RE: Transmitter?
 

The tactic 6 isn't computer, nor does it have enough channels. Here is my breakdown so far:
DX7s:good radio, but not enough channels
DX8:leading right now, great programming and telemetry. No need to purchase second radio to buddy box when instructing my Dad. Receivers at a relatively low price.
JR 9503: Too expensive, no telemetry, no SD.
Aurora 9: Seconding DX8, touch screen, great programing, telemtry
Airtronics SD-10G-healthy 3rd, but no telemetry. Most channels and most robust programming(someone explain advantages please).
Futaba: Just doesn't sit right for some reason, whether a gut feeling or what, just don't know.

Any comments still welcomed, I am willing to reconsider anything. Just tell me why!!!

RE: Transmitter?
 

I have an Airtronics RDS8000, used it for 2+ years, and have now upgraded to the SD10G.. both work great, no problems.. As for telemetry, I am not currently interested in having it, since I try not to take my eye off of the plane while its flying.. My telemetry consists of "OK, I can still hear the engine, and its still airborne.... Crash..... Ok, altitude is now -1 foot!" ;)

just select whatever tx you like, since you are going to be the one having to deal with it.. :)
Anyway, good luck with your quest..

Craig.

RE: Transmitter?
 

I use an inexpensive ($40) FlySky 2.4GHz DSS transmitter variant.  I have used Futaba in the past (35 yrs ago)  My Dad and another friend have Spektrum transmitters.  Other than programming features on the transmitter, I have noticed no other functionality differences.  I have no issues with interference or binding, I have flown planes to the limit of what I can see and into the clouds with out loss of radio signal.  At this point I see no reason to spend many hundreds let alone thousands, on a transmitter.  If there are reasons that I am not aware of, please enlighten me.<div>
</div><div>FYI - I have purchased some of the inexpensive orange Spektrum compatible receivers for my Dad and his friend, and so far they have worked just fine.</div><div>
</div>

RE: Transmitter?
 

Hello again

Given you have a Spektrum/JR set already AND that you want to use a buddy cord to do some teaching then simply buying another Spektrum or JR would seem to be sensible.

I have no idea what the DX8 is like to use. I do have a DX7 and it is quite easy to use but I started running out of channels for example -

I have one model which uses a servo for each side of the elevator (total of 2 so far) and one for each side of the ailerons (total of four channels now) plus one for the rudder (total of 5) and one for the throttle (now we are up to 6). If the plane had retracts (it does not) that would bring to total up to 7 and if it were a warbird and had a bomb bay then we would need 8. Does this give you the picture?

Why use two channels for the two sides of an elevator? You don't need a Y cable but also if you do use a Y cable with two servos, you need a Y cable that has reversing in one side or one half of the elevator goes up when the other side goes down. That is no good at all. Using two channels on you radio makes this easy to set up.

Why use two channels for the two ailerons? Well, it makes differential ailerons possible so that when one side goes up, the other side goes down but by a smaller amount. This is used to counter "adverse yaw" (look it up - it happens with planes with long wings like a Cub).

If you have a plane with multi engines, you may wish to use several channels just to control the engines so it is easier to adjust each one independently.

As I said before - all the radios you have mentioned are good radios and whichever you buy you will end up liking. I bought a DX7 and liked it but the cost of receivers put me off it. So I bought the Aurora and I like it a lot.

The telemetry which tells you the receiver battery voltage has a warning buzzer which screams at you if either the receiver battery or the transmitter battery are getting to the end of their charge. You are not likely to miss it.

Another small thing I like about the Hitec radios. The 2.4 gig system can work in two modes. Normal and Agile. They recommend Normal for most users and only recommend Agile if you are in an area with a lot of 2.4 gig transmitters and by a lot, they mean more than 50. In Normal mode, the system resets extremely quickly if it looses signal. In Agile it takes several seconds. My Spektrum is nowhere as fast as the Hitec at re-establishing contact as the DSM2 Spektrum. DSMX may have fixed this problem but I don't know.

Have fun

Mike in Oz

RE: Transmitter?
 

I got back into this hobby about 2 yrs ago. My 1st radio was a Spectrum 7. It was not user friendly and was difficult (for me) to program. But, I've used it on a number of ac including 30%'ers. At my field, I had several glitches which were initially thought to be Spectrum products. Found out later, a new microwave tower built nearby was having an adverse effect on all radios/receivers.<div>
</div><div>When I bought the Aurora 9 and receivers, the glitches ended and I now use this radio on all my ac with the exception of my bind/fly foamies.</div><div>
</div><div>The A9 is EXTREMELY user friendly/intuitive and you can program just about any type of setup you might need.</div><div>
</div><div>With all this said, I've never owned any other type of radios so I don't have 1st hand knowledge of their capabilities. </div><div>
</div><div>Not slamming, just the facts.</div><div>
</div><div>Best Regards.</div>

RE: Transmitter?
 

Buy a radio with as many channels as you can afford.  You really can't go wrong with Spektrum, Futaba, or JR.  Plenty of support, most people have them - if you have a question, and they have multiple receivers to choose from.  Personally I like Futaba.  If you can possibly afford it go with something that can be updated with a software download like the Futaba 8FG (what I would pick as it's actually a 14 channel radio) and to me by far the best bang for the buck.</p>

RE: Transmitter?
 

ACE R/C Micropro 8000 single stick on 72 AM, everything from small electrics to multi engine giant scale and gliders. I have others but fly this one the most by far.

RE: Transmitter?
 

At the time I upgraded I went with Hitec (Prism 7X) primarily because of cost, especially PCM cost.  Another big feature was that you could change the transmit signal from Futaba/Itec levels to Airtronics/JR levels and I had several Airtronics receivers.  They also seemed to offer the most mixing functions at the time in an "entry" level computer radio.  I don't know if the same is true anymmore but I still ahve mine and still lvoe it.

RE: Transmitter?
 

<h3><font color="#800000">The Aurora 9 is a 9 channel and 6,7,and 9 channel receivers are fairly cheep. I've purchased from EBay 3 9 channel receivers at a time for about $69 a price. The Aurora has a very unique feature in that not only having memory for 30 planes it has a feature called FLT.COND or flight condition where if I understand it correctly with the flick of a switch or the tap of a finger on the touch screen you can alter the way the aircraft behaves ... ie more then just dual rates. The feel of a radio is very imporant to me as I hold it with out a neck strap or tray, and I still use my Futaba CAP9 on 72 Mhz and HiTec 2.4. One radio to stay away from are the Spectrums below the 8, simply because they are OLD TECH and they do not HOP the 2.4 range as the newer radios do. JMHO also the Futaba and the Aurora can be updated over the internet. Futaba easier than the Aurora. the Aurora has to be hooked to your computer thru a device called a HPP-22. You can also Update the sogtware in your 7 &amp; 9 channel receivers. The futaba uses an SD card but I don't belieave U can update the receivers on a Futaba. hope this helps .....</font></h3>

RE: Transmitter?
 

http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=816768 I bought an Aurora 9 here for $175 don't forget the Aurora 9 can do both 72 Mhx and 3.4 Ghz. So can the Futaba Cap 9 with a module 
Futaba Cap 9's are selling cheap too<br type="_moz"/>

RE: Transmitter?
 

Airtronics RDS 8000 it has 8 channels (a min # in my op) and it is easy to program and costs around $200 with an 8 chan rec which cost about $70. 10 model memory which is plenty given the attrition rate of most of us:D. Your young enough that if you stay in the hobby you will upgrade again so I would not worry about it much. My 2cents

RE: Transmitter?
 

This is how I imagined this thread would go. Everyone recommending their favorite radio ;)

My only recommendation is that the OP should decide what he wants, and what manufacturer he wants to go to or stick with and go from there. But the best advice of all is to get the best, most channels available for a reasonable price. To me that sounds like the Airtronics RDS8000. 8 channels 2.4GHz operation.

I own Futaba, Airtroncs, and Spektrum, so you can see that I am not biased.

CGr.

RE: Transmitter?
 

1) Dunno why everyone's so stuck on 'name brands' when people seem to be thrilled with their Turnigy/FlySky 9-ch units. Rx are about $10 EACH, and you can get the Tx/Rx setup for about $65-75 delivered. They're on backorder, but they're s'posed to be very nice FOR THE MONEY. As good as JR? No, but probby as good as Hitec, and better than Tactic

2) The Spektrum DSM/DSM2 basic technology is such that it doesn't afford great speed or super-precision. That's why JR has just abandoned it altogether for DSMX (which is fundamentally/completely different). They talk about 'grumbling Spektrum owners' a lot @ rcmodelreviews.com .

3) Why on earth is a discussion about 7-9 ch radios in the 'Beginners' forum?

RE: Transmitter?
 

Agreed Deandome. I've been very happy with my "cheap" radio.

Also I agree with you about a beginer buying an 8 or more channel unit.

RE: Transmitter?
 

<h3><font color="#FF0000">At 15 it Dosen't really make any difference as to brand make or model. If U stick with this hobby in stead of Girls and Cars</font>, <font color="#FF0000">You'll get an idea after U learn to fly, of what suits your kind of flying style and what U will be able to afford. But Beware of those Girls and Cars ... they cost a lot more than any R/C stuff I've ever had.</font><br type="_moz"/></h3>

RE: Transmitter?
 

I got into this hobby a few years ago. I got a used Futaba 9C on eBay for $120 and been very happy with it. As for receivers I used Assan module + rx, and recently moved to frsky system. They are as good as Futaba and very much more affordable (google around to get an idea, they even came with telemetry) . The bottom line is that you have a choice wrt to rx. I am sure that there will be a lot of people trying to talk to you out of third party module/rx systems. I can only say that if we applied that kind of logic to cars, we would be pretty much limited to Cadillac, Lexus and BMW.

If I were to get into the hobby today, I wouldst probably get a turnigy 9x (or equivalent) with a frsky module, and hack it with one of the several third party firmware. As for a buddy box, you can pick up any esky or similar radio, and fed the ppm into your box. If you are short on cash, but able/willing to do some work yourself, this is a great time to be in the hobby. And yes, 8 channels are plenty enough.

Good luck.
Alberto

RE: Transmitter?
 

I'm keeping my Futaba 9CAPS. It's the most comfortable to hold and I have switched to 2.4 Ghz with a Frsky module. the receivers are $20 and It's Faster than the Futaba 2.4 modules.

RE: Transmitter?
 

I voted 9503 because its basically the same package as the 9303 with added features. I dont spend a lot of time programming transmitters, spend much more time flying with a transmitter. The 9303 is, in my hands, one of the most comfortable to fly with ive ever used. I have a dx8, its quite nice,the rubberized sides are great, works like a champ, but not the same. Again, this is just my opinion, but most of the futaba txs dont feel as comfortable to me. Most feel too big, the 8ch seems too slick to hang on to, since i dont fly with a neckstrap. I like futaba, flew their stuff for years until i picked up a 9303. I dont have large hands, and it just seems to fit.

Face it, they can all be programmed, some have lots of nice features, pick one that feels good in YOUR hands. Ive used jr, spektrum, futaba, and hitec and had good luck with any of them. Just picked up a hitec module for my jr 9303 to try out, too. Guess i'm not too brand loyal, eh?

RE: Transmitter?
 

You make some really good observations Fizzwater2, about how it feels in your own hands.

Not that I'm trying to further promote the transmitter that I have, but just to say that I think it is a good fit for me as weather on a neckstrap or not, as I am flying, I feel completly comfortable with it. In fact, I don't even think about it but only what my plane is doing.

RE: Transmitter?
 

I went with the A-9 too. I have a Futaba 9-C I have been using sense they first cme out. I upgraded from a Hitec 7. At the time th HT I had only could program 3 planes and that turned into a problem very fast. The 9 allowed me a lot of planes set up in one radio and a ot of room to grow/expand. I have had to use a match box on planes like 35% to 40% nut that isn't any big deal.
The Hitec A-9 is the radio I have been looking at in 2.4, I have my futaba set up for both 72 and 2.4 but my radio is getting a bit old. With the A-9 you are able to just go back and forth from 2.4 to 72 by changing out the module so you don't need to buy a thousand dollars worth of RXs all at one time to change over.
To date I haven't seen one radio problem with the Hitec or Futaba. No one can say that about JR/Spektrum. I can't afford to sacrifice a plane to a radio glitch or brown out. With the A-9 and Futaba system there is no reason to run the risk.

RE: Transmitter?
 

I like my DX5e, and I'm on a budget so I know what that's like. Voted for the DX7s.

RE: Transmitter?
 

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: larger;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">Did U ever set up any FLT COND "Flight Condition" on the A-9 seem that U can Have 8 seperate setups on each of 30 airplanes ... As for problems with the A-9, I saw a plane fly away while using the A-9 Module in a Futaba 7 channel radio with a 7 channel HiTec receiver. But the plane was out about a half mile or better and had intermitent control till it flew way way away.</span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: larger;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">I have some strange things happen in my A-9 such as some programming had changed after I switched to another plane then came back to the first plane. I am paranoid about programing so ounce I get a program right I copy it and rename as a back-up. The backup was working properly but the original program was not. Coppied the back up to the original and that fixed it.</span></span></span>

RE: Transmitter?
 

CGr, that's how it usually goes but I voted 9503 and I have never owned a JR product.
Reasons
Trainer system compatible with existing 8103
Compatible with existing receivers
9 channels
50 model memory

The OP listed price, telemetry, and no SD card as cons for the 9503
I think price is soon forgotten when it's a good product
I do not care about telemetry but many people seem to think it is needed
Lack of memory card is not a deal breaker for me.

RE: Transmitter?
 

To me its the most channels for the dollar.
Thats it.
With more channels u automaticly get the added extras.
And in my experence 2.4 or FM really dont matter.

So if u want the best bang for your buck. GET THE MOST CHANNELS!!!!!!!!<br type="_moz" />

RE: Transmitter?
 

<h2>Ya ever notice how people want to believe that what ever they have purchased is the "Best for the Money" and believe that they have to convince every one else of this, in order to convince them selves they made the right choice ... Also notice when you tought the virtues of your choice, that your friends listen politely, but most are so eager to say something that they don't hear what you are saying and just wait for you to take a breath. so they can tell their story. This often accrues weather you are finished speaking or not. In the long run it doesn't mater because what ever item one buys, Most of us have to justify our purchase by be-leaving it's better than what anyone else has, And have to try and convince others to purchase the same. It's just a fact of life ... we don't want to feel like we made a mistake in our selections. in the long run it is all inconsequential. </h2>