joebahl

My Feedback: (2)

I have found more and more people switching from futaba to other brands because of getting the same features but paying less for them from another brand. This happened when we started to use 2.4 and futaba transmitters and most of all of their recievers were twice the price of some of their competiters. I flew only futaba for 30 years in all my planes but could not afford their prices to put new 2.4 rec in all of my planes. I sent them a nice goodbye email and i hope they are looking in on some of these threads trying to figure out where all their good customers went. joe

AndyAndrews

Multiplex makes nice stuff. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

modtron

My understanding from JetPower was that this was still being worked on !

modtron
Oxford UK

Xairflyer

My Feedback: (1)

They have done a great job on the software then

guille2006

Multiplex makes /made an astounding 18 channel radio a few years ago (or was 20? don't remember very well...). I had one in my hands before and it felt GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

modtron

Again, from information at JetPower, the software was still in the throws of being finalised, thats why you don't see any final information around as to what it will be fully capable off.

Even with what was in the sets on show - it was still capable of more than most sets on the market today.

modtron
Oxford UK

mikehannah

Hi
I have a 14MZ and I love it, I maybe dont use it to its limit but i doubt if anyone truely does. The reason i like it is because I can do so much with it and programming it is very simple. For me, two things stick out about the 18MZ. Firstly that Futaba are trumpeting the Telemetry aspect but several manufacturers are already selling telemetry systems for considerably less and what is the point when you can't look at the screen. I think Futaba are playing catch up here and they need to bring the technology out across the whole range.
Secondly still No Model Match type system?? I know some people will say you should religiously check you are on the correct model memory but sorry it I bet everyone who flies multiple model aeroplanes off the same Tx has had at least one near miss. I know that Spektrum has the patent but they patented a system not the idea and there are several way i can think of doing it. They couldnt have patented them all surely.

I think given the new players coming into the market the 18MZ will not have a big market share and the majority of them will go to sponsored pilots.

Just my two pence worth.

Ragz

I cannot wait to get my hands on one....  Mark, you forgot to add a channel for gyro gain  That makes it 15 or maybe 16 if you use 2 gyros.

modtron

Mark and all....

Today I received the UK pricing for the 18MZ .....UK retail £2499.99 so you will see some deals being done on that.

Deliveries are going to be air shipped over with a world wide release in Japan, America and Europe all around the same time in December 2011.

modtron
Oxford UK

schroedm

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks!!!

Merry Xmas to me

kochj

ME TOOO>....

kochj

Model match just makes binding 2-recievers more of a PITA...than just binding a nother reciever, and placing it in the plane.... IMHO...
Not sure how one can have a picture of the plane on the radio infront of them, and still fly the wrong one ....
But then again.... silly things happen when you are flying a new plane and you have 3-4 guys asking you q's as you ready the plane for the first time...
and you get nevious.....so who knows..

Model match was brought up in the A9 forum....but wasn't something that most thought was neccessary....to be successfull in flying the right plane...as it asks you if you want to transmit
for "bla bla" ....If it isn't model "bla bla" then don't transmit untill you get the model right...

I want the transmitter to know if my ailerons are reversed or not..... so when I take off with it reversed, the transmitter will yell out
"YOU IDIOT, why didn't you check your ailerons?"

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

If you are using a receiver which supports the S-Bus you can not hook up your ailerons in reverse if they are on different channels!

Bruce

schroedm

My Feedback: (1)

Nothing stops you setting up your ailerons reversed. SBus does nothing to reduce this risk either???

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

Using the S-Bus servos, the aileron servos will only respond to the channel they have been set for. Therefore it does not matter where you plug them into the S-Bus.

Bruce

schroedm

My Feedback: (1)

Bruce,

I don't understand what you're saying. The ailerons will only respond on the channels they're plugged into without SBus too?!?! Also, you can still take off with the ailerons reversed!!??????????? [sm=50_50.gif]

modtron

I can see what he means....

If using complete S-Bus system with S-Bus servo's, once programmed, then the directions are all set during the initial set up and as the servos are then coded, they respond only to those channel a settings.

modtron
Oxford UK

schroedm

My Feedback: (1)

Well, yeah ok. But if you set them reversed, as with any other radio, you'll take off with 'em reversed

siclick33

You can still take off with the aileron servos reversed if you have selected the wrong model memory, even with S-Bus.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

You guys are too much! You are more likely to plug in the ailerons reversed if you are not using the S-Bus than have the wrong model selected with S-Bus which has the silerons reversed. If you select the wrong model you will have more problems than just reversed ailerons.[:-]

Bruce

siclick33

That was the whole point; thanks for catching up The discussion started by MikeHannah was about lack of 'model match' on the 18MZ and nothing to do with plugging in servos[:@]

ww2birds

My Feedback: (14)

I believe that one of the JR reps said that model match was a patented technique by JR, if that is so, Futaba could not directly copy it. It seems to me to be a very useful feature, perhaps Futaba is thinking of another way to achieve a similar result that does not infringe JR's patent. I suppose they'd say that the picture of the model on the TX screen is a good confirmation of the right model being selected .. but the pilot still has to notice that.

The only downside I've seen to model match is alluded to above .. if you have a large fleet of planes and several transmitters, it looks like a royal pain to do all the binding and rebinding that is required to switch transmitters across different models .. but I suspect that is a VERY small fraction of people so affected...

FWIW, two features I'd like to see on high-end TXs:

1) a function that could be told the correct switch and knob configurations for a complex airplane, "memorize" them .. and then confirm everything is in the right position, e.g before start or before takeoff. The 14MZ has a very limited version of this that checks for certain channels in predefined positions (e.g. throttle to low) before starting up.

2) a way to store a checklist into the TX and display it on request. The 14MZ has the ability to store music (which mystifies me!) .. I'd rather have it store small text files with checklists that would be displayed on request

Dave

Woketman

My Feedback: (6)

Dave is a genius!!!! That is a great thing to have! A text or spoken check list, user defined. Why did not Futaba think of that??? Who needs the music?

kochj

You could record your own checklist on a hand held recorder and just press "play"....Then anyone with anyradio, could have it...

kochj

You only mess up a aileron setup once anyway....
I am having a much more difficult time getting my wife to come with me flying....so I can call it
"Family time"......... Perhaps I can find others to bring there wifes or girlfriends with so they can talk V-a-g-i-n-a...and I can fly!...