Futaba14sg review.

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Before I received my Futaba 14sg radio I had searched the internet for ages but could not find any reviews on it. The following is my honest opinion and review based on my experiences with this radio.

I bought the Futaba 14sg as a replacement for my first radio the Futaba 7C 72mhz. I was worried about the cost of genuine Futaba RX's but found FrSky fasst receivers for $21 on Hobby King. I put them into my smaller planes of .40 size and smaller. The two selling points for me was the telemetry (for RX voltage) and the ability to use any of the Futaba 2.4ghz frequency hopping protocols. FASST, FASSTest, SFHSS and FHSS. For those who don't know, all Futaba 2.4ghz radios use frequency hopping systems that allow the radio to skip continuously between frequencies to avoid interference. The first 2.4 system Futaba made was FASST. This was a very 'over engineered' system and consequently quite expensive. It is still used by most futaba users today and so it has stood the test of time. S-FHSS is Futaba's cheap version and is quite fast and also to Futaba's safe standard. None of these however, are capable of having the RX 'talk back' to the radio and send information like RPM, temperature, height, etc. Then Futaba came out with FASSTest. FASSTest is Futaba's two way system. This means that FASSTest is Futaba's only telemetry capable protocol. The 14sg is a great radio to get because it means that no matter what type of Futaba 2.4 RX you have in your planes, you will be able to use them in this radio. SBUS is another nice feature that allows you to use up to 16 servos in one receiver.

Packaging.

The 14sg came in a small box compared to other futaba radios. It was well ppackaged and no damage was obtained in transit. Upon opening I found the manual, neckstrap, 6vbattery, LIFE battery bracket, a switch, screw driver, RX and charger. It is worth noting that the charger is only a 110 volt charger and so it would be useless in some countries. The TX itself had protective plastic screen covers like that on an iPod. They were however, so badly applied that I removed them straight away and bought new ones. The sticks had a very tight tension but that was soon altered through the tension screws through the rear of the case under the grips.

Closer look at TX

Compared to my Futaba 7C the 14sg was quite heavy which I like because it adds to the quality feel. The plastic was fine and I really liked the styling. After feeling a Spektrum DX8 in the shop I was looking forward to the rubber grips. I was a little disappointed when I felt the 14sg grips because they are very hard and not very rubbery although they are probably more resistant to methanol. The neckstrap holder perfectly balances the radio. The screen is a nice size and I found navigation great with the sensor touch. The TX has two home screens. One has lots of information and the other enlarges the two timer displays. The alarm is in my opinion loud enough but the vibrating option is not very powerful. The gimbals, once adjusted to my preferred tension felt fine and smooth. The Futaba 14sg overall has a modern, compact and quality feel to it.

Linking.

Linking the included Futaba FASSTest RX was easy to do but unconventional. I involves some setting up in the systems menu but is explained well in the manual. The FRSky RX's were also easy to link by powering up the RX, holding down the failsafe button on the RX and turning on the TX. Of coarse the TX has to be in FASST 7ch mode for It to work.

Switches,

There are 6 three position switches on the 14sg, 1 two position switch and 1 two position spring loaded switch. I really like there being 6 three position switches because I can, for example, set timer start, reset and pause all on one switch. As well as flight conditions, dual rates etc. There are also 2 rotary knobs and two sliders on the rear. I love these for flaps, undercarriage, etc. The switches are slightly wobbly but I don't think it is a problem.

Manual,

The manual is fine for me and is for the most part okay.

Software updates.

The software update was a quick and painless process. It is done through an SD card.

Features:

This is where the 14sg excels. I like the dual rates. They have up to 5 different rates. All of the exponential rates are laid out in a brilliant graph. Model selection is easy and it can be done from either the home page or systems menu. There are three different menus. They are the system menu, the link menu and the model menu. Setting up functions such as dual aileron and/or dual elevator is simple and straight forward with the manual. Mixing is easy if you follow the manual. One disappointing thing is that there are no flight conditions in airplane mode. Flight conditions is a function that allows you to have the plane set up in different ways for different phases of flight. You switch between flight conditions using switches. Maybe with a future update theflight modes will be usable in airplane mode too. There is a headphone plug in the rear of the transmitter. This is currently useless but I heard somewhere that it will be able to be used for voice output when the next update comes out. The key with a TX like this is to use the manual!

Use:

I arrived at the field and began setting up the planes. Using the Frsky receivers I conducted a range check. To range check you hold the center of the sensor touch and turn on the TX. You press the center of the sensor touch again and it will start a countdown from 90 seconds. Once the timer is up the range check is finished and the radio will automatically start to transmit at full range again. The clone receivers have worked well in my .40 sized planes for over 12 hours flying time and have not had any problems. I have not flown with the included RX yet but I have set up a plane that is soon to be maidened.

The design of the transmitters back is amazing and very comfortable. I get that locked in feeling they advertise.

Telemetry:

Telemetry only works on FASSTest and so I have only had a chance to test it on the ground and yes the RX voltage works as it should. I will buy additional sensors for height, speed , temperature and RPM in the future.

Summary:

Overall I love this radio. I am very satisfied with it and with the clone receivers. It is all very cheap. The Futaba 18mz is the next step up from the 14sg and for the price I can't see a huge difference between them in functions.

Futaba 14sg radio

Tower Hobbies

$549.00

FrSky TFR6 7ch

Hobbyking.com

$21.49