Your Opinion-This is not a "Which radio is best" thread!!!

[stangflyer]

I think I may decide to change up my radio for the upcoming season. Now would be a good time to do it. Last year after nearly loosing my 260 on first maiden voyage, I chose, (due to having so many Hitec rx's, and other equipment) to drop kick the p.o.s. Aurora that had been giving me fits for nearly a year and a half for the new Aurora 9X. Granted, it is a much nicer radio. Much more solid with two processors and 4096 resolution. Including about the lowest latency available on the market. However, I really want a more solid and much better radio system. I am looking into many other available radios, but would like the opinions of those that have different radios.

Please keep in mind I am not looking to start a RADIO WAR of any kind. Everyone has an opinion and really all radio systems are pretty good. This is not a "Which radio is best" thread!!! Just would like to know what everyone is using. What you like about it and why you chose that radio over any other. The more solid facts submitted will definitely help a guy make a better "informed" decision. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks....

Rob

 

[GaryToland]

Being that I'm a Futaba guy I would suggest that system as they have a lot of history in RC, but I have read people having the same issues with their A9, and the switch to the 9X has solved their problems. That would definitely be the cheaper route without having to buy new Rx's, and less of a pain learning a new system.

This is based on what I have read in forums I have no personal experience with these radios.

 

[reyn3545]

I went through several JR radios, up to the 12x, and several Futaba radios, including the 14 and 18MZ. I like a couple of things about Futaba... no satellite antennas, and the ability to set conditions, rather than just 3 flight modes on JR. Futaba lets you assign virtually any channel to any device, and the voice/vibration feedback is great for timers and telemetry feedback. If you use telemetry, it's already built into most receivers, so you get receiver voltage info right out of the box. You can add a cylinder head temp sensor pretty inexpensively, and plug it directly into the sbus2 port on the receiver, so there's no telemetry module to buy. It has a built in camera, so you can take a picture of your plane, match that up to the transmitter setup for that plane, then you have an easy visual reference to make sure that you have the right plane selected.

I do like the model match function of JR better... absolutely no chance of starting up with the wrong plane selected. I've never made that mistake, but I can see how easy it would be to get in a hurry and make a mistake.

 

[Islandflyer]

I am a long standing Futaba guy, but if you don't mind the complexity of the set up / programming of the Jeti, the DS16 is the most secure system, with redundancy all the way into the transmitter. The CB200 package includes the Central Box where all 16 outputs are assignable, two receivers, and the magnetic switch.
It is however a little quirky for programming and set up compare to the Futaba and JR systems.

 

[ericb]

I have a DX18. It has been a perfect radio. I like the ability to assign any switch to anything, flight modes, it talks to you and has vibration feedback. Telemetry is a piece of cake. It has model match. The powersafe RX's are the simplest setup out there IMHO. I personally have no issues with mounting a couple extra satellite antennas. I actually like it so you can get the best signal possible. All of the signal info is available on the radio if you have telemetry. No extra switches or powerboxes needed. 2 Batteries plug right into the RX. A nice small hole is all you will need in the fuse for the included failsafe switch. It has servo matching so you can match travels on multiple servo surfaces with ease. The setup screens are very easy to navigate. It feels great in my hands. That is all I can think of right now.

 

[Terryscustom]

I was JR until they switched their radio language recently and I was heavily invested in DSMX power safe receivers. I had two nearly new 11X transmitters, but decided to sell one and try out the new generation Spektrum DX18. It operates very much like the JR but has so many features that blow the JR out of the water.

Here are a few that I absolutely love:
- Wireless buddy boxing!! Can connect to ANY radio that transmits in DSM language, without a cord.
- Model Match
- SD card backup / transfer / storage / updates
- Able to assign any switch to any channel
- VERY powerful mixing
- Servo balancing for all channels
- Very intuitive programming that does not require a degree in anything
- Nice feel with smooth gimbals
- Power safe RX's......HUGE savings in power distribution and battery sharing garb, not to mention no huge expensive switches.
- The list goes on.

Very happy with it. I've helped a few people with another popular brand radio trying to do a simple mix like spoilerons / reflex and it actually required four mixes and took a fair amount of time to set up. Granted, it was not the newest model radio but it was a huge pain.

 

[rab879]

I bought a DX9 this summer and the programming is terrific. very intuitive.

 

[mndless]

Recently picked up a DX18 Gen 2... reading through the instructions I felt they were slim on issues of mixing, multi servo wings, etc... however, once you start to actually program the radio you realize you don't need overly detailed instructions... the process is so intuitive you just breeze right through programming...

 

[Ohio AV8TOR]

I have had a lot of good radios since my first in 1971. I even had good luck with the cheap Hobby Lobby 5 back in the day. I have settled in on Futaba's now and on my second right now and had great luck with an Airtronics a. I had an early DX6 and this is the only radio that gave me a lot of problems. Subsequently I will never own another Spektrum no matter how popular

 

[-Rick-]

I think most systems are good, except the A9!! Drop kicked mine after I DID lose my 260 on maiden!!