I have a 6 channel Futaba radio with dual rates, flaps and retract switch. It also has adjustments for the ailerons & elevator so I can fine tune them. I was wondering do I need to invest in a computer radio such as the Futaba 6xas or similar to do 3 d moves with a magic 3 d ? Thanks

Well...this depends on what type of airplane you are flying. IMO, the computer radio is worth the extra money. It allows expo to be programmed, which is necessary when flying any 60''+ airplane. There are a lot of "goodies" on the computer radios that aren't on the non-comp. radios.

Now, depending on the airplane, and the amount of channels, the radio you have is probably fine. The computer radios are simply an easier, and IMO, a more fun way to go.

Enjoy,

Patrick

No, you don't need a computer radio.

Is it worth the investment? You bet!

It will allow you to do all types of mixing, like fapperons, spoilerons, expo, rudder/elevator, etc...

Look at purchasing a new radio like buying a TV or Computer. What do you want it to do now and what will I want it to do in the future.

All of the computer radio have multi-plane memories, and that may be the best reason to buy one. Once you have your radio it should last you for years and years. Chances are, you would not want standard type servos and battery packs anyway.

With the price of the Futaba 9C, so affordable, it may be worth it to save up and buy the 9C. You will never need another radio again.

All that AND the cool factor involved, cause its gotta look cool

I agree. It's not mandatory but if you can afford it then that's the way to go. You'll be glad you did!

What they said...

I wouldn't go out and buy a new radio until the radio you have doesn't meet your requirements for some reason. To do 3D, it is easier, perhaps, with a computer radio, since you can program flaperons and spoilerons, etc. However, I'd try it with your radio for awhile and really see if you need the extra bells and whistles...

That being said, the next time you are at the hobby shop with a couple o' hun burining a hole in your pocket, you won't go wrong by taking a computer radio home. I have a Futaba 8U and have all 8 model memories filled. I never thought I'd get to four planes, and I now have more than I can program into my radio. (Yes, that also means that I have more planes than I can fly...)

Good luck!

I agree with the last two, skip the 6xas and go for the 9c if you plan on staying in this hobby.
Dave

Or...
You can find great deals on the 8US. I would go for the heli radio because of the lack of "clicks" on the throttle (smoother throttle transition). I got mine for dirt cheap and it is a lot of radio. I love it. I think it's pretty intuitive as far and finding everything. Nothing better than finishing a plane and sitting in the living room with the wife will I dial everything in on the radio/plane. Then there's only one thing left to do!

I feel you definitely need a good computer radio if you are going to learn and be proficient at 3d type of flying. The main reason is the amount of throws you will be adding to the aircraft to get it to do the wild 3d stuff. 40-45 degrees of throw will be so touchy on high rates that if you forget to switch right back to low rates when you finish the maneuver you probably will snap it into the ground. The wrong way to start out learning something new.

Don't get me wrong, it is possible to learn some of these high alpha aerobatics with a standard radio, but do yourself a big favor and invest in something that will help you out in the long run. Learning how to use and setup these radios with 3d type of aircraft will be fun and very rewarding.

I've learned the hard way that it is always better to have the right tool for the job.

I have planes with 60 to 80 degree throws and take off and land them that way. It's all in the expo which a computer radio affords you. Everything is at around 35 to 45 expo. So it's soft in the middle but if you hit the stick all the way over the surface is at full travel. That alone is worth the computer radio. Not to mention the subtrims.

I have had almost as much fun tweaking and setting up my planes with my Futaba 9C as I do flying!!!(I said almost ) Computer radios rock!

Regards,
Philip

Billy,
Real pilots don't need expo! Where did you get your RC pilot's license, out of a Cracker Jack box?






Don't worry Billy, just joking!



Wade

I learned to fly at K-Mart. I thought that was where I was supposed to go!

I'm a member of the K-MA

As everyone else said, maybe not necessary, but it makes one heck of a difference. mainly in expo I'd say. Now all I have to do is sell my 3 non computer radios and I can get one cmoputer radio

I started out with a 6xas as my first radio, even with my trainer plane. It took a lot of persuading from my flying buddy vs just buying a single cheap radio. It was the best money I spent (up until my 9C last month) . The mixing capabilities are great, the expo is great (adjustable either way, to make it softer or more responsive on the sticks). Flaperons, spoilerons, air brakes, elevons, multiple model memories are phenominal. On the 9C, throw in ailevators, snaproll switches (can be programmed to do all 4 snaps), TRIPLE rates, endpoint adjustment, 9 programmable mixers in addition to the factory mixes, spoilerons, slide switches, gear switches, three rotary knobs, THE BIG HONKIN PUSH BUTTON KNOB to configure with, model NAMES, the easiest copy method from model to model are just a few extra features. Throw in the ability to slave any function to just about any switch or slide, and well, you got alot of crash switches . With the 9C, you can set up triple rates on your elevator, aileron, and rudder, assign them to a single switch, and have 6 different expo values on that switch( different expo for up elevator vs down elevator for example). You can set your endpoint travel and ATV (up to 140% of travel) so your servo linkage doesnt bind and drain your battery. You can have seperate values for up/down, or left/right. You can also set your center point as well. Want to run dual elevator servos? no problem, no plug in reversing circuit needed, just use one of the two options for slaving servo 5 to 2 (on a 5 channel receiver), or 8 to 2 on a 149 series (8 channel) receiver, and its done. Ailevators= the ability to have the ailerons move in with the elevators (makes for some awesome point rolls, and hovering/TR). Reversing travel is easy as pie. Want in-flight high speed needle adjustment? just set up a channel and slave it to a rotary knob in the center of the transmitter and adjust to your hearts content. You can also set up throttle curves/expo on the throttle, or use endpoint adjustment to limit your throttle "mechanically" to 1/2 throttle on that ridiculously overpowered UCD with the saito 150(dont ask, its coming, I'm just waiting on the engine to arrive in the mail ). You have the ability to do idle up (speeding up your idle for spins to prevent engine stalling), and throttle cut (flip a switch, and the engine dies, no sliding the throttle trim down, and forgetting to reset it)
With the optional campac modules, you can put up to 64 individual models onto a single transmitter, or TRANSFER your setup into someone elses 9C for their plane. Need to change frequencies? Just pop out your existing RF Module, and pop in another one. No retuning needed (all the RF functions are in the module) The options are truly endless, and the 147 page instruction manual flows pretty nicely too

As stated above, the 9C (or the comparible JR radio) should be the last transmitter you have to purchase for a while. Tower has really good deals on the 9C with the 149 receiver from time to time. It's alot of change to drop on a single piece of hardware, but when you add up the price of 4 single model radios for 4 different planes, youre coming out way ahead.

Man, I should get a job for Futaba at this rate


Steve



Oh yeah, the absolute cooooooooooolest thing about the 9C is the digital trims. No having to remember to save your trim memory before switching models (and usually forgetting and spending the next two flights retrimming your plane). When you change models, the trims are recorded.

You don't need one but I would get on because then you don't have to buy another radio if you decide to get a giant scale.

Steve,
You summed up my feelings about the 9C pretty well, however, I have a couple technical corrections:
7 pmixes instead of 9. Two of those 7 are on 5 point curves.
The 149 series receivers are 9 channel, not 8.
The Futaba CAMPAC modules only have memory for 6 more models, though you can get aftermarket versions with much more memory

Additionally, the digital trims are way cool but where this radio shines is in switch assignment. As you stated you can set up the ATV for throttle mellowing on your new UCD, but lets do something a little cooler:

Lets say you have your rates on one switch (we'll call it C), and during high rates you want all the power you can get, middle rates you want 75% power, and at low rates you want 50% power. First, set your Throttle ATV to get full power. Next, set up a pmix of throttle - throttle at -25%, and assign it to switch C in the center postition. Finally, set up a throttle - throttle mix at -50%, and set it to switch C in the lowe position. Now, when you go to high rates you have max power available, go to middle rates and you automatically have your throttle resticted to 75% at full stick travel. On low rates your throttle response is effectively halved. Does this sound cool or what? Something that the 8103 can't touch.

Ryan,

Sorry about the small amount of misinformation there. I was taking stabs at it from my desk at work. I knew all the numbers were pretty high, but the campacs can take you as high as 64 to even 128, depending on the size of the module.

I totally agree about all the reallly cool assignments. It's got to be a stripped down version of the "conditions" that the 9Z offers (at three times the price). I only have about 4 hours on the new 9C, about 2/3 of that spent at the house just playing with programming. I had the assistance of someone who has had a 9C for a year, so he made alot of little tips. I am still totally blown away by that radio, and intend on keeping it as long as possible. I definately wouldnt recommend it for someone as their absolute first radio, unless they plan on being in the hobby for a while. I managed to get mine with the 149 and 3004 servos for 349.00 from Tower. I know of one person who bought his for 309.00 after using the merchandise coupon, the rebate, and somethin else. He then turned around and sold his "old" (8 month old) 9C for about that much, so he broke even on the deal, got a new transmitter, and a free PPM receiver. It's going to take me several months to figure out that radio, but I love it already.

Steve

I forgot to mention in the throttle programming that you'd only want to set the mix at -50% and -25% only on the top half of throttle stick travel. Leave the low half at 0%, otherwise you'll affect the idle of the engine. Cool stuff!

Thanks for all the info. I have been flying for about 5 yrs and have a couple of fm radios (one 4 channel and one six channel with dual rates.) I would like to sell them and buy a computer radio. I have a Magic I plan on getting out of lawaway very soon. I was flying a Tower Hobbies Uproar before my engine went dead. I am starting to get interested in 3 d so I decided to try some Magic( for 99.00 too cheap to resist). What do you guys think about the Airtronics 600Rd (about 40.00 cheaper than the Futaba 6xas) ? Still considering my options.

If you guys think the 9C is great (which it is), try the 9Z, that is AWESOME.

Buy used. You will get a lot more radio.

When you go to your usual field (if it has a frequency pin board), look for the pins that have the least usage. We have a couple of reallllllllly popular channels, so I made sure I was as far away from them as possible. I only have one other person on my channel, and he rarely flies that radio at the field.

I dont think I could justify the 9Z. The only reason I bought the 9C was because my 6xas found its way onto the ground off the stool it was on when my daughter's jacket sleeve caught the antenna. My wife felt soo terrible for both of us, that I received her exhaulted permission to purchase a new radio (little did she know my daughter and I had arranged that in advance JK)