ORIGINAL: sunnybreeze
After flying and competing in control line stunt for the last 30 years I have decided to make the switch to R/C. All my local buddies who fly C/L have passed away or are to old to fly anymore. The hobby is slowly fading away. I'm getting in Sailplanes and have the basic dumb questions. I have a Aero-commander RTF two channel and have become somewhat bored with only two channels. I need some advice on the radio to buy. I want to get something I will not out grow when I need 7 or 8 channels for a plane with flaps, spoilers rudder etc. Hi-tec seems big as well as JR. Could someone explain what the heck this 2.4Hz is all about?? Does it solve the problem of no channels so you don't have to worry about turning on your transmitter and crashing someone? I'm big into building and do a ton of composite work along with my own 3 axis CNC machine I designed and built myself. Plus what the heck is MIXING?? could someone explain that! I know this is all basic stuff and should be in the ''begineers'' forum but I want the input from the best sailplane pilots in the world!!
Thanks
Steve
Welcome to RC and to RC Soaring.
WARNING! WARNING! YOU ARE ENTERING A ZONE OF HIGH ADDICTION POTENTIAL! WARNING
THERMAL AND SLOPE SOARING CAN ABSORB ALL YOU FREE TIME! WARNING!
I don't know what an Aerocommander is so I can't comment on that. However if you are flying thermal duration sailplanes, 2 and 3 channel planes are wonderful thermal soaring planes. My first RC glider was a Spirit, a R/E glider that also has spoilers. This is called a RES glider.
After thousands of flights, and flying competition up and down the East Coast I fly all kinds of gliders, both electric and pure, which span 2 - 7 channels. They are all fun.
As to radios, well the first quesiton is always budget. If you are buying for the future, then, "how much you got availalbe to spend?"
The article below will cover some of the considerations, but it sounds like you are well funded and looking for a strong, long term contender in a 2.4 GHz radio. BTW, I would definately recommend 2.4.
I would say the JR X9303 is probably the top of the stack in terms of popularity with sport and competition pilots. But the Airtronics SD-10G seems to be getting great reviews and I have started to see them showing up at the competition field.
The Hitec Aurora seems to have a rich feature set for gliders but I have not seen one at the club or at the ESL competitions.
I fly the Futaba 9C Super, which I am converting over to 2.4 Spektrum. The 9C Super was replaced by the 10C. I have not touched the 10C but I would expect that it is also an excellent candidate with enhancements of the 9C Super.
The Spektrum 7C, the top of the Spektrum line is not a real sailplane radio so I would not recommend it for someone buying for the future.
Any of these will serve you well, and yes, no channel conflict.
Note that in 2.4, receivers are generally brand/technology specific. So you buy Hitec receivers for a JR radio, Futaba receivers for a Futaba radio, etc. Of the major brands, only JR an Spektrum share technolgy, so you can use either Spekturm or JR receivers with the JR X9303.
With that said, seeing what receivers are available can be an important consideration. Since they are brand specific, you need to make sure they have receivers that will meet your needs. And I assume you will fly planes, other than gliders.
Will they fit in your plane? Do you need micro recievers for indoor flying? Do you need 10 channels for complex planes?
These resources may be helpful:
> Choosing a Sailplane Radio - What to Consider
>
http://forums.flyesl.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=223
> What mixes do you use to set-up your plane?
>
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290071
> The New Glider Pilot's Handbook
>
http://forums.flyesl.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=251
> Novice Lounge - The Eastern Soaring League
>
http://forums.flyesl.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=14
> Learning to use a hi-start
>
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_1171131/tm.htm
> Discus Launched Gliders
>
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_2357948/tm.htm
> How Slope Soaring Works
>
http://users.iafrica.com/s/st/stevemac/afc/ssoar.html
> Introduction to Slope Soaring
>
http://home.att.net/~charles.french/...lopeIntro.html