Hello. I've been out of r/c for a long time and getting back in. I'm looking for a plane radio system (4 channel, 4 servo) and wanted to find out what are some of the features that I should look for and what are some of the recommendations you guys can give me. I'm on a very strict budget so those $300 and up radios are out of the question. Should the radio be AM or FM, etc, etc, etc? Thanks

You really cannot buy an AM set anymore. If money is a concern a simple 4 channel set up will work just fine. Get an ARF trainer with a semisymmetrical wing. And a decent BB 45. The Thunder Tiger 46 pro is a real bargain. It will get you back in the air with minimum fuss and minimal cash out lay. You can later buy a computer radio in the same frequency and use the flight pack from the initial radio. You end up loosing nothing. And you get a spare transmitter or your own buddy box. Good luck and welcome back. By the way any of the big name units are fine. There realy is no bad radio's out there.

Mark Shuman

I've always liked Futaba, here's one option. Buy the 4YF from Tower hobbies for $129.99. They'll give you $10 off any order between $100 and $149, so the price of the system will be $119.99. They also have a $20 rebate, so the net price will be $99. Later, if you decide to buy a 6 or 7 channel computer radio, your entire flight pack (receiver, servos, battery, etc) will work with the new system.

If there is room in your budget to spend a little more, you could buy the 6EXA. Current cost is $179.99 less $15 for orders between $150 and $199 gives you a net cost of $164.99. The advantages of a computer system include end point adjustment, electronic trims, dual and exponential rates, and throttle cutoff. I chose this radio when I was getting back into the hobby and am glad I did. I actually ended up buying a 4YF also so I had a backup transmitter and a second flight pack.

Correction on the 6EXA, there is also a $20 gift certificate rebate. This brings the final price down to $144.99.

As always thanks for the info and on the specific models that are available.

You're welcome. I'm actually surprised nobody from the JR/Hitec/Airtronics camps have chimed in yet

I'll second that Futaba recomendation.
Go Futaba 6EXA or Futaba 7C.

Well I have a slightly different take. If you think that you are going to be stuck with or satisfied with your 1st plane for a year or two. Or if you think you will only be flying one plane at a time then the suggested radios are a great choice. But if you think you might want to move up or if you ever think you will have more than one plane at a time then I think a transmitter like the Futaba 9C would be the way to go, For under $400 you can get the transmitter, a 9 channel PCM(better) receiver and 4 good servos. If you opt for the setup without servos you can get it for about $289. And you will be finished worrying about transmitters for years to come. The 9C will allow you to program and fly about 16 different airplanes all with the touch of a button. The programming is very intuitive for a beginner and it allows you TONS of setup options that will allow you to fine tune your control surfaces without having to make as many mechanical adjustments on the plane. For an extra $100 you are basically finished buying transmitters. It will do everything you will ever need including pattern and precision aerobatic setups and mixes.

There is also a 7C transmitter that is even less expensive than the 9C that actually comes withdigital servos that would also probably be a good choice, but even then for the extra $50-100 you will have a transmitter that will last you forever or until a new generation of transmitters come out that you just cant resist.


The top of the line are the Futaba 9ZWC2 and the JR 10X, the 9C has all of the functions that these transmitters that you actually NEED, what it lacks you can live without with ease. I bought a $200 transmitter on my 1st purchase a couple of years ago and from one relative newbie to another I would say of you have the money go with the 9C.


Also, read up on the difference between PCM and FM receivers. FM receivers are a little less expensive and work reasonable well most of the time. PCM receivers give you a tremendous increase in insurance that you investment will not be destroyed due to interference by using coded signals and multiple signals. It is very difficult to get "hit" with a PCM receiver. Many people have been flying FM forever with no problems but many many planes have been lost due to interference with FM receivers, VERY few have been lost with dual conversion PCM receivers due to interference according the the data that I have read. Just a suggestion of something else to look into..


It is very important to understand that you can live with a deadstick(dead engine) but if you lose a battery pack or if you lose communication between your radio and the plane you will crash. Battery packs and interference are the most common cause of crashes amongst all pilots including new pilots. With buddy box training practices that are used so widespread most new pilots are very capable and seldom crash because they are fully capable of flying before they ever solo.

Oh dear, just when I thought it was safe....LOL. Thanks for the new info. At least now I know more of the new terminology and features and options available. Now it's just a matter of putting a $$$ figure on it and after a bit more research to decide which radio model to get.

Welcome.

I have 2 Airtronics VG400 and both work fine. but i think the servos that come with it only have like 50 oz. of torque if thats to little.?

I bought the futaba 6EXA as my first radio earlier this year, thinking, this does all I need for it too do. If your a casual sport flyer, then yes, but since I am going into pattern next year, I find it very lacking. I *WISH* I would have gotten the 9C, but since then, the 7C has come out. I WILL be getting either the 7C or 9C over the winter.

Yup,
I have a trainee that has the 6EXA right now. Its a good radio for the money, and its more than you need for trainers and planes that only require a basic 4 channel setup. But it limits you if at some point you plan to get the most out of your aerobatic planes.

In my case I only plan on flying scale....with the basic 4 servo setup (since I perefer WWI and WWII bi-planes most of which have fixed landing gear, etc.)

One more thing I forgot to ask is servo choices as someone else hinted at them. At what point (i.e. what engine size and wing span) do you need heavy-duty/ball-bearinged/metal-geared/etc servos in favor over your standard plastic geared servos that come with most systems? In my case I think the largest engine I plan on using will be a .45 cubic inch.

I have the Futaba 6EXA, and I could not be happier with it, once you understand how the computer side works. I currently have three planes programmed in. I dont use the expo features, because I have not had a need to. For $150 you cant go wrong, the lesser non-computer radio will cost a min of $100-$125 if it comes with servos and receiver. IMHO If you spend less now, you will kick yourself in the "you-know-where" in about a year when you outgrow your trainer.

Byrdman

My advice would be to get an RTF (radio included) Hobbico, Hangar 9 Alpha, or similar, take it to the field and learn all you can from someone you trust. You could even buy a plane and radio from the club really cheap too. Then what YOU really need will start to become obvious. This is going to be a little different for everybody.

What about the combo sets, Plane, Engine,Radio for under $400

Iroquois, your heli scares me. [X(]

Any input on the servo situation and max engine size with your standard servos?

Servo choice is normally dictated by the planes weight and what type of flying it will be doing. More torque is never a bad thing. Personally I use Hitech HS-645MG's (non-digital 107oz 4.8 volts) on all of my 60 size planes and HS-5945MG's (153oz 4.8 volts)for my 1.20 size planes. For my 40 size planes I use standard JR537 which are 40oz and also JR537's on all of my throttle connections for all of my current planes

I am moving to a 33% Edge 540 and am going with all JR 8611 servos for it at 6 volts. All of this is somewhat overkill for the planes they are in with the exception of my CG Ultimate, but I tend to like the extra margin of safety.

The Hitech servos I use claim an unbreakable gear train and I hear the JR8611 are tough as nails but you are talking over a hundred dollars per servo

Here is a breakdown of my servo use versus plane weight. All weights are approx.

4* 40 4.5lbs 3 JR537 on the control surfaces JR537 on throttle
SIG Somethin Extra - 5lbs - 4 JR537 on the control surfaces JR537 on throttle
H9 Twist 4.5lbs - 4 JRDS537 (Digital) on the control surfaces JR537 on throttle
Seagull Models Extra 300S - 5.5lbs - 5 HS-645MG on the control surfaces JR537 on throttle
Carl Goldberg Ultimate Biplane - 8lbs -5 HS-5945MG on the control surfaces JR537 on throttle
Carl Goldberg Sukhoi 26MX 9lbs 5 HS-5945MG on the control surfaces JR537 on throttle

The bigger planes all recommended at least 50 - 80 oz servos and at least 90 for high stress/3D flying.

The 33% is supposed be 22 to 24lbs and the JR8611 servos run at 220oz

All torque values are with a 4.8 volt battery installed. In all cases except for the Jr 537 and DS537 the torque values increase at 6 volts

HS-645MG :
Torque 4.8/6.0v : 107 / 133 oz. 7.7 / 9.6 kg.
Speed 4.8/6.0v : 0.24 / 0.20 second

HS-5945MG:
Torque 4.8/6.0v : 153 / 181 oz. 11 / 13 kg.
Speed 4.8/6.0v : 0.16 / 0.13 second

JR537:
Torque: 40.3 oz/in [:'(]
Speed: .25 sec/60°

JRDS537:
Torque: 40.3 oz/in [:'(]
Speed: .25 sec/60°

JR8611:
Torque: 220 oz/in @ 4.8v, 260 oz/in @ 6.0v [X(]
Speed: .18 sec/60° @ 4.8v

Sorry for the long winded post but usually seeing examples helps.

For a long time I resisted expo too. When I finally turned it on, I wondered why I had never done it before. It lets me dial in higher rates, but keep the movements smaller around the stick centers. The end result is the best of both worlds, high rates, but smooth flying.

Personally, I dislike the combo sets and the RTF packages (you probably knew this already). I prefer to do the research and choose my own components. As has been shown in another thread, the RTF packages and combos are not necessarily any cheaper than choosing the individual pieces. However, if you are ok with letting someone else choose all the components, or just don't want to do the research, a combo or RTF is a good choice.

Generally speaking standard (45oz) servo's will fly a typical sport plane up to the 60 size class. If you are doing some serious airobatics then a larger servo for the elevator and rudder would be called for. For just general knock around flying standards would do. Otherwise Bubba has given you some real good ideas. The Hitec HS-475 is a decent servo to look at. It can be bought mail order for less than 20 bucks and has 61 oz of torque at 4.8 volts. I feel they are a real bargain. And if you feel the need for a little insurance these will give it to you. Good luck.

Mark Shuman

You writing all this down?

If you go back to your original question, You asked for the basics. A combo wil give you this. If you feel you want to go the distance this time then, get a decent Trainer (60)size. Put a nice engine in it so that you can use all this nice stuff in your second plane without emptying your wallet.
Get a 9c or actually there are still plenty of 8UAFS around which I have. I have a 16 plane capability on mine. This radio will last for years and the only reason to get a new one is to "show off." Going from a 8U to the 9C s is like dropping money in the toilet. Also consider what the majority use in your area (JR?) JR is also very good and sometimes it helps to go with the flow in case you need help.

These two articles should be helpful:

Radio Systems Part 1 - Standard Radios
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=44

Radio Systems Part 2 - Computer Radios - A Better Investment
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=65

Beautiful! I could kiss all of you! [:'(] LOL Seriously, thanks for all the info guys.