Newbie Please Help Almost There???
 

I say get the basic 4 channel for your first radio. Then if you want migrate to an upgrade 6/9 channel. The basic 4 channel are not that expensive. You can never have enough radios.

As far as the plane it self the one you mentioned is a good one.

Randy

Newbie Please Help Almost There???
 

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. There is another situation. There is the situation in which the instructor tells his student that "Computerized mixing and exponential are a must now-a-days". When the rookie probably doesn't even know what exponential MEANS let alone what it does.

If someone now says "Well, I'm not an instructor, I was just putting in MY 2 cents." Consider the Rookie that asked the question... DOES HE KNOW YOU'RE NOT AN INSTRUCTOR?

Is there anyone here who has never met that club member (Lets call him Joe *I immediately apologize if anyone in this thread, living or dead is named Joe!*) that talks to a rookie about "coordinating his turns" when you know damn well that Joe couldn't coordinate turns if he wanted to, let alone do it on a regular basis? Is there ANY club in the US or abroad that doesn't have at least one club member that is basically full of S**T and just loves to prove to the newbies how knowledgeable he is? THESE are the guys that make computer radios complicated to a trainee.

Newbie Please Help Almost There???
 

To save MONEY is the ONLY reason to buy a 4 channel. All this crap about they are too complex is just a joke. There are horror stories to cover every angle so enough with the "I saw a guy at the field ...blah blah blah and he crashed because he did this or that". Just because the extra features are there doesn't mean you have to use them, but in the future you WILL use them. If you have the money get a 6X, 8U or 9C if you don't then get a 4 channel, again money or lack of money should be the only reason. If you happen to get out of the hobby because it wasn't your cup of tea then these computer radios will hold their resale value better than a 4 channel would because the buyer demand is there.

Newbie Please Help Almost There???
 

Well tmproff, I bought the Futaba 6AX after 3 months of flying, now my OPINION is that I found it to be easy to use and program. You can store 6 seperate planes in its memory. I bouthe radio, receiver and 4 servos for $219.00. A couple of months ago I bought the 9C because I exceeded 6 planes. I still have the 6X and I keep it in my workshop to set up servos for installation. I keep all my planes on the same frequency but thats just my OPINION. In my Opinion your plane and engine choices are just fine also. But beware........you will get sucked into this god forsaken hobby.

Newbie Please Help Almost There???
 

Oh tmproff, I forgot to mention the reason I bought the 6 channel was because I built a second plane and didn't want to buy a second 4 channel radio also. I figured it would be easier to change memories on one radio than either using 2 radios or changing servo direction on my 4 channel. My first radio came with Avistar I started with, God rest its soul.

Newbie Please Help Almost There???
 

You sure are looking hard for your reasons. How is that a definate cause of frustration? That guy at the field is going to talk about everything and anything, including the radio. Just because a guy is a newbie doesn't mean he's dumb, or will listen to anything anyone says. My bet is that most newbies can recognize their intructors, and perhaps, just maybe, remember their names too. Give people some credit.

No reasonable instructor is going to suggest mixing on a trainer. Expo they might, just as with a basic 6 they might very well suggest dual rates.

Perhaps a person should have to take a vocabulary test prior to purchasing a computer radio?

Each individual is different. You and I can't judge their aptitude, skills, or abilities by reading a couple of posts. Your contention that all newbies will by default have terrible, awful, painful experiences with a computer radio is really quite amazing. Like everything else in this hobby, beginners can have their own preferences and are certainly able to learn about radios. If they choose to use a computer radio, so be it. You're being rather pretentious in suggesting that they can't handle the "complexity", or should spend their money elsewhere. Who are you to suggest that?

Give them the information, and let them make their own choices. You need to find some balance in your advice.

Keep it simple
 

Go to Towerhobbies and get the Avistar/OS40LA/4ch radio combo
$275 for everything.
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...Q=1&I=LZ1624**

When and if you move up you can keep everything for when you haven't flown in 6 months or loan it to the club's training program or sell it as a combo.

This is 90% of what you need to get started. The plane flies good and will provide hours of pleasure.

Please don't lump us all into a group of people that just wants to fight or irritate others. That award goes to the small minority. This hobby is filled with people you will really enjoy.
Steve

Newbie Please Help Almost There???
 

As far as computer radios go don't rule out the Hitech Eclipse, 7 channel. I just purchased one and I am loving it very much. I really like the feature of changing to any channel you like.

Newbie Please Help Almost There???
 

I humbly apologize, I got carried away...
It was never my intention to say that a newcomer should not own a computer radio. My original intention was to point out that a computer radio is not a MUST for anybody, let alone a beginner. By all means, if you can afford it, get the best equipment you can. But what I really wanted to point out to the beginner is... If you can't afford it, a basic 4 channel radio is all you NEED, and that all of the bells and whistles are NOT mandatory.

Yet every time I tried to explain that there are draw backs that go along with the benefits of computer radios, people saw it as an attack on computer radios. I am not trying to attack computer radios! I am only attacking the belief that they are a necessity to a newcomer.