Hello There
I am new bie in model flying.
I can see a ton of starter planes. Could anyone possibly recommend
me a good radio that can be used for a good range of planes. My budget
for radio is $250. My objective is that it should be usable with variety
of planes.
Also please recommend a model for a beginner. I have some experience
flying a firebird commander. I'm in las vegas area. If any experience people
from las vegas, please let me know
thanks for reading
Babu

Do some research on the JR 6102. Right around the price range and will do TONS of stuff.. Best 6 channel radio out there for your buck.....

Thank you for replying Pathogen. Could you tell me what decide the interoperability
with planes and radio? I hope its the servo, but I might be wrong.
Also does the number of servos needed depends on the plane?
Could you tell me a matching model of JR 6102 in Futabo?

thanks
Babu

For someone starting out I usually recommend just buying the Futaba 4YF at around $120. It's got the 4 channels you will need for a trainer type plane. Even if you decide to buy a more expensive transmitter later, the flight pack from the 4YF will still be useful.

Since your budget is higher, the 6EXA gives you some additional features that can be used on your trainer plane like electronic trim, end point adjustments and throttle cutoff. When you build your skills a bit you might want to start using dual and exponential rates, and multiple model memory. You can usually get this radio for $150 or less at Tower.

However, you said your radio budget was $250. In this price range you can go for a 7 channel, such as one of the Futaba 7C models. Some additional features include memory for more planes (and the ability to name the planes, rather than numbering them), dual rates on more channels (the 6EXA only does ailerons and elevator), more mixing features, support for helicopters, etc.

The thing that determines interoperability between plane and radio is as you guessed, the servo. And yes, the number of servos needed is dependent on the plane. Most systems in your price range come with 4 standard size servos, and it's easy to add more later. Fortunately, the size of the standard servo has settled down enough that most planes between .25 and .60 have trays that will fit a standard servo of any brand. If the holes in the servo tray are too small, you can usually enlarge them, if they are too big, you can usually replace the tray. So, your biggest decision is really to select the system that has the transmitter that best fits your needs for the next 3 to 5 years. Go to Tower Hobbies, Horizon Hobbies, and the manufacturer web sites for more information.

The last question you asked is what plane? Answer is just about any ARF trainer out there will do. If you like smaller size planes, or have limits on the space in your car, shop, etc, there are some trainers in the .15 to .25 size that would do fine. Note, I am biased toward this size because they use less fuel, less shop space, and are easier to transport. I can get 3 or 4 .25 size planes, with the wings on, in the back of my Explorer. I even got 3 inside my Sebring convertable last weekend, and 2 of them still had the wings on. However, the typical recommendation will be to get a .40 size trainer, and more options are available than the smaller size. I suggest not agonizing over the trainer decision. They are all similar, most of them will do the job, and it's likely to get beat up when you are learning, so it's better to not have any emotional or financial ties to it. I think the Tower trainer represents a good value. There are others in this price range that will also work. For the engine, choose a decent .45 (or .46, .47, etc) ball bearing engine. This will work well in the .40 size trainer and will transfer to many other planes once you're finished with your trainer.

Hope this helps...

I was going to stay out of this posting but when I read someone suggested a JR I had to jump in. Since you are new and will need to be trained I would suggest you look at either of the standard brands which is futaba or Airtronics. The JR buddy boxes need to have a battery pack to work which must be kept charged. Battery packs aren't needed for the other 2 brands. Most clubs have the cords and buddy boxes for either of the other 2 brands for that reason. Suggest you start by finding your the flying club and ask a club member which buddy boxes the club has on hand. Yes you can buy your own box and cord but for the price, you can buy 2 gallons of airplane fuel which you will need to buy anyway. [8D]

Oh, I left out one thing. I suggest that you find a good local hobby shop (LHS). A good LHS is the best place for a beginner to buy because they will have lots of useful information, can be helpful when you have questions about assembling your plane, and can put you in touch with local clubs and instructors. You also can go to the AMA (hopefully you've heard of them) club locator at: www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx.

I am going to throw my $0.02 worth in here.

BEFORE BUYING A RADIO, go to the local club/field and find out which brands are in use by the majority of the people there. Also find out what are the LEAST USED CHANNELS. Then get the brand of radio used by the MAJORITY of people at the field AND on one of the least used channels.

Manuals are very good, however, a real person with knowledge/experience with your brand of radio is much better when (not if, but when ) a question or problem arises. By getting a the radio on one of the least used channels it will minimize/eliminate your waiting time for the channel to clear so you can fly. It also greatly reduces your chances of being accidently "shot down" if someone inadvertantly turns on their radio while you are in the air.

As for a radio, The major brands (Futaba, HiTec, JR, AirTronics) are all very good and quite reliable.

I suggest a 6 channel (or more ) COMPUTER radio. Starting out you will be using very few of the features on the radio, however, as you progress you will be using and wanting these features. A prime example are flaps and retracts. MANY fliers want them by their 3rd or 4th plane. By getting the higher channel/capacity radio initially you save yourself from having to buy a second radio.

I also suggest a "buddy box" cord. This is a cord that goes between the 2 transmitters so the instructor and you can control the plane. Compatibility between brands is a common problem (although it is getting better) for buddy box cords and equipment. This is why I said to find out which brand was primarily used before buying anything.

I am somewhat familiar with Futaba, but not other brands. I can recommend the 6EXA radio system. It is a good, relatively inexpensive radio that will do you in good stead for many years. I can also tell you that Futaba and HiTec are USUALLY compatible with each other.

I will throw my $0.02 worth in on another matter also, the RTF setups. STAY AWAY FROM THEM !

The engines range from marginal to OK FOR THE TRAINER, but are rarely useable for a second plane due to lack of power. The AFS offered on one of the RTFs is the biggest piece of cr*p out there. Beside having to relearn how to fly when you go to a regular plane, you will be fighting the controls all the time. The radios on the RTFs are 4 channel BASE level radios.

I suggest the following for a trainer set up:

1. Get an ARF trainer you like the looks of. MOST trainers fly pretty much the same. I suggest the ARF over a kit for 2 reasons - you will not have the emotional attachment to the plane and you may inadvertantly build in a warp or other problem. With an ARF you can be pretty sure the plane is built properly. You will learn about repairs as you go along. Remember, the trainer is to learn on. Expect it to get damaged and beat up in the process.

2. Get a USER FRIENDLY ball bearing 46 engine. By user friendly I mean 99%+ will run great right out of the box with little or no "fiddeling". Some user friendly engines I can recommend are OS AX, Thunder Tiger PRO and Evolution. The ball bearing 46 will have plenty of power for your 2nd, 3rd, etc plane. There are many very good engines out there, however, a great many of them require a good amount of "fiddeling" with to get to run properly.

A LHS (Local Hobby Shop ) would be a good place to start. While they MAY BE a little higher than the mail order, the support is there when you need it. MANY LHS meet Tower's price, especially on large purchases such as you would have initially.

Hope this is of some help.

Thanks a lot Fastsky, piper_chuck and campy.
I greatly appreciate your postings.
babu.

Fastsky and Campy gave some very good advice. Do check out your local club for hands on advice.As mentioned above, all modern radios are quite good. For the prices you quoted, I'd sure check out the Hitec Focus 6, but any major brand will be quite good.

There is nothing wrong with a JR radio. It is as name brand as Futaba, and moreso than airtronics. There are trainer cords out there right now that will use the JR as the master (which it would be on your plane--your receiver, your channel), and a futaba as a trainer box. Any club that has a futaba trainer box would be able to use their futaba trainer box hooked up to your JR master. Any club that has a JR buddy box would obviously be able to help you out as well. That means, any club should be able to train you NO MATTER WHAT BRAND OF RADIO YOU CHOOSE. And, the cord is no where near the price of two gallons of fuel. More like 12 bucks or so, and I bet most clubs already have one. Now, I agree, use the brand of radio most prevelant at your club. It does make life easier. And, the LHS is a great idea as they can help you set up your radio after you buy it, and show you the ins and outs of it. Sorry to be on a high horse, as I know this forum is about opinions, but I never tell anyone that one brand of radio is any better or worse than any other, and it irritates me when someone starts saying stuff like that. JR is an excellent brand of radio. I've never had an ounce of trouble out of mine. Pick the brand that has what you need--i.e. club compatibility, LHS availability, channels and servos compatibility, room to grow, and the all important one, $$$. Pretty much all major brands of radios out there will do you just fine. Don't be ashamed to show up at the field with any particular brand.

I third Fatsky and Campy. For some reason Hitec transmitters are not popular where I fly. We mainly use Futaba and JR. I personally use Futaba. This is because I had to convert when Kraft went out in the 80's and I went with Futaba cause my flying buddy did. I am happy and know a lot of guys that are happy with JR also. Check what the other guys are flying and go with what they have. You will be in a position to get good answers to your questions.

Great advise from Campy on club's frequency numbers!! Get the least used
frequency and fly when you want to.... I'm still the only one on my channel:-)
On the best radio.. Well that's an open book, with a few choices depending
on $$$$$ and how far you plan on going with this...