I tend to agree with Joe {gaRC} because we do tend to grow into our gear as time goes on. What you buy today may need to be upgraded in a very short time. Just mentining 3-D tells me things will probably be changing in the near future.
I was just off into radio land looking for a new one this week. Everything I liked with the features I want was way out of my price range. I looked at the JR 9303 and Futaba 10 then ended up just sending in my radio to Radio South for a tune up and service. This would have been the perfect time for me to change over to 2.4 but after seeing the prices my old Futaba 9-C is just fine.
I like the way the Futaba 7 programs a little better then the DX7 but I have been flying Futaba for a lot of years so I get along with them a little better. I still get my mule kicked when I'm setting up a plane with the DX7 but it's my problem and not the radios.
OP, look at the programs and P-mixes in all the radios you are thinking about and see what one you think will serve you the longest.
As you can see, we all have our own ideas of what is needed and not needed. Make yourself happy!!! How anyone can fly a plane without Expo on the throttle is beyond me!!!

JR... Junior Radio? Now why don't you just go ahead and get a radio with a good ole American name, like Futaba!

And, if you are even thinking about JR/Spektrum, they you might want to check this out too.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_88...tm.htm#8852579

Good link.

Reminds us that the old spektrum receivers did not have quick connect and that we should check ours and send in the ones that don't have it. Horizon will upgrade them free of charge. Good support from Horizon.

It also reminds us that, without a reliable power source, no receiver can work reliably. That would be true for any brand.

All the radios have had problems at one time or another. I think that we hear more about Spektrum because they are the overwhelming market leader. By some estimates, Spektrum may hold better than 70% of the 2.4 GHz market. I have no figures to back that but reports of large events have suggested that over 80% of the pilots at these mega events are using Spektrum.

But this discussion is not about Spektrum vs. Futaba vs. Hitec or Airtronics or other brands for 2.4 GHz. I am sure we can all find posts that said my XXX 2.4 GHz system failed. And we can all find posts that say my XXX 72 MHz system failed too.

Based on market experience, the Hitec Aurora has no market experience at all. I don't think more than a hand full of eval units have shipped yet.

Futaba has thousands of units out there and Spektru has tens of thousands, so we know they are in the market. But have been put though tons of tests and, for the most part, both have shown to be very robust.

So back to the features, channels and mixes questions. What do you need?

Hi Irish.

Sorry for not writing sooner.. been quite busy at work, trying to peek in at the forums when I have some time. It's a busy time for ADS-B, that's for sure.

I don't have the RDS8000 but have thought about buying one with the pricing the way it is.. in spite of their "shortcomings"... I've got my DX7 and DX6i as well as my two RD's... works for me. You can't have enough radio's, eh?

Small Filet Mignon with corn and broccoli. Yum!!

CGr.

airtronics its a good choice, just double check the thread with the problems that it has on the software, there ia a huge amount of replies for that issue.

Seems a number of people have a variety of radios. Maybe this brings up the point of model memories so you can standardize on one radio, get to know it well and not have a mix of radios.

When I started 6 years ago I had a Hitec Prism 7X - 3 model memories and some limited funtionality. Worked but was not going to meet my needs as I was actively moving into full house sailplanes. I will share some of the process I went through. It may be helpful.

When I scanned the market, I looked for three things.

Good sailplane mixes
RF module so I could change 72 MHz channels
Lots of model memories - my fleet had already reached 6 models and was growing fast

The Hitec Eclipse 7 looked good, had been around and people knew how to use it so I could get some help. It had the module design and the sailplane mixes, though not as many as I would have liked. But it only had 7 model memories.

The Futaba 9C was $120 more but it offered:

Lots of sailplane mixes
Modular design
14 model memories and a removeable card that would allow me to add more.

I purchased the 9C and it served me will. I later upgraded to the 9C Super.

I am not pushing the 9C or the Super. My point is that you want to look at your key requirements and let those drive your decision.


If I was looking for a new radio today I would still want a LOT of model memories ( I have 26 planes ) and lots of sailplane mixes but it would be a 2.4 GHz radio.

So how do they differ.

Spektrum/JR has the majority of the market and Horizon Hobby is releasing lots of Bind 'n Fly models that work with these systems. Spektrum offers a very broad array of receivers, from 2 gram micro for indoor flight to 9 channel receivers with 3 satelite receivers and lots of features. All the receivers work with all the DSM2 radios ( those after the DX6), so you can mix and match. However there have been reports of people having problems. Most have been pegged to poor installation or poor power set-up, but Spektrum has had a number of recalls.

Futaba is probably the next in market share, though no one really knows. Their systems seem to be solid, but the receiver choices are not as broad as Spektrum and they tend to be more expensive. Not all receivers work with all radios. Futaba has had its share of problem reports and they too have had recalls for a variety of reasons. There seem to be fewer reports of problems but some say that is because there are fewer out there.

Airtronics - Not on the market as long. The brand has a solid history but they are late to the 2.4 party. No idea the installed base. Seem to be a good value if the radios have the features you need. Some test reports suggest that Airtronics 2.4 is not as robust and resistant to interference as Spektrum and Futaba, but that may be a non-issue to most, especially if you don't tend ot attend the mega events where 100s of 2.4 GHz systems are in use.

Hitec - A well known brand but VERY late to the 2.4 market. No on really knows what their systems will do or how they will stand up to some of the challenging tests that others have passed. Still Hitec has a pretty good brand name so a certain amount of faith may be well placed as long as you don't mind buying some of the first radios/receivers off the production line.

Chinese - Not an ethnic comment, but a generalization about some of the lesser known 2.4 brands like Turnigy. Still very new. Most are focused on the low cost buyer and service is limited. Corona just pulled some of their stuff off the market.

Modules - There are a lot of used 72 MHz radios out there from major brands. Many are module based and can take a 2.4 GHz module from Spektrum, XPS, Futaba or others. Now you can switch between 72 and 2.4. Generally you will be limited to 8 channels but that is enough for most. There is an issue of some added latency. This might be an issue for high speed pilots or highly aerobatic competition pilots. This can be a big issue for complex helis.


I went with the well known 72 MHz radio and added a Spektrum module because of its popularity, low cost receivers and wide variety of receiver choices. Lots of people use them so there is plenty published. I know what problems to avoid and how to set them up correctly.


Just waking you down some decision paths. Hope this is helpful.

Of the three you've listed, I vote Aurora 9.

I like the AFHSS protocol better than DSSS. The receivers will be very affordable, the full range Optima 6 costs only $49.99. The programming as seen in the walk through videos is as flexible as my Multiplex Evos but seem more intuitive and I dig the touch screen. Telemetry like receiver pack voltage is shown on the transmitter's screen....now that's awesome!

You can get them at a discount, I joined the TowerHobbies Super Saver club for $9.99. They e-mailed me some discount coupons. I pre-ordered the radio online at $429 and applied a $60 off coupon; $369 for this radio with a 7ch tx and Mike from Hitec said they are including a coupon for a 2nd RX for free. The shipping that would normally be $9.99 is now free for club members; that offsets the price of the club AND I paid no sales tax.

Well, that's my two cents anyway....your milage may vary

Dave

I have the Futaba 7C, its sweet! It's much easier to use than my spektrum dx6i. The only drawback is the price of the recievers. The Futaba and Spektrum will likely be the most prevalent tx at the fields.

This is just one picture of THREE $50,000.00 planes flown by David Shulman

Guidance is by Futaba.

If that alone doesn't make you confident about the Futaba name, nothing will.

Of all of the radio systems mentioned in this thread so far, I'd suggest that the Futaba 7C FASST is probably the one with the fewest vices. I own a Futaba 7CAF radio system that I've flown for half a decade now. I really like my 7C and I considered the 7C FASST very seriously before deciding on trying the RDS8000 instead.

One of the limitations of my 7CAF that I didn't like was it's inability to support dual elevator servos. I found out after I made my decision to purchase the RDS8000 instead that Futaba essentially "fixed" or upgraded the 7C FASST to support dual elevator servos. Another limitation of the 7C is that the 7th channel isn't proportional; you can use it for bomb doors or navigation lights or something, but you can mix it with any control surface functions. The Futaba 7C and 7C FASST are essentially the ideal 6-channel radio system that Futaba should have made instead of the feature-poor 6EX.

The DX7 by Spektrum is not without its own idiosyncracies. The RDS8000 has two very important features that the DX7 is lacking. The most important feature is a throttle kill button; being able to turn off your engine quickly and easily shouldn't be an option. It's true that you can set up a throttle kill mix on the DX7 with just a few minutes of programming, but not having it set up by default seems like a serious oversight. The Futaba 7C doesn't feature a dedicated throttle kill button either, but the feature is assignable to any switch and the function is built into the basic menu so you don't have to program a mix.

The DX7 also suffers from having a very poorly designed trainer button. If you fly with students and buddy box folks on any kind of a regular basis, you will soon give up any thoughts of trying to use the trainer function of the DX7 as a master radio. The trainer function of the DX7 is activiated as a secondary use of the flap switch toward the upper left center of the transmitter face. Holding this tiny square switch up to activate the trainer function is ackward and uncomfortable; it also requires you to complete remove your hand from the left stick if you're going to train for flights in excess of 15 to 20 seconds long.

The RDS8000 suffers from neither of these shortcomings. The trainer button is on the upper left of the transmitter face within easy reach from the left stick. The dedicated throttle kill button is in the opposite corner on the upper right corner of the transmitter face, and it is within easy reach of the right stick.

The Airtronics RDS8000 was never intended to be the end-all, be-all radio system for 2.4Ghz. Instead, the RDS8000 is more similar to the Futaba 6EX FASST or the Spektrum DX6; the RDS8000 was simply Airtronics first attempt to bring a 2.4Ghz air radio to market.

All of the 2.4Ghz radios in the $150 to $350 price range have weaknesses in different areas. The RDS8000 is very feature rich for the price range in which it is being marketed compared to other offerings, and it's shortcomings don't involve basic funtionality like throttle kill functionality or trainer/buddy box switching. If the RDS8000 can't do what you want it to do, you probably should be shopping in the $499 to $599 price range where everybody's offerings are much more complete.

One area where Airtronics has failed is with regard to expanding the vocabulary of of RC pilots. I hear a lot of my friends who fly Spektrum and JR DSM2 radio systems using lots of new technical terms like "brown-out", "insufficient minimum flight pack voltage", and "receiver reboot cycling time frame." My friends who fly Futaba and Airtronics 2.4Ghz radio systems don't seem to be nearly as well versed with such terminology. Whatever shortcomings the RDS8000 or Airtronics in general may suffer from, the equipment works very well without any fuss, firmware updates, or the need to run 6V 2400Mah NiMH receiver batteries on a basic sport plane.

Do you remember your parents asking you, "If all of your friends were jumping off a bridge, would you want to jump off a bridge too?" Think about that the next time you're thinking that Spektrum radio systems must be the best choice because everybody seems to be flying them. If Horizon Hobby spent as much money on research and development as they have been marketing and promoting "Bind and Fly" and "Model Match" technology, there'd be a lot fewer pilots who fly DSM2 buying replacement airframes.

I am waiting for the Hitec I had one in my hands at Joe Nall and I really liked it. I just want to hear how everyone else likes it and see if any issues arise but I doubt there will be
any. I just hate they keep pushing back the release date.

Ed that is a fantastic review. I had a really hard time finding a good comparison of the 3 radios that listed their shortcomings - which they all obviously have. Seems like each one has something it does over the other two, as well as lacks something the other two have.

Yes Ed, very good job. I did not know the 7C's 7th channel was not proportional. That was a big surprise.

There was just a thread about that TX and not being able to do end point adjustments on the slave aileron. That alone would nix it for me.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8878097/tm.htm

Don

I have (2) RDS8000, (2) RD6000's, Hitech 4channel, couple of the old Vanguard 4 and 6 channel, 4 and 6 channel Futaba's, Kraft Bicentennial, (4) 6 channel Tx's from ready to fly setups. I have been around since EK Logic, Kraft and Heath kit.

Every radio out there has an issue, nothing can cover every setup option. Most of what I do is sport flying with 3D and aerobatics. I also fly helicopters. The RD6000's have been flawless. I have more hours on them then I care to think about.My RDS800's may not have EXPO on rudder but there is a simple work around where you mix rudder to rudder at 50%, flip the C-mix switch and you have 50% travel. The EPA on slave aileron has gotten me to make sure my mechanical setup is right and to not depend on the radio to fix my setup.

I did have a problem with my Hitec and Futaba radio's that could not be fixed. That is why I went with Airtronics. The issues with Hitec and Futaba were more with the repair part of the companies. They have improved a great deal from when I tried their service centers.

I would not have a problem with a Jr, Futaba, Hitec, or Airtronic radio today. They are all great radio's. Each has its high points and each has its low points. I still use the cheapy radios from the ready to fly stuff for my park flyers and the foamies. I just do not trust them to fly my nitro planes.


Right now Hobby People have the RDS8000 on sale for $99.00 with a single Rx. How can you pass that up???



Dru.

Regarding the Airtronics RDS8000, it is apparent that the airplane flyers are not reading the whole manual that comes with the radio. It is possible to set-up multiple dual rates and expo for elevator, aileron, and rudder and put them on one switch with three positions (you can get four positions if you use a second switch). Basically, you change the transmitter from airplane mode to helicopter mode and you can do this easily. You do lose some of the pre-programmed airplane functions, but you still have the two programmable mixes that can compensate for what you lost and want. The question is what functions are more important to you.

You would be giving up a lot more than what you could compensate for with the C-mixes, making many planes inoperable - so please don't accuse people of not doing their homework.

Let me clarify my previous post. It was incorrect to state that you could change the mode of the transmitter, I should have said you could change any of the 10 model memory selections from airplane to heli. Changing one will not screwup the settings for any other models programmed into the transmitter. Choose the mode that suits your needs for a particular model.

To answer AEAJR:

1) How many channels do you need?

Ailerons: I would need 2
Elevator: I would need 2
Rudder: I would need 2
Flaps: I would need 2
Gear - I would need 1
Smoke - No
Lights - No
Bomb drop - No

DR and Expo on all surfaces? I need it on every stick : ailerons, rudder, elevator
Flight conditions? - Perhaps related to 3D or Pattern?

3) Possible future interests : I want to try glider, no chopper. Althought I'm more of an aerobatic pilot (not pattern but would like to try it) I like 3D

4) Frequency : I want only 2.4 I currently use 2 receiver so it's not a big deal to swap all my plane to 2.4

So,

Based on your comments, you need a 9 channel radio, minimum with at least 8 of them being proportional.

You will need dual elevator and I would assume the ability to trim them while in flight ( check this one to be sure) Not sure if you need ailevators where the elevator halves follow the ailerons. Typically for tight aerobatics and some jets.

3 surface Expo

And your focus is 2.4 GHz.


So a 7 or 8 channel radio is not going to work for you.


Hitec Aurora - I don't know the details of the HItec Aurora so I can't venture an assessment but it at least has enough channels. Whether they are all proportional I don't know. Useful info has been posted earlier in the discussion. There is no real field experience to go against.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXXCZ4&P=ML


JR X9303 looks like a good fit. This one is based on the 9303 which has years of service and is very popular in many markets.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=JRP2915

Futaba 10C would likely be a fit. I don't know this one personally but I am assumign it is a super set of my 9C, so it should get the job done.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXUEW6&P=ML

Airtronics SD10G would likely be a fit but again, go back to earlier posts. This one is brand new, so not much in useful field experience.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXXMY3&P=7

Since I prefer radios that have some field time on them I would probably focus on the x9303 or the 10C. Both of these also have sailplane software so you will be all set for that too.

Used options

JR X9303
Futaba 10C
JR 9303 with 2.4 module
JR 10X with 2.4 module

I am sure there are others




You can probably find used resales on these too. People are always upgrading.


JR 9303 would work well.

The Airtroincs 10G has none of the limitations I mentioned earlier. It has oodles of programming, extended range, super fast response, lots of research and testing...

There may be some things it can't do but nothing that I've had a reason to think about yet. I am waiting to hold it in my hands one more time before I decide on that or a JR. They have a very different feel in your hands from one another.

Even though I'm an Airtronics fan, I must point out that the SD-10G does have a couple of quirks.

The SD-10G only buddy boxes with other SD-10G transmitters and it requires a special buddy box chord to do so. This magical buddy box chord is not yet available, so even if you have two SD-10G transmitters, you can't train with them yet.

The 92104 receiver, the 10-channel 2.4Ghz receiver bundled with the SD-10G, is apparently "too fast" to work with analog servos. If you're going to fly the 10-channel receiver with the SD-10G, you will apparently need digital servos for all functions. Spending extra for digital servos for throttle, mechanical retracts, and flap functions would be a little annoying. By all accounts, the SD-10G can run analog servos without any problems using the 92824 8-channel and (finally available) 92674 7-channel receiver.

The JR 9303 2.4Ghz DSM2 transmitter and the Futaba 10C FASST transmitter are both wonderful radios. The Airtronics SD-10G, the above quirks not withstanding, appears to be extremely competitive with JR and Futaba with regard to features and technology. Airtronics' price advantage is merely icing on the cake. Hitec's new Aurora transmitter is an impressive offering as well. Hitec has posted a number of demo videos walking through the transmitter's setup and configuration menus. If you haven't seen them, they're definitely worth taking a look!

There simply isn't a bad choice in the $499 to $649 price range. I'd happily take "the worst" of these four choices to fly with. Once you get into these 9 (Hitec, JR) to 10 (Futaba, Airtronics) spread spectrum transmitter choices, it really becomes more about personal choices and individual preferences than features or technology.

There I've found a little bit mor of information.
I know it's made by hitech so therefor oriented to promote their system but I think it's really a good choice


[link]http://www.hitecaurora.com/[/link]

Very interesting chart.

I have found Hitec's comparison charts to be pretty fair in the past.

I have a Airtronics RDS8000FHSS system and I could of purchased another one at Hobby People last Saturday on their 1 day sale for $99. I passed up the offer because of the problem with the 1st one. I lost a plane due to radio lock out. I took it back to hobby services and explained how it locked up 3 times in the same area I got control back the 1st time and landed. I had done a pre flight range check and a post flight check, everything worked fine. I had been flying the plane for 18 months on a 72 system with never a radio issue before going to the Airtronics 2.4. I went back out the following tuesday did my preflight and flew it 3 times with no problems. The next day preflight range check everything ok took off and locked in the same place, got it back 20ft from ground went around, was too fast to land, banked to go around , locked, no recovery, crashed. They sent back radio and said they "UPDATED SOFTWARE AND CHECKED TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER". I put it in another plane today and flew3 flights everything ok. Do I trust it to put it in a warbird or jet? NO WAY!! If you want to buy a 2.4 system buy a Futaba,less headaches. These JR Spektrem systems still has problems why do you need 2,3,4, or 5 receivers? and lie about the problems? Horizon claimed they didn't know about the low voltage reboots yet they offered a capacitor to the surface (cars and boats) over a year before they sold the systems for planes for this very problem.