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Time to finally go 2.4 - but what Tx & Rxs to buy?


Phil.Taylor

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Hi Phil.

Using a DSX 9 with AT6550 rxs in the Falcon, Whisper and electric Easy glider. No problems with any of these even low down and along way out.

Using a DJT and V8FR rx in a F5j Shadow again with no problems.

A good few of the the local flyers have gone Jeti. Reports are that it easy enough to program and it is a beautiful piece of kit to handle but the price, ouch!

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Too technical for me!

There is (or can be) a fad to get the latest and greatest, I call it the 'burn' and know how it can feel.

I got the DSX12 for a song because the previous helicopter pilot owner wanted to buy a newer transmitter, he was so desperate for the cash that he delivered it from London by car and then bought his new Tx the same evening. Heli flyers seem to like their 'bling'!

I've flown a friend's Maxa using a Jeti DC-16 and was tempted to switch systems but my current gear works perfectly.

Perhaps an idea would be to have a go on different systems that friends might have and get their opinion?

Choice of radio is a popular topic, I'm on a couple of motorbike forums and the hot topics are best oil and best tyres, they get mercilessly thrown into a section called NEPRT (Never Ending and Pointless Recurring Threads)! I think we are more sensible here.

Happy to answer any questions on the JR gear.

 GB

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Phil.Taylor
5 minutes ago, Gary B said:

Perhaps an idea would be to have a go on different systems that friends might have and get their opinion?

 GB

Yep - this one - meeting Mike TaraniShellim tomorrow

gone off the JR Mercury - its so retro it hasnt even got a neck strap bracket - ah, I remember those happy days...

Phil.

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Cool.

The DSX9 and DSX12 were originally 35 Mhz with long, extending aerials, when they converted them to 2.4 they don't balance on the neck strap holder so there is a great market in neck strap balance adaptors. A 'basic' that JR got wrong and is a bit of an annoyance.

Just occurred to me that one 2.4 Tx (might be the Aurora) can allow flight in range check mode, read a thread on a crashed model where that was deffo the cause.

The JRs have Model Match (can not connect/fly on the wrong memory) and pre-set failsafe which is useful for dethermalising on loss of visual contact or signal (full flap, aileron, rudder and up elevator, set to spin it down gently).

Tx batteries can be a consideration, modern ones use LIpos or LiFe. A worry is that these drop off their voltage quickly without warning. Converting older Tx's to Lipo is not recommended by JR because the voltage is higher than it should be but people do it (some have trouble, others don't). The original NiMh of the DSX12 is known to not last long (two years), mine has been replaced and I'm waiting for it to die (Eneloops are the answer apparently).

Sleep well!

 GB 

 

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Hi Phil.

I would certainly steer clear of using Lipo or Life in a tx not designed for it. Modern txs seem to use high capacity 1s batteries which at least take the balancing act out of charging. 

I have been using the 2amp white eneloop in txs for years now and they seem to work really well. Good duration and a soft voltage drop off to give warning of when to stop. Plus they are always ready for that quick impromptu visit to the slope.

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9 hours ago, Phil.Taylor said:

Thanks Gary - just had a look on the Macgregor website & JR is now up to the XG... series 28/14/11/8...

but I love the retro look of the Mercury:

http://macgregor.co.uk/jrpropo/mercury.htm

Phil.

Just taken a look and it's a bit pricey for what it is.

The Frsky Horus will be on sale in 6  weeks from T9 and should be around the £500.

I've got my name down for one.

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10 hours ago, Gary B said:

They are all DSM 2 ... I use JR RD921 and Spektrum AR9300, becoming harder to find new.

Spektrum DSMX receivers will work with DSM2 transmitters. DSM2 receivers will not work with DSMX transmitters imported into the EU from January last year.

Steve

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Phil.Taylor

Had a good chat with Mike Shellim this afternoon - had a play with the Taranis X9D & got to understand OpenTx logic & Mike's F3F setup.

verdict:

- Taranis on its own, as you get it, without any additional help - hopeless !

- Taranis, using Mike's rather excellent F3F set-up & introduction to the programming logic - very usable !

The Tx itself is uninspiring & cheap feeling, but its all there, and I'm confident I could extend Mikes set-up to 6x servo wings & do the really strange&quirky mixes for the Taborca. Wont be rushing out to buy one though - I cant get any flying in for the next few weeks anyway due to a house move. Mike also had a prototype FrSky Horus - looks good, but didn't like the weight & ergonomics.

So - keep the info coming guys - still got other Txs & systems to explore before a final decision...

Phil.

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SilentPilot

I've got a spare DX8 that could go for a swap... I like the look of that flying wing with airbrakes!!!

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10 hours ago, Les said:

Just taken a look and it's a bit pricey for what it is.

The Frsky Horus will be on sale in 6  weeks from T9 and should be around the £500.

I've got my name down for one.

That's a huge jump in price over the original Taranis ACCST. Cannot believe it is worth the extra money.Have been using the Taranis for some two years now and found it very reliable. Takes some time to get your head round it and do not claim to know it extensively, but it does all I want it to on my F5j type models. £149 was a steal at the tie

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13 hours ago, EssexBOF said:

That's a huge jump in price over the original Taranis ACCST. Cannot believe it is worth the extra money.Have been using the Taranis for some two years now and found it very reliable. Takes some time to get your head round it and do not claim to know it extensively, but it does all I want it to on my F5j type models. £149 was a steal at the tie

I'm not best friends with Frsky nowadays but I think that's a bit of a sweeping statement. If frsky are machining a whole new tx and developing a whole new software system I would image they won't actually be making money at all for quite a while on the Horus. if ever. I image a lot of the money is made by manufacturers on rxs and accessories, not TXs. 

The reasons behind the cheapness of the Taranis are that the moulds etc already existed for another chinese TX (IIRC) and the software was developed by someone else (Opentx). 

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10 minutes ago, satinet said:

I'm not best friends with Frsky nowadays but I think that's a bit of a sweeping statement. If frsky are machining a whole new tx and developing a whole new software system I would image they won't actually be making money at all for quite a while on the Horus. if ever. I image a lot of the money is made by manufacturers on rxs and accessories, not TXs. 

The reasons behind the cheapness of the Taranis are that the moulds etc already existed for another chinese TX (IIRC) and the software was developed by someone else (Opentx). 

Have followed your problems, Tom, with the X9E Tx, so can see your non friendship with the Frsky system/retailer.  But the X9e is priced at £250 approximately, with a new style case as well so still cannot see why the Horus is double that price. Have flown a friends latest X9e (he too had a problem with the original) but cannot warm to it, as it feels heavy, even more heavy than my old Mpx3030 Tx's. The only reason I changed to the Taranis over the Mpx, was the ability to have a rotary motor control on the left hand side so as to be able to launch electric F5j models being right handed.

When I was selling engineering some 16 years ago, one of the problems in matching quotes from abroad,China, was that if the customer wanted a modification on any tooling, they would make the whole tool again rather than send it back, at no extra charge. Might have changed nowadays, but the case on the Horus does not look that expensive to tool up, to me.

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Myself I think it's very good price for what you get.

Compare it to other mid range transmitters in the market

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Just a thought, if time is on your side, that it can be very useful to download and read transmitter manuals before parting with money. It's not good to delve in to the programming for the first time and discover that it can't do something or 'hang on a minute, I don't like that feature' etc. No guarantee that there still won't be little surprises but it helps.

The DSX12 has stick position switches that can be programmed to operate a function at a certain stick position, I've programmed the pitch stick to start the stopwatch on a touch of down elevator (the 'dip' off of the winch line in F3J) which is very useful but there is no way of stopping the timer, pressing the 'timer' key just starts the second stopwatch!

It's not clear from the manual that this is what happens and it wouldn't have stopped me buying it but it's an example of an annoying feature that could make you choose another transmitter.

Of course it could be me but I haven't found a solution yet.

GB

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Gary's idea is sound. You can of course download OpenTx Companion free of charge, practice setting up a basic (and a complex model) and emulate what you have just done using the on screen GUI. (For a Taranis or similar)

You can check rates, EPA, switch settings, special functions, global settings  etc All without having to read anything.

I agree, its not always easy, its just very different and there is a bit of a steep learning curve compared to what you may have been used to, but once you get the idea of Input > Assign > Change > Output, it all becomes very logical and straightforward. You can set a new basic model up in (literally) seconds and I wouldn't go back to a manufacturer telling me how to set a model up again.

Its really worthwhile persevering with. Its not hard or rocket science, just different. Its also a lot easier now as most of the wrinkles and geeky bits have been removed.

If you know someone who already has one then get them to spend an evening with you. I promise you that after an hour or so you will wonder what all the fuss was about.

 

 

 

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Phil.Taylor

Thanks for all the input so far guys - appreciated

But this is not just about "which Tx" - its about converting a whole fleet of 17x planes to 2.4 as well as the Tx - so the price of Rxs is also a consideration - 17x£50 is £850. FrSky Rxs are cheap, Hitec seem to start about £35, Futaba £40-50, Graupner & MPX £50 upwards?

If you had to replace the whole fleet of Rxs as well as the Tx, what would you recommend?

Phil.

 

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I have found FrSky's FASST compatible receivers to be reliable and excellent value. I can't speak for any of their other products.

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