Which radio to use with ibu2?
 

So i got an ibu2 pro on the way. So now i need to pick up a radio. Ive heard good things and bad things about both the turnigy and flysky radios. Im look for low cost and ease of use. I only have the one tank and will have only.one for awhile

So what are the people on here opinions?

Ivee read about self centering sticks but on the turnigy i have to mod it physically and update software? Do i meed to do that with a flysky as well?

Also where is a good place to buy? I have to put an order in at hobbyking so i might buy from there Anyways.

TIA

Cheers

Get the FRSky QX7. Best TX for under $120 IMO. The Flysky radios are nice too, but the FRSky has a rock solid radio link and can be repaired and already has a cult following developing. Comes dual self centering too and in white or black. If you get the Flysky stuff you are stuck to their receivers, and if you get the 9X you will have to buy a module anyways (most buy the FRSky one), receiver, and possibly a self centering kit or gimbal.
I have dabbled around and I really enjoy the FRSky stuff for the reliability and telemetry. I do however still have a handful of Flysky stuff too, they are great for the money.

Just a tip,
Whatever Transmitter you get do make sure it comes with at least one Rotary control,
This will allow you to adjust the volume from the Transmitter instead of having to open up the tank each time.
My Turnigy 9X has two but my Spectrum Dx6i has none.
I hope that helps.
Shaun.

I've tried a lot of different radios on these tanks and I have found that if you have no additional accessories, like volume control or a notek light or something then all you need is four channels. The HobbyKing T6 is about $25 and it's a 6 Channel radio that will run these tanks just fine. If you're looking for the lowest cost that's the way to go. Erik has a tendency to like the high-priced radios because he does a lot of flying and he needs way more features than you do for a tank. Right now my go-to radio for tanks is the FlySky i6 because I like to use a Viper for volume control and you can set one of the other switches for cannon fire. The I6 is an extremely easy radio to use and program. And, it's not a bad cost. I don't know about the real FlySky but the Turnigy version goes for about $50.

Here's a video where I put an IBU2 base in a King Tiger and used the T6 radio. I also have video of the i6 if you need it. Skip ahead to about 17:10 to get the test drive footage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIN0qgsNFds Another thing to consider is if you'll be using the TX for more than one tank. I personally like to have a separate TX for each tank, and the T6 works well for that. You do need a $6 to $8 programming cable if you want to hook it up to your computer to change servo direction or assign switches, but that's really pretty easy. If a Gomer like me can do it, anyone should be able to. Hope that helps. :cool:;):)

Thats a really good tip. I have no experience with spektrum radios, but probarbly you might be able to modify it and install a rotary control.

The 9x does not come with two, comes with three rotary controls. I replaced one of them with a 6 positions switch.



Heading back to the topic, If I had no radio I might try with the one that Erik says, and if I were a bit shorter of cash I'd try with the turnigy 9xr pro. I really love my heavyly modded flystky th9xb and my turnigy 9xr pro is Ok and you dont need to do anything to it,

Edit: For some reason, most tankers loves to have both self centering sticks, but I just want to have the turret one self centering.

I suggest comparing similar radios. Spektrum's DX9 (a 9 channel like the Turnigy 9x) has a rotary knob channel...so you'd be ok.

Price wise, a good entry radio are the orange line of Hobby King, but they can be hard to find in stock.

Turnigy a.k.a FLYSKY are nice radios if you are in to programming your radio transmitter via computer. Some folks just love that.

I suggest you go to your local hobby shop and take your tank. They'll be happy to help and most importantly...be there when you have a problem or question about your radio...which you will inevitably have.

I use two Spektrum DX6I's for my tanks with an exception for my Pershing DMD equipped tanks and my Leo 2A6 which likes the old school Futaba FM. I like how easy it is to program up to 10 tanks per radio and the RX's are cheap. I have two extra radios if you are interested. The DX6I also gives you the LCD screen which makes setting up your tanks a snap.

Yes I do tend to go with a bit higher priced and featured radio systems, my models are very expensive (some extremely dangerous) and the radio systems I like to have very robust and trusted links. I've only had one failsafe with Flysky on the ground, but that was at near 200m or so, Turnigy (HK maintains different software and even recently has been installing fake chips that do not allow OpenTX to be installed) I have had more than a few failsafes on and no longer trust my models to them. FRSky has been rock solid for me at near a KM on a micro receiver. Oh and being able to replace the antennae instead of buying a new one is always nice, I like the u.FL connectors.
With me safety is top notch and I don't have any plans to get rid of my FRSky system anytime soon. However, if you are into FPV I would highly suggest looking at the TBS Tango. That is quite the fully featured TX I hear but I have yet to put my hands on one to personally see.

Lots to think about. If it was 25 cents on the dollar exchange rate I would spend a little more lol.

Has anyone heard of flysky interfering with spektrums? One local track and I heard a few others have banned fly sky because of this. Off road outdoor track at a local flying club.

OK, Erik, you actually made me think about this. Good job, Bro. :p

So now I'm thinking you have to first ask yourself what you need this radio to do, and how important is the budget factor. If you plan to have multiple tanks on this radio as opposed to a separate TX for each tank, and what kinds of conditions you can expect to experience. If I had the kind of aircraft that Erik does I wouldn't skimp at all on radios either, but I'm just running toy tanks. The chances I'll ever have to worry about losing signal at a kilometer away is pretty darn slim, eh?

Cory, you said you were looking for low cost and ease of use, and I noticed you put low cost first. ;) I can definitely relate. But, I think there's a happy medium, too. Let's say cost is a huge factor, and the cheaper the better. But, you don't want to have to connect to a PC to reverse your servos. Then maybe look at the HK6S, one step up from the T6 (about $10 more) but has servo reversal right on the TX. If you're going to dedicate this to one tank, as opposed to running multiple tanks on it, then the chances are you can set it up once and never have to worry about it again. My Jagdpanther is on a TGY-i6 and has been there for about two years with no problem. Just drove it yesterday and it was smooth as silk.

So I guess my point is, with so many options and cost ranges available, I really think you should try to decide if you want one TX per tank or if you're going to add more tanks to this TX, make a list of features you really want and then compare by price (do you want volume control through a viper type unit? Maybe a receiver controlled on/off switch for lighting? Servo operated machine gun? Are you OK with PC programming it or do you want programming on the TX?). If your budget says you can't spend more than 50 or 60 bucks then for me the choice would be clear, the i6. But, if you have the loot then the Flysky i10 is probably the coolest radio I own, the easiest to learn to use, and has the most stuff I still have to learn! But I know everything I need for tanks (kinda) and what I don't know the radio will try to teach me! Pretty cool. Also much, much more expensive.

So, I guess it comes down to this - Really cool radios cost money. How cool do you want your radio to be? :cool: :rolleyes: :p

I second the i6 as a good starter radio. The i10 is ok, but for the money the QX7 is now a better pick due to better features for less cost. Now I must say that not only flight models but ALL of my models are ran from my Taranis now, this includes my tanks, quads, planes, cars, and trucks, and boats. I don't think I could go back to a pistol radio, especially after my hall effect gimbals come in.
I would still recommend the Flysky radios over the Turnigy 9X though, as I said before HK maintains their own firmware and some features are removed. If you want to fix that then you must upgrade the firmware or swap to OpenTX/ER9X. With the fake chips report recently I wouldn't suggest it if you plan on keeping the radio. I still say the radio system is one thing you should splurge on. No matter what brand you choose or model, make sure it is a good one. ALL your hard work can be destroyed in just a few seconds with a failsafe. You think tanks drive slow, but when you are 30-50 meters away and a pond or a deep puddle is near you suddenly realize how slow you are :)

Well all my cool and money goes into my on road cars. Each one has about. 2k in it lol.

It will be the only tank i own for awhile so one cheap controller will be good enough. On road racing is my main rc. This is just something to tinker with in the summer.

I have to concur with Erik on this. I just received the QX7 as my first hobby grade transmitter and am very pleased with the quality and options it provided me.. (Plus it comes with both sticks that are self centering so I didn't have to mess with that). :cool:

In that case, I would say go for the T6 or the hk6s. Both are decent radios and should do everything you want them to do. The HK6S will be a little easier because you won't need the programming cable and you can reverse the servoes at the TX, but it's also ten or fifteen dollars more so once you add shipping it will probably be around $45 total for the radio. And it comes with the receiver.

If a cheap one is what you are looking for and you don't mind a 6 channel limit then the Flysky i6 is a great option. I've used it plenty of times and it has a slim profile that feels good in your hands.

The FlySky i6 has been mentioned several times. It's a great little transmitter and cheap at only about $50.

But note they have a new version out called the i6X. It's the exact same physical radio, but comes with better firmware. It can actually do 10 channels instead of 6, which actually lets you use the knobs and switches they put on the radio. Cost is within a few dollars of the original i6:

FlySky i6X with receiver - $56 at Banggood

The other suggestions here are good ones too. Just wanted to mention this for those interested in the i6, there is no reason not to get the i6X version.

Oh man I forgot about that one :) Plus there is the Evolution as well, that is quite the nice looking TX as well, just not sure about that dual stick mod for it. I hear it uses the i6/i10 gimbals so it should be possible!

It turns out the HK6S is on backorder so that's a dead soldier. The T6 is available from the US warehouse for $29.99 and I'm guessing $15 shipping, for a total of about $45 US ($49 with cable).

Here's a link

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobby-ki...v2-mode-2.html

The TGY-i6 is available from the US warehouse for $54.95 and should be about the same $15 shipping, making it a $70 option.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-...er-mode-2.html

Personally I would get the i6. For an extra $20 you get some huge advantages, like easy programming right from the screen on the radio, and no hooking to the PC to reverse servos. A huge advantage during initial IBU set up. I did a video on the i6, ya wanna see it? I'll dig if you do.

But ... I understand what you're looking for Cory, and the T6 is the most economical way to get your tank on a decent radio that will perform very well with your IBU2. I've used it on most of my IBU tanks and it really does handle well. Erik and Luke are both right that it can be a good thing to get the better radio, but for every feature that you're not going to use the price goes up and up. KISS, eh?

And don't forget that for the T6 you WILL need the programming cable, but the good news is that it's only $4 and shouldn't increase your shipping costs, so you should still come in under $50 delivered. They used to have a thing that told you how much weight you could add to an order without bumping up the shipping cost, but they've made changes to the website and I don't know if that still works. I like that feature if I need a little shrink tubing or velcro or zip ties or sumpin'. ;)

Here's the cable

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobby-ki...usb-cable.html

That will get you a very good running tank with maximum race car dollars to spare, and that is what you want, isn't it? Like I said, I'd spend the extra 20 and get the i6, but the T6 will also do what you want with $20 left for ... what can you get ... one tire, maybe? :p:p:p

Oh yeah, with either one of those radios you need the self center kit, but that's under ten bucks for either one.

Thanks for all your input and help gentlemen.

I'll let you know what i decide

Thanks for asking this question, I also picked up an IBU2pro and this info is very helpful :)

I'd be curious how we can identify the fake chips in HK- Turnigy systems. I have two older 9x systems and one 9xr, all of them flashed with a modified er9x( the 9xr has a slightly different version) and while I'm leery in controlling an 80 pound gas 1/10 scale tank model with these systems I've not yet had a problem with my 1/16 models on IBU systems. My 1/10 models are still on my trusty old Futaba 8UAP systems on 2.4ghz. I do have a Horus system coming and that looks promising. I have a Taranis but have yet to use it much. I also have Spektrum 6 system and it's good; the i10 I have looks slippery difficult to get used to and seems sort of one_off_ish.

I don't use self centering sticks for throttle as I want all my systems to support all my models and a self centering stick on a gas model
won't cut it. All my systems are set to use left stick y-axis for throttle; x -axis for turning; right stick y- axis for maingun and x-axis for turret. other functions are spread over other controls as available.

Jerry

I don't know about that, but the easy solution is to buy the original FlySky 9x and not the Turnigy version sold by Hobby King.

The other advantage of the FlySky is they don't route the module antenna through the radio, which for some stupid reason Turnigy decided to do. On the Turnigy when you want to swap modules now you have to cut wires which throws a lot of people off and sort of negates the original concept of a "module."

The 9X is a terrific radio when modded. I have several and frankly prefer them to my Taranis or any other transmitter. But if the user doesn't want to get involved in modding, the 9X is not the best choice. Nor can it really be said to be cheap relative to other options. For up to 10 channels I still don't think the FlySky i6X can be beat for price or ease of use. The drawback for tank use, for those that prefer both sticks self center, is that extra self-centering levers for FlySky radios are basically unobtainium.

Got good news for ya, Luke. Ian Judge at rctankelectronics now has a self center kit that works on any flysky or turnigy i6 or i10 radio. I just sent one to Erik. It comes with the lever, spring and two steel posts for the gimbal frame. I think he gets about ten for them, but I can't remember if that's ten dollars or ten pounds.