1QwkSport2.5r

I am gonna be looking for a 2.4Ghz radio this spring for my 2 airboats. I know this isnt the airboat forum, but I figure the inboard mono guys will have more experience in radios.. I am looking at getting a Spektrum DX3S w/ 2 receivers to use in my boats and swap the Receivers out to my RC Cars too. I've gotten mixed ideas from what radios work best on the water as well as some have had problems with losing signal. I have an Outrigger Hydro I'm building for speed and I dont want it getting lost across the lake or crashing thus the change to 2.4 technology. Will the DX3S work well for me or should I look at something else..?

I've been using a JR XS3 Synthesized radio in my other boat and havent had any signal loss problems but I havent let it get too far away either..

Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

coriolan

The DX3S works fine for boats but like all 2.4 Ghz systems it is important to place the antenna well above water for good link. The SR3300T is well suited for that having the antenna on top and plus has telemetry hability. 2.4 Ghz is no problem with cars but since water is highly reflective of higher frequencies you need to keep that in mind! Metal,carbon fiber also will mask the signal.

1QwkSport2.5r

My craft is mostly all wood - there is some aluminum for the boom tubes, and the engine mount area but most of the frame is balsa, lite ply, and birch ply.

I had seen that the Spektrum DX3S is marine friendly - compatible with the MR3000 Marine receiver. Is this any different than the standard receiver/do I need it?

The telemetry wont be used on the boats, so that doesnt matter. The sensors will not mount on any of my r/c cars either, so thats a moot feature for me. I'm more concerned with range, and signal loss. The antenna on my watercraft will be towards the stern of the hull - about 12" from the transom. I have an antenna mount for boats that should get the antenna wire up above the water level by 12" or better.

amax

I've been using the Older Spektrum DX3.0 & SR3001 DSM 3-Channel Pro Series Receiver in all my boats for Years , and DX3 before that, I haven't much experience with any of the other 2.4GHz systems or the New Spektrum Stuff. I've never seen the need to Switch to anything else.
You can check out my YouTube Channel and see I have Plenty of Range & Control, and No issues I wouldn't have had with any other system.
One of the things I love about the Spektrum System is the "Built In Fail Safe" that You Need to Set Up when Binding the TX & RX Together. I Like to set my Fail Safe up with about 1\4 throttler and turning Right so it makes a Wide right hand turn, That way if I go Out of Range it drops Off Full Plane and Turns Right and comes Back In To Range. If it's a Weak Battery Issue then it will just Cruse around in a big circle until it picks signal back up, or Worst Case Scenario,,, You have to go out in the pickup boat and try to Stall it out with a Towel or Shirt thrown in front of it as it passes,,,, Lots of Fun [:@]

in this vid you can See the Fail Safe at work when I let the TX battery run To Low,,[:@]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcQs0h9d0fw[/youtube]

If your going with a New Spektrum System I would say Definitely Go with the Marine RX. They have basically encapsulated the RX circuit board in Epoxy so the only areas vulnerable to moisture are the connectors & Pins, a little Dielectric Grease, CRC HD Corrosion Inhibitor, or Corrosion X, will take care of that.
Part of it's Unique Protocol, is it's ability to use 2 Antennas to maximize reception, which in Theory should give you More Range than what I have with the older system.

Another nice thing about the Spektrum system that I recently found out was it CAN Handle a 7.4v LiPo plugged Directly in to the RX and the JR and Spektrum analog Servos will take it with No Problem. I run a 400mAh LiPo in my .18 Hydro All Day and it drops to about 1\2 capacity. My battery weight went from 4.3oz (6v NiMh) to 1.2oz(LiPo).

advanced builder

With the new receivers out there, the antenna 's are short. 7.5" on the 2.4 gig Futaba. Loss of signal ,never had one yet. One should always do a signal CK before you put her in water. Futaba has a fail safe built in. I run RC trucks on a clay oval 2 times a week . I went with the Skyfly @ $35.00 a steal No it's not a Spectrum. not even close but a 2.4 gig cheap I can put my Futaba's back in my boats. If your a serious boater then yes a Spectrum is Very good . a once a month boater can get buy with the Skyfly 2.4 . I gotta go race day I 'm running Skyfly. The only minus is the on/off switch I have to remove a battery when I carry it around inside my duffel bag

1QwkSport2.5r

I think I will get the Spektrum DX3S radio with 2 receivers for my cars and I'll buy 2 marine receivers (MR3000) for my boats. These receivers come with two antennas - one 14" long and one 8" long. I run my boats several times a month (not racing) and feel better about the brand. Nothing against skyfly, but I'm a little leary of "cheap" radio gear when it comes to a boat thats taken me 4 months to build. I have a few other options I'm going to look at before deciding 100%. I might even just buy a few JR XS3 receivers and do the synthesized FM thing since its worked well in the past. I'm still not sure - I invite any other experience or ideas to the table.

1QwkSport2.5r

I'm bumping this thread to see if there is anyone else that has any experience to share.. I'll be going shopping for my radio gear in the next month and would like to find out what everyone else uses on their nitro boats so I can be a little better prepared..

Thanks in advance, folks.

res3567

I have the DX2S with the MR200 marine reciever.....actually have two of those.....and I aint had no issues whatsoever......

1QwkSport2.5r

Thats good to know - looks like the DX2S is the same as the 3S except for the extra channel and a few other extra features. Since I want to be able to use the new radio for my boats and my cars, I'll probably want a 3rd channel in case I want to re-install reverse into one of my LST2 monster trucks.

At any rate - it sounds like the Spektrum DSM/DSM2 radio systems seem to work well with few if any signal loss problems (providing a marine receiver is used I suppose).

Michael.foster42

I just installed a sky fly gt3b and I am having issues with reciever cutting out when I start my older model 33cc homesite gas engine, everything works fine before I start engine, any ideas?

Hydro Junkie

How close is the receiver to the engine or ignition system?

Got RPM

This thread is over 6 years old dude! Note that back in 2011 no poster used or recommended a FlySky. You have asked this same question in your own thread and are getting good responses there - no need to clutter up the board by asking again in this dead thread and having to explain all the details over and over again.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-b...-cuts-out.html



.