRONG CHICKS. FROM THE 1st EGG PIPPING IT TOOK ABOUT 8 HOURS TO THE LAST EGG HATCHING.
EXCELLENT RESULTS,I HOPE ITS THE SAME WITH FALCON EGGS.
MEL KENNEDY.


Hi Mel

if you can keep me a female chicken mate I would appreciate it..I must have something decent to fly next season after the season I have just had.. <g>

all the best
Frank Duffy

[Hawkmaster]

REP ADDED TERRY

[Kentish Falconry]

i was unhappy with almost everything besides the ability to adjust the egg turning.
But what do i know ?




Steve

Hi Steve it looks like you had a bad machine my one is working like a dream and I am sure I am more selective than you are. I have one problem with this Incubator, no back up thermostat but appart from they they are the best thing since sliced bread unless you want to go and pay $4500 plus shipping and then VAT on top for an Incubator like Mark/Sara and I do. These little Incubators are great value for the money, also please note that the Grey Imports brought in by Interhatch are not checked to the same standard as the Brinsea Imports. I am not knocking Interhatch they are trying to do us all a favour and keeping prices down and they were not to know that Brinsea were doing their own deal.

Terry

[Kevin Massey]

REP ADDED TERRY

Agreed:supz:

[StoopDoggyDogg]

Hi Terry
The Head technical guy at Brinsea (Trevor), told me they hadn't tested the R-com and were trusting the manufacturer to have done sufficient testing.

Steve













Hi Steve it looks like you had a bad machine my one is working like a dream and I am sure I am more selective than you are. I have one problem with this Incubator, no back up thermostat but appart from they they are the best thing since sliced bread unless you want to go and pay $4500 plus shipping and then VAT on top for an Incubator like Mark/Sara and I do. These little Incubators are great value for the money, also please note that the Grey Imports brought in by Interhatch are not checked to the same standard as the Brinsea Imports. I am not knocking Interhatch they are trying to do us all a favour and keeping prices down and they were not to know that Brinsea were doing their own deal.

Terry

[StoopDoggyDogg]

I'll fly one of those chickens as well !!!! What is there fat weight ???



Hi Mel

if you can keep me a female chicken mate I would appreciate it..I must have something decent to fly next season after the season I have just had.. <g>

all the best
Frank Duffy

[As The Falcon Her Bells]

Hi Terry, cant you put a picture on of it mate?

[As The Falcon Her Bells]

And how many eggs size gyr or gyr/peregrine does it take?

[Peregrine1]

Hi Terry, cant you put a picture on of it mate?

http://www.falconryforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=25430
Pics on this thread page 8
Regards
Colin

[Peregrine1]

And how many eggs size gyr or gyr/peregrine does it take?

20
Regards
Colin

[HuntersAll]

I bought the R-COM 20 digital from lewis last month,i run it for a while and had it checked twice by a friend who is an experienced parrot breeder with his caliberated thermometers,i also have a mercury thermometer inside and have added a digital thermo -hygrometer also.Its run bang on since the day i switched it on.I am regulating and graphing the egg weight loss myself{gulp:lol: } candling/weighing every 3 days and its been easier than i thought for a first timer,vbg.The eggs had 10 days natural and have been in the r-com 8. 4 peregrine eggs ticking over nicely..time will tell.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/whataflight/Photo0008.jpg

[OutFlying]

Good luck Tony.

Jim

[HuntersAll]

Thanks Jim.

Tony.

[Peregrine1]

[QUOTE=Huntersall;519099]I bought the R-COM 20 digital from lewis last month,i run it for a while and had it checked twice by a friend who is an experienced parrot breeder with his caliberated thermometers,i also have a mercury thermometer inside and have added a digital thermo -hygrometer also.Its run bang on since the day i switched it on.I am regulating and graphing the egg weight loss myself{gulp:lol: } candling/weighing every 3 days and its been easier than i thought for a first timer,vbg.The eggs had 10 days natural and have been in the r-com 8. 4 peregrine eggs ticking over nicely..time will tell.

With 10 days natural they should be fine its those first 7 days where the incubation is critical.After that there is a little room for leeway. I am sure they do Just fine. Is it 37.5 as on you're inc that you are running the eggs at?
Regards
Colin

[HuntersAll]

With 10 days natural they should be fine its those first 7 days where the incubation is critical.After that there is a little room for leeway. I am sure they do Just fine. Is it 37.5 as on you're inc that you are running the eggs at?
Regards
Colin[/QUOTE]

yes,
i'me running the inc at 37.5.
cheers,
Tony.

[Keith Barker]

hello to the forum,
is there any more input on this thread to be had, i am thinking of buying a new incubator for the next breeding season and would like to hear some reports as we are well into the hatching stage.
keith

[Tony@Interhatch]

There will be a report posted shortly by at least one of the members that has been testing the units on various eggs from day 1. up to now all is well and the chicks that have come out up to this point have been good strong chicks. There is also a report on http://avianinternational.co.uk/incubation.htm I know this is parrots but still, all is well up to now after the minor problems have been sorted.

[Keith Barker]

There will be a report posted shortly by at least one of the members that has been testing the units on various eggs from day 1. up to now all is well and the chicks that have come out up to this point have been good strong chicks. There is also a report on http://avianinternational.co.uk/incubation.htm I know this is parrots but still, all is well up to now after the minor problems have been sorted.

thanks for the reply tony but there must be people on the list who arnt testing them and had results by now?
regards
keith

[www.hatchitincubators.com]

We have just got back from Telford, what a great show apart from Sunday afternoon !!, I spoke to a number of customers using the RCOM's both as a digital or pro model and all reported very succesfull hatchings, essentially everything that has been fertile has hatched, so they do seem to be working very well.