Hi, I am fairly new to this hobby and I am still mastering an electric 3 channel plane. For my next plane i plan on buying a transmitter i can stick with for a long while. I was looking for something in the range of 4-6 channel with computer memory(at least 4 model memory) and that can be verstatile to most categorys of planes. My budget is at most 180$ and i was looking at the Futaba EXAS Super Fm Radio with 3 servos as compared to the Hitec Optic 6 with no servos/crystal, they both seem really nice and I need some advice on the pros and cons.
- Any advice would be great thanx

You're going to get many different various opinions on this subject. Just know that whatever you choose, it will be a good product, as most all of these brands are good choices. Personally I use the JR6102 6 channell. It ha 10 model memory and you can name the models up to 8 characters, which makes changing models a breeze to find. It has all kinds of mixing you could want. For the radio to dollar comparison, you cannot beat this radio...

Like twistr said, you will get a lot of different opinions. Here's mine

I started out with Airtronics and that's is all I have ever used. It does everything I need so I doubt I'll be changing anytime soon. I'm currently using a RD6000 Super. It's 6 channels, and can use either PPM or PCM receivers. I can't remember if it has an 8 or 10 plane memory.

hi try the artronics vg 6000 computer radio with four servos etc as standard i was lucky to get mine on ebay with a tutor 40 trainer and 46 la engine and its a great easy to understand computer radio made by sanwa its got everrything youll need and will last you for a few models!!.fully digital 6 channels 4 model memory exponential, flaperon,differential rudder mixing and elevator to flap mixing .delta wing vtail etc etc.its a nice bit of kit and you should get it cheap over there as our prices in uk are the same in pounds as youres are in dollars ie costs me twice as much lol!!
good luck mate!!ps im quite new to it but its easy to understand once youve read through the book lol!!!

sorry typo thats airtronics lol

As others have said, they are all good radios.

If you are not concerned about the number of servos, you may also want to consider The Tracker radios from Polk's Hobbys http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c....category.12/.f The Tracker III not only has a fully synthesised transmitter and receiver (you can use ANY channel ), it has a buddy box port, 900 mah batteries (many of the major brands only provide a 600 mah battery), has a 5 year warranty, 99 model memory and a lot more. The 8 channel and is about $200. The 6 channel radio is about $180.

I have a Tracker II (doesn't have a lot of the features of the III ) and really like it. IMHO, it is one of the best buys out there. Their service is excellent if you need it. I had a minor problem with my transmitter. Sent it in and in 8 days I had it back, problem taken care of and the software was also upgraded, WITH ABSOLUTELY NO HASSELS OR AGGRAVATION. My cost - the cost of shipping it to them, everything else was no charge. I feel their turn around time is fantastic.

Warhawk,

If you believe you may need buddy box and or setup help then I would suggest finding out what are the most popular brands at your club and buy one of those. If you feel this is not neccessary I personnally think if you can program a VCR you can set up a computer radio you may need to read the instructions but thats what they are there for right? If this is a case I'd look at getting a 6ch radio spend as much as you can afford realizing that If the bug bites you hard this will NOT be your last radio.

My two favorites are Airtronics and JR I have owned 8 Airtronics radios for over 20 years and had zero problems my 2 JR radios are about 6 yrs old also with zero problems

Like these guys said, you will get many different opinions...

A futaba radio came with my RTF Avistar and thats what I've been using. I bought a futaba 7CAP, 7 channel, 10 model memory, and PCM or FM (PPM) compatible. I was thinking of getting a JR XR3i for my truck, though...

I started flying two years ago, so I am still a newby. My first radio was a Hitec laser 6. It came with my first trainer which is tail dragger kit. While building the kit, I was so anxious to get in the air, I picked up an ARF trainer which has tricycle landing gear. The laser 6 worked out okay with one plane, but when I finished the kit while getting ready for flight I found myself always having to trim out each plane every time after take off. Not necessarily a bad thing, more of a nuisance of needless field adjustments, and possible risks of wrecking the planes.
I have recently purchased a Futaba 9 CAP Super which will store all of the planes I foresee every having, and a foam Edge 540 wanting to get more flight time in with the foamie due to convienence. Getting the Futaba 9 was the best decision I made in my two years with the hobby. My suggestion would be to spend a little extra on a quality radio like Futaba or JR rather than buying twice.

Im a newbie too. I just looked around and saw what others were using in my club. Futaba was the dominant brand with the 9 cap being the radio of choice in that brand. Every one that had one was using it for everything from electrics to 1/3 scale acrobatic aircraft. Im still not sure what flavor of flying I want to do but figured Id spend the extra cash and get a radio that will handle it all for years to come.

I have alot of different hobbies and I have learned that its best to just start out with the best thing you can afford and avoid uprgrading in the future.

For R/C the radio is probably the one thing that will hold some sort of resale value as well (especially a quality top of the line model) if you decide to bag it.

Im sure that it will be hard to sell my Jr 5 channel that came with my extra easy for more than 50.00 but when If I were to sell the 9 cap I could probably get a good sell on it, if the ebay auctions are any indication.

Well getting off track sorta, in summary get something you wont have to upgrade in the future. Its saves money and frustration in the long run.

Thanx for the advice, in my list i had forgotten to add the VG6000 as one of my preferences. I have general computer programing experience, and VCRs are a walk in the park. Electronics arent usually a problem for me. I really need a mentor though, I have no relatives or friends in the hobby so I guess starting from a clean slate maybe a little harder. I need to hook up with someone who can help me on a buddybox. I think though that electrics are the only thing I really afford and have time for at the moment. I am still in highschool and have extremely high goals and an academic resume of 4.1 GPA on an Honors program(the workload is unbelievable). I plan on going into the field of aeronautical engineering and when i saw these RC planes I figured other than getting my pilots license and building wooden and plastic models, this is the next step up to precision building.
-Any comments and advice, just give me a hollar

JR 6102--I second that motion!

Why are the JR computer radios so much more expensive then the comparing models of airtronics and Futaba?

If you are serious about staying in aircraft rc for a long time the JR 10X is absolutly my favorite!!![sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif]

Get something that help is readily available for. The manuals sometimes provide more questions than answers. If you get one that is the predominate brand at the club you will always have help. If you go by the LHS what happens if the only guy that knows how to work it quits. Any of the mian brands will work fine. Rregardless of which one you get there will always be some bell or whistle that you don't have. Good luck.