Time for new radios again
07-23-2009, 12:22 PM
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Time for new radios again
About every ten years the state of the RC art changes enough that I feel like I need to buy new radio gear:
The first radio set I bought was World Engines Expert gear in the early 1970's. As a 12 year old, I really didn't do my homework and I was never all that happy with the radio. It frequently needed repair, which meant boxing up the gear and mailing it to World Engines as there was no local radio shop that would work on it. I'm sure many others here remember that before the late seventies, radio gear needed to be looked over by a good technician pretty frequently. Even for adults today boxing up the radio and mailing it off for repairs is a chore. But for a kid in the 1970's it was a huge chore and probably the single largest impediment to my developement of flying skills when I was a kid.
After the fifth or sixth round of repairs, I wised up and bought Kraft in 1977, which could be repaired by L. N. who had a shop in the basement of Tom Thumb Hobbies in Denver. Ironically it never needed repairs. In fact, it not only still works, but also, the old American made GE nicads still hold a charge.
Later the gold label rules came into effect. I bought my third and fourth radio sets from Sanwa/Cox/Airtronics in 1989. This was pretty good gear and I still fly it, but it's ending it's service life. The reversing switches are dodgy, and worn gimbles and pots make all the controls pretty sloppy around neutral.
Pleased with the life I got from the Airtronics gear, I bought a computer radio from Airtronics in 1999. It's been fun to have the multi-channel mixes, expo, dual ranges and all, but I am less than ecstatic about the mechanical integrity of the gear. Things like wimpy neutral return springs and sticky labels that peel off far too easily are annoying, and the transmitter has too many grooves and crannies that seem to accumulate castor coated dirt and grit. It was also annoying that while the old transmitters would talk with the new receivers and vice versa, I couldn't connect up the old servos to the new receivers.
Now my son is old enough to start seriously becoming involved with his daddy's hobby, so we are building a pair of Senioritas. I am contemplating the purchase of a pair of new radios, each set up to buddy box with the other. While I will be content to putt-putt around with the Four Star, the Kadet, and the electric Q-Tee that I bought when my little boy was born, I expect that he will be attracted to increasingly higher levels of performance and complexity.
Anyway that's a lot of background for a question. I haven't kept up with the changes in R/C technology over the past few years and I am wondering what you guys are thinking. What is the state of the art? Who is making quality gear? What would you recommend as good quality 5 to 7 channel gear? I'm not looking for every bell and whistle, just good sport flyer gear.
What are YOUR preferences and prejudices?
The first radio set I bought was World Engines Expert gear in the early 1970's. As a 12 year old, I really didn't do my homework and I was never all that happy with the radio. It frequently needed repair, which meant boxing up the gear and mailing it to World Engines as there was no local radio shop that would work on it. I'm sure many others here remember that before the late seventies, radio gear needed to be looked over by a good technician pretty frequently. Even for adults today boxing up the radio and mailing it off for repairs is a chore. But for a kid in the 1970's it was a huge chore and probably the single largest impediment to my developement of flying skills when I was a kid.
After the fifth or sixth round of repairs, I wised up and bought Kraft in 1977, which could be repaired by L. N. who had a shop in the basement of Tom Thumb Hobbies in Denver. Ironically it never needed repairs. In fact, it not only still works, but also, the old American made GE nicads still hold a charge.
Later the gold label rules came into effect. I bought my third and fourth radio sets from Sanwa/Cox/Airtronics in 1989. This was pretty good gear and I still fly it, but it's ending it's service life. The reversing switches are dodgy, and worn gimbles and pots make all the controls pretty sloppy around neutral.
Pleased with the life I got from the Airtronics gear, I bought a computer radio from Airtronics in 1999. It's been fun to have the multi-channel mixes, expo, dual ranges and all, but I am less than ecstatic about the mechanical integrity of the gear. Things like wimpy neutral return springs and sticky labels that peel off far too easily are annoying, and the transmitter has too many grooves and crannies that seem to accumulate castor coated dirt and grit. It was also annoying that while the old transmitters would talk with the new receivers and vice versa, I couldn't connect up the old servos to the new receivers.
Now my son is old enough to start seriously becoming involved with his daddy's hobby, so we are building a pair of Senioritas. I am contemplating the purchase of a pair of new radios, each set up to buddy box with the other. While I will be content to putt-putt around with the Four Star, the Kadet, and the electric Q-Tee that I bought when my little boy was born, I expect that he will be attracted to increasingly higher levels of performance and complexity.
Anyway that's a lot of background for a question. I haven't kept up with the changes in R/C technology over the past few years and I am wondering what you guys are thinking. What is the state of the art? Who is making quality gear? What would you recommend as good quality 5 to 7 channel gear? I'm not looking for every bell and whistle, just good sport flyer gear.
What are YOUR preferences and prejudices?
07-23-2009, 01:53 PM
#2
RE: Time for new radios again
I like the Futaba FASST 2.4GHz systems. There's nothing wrong with JR/Spek or Airtronics, in fact, the JR/Spektrums are a little easier to program and have some nicer features, but JR/Spek chooses 2 freqs and bounces back and forth between them whereas the FASST system uses the entire frequency range and it looks ahead to make sure that a channel is clear before it jumps to it (and it only stays there for something like .4 milliseconds before jumping to the next)
As for Airtronics 2,4GHz systems, I know nothing about them, so I can't comment.
But whatever you buy, get a 2.4GHz system
As for Airtronics 2,4GHz systems, I know nothing about them, so I can't comment.
But whatever you buy, get a 2.4GHz system
07-24-2009, 01:27 AM
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RE: Time for new radios again
ORIGINAL: MinnFlyer
I like the Futaba FASST 2.4GHz systems. There's nothing wrong with JR/Spek or Airtronics, in fact, the JR/Spektrums are a little easier to program and have some nicer features, but JR/Spek chooses 2 freqs and bounces back and forth between them whereas the FASST system uses the entire frequency range and it looks ahead to make sure that a channel is clear before it jumps to it (and it only stays there for something like .4 milliseconds before jumping to the next)
As for Airtronics 2,4GHz systems, I know nothing about them, so I can't comment.
But whatever you buy, get a 2.4GHz system
I like the Futaba FASST 2.4GHz systems. There's nothing wrong with JR/Spek or Airtronics, in fact, the JR/Spektrums are a little easier to program and have some nicer features, but JR/Spek chooses 2 freqs and bounces back and forth between them whereas the FASST system uses the entire frequency range and it looks ahead to make sure that a channel is clear before it jumps to it (and it only stays there for something like .4 milliseconds before jumping to the next)
As for Airtronics 2,4GHz systems, I know nothing about them, so I can't comment.
But whatever you buy, get a 2.4GHz system
When it was time for me to move forward I did the best thing I could do with my Futaba and Hitec receivers.
CT, you have to make the best judgment based on what you have now, and what you want moving forward.
I bought a used Futaba 9C Super. With the 72 module I kept all the receivers in my planes, plus my extra receivers. The most important thing is the 9C Super is a great piece of equipment and I can move to 2.4 with a module.
My choice is also Futaba because intuitively I'm going with the FASST system.
07-24-2009, 06:18 PM
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RE: Time for new radios again
Personally I would stay away from transmitters and receivers made in china, myself and others lost some expensive planes due to signal loss using made in China products...I don't mind buying low tech stuff made in china but a rc transmitter and receiver is something that shouldn't be built with cheap parts and low skilled labor making less then a buck an hour, sorry but this is my opinion
07-25-2009, 12:26 PM
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RE: Time for new radios again
Nearly all radios are made in China now. Futaba has been for years if you consider Taiwan China. They have moved to mainland China now.
Airtronics used the same 2.4 system as Futaba.
Nearly all systems are comparable now. Buy the one that fits your needs best. Go to the hobby shop and look at them.
Airtronics used the same 2.4 system as Futaba.
Nearly all systems are comparable now. Buy the one that fits your needs best. Go to the hobby shop and look at them.
