An SD-10 criticism
 

I've just begun flying my SD-10G after owning the RD-6000, RD-8000 and then RDS-8000. I certainly don't care for the display screen being at the bottom of the box rather than at the top.

Reason ? The display is obscured by my neck strap. The timer function is pretty much useless because I can't see it without pulling the transmitter off to the side to look around the strap. I had never considered this problem when looking at new transmitters. Guess I'll have to mount an external stopwatch somewhere near the top for monitoring run time on my electric models.

The only other display items that I sometimes look at during flight are the trim position indicators. Can't see them either.

Dick

Kind of a minor issue really, and since I fly with a tray I just hold it out a little in front of me to see . I don't really watch the clock anyway because when the alarm goes off I know it's time to land. Great transmitter anyway, and very easy to program compared to others.

The SD-10G has a countdown timer built in. I use it on all my electric planes to time flights and on the trainers for limiting flight time for my students. Activiation and setup for count down or count up is in the manual.

Hogflyer

...and the built-in timer has an alarm. Most of us believe we should be looking at out airplanes and not the radio when we're flying.

I had flown a Futaba 7C on 72Mhz before I bought my first RDS8000 radio system. I had a little bit of trouble adjusting to the RDS8000, because it was so simple and intuitive.

I found with regard to screen placement, however, that I don't look at my transmitter during flight regardless of the radio in hand. I transitioned to the SD-10g quite easily. I use my countdown timer when flying my helicopters, but once my aircraft is running, I only adjust my trims and and stop/start my timers by touch.

Using your radio functions and features is a bit like typing, you have to learn to do it by touch because you'll never get better if you keep looking down.

I loved my Airtronics radios. Had 6 of them. All the way up the ladder to the RDS8000. Got tired of seeing no small 2.4 receivers and high prices of the other ones. Still use the RDS8000 and its original 2 rec. it came with. But switched to Spektrum for now. Been eyeing up an upgrade to what I have. Get back in the game Airtronics.!!! Loved your easy programming.

Blazer

The RX60 receiver weighs 6 grams and is readily available for $29.99, and the full range RX500 weighs less than 10 grams and is only $49.99.

It's true that Airtronics/Sanwa isn't under the same pricing pressure from compatible 3rd party Hong Kong receivers. When the RDS8000 was launched, it featured the most affordable 8-channel full range receiver available on 2.4Ghz at the time. Sanwa receivers haven't been copied, in part, because they came to market with more reasonably receivers than the other major manufacturers.

Orange and Lemon receivers have changed many pilots' definition of what an "affordable" receiver should cost. I remember when a 7-channel Futaba or Spektrum receiver cost $28 more than an 8-channel 92824 receiver, however. Expensive receivers isn't a legitimate complaint about Airtronics, and I don't think it's fair to blame Sanwa that Hong Kong isn't trying to cannibalize Airtronics receiver sales.