ORIGINAL: BuschBarber
Very well said!! The more competition in the RC Radio market, the quicker the prices come down.
One of the differences with 2.4 is that whatever brand you pick, you are locked into that brand as there are no 3rd party offerings. I have used Futaba and JR, for years, but many times, I bought Hitec Rx's instead of JR or Futaba, because they were just as reliable and they cost less. Once I started using PCM, I realized that other manufacturers PCM Rx's were not compatible.
For that reason, when I decided to transition to 2.4, I chose JR/Spektrum, because, at the time, they made it easier. If I wanted to go with any other mfg's 2.4 system, I would have to either dump my JR/Spektrum systems, use another mfg's Module and Rx, or have two brands of Radios.
I am sure that anyone starting from the beginning, could choose JR/Spektrum, Futaba, Hitec, Airtronics, or any of the other competing brands, obtain reliable, quality equipment. As usual, it will come down to Price, Features, Look and Feel, Range of Products, Reliability, and Service after the Sale.
I have a feeling that in the next two to three years we are going to start to see 3rd party equipment that will work with any 2.4 system in fact Spktrium has
had a module receiver set for Futaba for a couple of years and lets not forget XPS, I think its only a matter of time before we start to receivers that will work
with a different brand of transmitter.