Taranis service history
 

Now that the Taranis has been on the market long enough to develop some history, what is the scoop on this radio? Is it really as good as it sounds? The reason I ask is that I see an inordinate number of them for sale in various classifieds. Why are people getting rid of so many virtually new radios or is that a false impression I have?

They have updated the Taranis several times, B models and then later the Taranis Plus, Many of the ones for sale are probably due to people updating.

They recently released a tray model and the next generation Horus is imminent.

I have seen this occur with other brands, e.g. People selling their DX8s to upgade to a DX9.

The early production units had a few quality issues with switches and gimbals but most of this was sorted by the B model. The Taranis Plus is even better and you don't hear of many problems with those.

I have a B model and a Plus and have been happy with them.

Having said that, it's not a radio for everyone. Open Tx is far more powerful than a conventional radio but does involve a learning curve.

Anyone who struggles with basic computer skills should probably avoid this radio. Some of those for sale are likely due to this also.

There is plenty of support online via YouTube videos and several active threads on RCG.

Aloft Hobbies is a known good supplier and Wayne (Rotozuk on RCG) is active in threads and by all accounts provides excellent support.

You can download a free TX simulator from openTX.org and this will give you an idea of how open TX works and what is needed to set up a model.

There is a steep learning curve but the end result is you have a radio with more flexibility than almost anything else on the market.

Don't expect it to feel like a JR9503 for quality. It's lighter and the gimbals are softer. I was a little disappointed by this on first impression but after flying with one for almost 18 months I now trust it as much as any of my Futaba or JR radios.

I have been using one since 2013. I don't think there is another TX on the market at any price that can equal it performance wise. Although I have to admit I don't know much about the other high end radios. I just draw my conclusions from reading specs. I recently sold my first two as I updated to the tray model.
The operating system has been created by a large number of programmers that are also modelers. This cannot be equaled by a couple of engineers working in a lab and probably not modelers..
The quality of the mechanics can be improved but the tray model is better. Its not up to my Multiplex though. I wish I could put the innards into the Multiplex.
The programming is far easier than Multiplex.The manual that comes with it is a joke. The manual on the internet is better but is becoming out of date..
Fortunately there is a lot of info on various forums. And the programmers are available for questions.

There is also a new Taranis Plus model the C01 that has metal crossbars in the gimbals and stronger springs. I bought a Taranis Plus in March and have purchased 14 receivers to convert my fleet. I'm really pleased with the Taranis and especially the incredible power of OpenTX. I think the FrSky telemetry is the best in the industry and it is built-in to the receivers. I'm using the Aloft Hobbies alloy crossbars, but with the C01 they would not be needed.

I find the OpenTX programming more logical than the closed system used on my old Futaba 12FG and 9C Super.

The FrSky Horus will be my next system with all CNC gimbals and Hall Effect angle sensors, it is going to be awesome.


Mike

Didn't know about the C01 Mike, stiffer springs would be nice. The Horus will be my next radio also.

I think it is great that FrSky keeps updating the Taranis Plus. The crossbars have a slippery plastic bonded to them where they contact the gimbal pins. How many systems do you know that have metal crossbars. Jeti, Horus, ?

Yes agreed. A friend of mine has a Jeti and the gimbals are the smoothest I have ever felt in a radio - if the Horus feels like that I will be extremely happy.

His Jeti alongside my Taranis.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2133534

FrSky posted some detailed pictures of the CNC Horus gimbals in the FrSky section of RCG. They look really great. They did not provide a description but they look like cast aluminum that was coated with some type of black coating and then machined. You can also see the Hall sensors and magnets. There are only two other systems that use Hall sensors and they are big $$.

There is a detailed overall description of the system that comes with the CNC gimbals.

Mike

Someone needs to update the online manual. It is badly out of date