Spectrum Recall
 

The new Spectrum power safe receivers just got recalled. I received an email from Dreamworks along with the Horizon Hobby instructions to send it back for a refund. Well guess what. They dont pay for the shipping I had to pay for a worthless receiver and to top it off the form they have on the recall notice to put your info and "Submit" doesnt work.

I just got the word today as well. Just bought a few of the 12300T to replace faulty 12120's I had. Really frustrating, but I was just about to maiden a new plane with the 12300T in it. So I guess I'm lucky, however it's another reason I'm loosing confidence in their QC. I also noticed on the spectrum web site under notices there was some issue around the DX18 G2 TX's, which I have. lost a plane on January 1st this year. So.. I spoke to the CS person today at horizon and there is no word on what the issues are or when they might be resolved. so.. just refund

Check your battery compartment on your DX-18 Gen 2, or DX-18 Stealth transmitters. If you don't find a green dot in that compartment, there might be a problem. That recall was posted in 2015.

Hi David.. I wasn't aware of the green dot.. but after I lost a second plane I sent the radio in last month to have them check it over. They never mentioned the possible 2015 issue, but they did replace the RF module at no charge just in case. It seems all good, but while I was setting up a plane with the new 12300T RX, I did notice some issues. I contribute that to the current RX issues. Very frustrating..

I don't know how you guys get into these messes?

I called Horizon, they sent me an email with the instructions and a prepaid FedEx shipping label. My 20 channel rx went back to Champaign today.

I'm waiting on my label right now

Well Zeeb. I guess their customer service Q C is kust as bad as product QC. Thats how I got into t his mess

If you really want to laugh, I went to the link to fill out form and hit the submit button and it didn't work. I just have to call in the morning to have Customer service manually enter it in.. I should be good to go then.

The Submit button didn't work for me either but I just saved as PDF and emailed to them and got a FEDEX label.

I think I have most of you beat though ... I also ordered a brand new DX-20 which was bad right out of the box! How is a Tx never turned on after assembly and firmware loading to see if it will boot up?? My understanding is that mine was not an isolated case.

This was all going in a 1/3.65 SM Hawk so I'm glad I found all this out BEFORE trying to fly it because between the two I never would have stood a chance.

So ... canceled DX-20, refund on 20300T and bought a Jeti DS-16. Problem solved.

JS

I'm not sure what's happened to the Spectrum quality over the last 12-18 months, but a noticeable bad change. Smart move Jamie, I did the same. Not sure I'd trust all these issues in what I call "FFM" planes.. (Five Figure Models)...

At Kentucky Jets 2015, I momentarily lost control of my plane. Luckily, I regained control of the model and got it back on the ground. Later I was informed about the DX-18 recall. HH replaced the RF module in my TX, so far, no other issues.

Things like this have scratching my head about a DSMX module in one of my Futaba 9C's.. my DX-8 had worked perfectly, except physically it just isn't up to standards I was used to with only mid-range Futaba stuff. It just feels light and cheap, the gimbals don't impress me, tactile feel is like a bargain rental car. Recently a switch backed out and fell and jammed the throttle midway, but eventually I pointed it down and shook and it all came free. Oh and the elevator "up" trim is dead now, that's not overly convenient. Man I dunno.. DX-18, 20, what the heck..?

I love tiny, inexpensive and very reliable Spektrum compatible Rx's.

And the brand war trolls come alive!

Got a shipping label in 2 hrs after submitting the form PER THE FORM'S INSTRUCTIONS. Been using Spektrum for years w/o a single failure, including a DX-18 w/o a green dot. But, this recall does shake my confidence a bit, even though my 12300T appeared to be working correctly.

If I register my stuff timely, I get a timely notice on such things. Yes, Spektrum needs to take steps to avoid us being their Beta testers! But, when your on the cutting edge of technology, things sometimes happen, no matter what brand you use and even if you pay three times as much for the same capability. Doesn't mean you stop using a particular brand or product. Heck, this forum's email notification links have not worked correctly for months. But here we are, still on RCU.

Brand war trolls? Hardly, I am not trashing Spektrum at all, it's been great. I flew Futaba 72mHz and have a couple of decent 9C transmitters. I have a Spektrum 8 and a fleet of DSM receiver equipped aircraft. I need to upgrade and replace it with something new. Hearing recalls on various pieces and having a slightly negative opinion about the mechanics has me waffling, but I have no intention of changing my status quo. However if there was a trusted and reliable DSMX module I could use, I'd certainly look at that. Orange has one, but I'd like to see more than that on the market before messing with it myself. About all know at this point is I need a DX-18 or 20 and I want to be cautious about the purchase, my current DX-8 is getting beat up plus I need a couple more channels. The up trim failed on a test flight with a scratch built aircraft with an incidence error, so as they say overseas it was a trouser-clip affair.

Well I don't consider myself a troll. Sometimes you sleep in the bed you make. Such is the case for Spectrum with me.

I've used nothing but Spectrum technology since 2.4GHz came out and have been very happy. I haven't had the issues that many people have had. I still have no problems with the DSMX technology. But ... I bought a DX-20 and a 20300T and both were bad out of the box. After two weeks of research, considering the issues I've seen and heard about, and carefully contemplating what to do I came to the conclusion that I can not risk the safety of myself and others, nor my investment with these products for jets. I will continue to use my DX9 for the smaller foam prop planes.

If you research you find out that the newest Spectrum products are not cutting edge though they provide features that other Spectrum products have not offered in the past. I was not fully up to speed on what others offer because I was so happy with Spectrum that I did not look. I was perfectly fine with the DX-18QQ and AR12120 offering until I ran into such major problems going to the "cutting edge" products. The price of some systems were prohibitive for me in the past, eg 28X. If you compare Jeti DS-16 ad the DX-20 there is not much of a difference in price but a HUGE difference in features. The big deal for me right now is that it has been out for years with very few issues reported that I could find.

It is very sad to me to see the issues that Spectrum is currently having. I did not want to change brands. I did not want to learn a new system. But if you come to the point that you don't trust the product your'e using then its time to change. I did not want to lose my new jet and God forbid have a safety incident with it and then say I woulda, coulda, shoulda later.

I sincerely hope they get their issues resolved as competition is good and I have been a loyal user for many years and will continue to use them for non-jet applications. I have nothing bad to say about Spectrum ... my experience has been great with their products and these quality issues were discovered before I put them in my jet. If I had used them and had a crash due to them then I would have bad things to say. :)

JS

Hi Len.. I do agree with you that we should not get caught up in brand wars and just stick to the facts. I've been a big advocate for Spektrum. Like you, I've been flying spektrum and really do like the DX18 radio system. But we do need to talk about the issues to be aware, because the fact is there are issues. Unfortunately, unlike you my luck hasn't been so good and the only reason I knew about the RX's issues was from my Flying Club buddies and forums to discuss.

Started with a dx-6,,,then went to a Dx-8, then went to a dx-18 gen 1, now have a G2 DX18, that when arrived I immediately pulled apart and painted ppg base and clear because I plan on keeping it for a long time. I have been spektrum from the start,,have a buddy who was Jr, then Futaba, Now jeti, at one point he would swear they were all the best,,till he lost jets on em, hes had great results with Jeti, I have had great results with Spektrum, to each his own,,, however, considering the DX18g2 recalls, and stealth recalls, and now this one, kinda hard to defend em. At least they sent out a recall to try and fix it and prevent losses.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2203848

I will admit that Spektrum/Horizon has GREAT customer service, and that goes a long way.... but this is just one more reason why I switched to Jeti this winter.

1) DX8 issues
2) 8plus Rx's not ACUTALY working with DSM2 Tx's (even though they say they will)
3) Bad RF decks in the DX18.
4) Telling DX18 gen one buyers they were the "Flagship" and "Future Proof" and then 6 months later bring out the QQ with new features we couldn't get. (until we yelled)
5) Bringing out the Gen 2 radios at the same price and not working a way to upgrade, and bastadizing the used market.
6) Issues with random bind failure
7) issues with slow rebind (in flight)
8) issues with binds that say "22ms", but in reality they are binding "11ms". We figure this one out when we were burning up analog servo. (and crashing models)



I'm not a troll. I've been here for a long time, and was a faithful Spektrum user since the original DX6 Park flier system came out. (got tired waiting for Futaba to release 2.4) I just want to speak the truth.

Its a shame. I used JR for 25 years and was happy with the product. Never had anything JR fail. I used a 9303, 10X then a 12X when they went to spektrum and never had any problem. I wanted a little more capacity and bought a DX-18 stealth. As I read about people having problems (ie. worked fine till it quit) I lost confidence in Spektrum built products. The JR Spektrum made in Japan seemed to work fine. I purchased a JR XG14 and several receivers and was elated with their performance. I love the XBus. Now that JR seems to be dead I have to look again for a radio system that I trust. If JR does in fact survive their products will be outsourced for production and I just cant trust them any more. The difference is the JR product made in Japan was top notch quality, the outsourced stuff I have my doubts. Move to another system is coming soon. This thread was never intended to be a brand war but I am really pissed that Spektrum cant get their crap in one bag and JR appears to be dead. Now on to what servo to use in the future.

Wow I feel lucky to have not made the decision for DX20 I fly JR12X and Spectrum and new that one day I would have to upgrade radios. Many have flown the DX18 with great success. I have personally flown and test flown many friends planes on DX18 with great success. Lucky for me a saw a friend with 18MZ running two three channel recs though power box. The system made so much sense to me that's the way I went. I wish all the spectrum owners to get resolution quickly. I think we need several good options to hopefully keep radio gear to an affordable price. It we end up with only one or 2 providers prices could get out of hand.

Good luck and happy flying to everyone. The season is just about on us. Have fun!!!

I just need to figure out which way to go with the transmitter by spring.. for us that's about May 24.

I had similar issues with my DX18 and DX18QQ. After years of trouble free usage from my JR radios, I couldn't tolerate the Spektrum quality problems and switched to a 18MZ. Haven't looked back.

Still yet to have a Spektrum issue. Went from a JR 9305 that worked when it wanted to a DX8 then upgraded to 9 and then to the 18. Still can't see $1000 to $3000 for a 18 channel transmitter that I haven't seen work any better than my Spektrum 18 Gen 1.

Let's not forget that Futaba had a recalled receiver just a few months ago after quite a few expensive jets ate dirt.

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Your good Dave.

Dan Massey