born2build

With all of the bad publicity concerning Spektrum, I've come to the conclusion the real issue is consistency, or the lack thereof.
I have a DX6i I bought for BnF and park flyers only. My bigger planes will use my Futaba 8J or even my Hitec Optic 6.. on FM no less. The Optic radio is nearly 10 years old and is as reliable as a Frisbee. Still works like new. Not to mention the half dozen or so receivers I have for it. Obsolete? I don't think so!
I simply can't trust Spectrum on something I spent months (or years, even) to build.
The DX6i has been working fine...so far.

aspeed

It may be something as simple as a loose battery. The only radio problems I have had is loose batteries, worn out frayed wires, and oxidized batteries/switches/black ground wires. I would not really blame the radio itself for that. Maybe weak battery holding springs. I have quite a few old 72 (75) radios, just the one 2.4 DX7. All good till dropped. After 5 models I would be spooked too.

jester_s1

I think the issue is Spektrum's business model. It's easy to see they are mostly concerned with getting new features out to the public faster than anyone else. They put out new radios more often than anybody else. Having worked in manufacturing before, I can say that the cost of speed is quality. Not just in build quality, but also in learning how to train workers to be efficient and in perfecting the inspection process. And, of course, there is also the testing process for new designs which I don't think Spektrum does much of. Spektrum hit the market just about the time I got into RC, so I've watched the same conversations happen with every new radio they come out with. There were the brownouts of the original Dx7. There were myriad QC issues causing unexplained crashes with the original DX6, so much they scrapped it for the equally junky DX6i. They recalled that radio for gimbal issues, only to "upgrade" to new pots that were just as prone to failure. I saw the DX8 show up and create a whole new wave of unexplained crash threads. Now it's the DX9. I get the impression that new releases of Spektrum radios are essentially beta tests, as it is cheaper to offer good service and repair bad radios than it is to do the testing and perfect the process to make them right to begin with.

acejinx

Greg, I'd be love to send it to you to see if you can find something wrong with it! I'll pay shipping both ways of course. I don't think I'll ever trust it again, but I'd like to know. email me: [email protected]. You just have to promise me to fly it more than a couple of times. 10-15 flights should do the trick.

The first plane was a flyzone beaver. To be fair I didn't lose this one. It had the spectrum 6 channel receiver, no satellite. I'd just lifted off then it nose dived into the lake. Some repairable damage. I figured I must have stalled it. Today I'm not so sure.

Next was my trex 450. It was an older one I'd put a ranger body on. I had tons of flights on it. It was so heavy it was super stable and fun to cruise around looking good. Same receiver WITH a satellite. I was at around 30 feet and 50 feet or so from myself when it suddenly dove to the ground and beat itself up once it got there. Heli's have so many whirling part I assumed something had come loose on the head causing the crash. It was destroyed so the NTSB couldn't determine the exact cause of the crash.

I love my Phase 3 F-16. No satellite. It was starting to glitch a little. I thought to myself, gosh this thing doesn't have much range! Then I came screaming down from high altitude for a fast and low pass. I was low and about where you turn base when I lost contact with the plane. CRASH. I took the receiver from the wreckage and threw it into a nearby river.

Next was a Dynam Waco. No satellite. It a foam plane, but big. I was medium altitude and fairly close to myself when it suddenly dove to the ground and hit it straight on. I was so mad I took that receiver and smashed it with a hammer!

Then I was flying my flyzone F4U, with a satellite. During the base turn, I lost contact and it smashed onto the concrete. That was my revelation. It wasn't the receivers at all!

I called Horizon and they were great. They said they would charge me (The transmitter is almost exactly 2 years old) but then didn't. They couldn't find anything wrong but replaced a bunch of stuff.

Then I was flying my Dynam Catalina. After about five minutes I came in and as I turned final I lost control. They stupid thing didn't even have the courtesy of crashing in the water. It hit the beach.

My DX7 has been rock solid. I'm going back to that thing.

I have 3 3 channel ground transmitters that have never caused me any problems. And my kids use those, so they have been abused!

I love spectrum, I plan to keep using them, but I think I got a bad transmitter.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

That's a good piece to the puzzle. All models were electric and all of them I beleive to have the RX and servos powered via BEC. Have you verified the BEC voltage coming out of any of the speed controls?

GREG DOE

Acejinx, I'm in Tenn. so that would be a long way to ship it to me. If it turns out to be your only option, I'd be happy to sacrifice one of my airplanes. I wish I was closer. Possibly you could enlist the help of someone closer? Speedracer has noted a possible common thread? Thanks for listing the radio's history. We feel your pain! Sometimes systematic substitution of the components in question can isolate the problem. If it were me, I'd start the trouble shooting process with proven dependable receivers, and a small glow powered airplane. Just wondering. Did you fly any of these airplanes with your DX7 before crashing them with your DX9? On a side note, one of my racing friends had a bad transmitter that damaged, or crashed several airplanes. Finally at a race this fall he removed the brand X receiver, and installed a brand Y. He finished the contest with a borrowed dry battery radio (read that as "budget radio") with no further problems, and, within a week bought a new radio of the same brand, and it has been bullet proof. Unfortunately our radios can and do fail, and it sure looks like you might just have a bad one?

Desertlakesflying

My Feedback: (28)

Also.......take the sd card out of it before you fly like the instructions tell you to do!

acejinx

Really?! I just looked through them and didn't see that. I HAVE been flying with the sd card inserted.