Well said Jeff. You're earlier whole post was factual and to the point. [8D]

Here's a vid from a couple of proud Futaba reps, and a proud and well spoken JR/Spektrum rep.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6jw8o0y61I&feature=related[/youtube]

You could go to the local club members and see if anyone has a spare transmitter. Since 2.4 has gotten so popular, lots of folks (myself included) have extra 72 Mhz radios laying around. I've donated a couple to friends who needed parts. If you are staying in the hobby, I agree you should get the best radio you can barely afford. Also see what others in your area are using, but ultimately get what pleases you. Nothing worse than owning a plane/radio/gf that you can't stand to look at.

Well my $59.00 dollar with over two hundred flights is well tested. I fly 8 different aircraft on it. With 20 plus years experience in the hobby I have a little experience and been through radio transitions before. I am currently building a Corsair with a gas engine and I will fly it with my Turnigy or Flysky. Using 8 channels. besides the main four the channels used will be for remote engine kill, flaps, retracts, and bomb drop.

People are scared of the radios that don't get all the "hype" and currently spend "MILLIONS" of dollars a year in advertising money. More expensive is "NOT ALWAYS BETTER". That is Advertising brainwashing because they want you to BUY their overhyped stuff. These radios are inexpensive BECAUSE they don't spend MILLIONS in advertising money. They have loyal users because the ones that are smart and savvy have bought them and use them.

Buy that high dollar radio. Then when it "locks out" or "browns out" and you lose your plane. Then read in the forums where many others had the same problem. I will be flying and having a good time.

I still fly a few planes on 72mhz. But the planes I fly the most are on the Turnigy. My Giant scale airplane is on this radio and has "NO Problems". 116" wingspan, 35 gas engine, five channels, flies scale like and it is fun to fly! I also fly planes that travel over 100MPH. I have not had a single problem.

I test "EVERY" new receiver in a "beater" plane to insure it is ok before moving it to a better airframe.

I back up my claims with experience. I own the Turnigy 9x and use it all the time.

Do what you want. I can only give my experience and knowledge if you ignore it that is your choice.

I think these reports about DSM2 issues are over rated. I've had not one problem with my DX6i. It's been a rock of reliability. Just charge up your rx battery before flight and you should be fine. The fact that your rx was still responding likely points to something else that caused the crash such as a mechanical failure or pilot error. I can honestly say every crash I've had was pilot error.

Are you familiar with how DSM/DSM2 work in the spectrum band of frequencies? ....Just asking.

yes, I am. Are you familiar with the fact that most of the issues reported by "non pros" on the internet is usually 99% BS and user error? Just asking. Go to any discussion board on any topic and it's all the same. Only once in a great while an issue posted on the internet can be verified, like the PZ Extra inverted airfoil. And PZ still claims it's okay and as designed.

Schweeeet! I was hopin' you knew their system.

Good luck and Fly safe. [8D]

Thanks for the replies. I agree 100% most times it is pilot error. Being not that good a pilot I would say my incident was pilot error except that I had plenty of altitude and I tried every control surface a number of times on the plane's final decent and demise. However the other day there was a "professional" IMAC pilot at the controls and when the plane fails to respond it does not really matter who is at the sticks. Today at the flying field I spoke to another IMAC competitorand he said he had seen it happen once on another competitor, the receiver (JR) just locked out. The outcome was not good. I am not trying to start rumours or bad press for JR/Spektrum. NowI have seen this issue twice, I was hoping others might have some insight into it. I fly Spektrum (DX6i) but I am going to my first gas plane and I am trying to decide if I want to put intheSpektrum equipment or move to Futaba. If at all possible, I would rather not see all the build hours go into the ground like I saw the other day.

For cars I would only use an M11.

Those two are not the only game in town among the majors You may later find it a mistake for not having given Hitec a close look. Most of our local DMS2 users have switched over to Hitec and a fair percentage of Futaba users are switching over to Hitec.

John

Thanks John. I am a few hours away from standing up my gas plane on the runway so I certainly will give a little more attention to Hitech. You have any good links for info and specs on the Hitech systems aside from the obvious? Thanks again for the informative feedback.

Mike

No I have nothing to add beyond the obvious other than my own experiance with thirty of them in an eclectic collection of airplane types using both older Hitec Tx's as well as Futaba Tx's and the Hitec Aurora. But if you are only hours away then it is to late and that is to much wasted typing.


John

It is never too late until the wheels leave the runway. When I said a few hours I meant building hours not flying hours. I am months away from wheels up.

I think I'm going to go against my better judgement and get a Hitec Aurora 9.  Most of the guys at the club I am going to join and learn to fly with are using Futaba radios but there is something drawing me to the Aurora 9?  Not sure what it is but I like it!  Maybe it's the price?

Ive been looking at the Aurora 9 myself. I like the RPM, engine temp and GPS (speed) modules you can add to it!

Great radio!!! Ive been looking at the Aurora 9 myself. I like the RPM, engine temp and GPS (speed) modules you can add to it!

I first started using 2.4 with the original XPS system about three years ago which worked ok but was ridiculously expensive at a hundred bucks a pop for a Rx's and if one had more than just a few airplanes then it could get just silly. That was the status quo with I think five Rx's untill Hitec first hit the market which I had been waiting for. Their marketing strategy has always been since the days of Aristocraft to wait and come out with something better for less money and it works.

Well with the first release of the 7 channel two Rx's pack with a module was released so cheaply I had to start out with several box's. Those first four Rx's were consumed in a flash into airplanes that I flew intensively. They worked fine and it was during this period I discoved the very best part of this 2.4 system and was not even aware I had it. I was flying my small T-6 one day with the 2.4 module in an old Hitec Prism 7X. Early into the flight all of a sudden the Tx started blapping away at me. Something I had never heard before and it was not a low tx battery warning which the Tx did have. Well of course I landed and it was discovered the flight battery pack was critically low and I had failed to get a good charge the night before.

Gentlemen Hitec's telemetry had saved my airplane for me before I even knew what telemetry was. It did not mater it was an old obsolete hitec radio heck it even works in many futabas including we discoverd the seven and nine C's. The warning comes from the module. Shoot if you have an Aurora Tranny you can look at the screen and get a real time readout of the both the tx and rx battery voltages as you fly. This is extremely useful four our cross country efforts getting ready to do a long one via boat soon or just for your peace of mind, I like that when I'am flying my eighty inch Playboy on those long lazy flights.

Now all this seemed to coincide with the fact our field has just about become unuasble for 72 use. The Parkies have choosen to use a piece of desert less than I mile away and we can do nothing nor are they inclined to cooperate in any way. There have been quite a few crashs that are certain from those folks since conflicts have shown up on scanners at the time of the losess far to many times and they were flying just about on our door step.

Most of our club in defense has converted to 2.4, it was either that or abandon our treasured field.

Well I was so happy with those first ones I seemed to have gone on a buying spree and now have somewhere around thirty and use them with 3 Prism 7X Tx's, 3 Eclipse 7 Tx's and now an Aurora also. This all at around half of what the other big three would have been.

I think its four of the fellows who were using 9C and was using the Futaba module are now using the hitec module and Rx's and there are a few using them in 7C as well.

I can only relate that have not been more pleased with a modeling product as much in years.

John

Stuff the buddy box then!  I'm gonna get me an Aurora 9!  You've sold me John!