TampaRC

So I inquire with Aitronics via their contact form about servicing my Airtronics radio. They say they don't service Airtronics radios and that I need to contact someone called Serpent America, which gets you to a website called Desoto Racing. I see nothing on this website regarding servicing Airtronics radios. What?

In addition Airtronics no longer has their phone number on their home page nor their contact page. Wonderful.

rcmiket

http://www.airtronics.net/index.php/refund

If you have a question about a return or contact information, please contact our Service Department for assistance: Airtronics/Global Services
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 714-964-6236

Mike

RC Pilot 007

airtronics stop making air transmitter. car only now. global no longer handle. cant sell product if manufacturer no make. serpent only option for service now

ira d

on the Desoto Racing page do a search for radios and you will see the Airtronics air radios but they are now called Sanwa. As I understand it Global Hobby in CA will services Airtronics radios but if you
need warranty service you have to now go through Serpent America.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Airtronics was not a name brand in itself that was made. The company that made them is called Sanwa. They imported radios into the US and are sold under the name Airtronics. Hobby People/Global Services has been the US importer and Service center for Airtronics for many years. Recently Sanwa made the decision to pull out of the US market and discontinue selling Airtronics radios in the US. these same radios can still be purchased in other countries. Model Airplanes News did a story on this matter a few weeks back. Here is a link to that article, it should answer all of your questions regarding this matter:

http://www.modelairplanenews.com/blog/2016/04/02/airtronics-end-of-an-era

This one bothered me because I have flown Airtronics radios since I learned to fly almost 20 years ago. I currently have 2 SD-10g radios and I'm in no hurry to quit using them. Luckily Airtronics is running sales on their receivers which has allowed me to stock up on receivers so that I have plenty of them so that I can continue using my radios for a long time. I dread the day that I will have to give them up and start using another brand. I still feel that the Airtronics SD-10 radios have some of the best features and easiest programming of any radio on the market. And yes, I've used JR, Spectrum, Futaba, and Tactic so I can compare them all to the Airtronics.

It's sad to see the era of Airtonics come to an end.

Ken

rcmiket

That's a shame but it is what it is. Seems like everyday we lose another source in the hobby. They were my first computer radio.

Mike

BelAirBob

Yep, another great product falls by the wayside. I have been flying an Airtronics radio for 30 some years and sad to see them go. They probably had such a small slice of the market so decided to pull out. But, I also miss Kraft and Orbit too and the list of other RC products gone is endless.

i have been switching everything over to a Spektrum DX7 and have no complaints. The New JR radio that looks like a Heathkit is nostalgic, but the price is sky high

rcmiket

Zinger calling it quits last month got to me. I really liked their props.

Mike

BelAirBob

Did not hear about Zinger. Guess we better stock up if we can still find any

rcmiket

http://www.zingerpropeller.com/

Mike

ira d

As I understand it the radios will still be available but through a different distributor and the Airtronics name will be dropped in favor of using the manufactures name which is Sanwa.

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

That one hurts too.....

cfircav8r

My Feedback: (1)

I started with Kraft, still the smoothest gimbals I have ever used, and when they stopped producing R/C radios I moved to Airtronics as they were the closest thing to Kraft as far as the gimbals went. I have since moved on to Spektrum and like their feel as well. There is always companies coming and going and I don't think this is any indication of and end to our hobby (I know no one said that but it is the common next conclusion, for some, to this type of news), just another change.

RC Pilot 007

ouch now zinger too. good thing i have some in my parts box

carlgrover

As an option, Radio South does excellent radio repairs. I've had several to them over the years.


I hate to hear about Zinger going out of business. The list of manufacturers gone is getting too long.


Carl

RC Pilot 007

what happen op?

captain23

Have sent my SD10g in for annual service/cleaning for years - to Global. Global was always easy to deal with and reasonable. Have [2] SD10s and a RDS8000
Now with Serpent/Desoto I am told that my radio must now be sent to Sanwa in Japan, because Sanwa is insisting on servicing their own products. With a 2 month turn around and the cost of shipping this obviously makes no sense. Serpent does not service anything or stock any parts. This is apparently Sanwa's new policy.
Why would anybody buy anything from Sanwa and/or Serpent? If you can't get service/parts what good is it? My entire hangar is on the SD10 and thanks to Sanwa I now have to consider an entirely new platform. Would be interested if anyone has found a 'solution'?

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

That is terrible......is there any reason other than routine maintenance you need to send yours in?

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

I'm in the same boat. I have 2 SD-10's and have all my planes on the Airtronics radios. I wasn't aware that Global has totally abandoned servicing them. The last I had heard they would service them as long as they could. So that really stinks now to hear that they have totally left us hanging out there. They could at least to the servicing of cleaning and making sure the radio is working properly, but I guess they don't want anything to do with Airtronics at all. I'll make sure that I find someplace else to spend my money other than Hobby People as a repayment for that kind of loyalty.

I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do as I move to a new radio as well, I haven't decided yet brand to move too. But it won't be anything soon. I'll keep flying my Airtronics just as long as I possibly can.

Ken

captain23

fly pretty much every day so my Txs take a beating - primarily the plastics and the long toggles. Certainly not a problem unique to Airtronics. The metal handle will invariably break off the rear case. Other than this 'normal' wear and tear have been extremely happy with my SD10s - feel they are among the most user friendly out there. Also run a 2800 2s Lipo and have pretty much converted my Rxs to FH3 because I use 2s Lipos in the plane as well. The servos are stronger and faster at 8.4 and using the better FH3 Rxs prevent flying the wrong plane.
Think the only line that seem to provide the same capabilities will be the DX8, DX9, or 18 but replacing the 12 Airtronics Rxs won't be cheap. I'm not a Futaba fan, not enuf radio for the $$$, and they have a crappy attitude. Would appreciate everybody's thoughts?
By the way, Airtronics was just a name used for marketing dating back 50 years or so, Sanwa has always been the manufacturer

ira d

Now would be a good time for another manufacture to come out with a transmitter that can operate Airtronics receivers they would get a lot of business, I think its obvious that Sanwa does not want the USA market
any longer.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

I'm looking real hard at the FR-Sky radio equipment line for my replacement radios

FR-Sky

Ken

rcmiket

Where are they serviced?

Mike

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Not quite sure of that yet. But I've been watching and hearing about them for awhile. I know that they have a "serviceable" source code, meaning that the software that runs the radio can be updated and changed by the end user if needed. That's what first brought them on my radar screen because I am an IT person and that intrigues me to have a radio like that. But you are right, I would want to know where I can get the hardware of the radio taken care of just as much as the software of it as well.

I know that I want to stay away from JR/Spectrum right now because of the release of the Icarus hardware that can take over and down/take over control of a JR/Spectrum radio in flight. The hardware costs less than $100 and is readily available to the public. The concept that it works on can be applied to any of our radios, but because of the lax way that JR/Spectrum has designed the DSMx protocol they are the easiest to attack so that is what got it first.

Ken

captain23

and who does parts/service on FR Sky? Somebody in China?
Serpent is claiming to be able to handle my service request under the provision that they send my radio back to Japan - a ridiculous suggestion if you think about it. My usual bill at Global was about $60 an amount that wouldn't come close to the cost of shipping to/from Sanwa and I'd usually have my radio back in less than 10 days- not 2 months.
Can't imagine why Serpent/Desoto would even consider distribution of the Sanwa products - if they really think customers are going to send their equipment back to Japan for service, they must think we are stupid. They will be selling the Sanwa equipment under false pretenses (no real warranty and/or parts availability). Leads to a bunch of POed customers!