jester_s1

They seem to be lagging behind their competitors in the features they offer with little effort to release anything new. When the RDS8000 came out, it got people excited because it was inexpensive and gave us 8 channels. The SD-10 fit a similar niche, offering a fully programmable radio with 10 channels for $300 (if you opt for the 7 channel receiver). But now the industry has added so many more features that people want like telemetry, voice and vibration alerts, wireless buddy boxes, expandable memory, downloadable model setups and firmware updates, and a few others. ATX released the Aquilla radio last year, but it's just an updated 6 channel unit with no new features. I have always been impressed with the value Airtronics gives its customers and the quality of the radio link, but I don't see how they can compete for much longer. IMO, they'll have to either significantly reduce their prices and be the budget choice, or step up with some new products that include at least telemetry if not some audio features too.

raptureboy

Don't know if they are pulling out but I think they offer just what most of us need, a no nonsense high quality radio at a fair price. I for one don't need a thousand features I will never use and 40 plus model memories in order to get 10 channels and the most useful features. I found out that they wll give me a 25% credit toward a new SD10 when I trade in my RDS 8000. wonder if the other big 3 will do that.

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

When I bought a new radio a few years back, I looked long and hard at the SD-10 but found it lacking in several critical ways ... so went elsewhere. Even at that time I thought if they'd just bring out a "Super" or improved version they would be good to go for several years. There was rumor of a Super version a year or so ago but no show so far.

Edit: Checking their web site now shows the SD-19GS now available.

I've owned several Airtronics radios over the years and still use a RDS-8000 for some of my sport and smaller planes. I've always found them to be a great value and extremely reliable. But yes, they will have to at least keep up with some of the modern features to remain viable in today's market.

mattnew

My Feedback: (2)

The SD-10GS is available...

I don't know... I own 2 radios with all those features you listed, and when I take stock and compare "what I have" to what I use on a daily basis when I'm flying ( as opposed to when I sit and program it in front of my pc... ).. I'm finding more and more whats important in a radio is...
- quality of connection
- quality of gimbals
- ability to program the mixes I want

and the rest is fodder for rcuniverse. I like having the Rx battery voltage and RSSI, but its by no means affecting me not to have it.

I don't know.. the more I use it, the more those extra features seem like gimmicky sales pitches rather than useful tools for flying....obviously there are exceptions to this.. telemetry becomes more important to the FPV crowd etc...

I feel like airtronics is selling you what you need, not what you want...


-- I don't own an airtronics radio...

jester_s1

I started thinking about it when I buddy boxed a student the other day who had bought 2 DX9 radios. Those have the voice prompts and a vibration alert. One of the features in training is that the DX9 automatically takes control when you move the sticks, so there's no holding a switch or a button. It vibrates when it does it, so you know. That was a neat feature that probably didn't cost much to implement, just a bit of creative thinking. The radio can easily be set to give whatever kind of prompt you want for the flight timer or any of the telemetry thresholds you want too.
Now in reality, does it matter much? No. I use the timer on my phone now because it's easier to set than the one of my SD-10G. I never have a dead stick because of fuel, and I take care of my batteries. But it's a lot like the car market; if the $35k Volvo has a backup camera and separate climate controls and the $32k Honda doesn't, I'm going to buy the Volvo. The SD-10GS doesn't appear to have any new features; it's just some extra knobs from what I can tell. It didn't need that. I agree that Airtronics makes a good radio which is why I fly nothing else, but it also seems like they are sitting on their laurels and not innovating anymore too.

rmh

Airtronics like others, are seeing the advancements (like the DX9) which are rapidly be implemented by others .

It's a harsh game - either keep up or loose out

jester_s1

We've always talked about the "big 4" manufacturers, and Airtronics over the last few years has been later to the game than the others. With the switch to 2.4, they were smart to let others go ahead and then see what problems they had. But now it looks like corporate decision has been made to just kick back and let the market go away. It's not a bad short term strategy- sell as many of your current design as you can, then go find another way to make money when the customers dry up.

K-Bob

My Feedback: (1)

Really just the "Big Three." I would put Hitec in the same category as Airtronics.

rmh

We all have brands we like n trust and -the market shifts will always change what we can buy. Or we will buy - look for emerging brands and others going away - always has been - always will be

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

If I just wanted to fly an airplane I would get out my old 27mhz radio and convert it to 2.4. It would have everything I need.
But now I would like to know what happened if I crash. My radio tells me what the signal is I am receiving and all of the control inputs I have made. It also allows me to select any channel with what lever of or switch I want to use. It stores up to 60 AC and allows me to program it with my computer if I chose to.
It talks to me and allows me to select any music I want to play
It only costs $175.
I just don't think Airtronics feels they can compete with that.

Rod_Hart

My Feedback: (4)

According to another forum, Airtronics is going to be making an annoucement in the next couple of weeks about new radios. It will be interesting to see what comes out. I am hoping for a 12-14 channel. I have been really happy with my SD-10 just need more channels for my jets.

Rod

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

Sanwa/Airtronics is a big player in the RC car radio market, and they make most of their money outside of the RC hobby industry. I believe that their RC air radios tend to fall behind because it's just not that important of a market category for the company.

Airtronics beat Hitec to the 2.4Ghz market, and the SD-10g was cutting-edge when it was released. It's still the only non-JR/Spektrum radio to offer a "Model Match" style feature when used with FHSS-3 receivers. FHSS-3 is STILL innovative; I for one thought it was nice to hear a manufacturer actually talk about performance rather than just bells and whistles.

If Airtronics debuts some new transmitter models, I'll look forward to checking them out. I own an SD-10g, an SD-6g, and two RDS8000 radio systems however, and if there is anything that I need my radio system to do that they can't, I haven't discovered it yet.

I wouldn't mind seeing Sanwa add SLT-compatibility or wireless buddy boxing to some new models. There is always room for improvement and advancement. If the worst thing that can be said about your product is that it is solid and reliable to the point of being boring, that certainly beats the alternative!

jester_s1

Oh I agree there. Airtronics is as good as anyone else in the technical department. They have the fastest radio in the SD-10's price range, and they are well made. I'll never fly Spektrum, because there are just too many stories of bad ones. Futaba makes a good radio, but they cost more. I respect Hitec stuff, especially the Aurora 9, but I was already invested in Airtronics receivers when it came time to upgrade.

rmh

The stories about Spektrum?
Having flown em since day one - I am confident most stories are simply lack of understanding 2.4 systems -and because they sell lots of stuf at entry level - the attendant lack of any tech expertize caused (causes) failures due to not understanding radios in general.

mattnew

My Feedback: (2)

I think there is quite a bit of truth to this. I think a number of things that are blamed on the radio are bad setups and dumb thumbs. I've read story after story on boards like this where someone pulled hard up elevator and suddenly "lost control" and my first thought was... well yeah.. you stalled the plane...you lose control when you stall a plane. Also a significant number of the spektrum stories were from the original dsm2 radios, and I believe they have largely died down with dsmx.

That being said though I've also seen both mine and my brothers dx6i glitch at the exact same spot at his field multiple times, every time you fly through a spot near ( "near" meaning the closest you'd be comfortable flying to them without being in danger of hitting, several hundred feet likely ) where a set of power lines cross. I've never had an issue at my own field with the dx6i to date....but at his field the plane does a hard pitch right and nose down for about a 1/2 a second before control is restored, fortunately at an altitude high enough for recovery. My Futaba, my dad's airtronics 72mhz system, and my brothers hitec system don't have a problem in this airspace. Is there a radio problem? I don't know, I have no idea whats going on there and for the infrequency of which I use his field, I don't really worry about it most of the time. But it does make me think when I'm installing a radio in a new plane... Currently I dialed back my spektrum planes to a foamie and a micro helicopter that I fly indoors. I haven't had any issues or crashes... I do like the radio's feel and the gimbals are nice.. I am just lacking in confidence in it currently...

mattnew

My Feedback: (2)

and I just realized that that is a complete left turn for the thread topic.... apologies.

If airtronics announces a new radio soon like the rumors are saying, It will likely be my next radio. I've always liked the quality of them.

jester_s1

No problem. I started it by mentioning the name of the worst radio brand on the market today. Sure, stalls will bring planes down. But a plane that goes into a death spiral from level flight for no reason isn't pilot error. When it happens to a pilot who used the recommended battery and buys good connectors and follows the correct binding procedure, it's the manufacturer's fault.

To get the conversation back on topic, how about let's discuss what we'd like to see from Airtronics. I'd like to see a module based radio so I can easily use it with the ultra micro BNF planes that are so popular now. What else, if anything, would you want?

rmh

Funny - You think S brand is worst yet you want to fly their bind n fly -
pretty funny!

mattnew

My Feedback: (2)

He might like the plane options that are sold as bind-n-fly and not necessarily love the protocol... Spektrum does have your hands tied there a bit


For me:
high quality gimbals
10-14 channels
RSSI and receiver voltage at a minimum, the rest of the telemetry ... It wouldn't sway me either way.

Affordable FHSS3 receivers would sway me almost more than a better radio. $120 for an 8 channel receiver currently is a bit steep in my opinion. Thats more than almost any other company out there, including Futaba. Combine that with requiring digital servos and your entire setup gets pretty pricey quickly

as for compatibility with other protocols... not so much, I'm not opposed to having multiple radios. have for years. I would rather they did there one thing well than try to do a bunch of different protocols.

jester_s1

rmh- I like some of the ultra micro planes and helicopters. The receiver is part of the circuit board, so there's no changing it.

rmh

Bind N Fly stuff is great We have also purchased the "bricks and outfitted a number of small EPP and Depron models with em
The new ones with AS3X built in are excellent..
Anyway after 7 years of flying the Spektrum equipment and seeing 95% of others in our area doing the same - with no real problems , I am surprised when I see the posts which picture the equipment as "the worst' .
I simply see nothing to warrant that kind of comment. The Airtronics radios also seem to operate well but in 2.4 configurations - I have only seen a handful of em .
No shops around here carry em- I asked about radios carried in shops here - talking to shop guys at a huge swap meet last month - Bottom line - no demand - so they just don't carry them .

OldRookie

My Feedback: (13)

I have looked at the Airtronics over the years and almost bought into their brand. They make a good quality radio for the money.
I personally would put Spektrum at the bottom of the list also. Would never consider Spektrum or ever own anything made by them.

Greg

rmh

Buy what you like - it's a hobby-and a learning curve
They are top selling brand for very good reasons.

raptureboy

Mean while back to the topic at hand... I agree on the cost of the receivers they need to come down especially the older FHSS 1 units. I can't say that there is really any more features I would use, but some kind of ability to fly some of the of the bind and fly type planes conversion kit like Tactic offers would be nice.

rmh

Did you know Bind N Fly is a Horizon model term?