epanzella

After35 or so years I'd like to get back into RC flying. After trying to shop for a radio I'm lost with all the new (to me) terminology. I'm looking for a reasonable 4/5 channel radio with receiver and 4 servos. As I fly mode One I would like to oder the radio that way or at least be able to convert it. I would also like rechageble bats for both receiver and Xmtr if possible. I still have some 60 and 90 glow enginnes kicking around and plan on starting with a 45-60 sized bipe. To give you an idea of when I flew my lastflight, my clothspin was Brown and White (72.080). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

TFF

I grew up flying mode 1 on red and white and got back in about 12 years ago. Buy at least a 7 channel radio. You can set planes up like they use to be, but most models rely on many of radio features that would have been dreams back then. A JR or Futaba 7 channel is what a 5 channel was back then. You wont be sorry.

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

I'd suggest buying as much radio as you can afford. One of the good, mid-priced radios should fit your needs quite well and you'll find these in the $250.00 to $500.00 range. You're not a beginner even though you've not flown for awhile and you'll quickly outgrow one of the entry level radios. All the major brands work well though they program quite differently from each other. You may want to check around in your area to see what is popular so you can get local programming advice when you need it.

You can buy any of the radio brands on mode 1. Futaba and Hitec are extremely easy to convert as you can select the mode in the programming functions then perform the mechanical changes as needed. The Hitec Aurora 9 is especially easy to change modes on as you just access screwdriver slots in the back of the transmitter to engage or release centering springs and / or the throttle detent or friction .... all to your preference.

Good luck with your search .... and yes, I fly airplanes on mode 1 .....

plaurence

My Feedback: (2)

[quote]ORIGINAL: epanzella



After35 or so years I'd like to get back into RC flying. After trying to shop for a radio I'm lost with all the new (to me) terminology. I'm looking for a reasonable 4/5 channel radio with receiver and 4 servos. As I fly mode One I would like to oder the radio that way or at least be able to convert it. I would also like rechageble bats for both receiver and Xmtr if possible. I still have some 60 and 90 glow enginnes kicking around and plan on starting with a 45-60 sized bipe. To give you an idea of when I flew my lastflight, my clothspin was Brown and White (72.080). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have a Futaba 8J less than a year old with two Rx. If your interested email me. Give you a deal you can't refuse.

Texastbird

http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
Here you can find some clubs in your area. I would visit some and check out the radios the flyers are using. A computer radio is a little daunting at first, but with just a little help, I bet you will be wondering how we ever got along without them. I started with a blue and white flag back in the day and took a 5 year vacation after the 1991 change basically made my old AM radios obsolete. You won't believe how good most of the newer stuff is once you understand how to navigate the menus on whichever system you decide on. Remeber, a correctly installed 2.4 system will have virtually no chance for interference like the old stuff did, and no one can possibly "shoot" you down like in the good old days. That being said, I still have some planes on 72mhz and have no problem, since no one else in the club flies on my frequency. But don't be tempted by a used 72 mhz radio unless money is very, very limited, 2.4mhz is where its at.

epanzella

Thanks guys. All good info.
Ed P

yatssdaa

 A JR or Futaba 7 channel is what a 5 channel was back then. You wont be sorry. 

Warbird40

My Feedback: (24)

I would recommend a Futaba T8J. Its an 8 channel 2.4 system that you will never outgrow at a great price. I love mine!

Best regards,
Ed

jester_s1

If you don't want to spend the money on the T8J the Futaba 6 channel radio is a great performer as well. If you're just going to do sport flying and no really big airplanes or serious aerobatics like IMAC you won't need anything more. I'm also a big fan of Airtronics. I have an RDS8000 radio and have had a good experience with it. It's a little under $200 for the radio and receiver combo with a rechargeable transmitter battery, no servos.

epanzella

Thanks Jester. When I flew 35 years ago I didn't have (or need) dual rates, expo, sevo reversing and all the other bell & whistles available today. I already did all the big planes, scale planes, pattern planes, ect,  that I'm ever gonna do. Now I just wanna have a bipe to fly now and then to scratch my RC itch because I really miss flying. I'll never be back into this at the level I was and a plain jane 6 channel is all I'll ever need. (the usual suspects plus maybe flaps and a camera).  I see radios on 72mhz (72.080 was my old freq) , 75mhz, and 2.4 ghz. I see FASST, S-FHSS, and FHSS radios. I don't know what they're talking about. I don't want to spend a lot of money on features I don't require but for safety I don't want to buy a radio that sacrifices reliabilty on the altar of economy.   

Rafael23cc

My Feedback: (6)

Good thing is, that it is all "standard equipment" now. You'd be surprised on what you were missing.

The basic stuff you need to recognize is 2.4. That replaced 72mHz as 72mHz replaced 27mHz centuries ago. It does not mean that you cannot use 72mHz or 27mHz. It just means that 2.4 technology is more reliable than the old technology.

FASST, S-FHSS, and FHSS are just protocols of getting the information from the radio to the receiver. Some radios are capable of swapping from one format to the other, some are not. These features are mostly Futaba, so I'll stop here since I am not fully familiar. I'm a JR guy.

DO NOT get a 75mHz radio. For aircraft use, the FCC only recognizes 72mHz or 2.4 gHz. If you want to roll the dice, i believe 27mHz is still available, but all the toy stores sell cheap rc aircraft on 27mHz. How lucky do you feel?

Rafael

Warbird40

My Feedback: (24)

You can also buy used 72mhz transmitters for dirt cheap now days, plus receivers are also very cheap. 72mhz is still used my many and its very reliable. I started flying last year with a 6 ch JR trasmitter that I bought on E*** for $38 plus $20 for a receiver and it had a lot of features. Since most people fly with 2.4 now, you wont have issues with running into another guy using the same ch/frequency.

Good luck
Best regards,
Ed

SeaJay

My Feedback: (6)

Epanzella,

epanzella

Thanks, that looks like a great buy. It's out of stock but I signed up for email notification when they come in.Ed P

Rob2160

Its a different world now.. I have been in RC for 35 years, with a 10 year gap before resuming 3 years ago.. the 2.4ghz radios are fabulous.

I can strongly recommend the followingfrom my own experience..

Spektrum DX6i - a basic radio but very capable
Spektrum DX7s - a much nicer radio with ball bearing gimbals (once you try these you won't go back )
Spektrum DX8 - Ball bearing gimbals - backlit screen
Futaba 7C - non bearing gimbals but still very smooth
Futaba 8FG - Ball Bearing Gimbals. - backlit screen

Depends on your budget.. most sets don't come with Servos like they used to 30 years ago.. just the TX and RX and you buy your own servos to suit the application directly..

Futaba has always been flawless and I still use them and they make great radios, one advantage of Spektrum is that there is a HUGE market of Bind and Fly aircraft / Helicopters that can link directly to the Spektrum TX's.. This is the main reason I also have Spektrum radios..

People will tell you one brand is better than the other, and everyone has an opinion.. From 3 years of intense flying with Futaba, JR and Spektrum I have found them to all be Equally and Flawlessly reliable.

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

one other important item to note.... (another VERY GOOD thing that's happened with radios in the last several years)
MOST servos work with most any radio.. the days of 'oh, you have Futaba servos.. can't use them with this JR radio' are gone.
(of course, if you've got any old 4 wire Kraft servo's laying around... well you might want to send them to the museum )

SeaJay

My Feedback: (6)

I would like to make one corection, it looks as if the Optic 5 is a non-computerized radio..  No model memory, which is very important if you are planning on having more than one airplane..  if you get a computerized radio with multiple model memory, you can have several planes set up and saved on the transmitter, and you can use that one transmitter to fly many models..  the days of taking several Tx's per plane are a thing of the past..  do yourself a favor and at least get a system with the most basic computer and model memory, you won't be sorry..  a some good choices would be the hitec Optic 6, or airtronics rds8000, SD5G, SD6G.  Futaba has good reviews, and many swear by the Spektrum systems.