Korben

So I've decided to spend the extra money and invest in a 6 or 7 channel 2.4 GHz TX, but my first couple of builds will be 4 channel systems. however it doesn't seem that 4 channel RXs come in 2.4. Am I gonna be forced to install a 6 channel RX, or am I missing something


Thanks
Korben

jaka

Hi!
Spektrum and Futaba have no 4ch receivers. Spektrum have a 5 ch. Does it matter??

F4U Corsair

My Feedback: (22)

Yep, shouldn't matter as they are all very small in size. With a 5 or 6ch Rx you will have room for future growth when you get an airplane with flaps or retracts. Go for it!

darryl123

My Feedback: (8)

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXTNB6&P=SM
4 ch futaba fasst rx is here and here
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXWHX6&P=SM
i would get the 6 ch because you cant add channels but you dont have to use them all,it is better to have extra rather then have to buy a new rx because you need an extra ch later.

crossman

These receivers may not be what you need.
The R604FS is a surface receiver(for cars and boats) it is not compatible with aircraft radios. The R6004FS is an aircraft receiver, but is not a "Full Range" receiver. It is only reccomended for indoor and park flyer type airplanes. Futaba's current six channel Rx, the R616FFM is also listed as a park flyer receiver, and uses smaller servo plugs.

The 7 channel receiver is quite small and light, just a little pricey if you only need 4 channels.

This link will show what Futaba rx's work with each Tx http://2.4gigahertz.com/receivers/index.html

pilotpete2

Futaba does make a 4 channel micro receiver for their air radios, same MSRP as a Spektrum AR6100.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXWHX6&P=0
Pete

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

Just to clarify; the Spektrum 5 is like a 4ch with a "y" built in for 2 servos on the ailerons. The 5th channel is dedicated to the second aileron servo.

pilotpete2

No, it is a full five channel receiver, the aileron channel has a second port so you don't have to use a "Y" harness if your radio doesn't support having the 2nd aileron on channel 5, if your radio allows for it, you can use fully independent ailerons, unless of course you're using ch 5 for gear.
Pete

victorzamora

I'm a Futaba guy, but that sounds like an awesome feature! I wonder why no one else has thought of it!

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

"Real estate" on the circuit board is usually at a premium, which is why you don't find redundant connectors. Futaba does have available their dual connector, which does essentially the same thing:

FUTM4130 AEC13 DUAL SERVO EXT 6" J US$9.99

victorzamora

Haha, yeah...I know Futaba sells Y-harnesses and "Dual Servo Extensions" (which are really just y-harnesses but littler ). I just wish that my R4004FF had that. My 5-channel foamy is upset that I'm having to put a y-harness on it. But it's okay, I outweigh it by a couple thousand ounces....so I don't really worry about it hurting me physically. But my planes LOVE going into auger mode to spite me when I don't treat them well.

I get why Futaba doesn't have a 6-channel receiver....but something like a $60 5-channel rx similar to Spektrum's 5-channel sport Rx would be awesome! I wouldn't even mind it being a massive little brick if I could just get that. I'd have like 4 more receivers (and planes to match, of course) were receivers not so ridiculous. 3 of those 4 would be in Hobbico planes. Futaba would also be the more commonly suggested 2.4GHz radio set, since lack of Rx variety seems to be the most common complaint (besides the heat thing) with Futaba's FASST system. The heat thing doesn't bug me at all, but rx variety is a big issue for me (and many others).

MikeL

My Feedback: (3)

It was the lack of receiver choice that made me decide on JR/Spektrum. I used to be Airtonics, then JR, and I was open to any brand for my system last summer. (Brand loyalty is for those that aren't educated consumers.) I fly everything from small electrics to some 8-channel rigs, with most of my models needing four or five channels. My X9303 was slightly more expensive than a 10C, but the difference in receiver prices... wow! For the cost of one Futaba full-range, I could buy two Spektrum full-range. What's an extra two channels do for me when I'm not going to use that? Nadda, nothing, zip. It was a no-brainer at that point.

Futaba really blew it with FASST, both in terms of timing and marketing. Spektrum has had a wide variety of receivers on the market for a while now. I've bought a bunch because of that - - park flyer types, meat-and-potatoes AR500s, a few AR6200s, and a couple of AR7000s. I've got one 9-channel, and will need another this spring. For the number of receivers I needed to convert fully to 2.4ghz (and I wasn't going to do it in half-measures), Futaba would have cost me an arm and a leg without giving me anything more than unused channels.

I'm not sure why Futaba doesn't correct their line-up to make it competitive, but then again I'm not sure why they do/don't do many things. Hubris and an inability to adapt, I think. It's a shame. Is that what killed off Kraft?

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

I was a Futaba guy since I first bought an RC radio in 1978. My last Futaba radio was a 9CAP. I was happy with everything except the 9th channel being Non-Proportional and only worked with PCM (of course there are no Futaba compatible 9ch PPM Rx's. When the JR XP9303 came out, I bought the version with the 9ch PCM Rx and I also acquired a cheaper 9ch PPM Rx. The Flight Modes and Flaps on a Switch were attractive. When the Spektrum Module came out and I still had 9ch on 2.4, I was overwhelmed.

Futaba has great equipment, but until you go to the 12FG, you can't compete with the X9303. I might have put a Spektrum or Fasst module in my 9CAP, but I only had 8ch. The 10C Fasst still only has 8 proportional channels and 2 switches.

I guess Futaba just lost me because of the timing of their move to 2.4.

As far as Brand Loyalty, I don't feel that just because I have more JR stuff that I blindly go in that direction. It's just that JR/Spektrum has just been beating Futaba to the market with so many different options.

I think that if someone was starting out from scratch, they could go 6, 7, 10,12, or 14ch Futaba and be just as happy.