peterlocal22

Hello everyone,
i purchased a raptor 50a yr ago and due to work i was unable to ever finish it. however i am determined to complete the project but need to buy a radio w servos and a gyro.
could anyone with knowledge in this matter please advice?
I did search but wasnt able to find anything recent.

thanks

Jej34

My Feedback: (1)

I use a Jr 9303 and a Fytaba gy401 and could not be happier. Both are awesome

Joe

Rafael23cc

My Feedback: (6)

Are you serious? Where did you search? There are lots of information out there about radios and gyros. Its more like a Ford vs Chevy kind of debate, so I'll try to be non-partisan.....

Do you have any experience with RC radios?
Do you have an experienced pilot that will help you set-up and fly?

If the answer to any of the above questions is YES, then use the radio brand that you already know. The person helping you face-to-face will be worth his weight in gold when you have to set-up and test fly your heli. It will be worth even more if he does not have to go thru a manual to help you.

If the answer is NO to BOTH of the above questions, I suggest that you really get help by searching in one of these places:
[link]http://pilotlocator.net/home.php[/link]
[link]http://modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx[/link]
[link]http://rc.runryder.com/helicopter/t479223p1/[/link]

If you like frustration and pain then you can try it by yourself. Then you can buy anything you like.

I am JR guy. My radios are the 9303 and the 10X. I have 3 JR G500T gyros, 1 Futaba 401, and 1 CSM 540 gyros. I have helped program Futaba JR and Hitec radios. I do not find a considerable difference between the radio brands. If I was in the market for a new radio, I would consider the Hitec line as they seem to be a little cheaper and their latest radio even has telemetry built in. All the other brands are very capable and reliable.

Then comes the question about frequency. 2.4 is here to stay. So If you are looking for a new system, I would not even consider anything other than a 2.4 system unless you are in a tight budget.

Rafael

cmgtech1

The electronics you NEED are somewhat related to what level of flying you're talking about. If you just want to get in the air, then don't spend big bucks on cyclics. You don't really want to skimp too much on the gyro/tail servo. I'm a Futaba guy and the GY401 paired with the S9254 servo is a very popular combination for a reason. I'm no expert so I hope others will chime in, but for cyclic servos I'd look for something in the 65-75oz torgue rating as a minimum starting point. If you're just learning to fly, I think it's more important to make sure the servo has enough torque to get the job done, and I wouldn't worry about them being blazingly fast.

As for the actual radio system... Futaba & JR seem to be the Chevy/Ford thing with Airtronics & Hitec fighting for the rest of the market. Futaba and JR folks tend to be extremely loyal customers and each will claim that they have the best equipment. Airtronics/Hitec folks don't seem to be very loyal to their choices, and there may be a reason for that... I don't know. In the end, it all boils down to what you feel gives you the best bang for the buck while still maintaining your own sense of what you consider quality.

My experience with my Raptor is that the collective servo needs to be pretty powerful. I wound up using Futaba S9252's on all cyclics, but I think the Collective is the only one that really needed that level servo. So... Gyro, tail rotor Servo, Collective servo I think should be where you really be aware of what you're doing. Obviously, the harder you push your heli, the better the equipment needs to be. I guess there's a lot to be said for buying the good stuff up front because that's what you'll eventually need. On the other side of the coin, I've been (and still am?) at a point where I simply could not justify the expense of better equipment, and was happy just to have something reliable that would get me through until better days, and a higher level of skill

You've got a good $500-510 in the heli without raido, so keep it in perspective. No need for useless bling just for bragging rights, but at the same time, you don't want to risk your already substantial investment to some cheap $20 servos that aren't really intended for heli use.

BTW, I was very lucky with my purchase of the Futaba S9252 servos. They sell for about $75.00 each but Tower Hobbies had some on the scratch and dent sale a few months ago. They were missing servo arms, but other than that they were good. I got 3 of them for $34.00 each with free shipping thanks to being in their super saver club (whatever it's called). I've not seen any more of them since, but I'm always on the lookout for some!.

peterlocal22

anyone have any experience w the spectrum dx7?

helifan06

I have a futaba 6EX with FASST for sometime now. If works fine for my TREX 450. I'm building a TREX 600 ESP, and I will be using this same radio. I got a receiver for $100 bucks 7 channels though. For the cyclics, the folks at the field recommended me the Align DS620, I just had them installed, haven't try them yet. Got them for $60 each cause helidirect has a 15% coupon for all align products + free shipping.

For the Gyro, I got Futaba GY401 on the TREX450, no problems there. I don't intend to get GY401 for my 600ESP, instead get the GY502, which is smaller and pretty much at same price without the USB plug.

I've been in this hobby on and off for 3 years now, my radio ($200) is good for what I'm capable of so far. As technology changes so quickly, by the time I'm good at 3D, there might be better radios, servos, and gyros, or the prices might drop. I'm happy with my radio so far, and I will wait a while when I have to upgrade.

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Personally, I would go with Futaba 7 or 9 C models. I have the 9 C and it is the best as far as I am concerned. The DX 7 is a good radio too if it looks like one you can use. Its a matter of personal preferance on radios. You will get some strong opinions. The big names are all pretty good really.

hobby_man

My Feedback: (8)

I was a huge futaba fan, then I got a DX6 then a DX7

I sold all of my futaba radios

Futaba's RX are too expensive

one can get s Spektrum RX for 40.00

cmgtech1

Lots of folks flying the DX7 right now. I may be wrong (I often am) but I think that JR and Spektrum are somehow joined at the hip? Maybe I dreamed it up :/

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

To the end user JR and Spektrum are the same thing.

The DX7 is a great radio but if you're going to put it in a nitro heli buy it without the servos because you don't want to use the servos that ship with it in a 50 size nitro. You can also sell them online or save them for an airplane.

A 401/9254 is a great gyro/servo combo.

Align makes some decent servos, I think the 620's or 610s are fast, powerful, and not hard on the budget. You could certainly get away with less but get a good one for the collective, you'll thank yourself later when you start thumping on it.

FILE IFR

It's just like Ford/ Lincoln Mercury. Same thing.

Buy the trusted Futaba brand and never worry about 're-binding' .... IMHO of course.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Yea but then you have to worry about taking off with the wrong model selected

It's all good, they each have specific advantages and disadvantages but the important thing is they all work