bhale

Has anyone seen or done a side by side comparo / review of these two radios? Bring'n my Comp ARF 2x2 outta retirement, and thinking 2.4ghz is in it's future, anyone got any experience with either? Had a Futaba 9C forever, but that Spektrum telemetry looks pretty sweet...

fizzwater2

My Feedback: (61)

You might also add the Hitec Aurora 9 to your list of radios to consider. It's also got telemetry, and is in the same ballpark price wise. Additional receivers are a little more price reasonable, too.

I fly Spektrum, and so far I've had good luck with mine. I run 6V NiCd or 6.6V LiFePO4 batteries, and have yet to suffer any link failures, brownouts, unexplained crashes, etc. Using the AR7000 receivers in racing planes.

Friends are having good luck also with the Futaba system, using the R617FS receivers in their race planes. The one thing I like about the hitec system is the RX voltage telemetry is built into the receivers, you don't have to have an add-on module to get RX voltage info back to the transmitter. I'm not sure the Spektrum system will do any telemetry without the additional module, but I don't own one yet and can't say for sure.

pipek

I had both in my hands and could compare them side by side. The DX8 is a bit larger than the 8FG.
Looking at the programming features, which are pretty much the same, I left the shop with the 8FG due to the s.bus receiver it came with.
I think, both radios come with the display located at the wrong spot. When I look down to have a look at the timer, I always find the strap blocking my view. I am wondering if this jeopardizes the infotainment offered by Spectrum and possibly coming for Futaba systems too.
The 8FG's design seems to target the crackberry or i-pod generation.
Spektrum did a good job to avoid both Futaba's and the new JR design approaches. It would be interesting to see how sales figures are influenced by design rather than features, which are pretty similar anyways.

Cheers,
Marco

TimBle

had boith in my hand a few hours ago, glad I opted for the Futaba.

the 8FG feels and looks like a much higher priced piece of kit.
Programming functions are similar ie.there more than you'll ever use

I prefered the Futaba's screen.

And anecdotally, all radio related problems at my club have been with Spektrum radio's (not JR Propo Spektrum).

flatspinjim

My Feedback: (3)

+1

fizzwater2

My Feedback: (61)

I had 'em both in my hands tonight, too -

The DX8 is a little bigger - but the rubberized grips on the side are really nice. The Futaba felt slick in my hands, not as easy to keep a grip on.

The Futaba was a nice size, though, for folks like me with smaller hands. I do like the assignable trims on the Futaba, but there is one thing I didn't care for. I fly with my right hand thumb & finger grip on the stick, not just thumbs on top. When I would push down elevator, the stick is buried deep enough that it would trap my finger between the stick and the case, limiting the travel in that direction. Didn't care for that.

I didn't buy either one. I have radios that work, and nothing out there quite trips my trigger enough yet to get my cash. I'm still looking for that next radio.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

fizzwater2, I also fly with thumb and forefinger gripping the stick. I found that by extending the sticks to the maximum length I had no problem with trapping my finger against the case.

Bruce

TimBle

+1 


yeah no problem at all.


Also to add fuel to fire, the Futaba just has a superior transmission strategy. That alone would seal the deal for me. Oh yeah it did!!

pipek

I fly both ways, thumb or thumb and finger. After an hour or so flying, the pointed top edges of the sticks leave their marks and they give a rather uncomfortable feeling. I am considering to get the file out to round them a bit.
That said, holding a Tx in your hands in the shop for a few minutes does not answer all questions.
Btw, Futaba's latest Tx has two additional switch channels. The system therefore hardly competes with the Dx8. I found it actually difficult to decide whether to go with Futaba's 10C or 8FG, or Sanwa's SD10

ira d

If you only need 8ch's go with the 8FG, If you need 10 then I would recomend the Airtronics/Sanwa SD10
because the 10C is really just a 8ch with two on/off ch's just the 8FG but with a different receiver.

pilotpete2

Got retracts, got ignition kill? If so, the 8FG and 10C are just as much a ten channel radio as the 10 channel Airtronics
Pete

ira d

I dont think so at least IMO, For one the 8FG only comes with a 8ch receiver the Airtronics comes with
a 10ch receiver. Next non proportional channels are a lot harder to set up and very limited compared
to proportional channels IMO.

pilotpete2

Yes, the 8FG comes with the 8 channel receiver, but we're talking about the transmitters capabilities. Many folks will buy this transmitter and never need more than 8 channels and if they eventually need the extra channels, then it's time for another receiver. If I'm not mistaken, the new JR 11X comes with a 9 channel receiver.
As for the two examples of switch functions that I gave, adjustable endpoints have no application. You cannot adjust retract servo endpoints, as they're not proportional servos, they work fine off of an on/off channel
Pete

harphunt

Help me out. Both the 8FG and the 10C are 8 proportional and 2 switched channels? With the 8FG, one would have to step up to the 14 channel receiver to get the extra 2 switched channels, correct? Thanks.

peace

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

Correct.

Bruce

plasticman

My Feedback: (97)

Some good information in this thread. I find myself without a transmitter but luckily, I am able to borrow one from a friend to keep me going. I have checked out the Airtronics SD-10g and it is a tremendous bargain. It is just too big and uncomfortable for my hands as I am a thumb flier. The T8FG fits nicely but the only thing I don't like is that it looks so cheap and Futaba denies any indication that it will be upgradeable for telemetry. I do like the reports I have read on Futaba's FAAST. It appears to be very solid. The DX8 would be a strong choice but DSM2 might be phased out eventually. Although, JR and Spektrum claim that they are committed to its long-term support. I think we will see a frequency hopping system from Spektrum (here in the states) in 2011. This leaves me with the Hitec Aurora. The only dislikes I have with this radio is its lack of resolution, at 1024. If the Hitec was an integrated 2.4 system with 2048 resolution it would be "the radio" of choice. I wonder if I would know the difference though. I do have a plane with 2048 capable servos and chose those specifically for that reason.

Perhaps what I can gleam from my own account here is that there are a lot of good choices in radio's these days. From 8 to 10 channels, under $500 US, the market is strong. Picking the right one here is tough.

P-man

pilotpete2

Not so FASST
It seems that the 8FG is now shipping with the R6108SB receiver. While it only has 8 channels on the conventional servo bus, it supports up to 16 channels on the S-bus port. A simple 3 port decoder "dongle" is available that can be programmed to the channels you want to use, in the case of the 10C and 8FG, you could set it for ch 9 & 10 & 10 (if you have two retract servos) and use any normal servo or device, such as an ignition opto kill switch on those channels.
Even better with the S-bus receiver, you can buy an S-bus servo in the torque range you need for the retracts (not cheap). Program it for the channel you want to use, then program it to be a 180dg. non proportional servo, but wait, there's more That 180dg. non-propo servo you just made, can then be programmed to move at the speed you want, without losing torque, sloooow retracts are so scale[8D]. Traditionally, you could not vary the speed of retract servos until now. Too bad these new servos are proprietary for S-bus receivers, or are they[:-], nope they work just fine on a standard receiver. Oh yeah, the "J" connector is proprietary, but we know how to deal with that
Sorry if I sound like a Futaba S-bus infomercial[&o]
Pete

pipek

Ira d, you are right, 8FG and 10C are 8ch radios with additional switch functions.
The instruction manual describes all proportional 8ch functions in great detail, but mentions the switch channels in only one sentence.
I have an additional manual in the box, describing all software changes that came with update 2.0. It says that an alternate function has been added to the DG1/DG2 switch setting. I assume the servo reverse function has been added...?

Regarding the number of channels people need, the more you have available, the more sophisticated your models can be.
I also have Futaba's 12+2 channel radio. Two years experience with that radio allowed me to identify all my needs, the nice to have items and must have items. In my world, the 8FG is the perfect system. Had Sanwa included a backlit display in their SD10 and something similar to s.bus, the outcome could have been different.

I did some programming with the SD10 and I am also very experienced with Spektrum's 6 and 7ch radios. When I had the Dx8 in my hands, I also had the opportunity to directly talk to Horizon's sales guy. He said that the radio is the superior system because it allows modellers to store data of thousands of models. Too bad that I do not own this warehouse to even store the hardware...
He could not answer any questions regarding flight modes and wing servo features, neither does the manual.
Actually, page 26 Dx8 manual makes it pretty clear that this radio was created to introduce this telemetry thing into the plug and bind market - and one additional channel ;-)

fizzwater2

My Feedback: (61)

how many servos quit working if you have an intermittent connection on the main s-bus connector?

pilotpete2

This is a valid point.
If I were to setup a turbine, or any giant scale model with S-Bus, I would use at least 2 receivers with, a separate bus for each side of the model.
I would also like to see at least two S-Bus ports on future versions of the receivers to allow two parallel buses from a single receiver to address this point.
I can see down the road, dedicated S-Bus receivers with no conventional servo bus, and selling for about 99 bucks a pop. Goodbye power expanders and all that paraphernalia, hello FASST satellite receivers ONLY KIDDING One can't argue the value of multiple redundant receivers. I guess that if I lost one receiver on a Futaba 2.4 setup I would be "halfFASST"
Pete

fizzwater2

My Feedback: (61)

LOL- I fly race planes primarily, so 4 channels is usually enough. But Half-FAST is about my normal mode of operation....

pipek

How many signal losses occur in a standard servo cable? Intermitted connections?
Anyways, I fly every plane with one receiver and a decent power supply.

If I don't trust this single receiver, I do not trust two or more.
That's maybe the reason why insurance policies sell like....receivers.

pilotpete2

Funny,that's what my flying buddies say about me
Pete

pilotpete2

Yup, all my models have one 7 or 8 channel fasst receivers and 1 A123 pack on the small glow models and dual on the bigger birds. I do see the advantages of multiple receivers in very large models, but no matter how you slice it. There is always that single point of failure you can't avoid, like the fact that your transmitter can roll over from something as simple as a bad connection between the battery pack and the transmitter, or those inevitable "short circuits" between the ears[&o]
Pete

Pippin

I played around with the new DX8 recently. The DX8 looks and feels cheaper than the Futaba T8FG. The Futaba has got a more advanced software too. If you haven't got a DX5 or DX6 yet, you should look at Futaba or another brand. It looks like that the DX8 is made for those who already own a Spektrum.