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

[yakken]

I love my a9, but i wish they would come out with a 12 or 14 channel radio.

 

[bobzilla]

My DX18's allowed me to set up my big planes with ease, and eliminate the powerboxes, eq6, smartfly equalizers and matchboxes.
The servo balancing feature is a big plus and the DX18 does it with ease.
Like Patroller, I too prefer POWERSAFE rx with dual heavy duty lead input using two LIFEPO4 batteries.
I DO NOT buy or use HV servos. I don't need the speed and don't want the worry of LIPO's in my planes.
I have never had a garage fire due to LIPO's catching fire like my 2 friends have.

Simple setup I have used on my 46% Ultimate, 37% MX2, 35% Sukhoi, 33% Yak, 30%Aerobeez, 30% Edge540. Never have I had a crash, burp, brownout, or mishap in over 3 years.
Don't be afraid to find a good used DX18 Gen 1. They do everything a DX18 Gen 2 does except voice and wireless trainer.
Happy New Year.
bobzilla
www.evflyers.com

 

[ryan_m]

Jeti has the best,most advanced link, but i think the system has the potential to be too flexible. Futaba makes a good system but the bad taste from dealing with hobby services a few years ago keeps me at bay. Jr lost me when they dropped backwards compatibility with their new protocal. Hitec never did anything for me on and airtronics is a too small a market share. Spektrum has the best marketing, best receivers(powersafe) and a decent protocol but it is maxed out with the dx18. I ended up getting a dx 18 to replace my 12x.

Just an FYI... JR has Powersafe RX's for it's DMSS radios.
http://www.jramericas.com/233813/JRPR03428/?pcat=298
I have one in a couple of planes. Works just like the Spektrum ones. Soft switch and all. They just don't picture those parts.
As for the backwards compatibility, there was a very valid reason for this. Once upon a time when DSM2 was all we had, it was developed by Spektrum, JR had the hardware, so they partnered. However, in Japan their requirements called for a full frequency hopping technology, not just 2 channels like DSM2 was. So JR developed a protocol to be used in Japan, their home turf. I read that their agreement to produce radios for Spektrum prevented them from doing the radio protocol part (in the US at least), and Spektrum was slow to come out with DSMX, which is full frequency hopping. So if JR wanted to sell product in Japan they needed their own protocol, or wait for Spektrum and continue to lose money to Futaba and others. So they developed their own to be sold overseas.

Then when the agreement with Spektrum was over and they were free to sell their own product here in the US, they brought that (arguably superior) RF protocol over here and began selling it. This way they don't pay fees to Spektrum to use the DSM2/X protocols, and all the money is theirs to keep.

At least that is all what I have read and gleaned from the forums over the years... I do not work for, or know anybody with direct knowledge though.

 

[Mikeq]

Just an FYI... JR has Powersafe RX's for it's DMSS radios.
http://www.jramericas.com/233813/JRPR03428/?pcat=298
I have one in a couple of planes. Works just like the Spektrum ones. Soft switch and all. They just don't picture those parts.
As for the backwards compatibility, there was a very valid reason for this. Once upon a time when DSM2 was all we had, it was developed by Spektrum, JR had the hardware, so they partnered. However, in Japan their requirements called for a full frequency hopping technology, not just 2 channels like DSM2 was. So JR developed a protocol to be used in Japan, their home turf. I read that their agreement to produce radios for Spektrum prevented them from doing the radio protocol part (in the US at least), and Spektrum was slow to come out with DSMX, which is full frequency hopping. So if JR wanted to sell product in Japan they needed their own protocol, or wait for Spektrum and continue to lose money to Futaba and others. So they developed their own to be sold overseas.

Then when the agreement with Spektrum was over and they were free to sell their own product here in the US, they brought that (arguably superior) RF protocol over here and began selling it. This way they don't pay fees to Spektrum to use the DSM2/X protocols, and all the money is theirs to keep.

At least that is all what I have read and gleaned from the forums over the years... I do not work for, or know anybody with direct knowledge though.

Thanks for sharing...I always wondered what happened to cause the separation and it makes perfect sense now. Maybe if they (JR) had done a better job explaining the reason for the separation they could have salvaged some of their die hard customers..many like me had a lot of receivers that was forced with spend the bucks or stay with Spektrum....

 

[2walla]

I know all of the published history, but i dont think that behind the scenes that it was that friendly.

 

[wfield0455]

Friendly or not, I think the bottom line was they were sick of giving Spektrum a piece of every transmitter they sold in the US. For users, that meant they needed to replace all their receivers if they wanted other than a Spektrum transmitter and at that point, ANY radio system is back on the table. Personally, since I was going to need all new receivers and I didn't care for the software on my JR12x compared to my DX18, I switched to Jeti and never looked back.

On another note, I found an earlier comment about Jeti being perhaps "too flexible" interesting. The system can be as simple or complex as you want. I agree that it's possible to create highly complex configurations using the Jeti gear but there is nothing stopping you from having equal reliability to JR , Futaba or any other system, simply by installing a receiver, installing a bind plug and turning the transmitter on. Anything more complicated than that is entirely up to the user. I think that is true flexibility and I also think that's a good thing.

 

[Xpress]

I'll chime back in here again...

Recently I switched from Futaba to Hitec. I consider this an upgrade as the programming options available to me with the Aurora 9X transmitter were much greater and simpler to program. This is not to say that my 8FGS wasn't a great radio- in all honesty, it was a superb transmitter that had a lot of powerful features built into it. That being said, I like the layout and simplicity of my A9X along with the features it packs as standard (such as telemetry, touch screen, flight conditions, etc.). And I'm not just saying that because I work for Hitec, it truly is a transmitter that I love and it just feels right at home in my hands.

I have not personally had any issues with the transmitter, a fellow club member has not had any issues with the Aurora 9 transmitter he uses (and he uses it in everything from his little parkflyers to his 50CC toys), several of my friends all use Aurora 9X transmitters in their toys ranging from 10oz to 100cc and they haven't had any problems with it whatsoever. This isn't to say that problems do not exist, as there are rare instances where a problem will pop up, but that's just the nature of transmitting wireless signals through airspace, sometimes someone will have an issue here and there. All I can do in these instances is offer you Hitec's world class support in trying to help you figure out your issues.

 

[stangflyer]

This isn't to say that problems do not exist, as there are rare instances where a problem will pop up, but that's just the nature of transmitting wireless signals through airspace, sometimes someone will have an issue here and there.

After owning two A9's and now my A9X, I couldn't agree with you more. My son has had his A9 for nearly five years. Without one single hiccup. Same exact setups as mine, yet I had numerous issues with both my A9's. Exit A9 and enter A9X. This radio is rock solid. I truly love my new JR XG11. It is everything I wanted in a higher end radio. But that does not mean I am going to drop kick something that has been working very well. Besides, "waaaay" too many rx's and hardware that is Hitec specific to not be using.

I think any time we transmit a signal to and from a distance there is always going to be the risk of interference. I will also conceded that there are some radio setups and systems that really do have terrible issues. No particular name brand slammed here.

 

[Mikeq]

After owning two A9's and now my A9X, I couldn't agree with you more. My son has had his A9 for nearly five years. Without one single hiccup. Same exact setups as mine, yet I had numerous issues with both my A9's. Exit A9 and enter A9X. This radio is rock solid. I truly love my new JR XG11. It is everything I wanted in a higher end radio. But that does not mean I am going to drop kick something that has been working very well. Besides, "waaaay" too many rx's and hardware that is Hitec specific to not be using.

I think any time we transmit a signal to and from a distance there is always going to be the risk of interference. I will also conceded that there are some radio setups and systems that really do have terrible issues. No particular name brand slammed here.

Just out of curiosity...are you using the JR XG11 on all you new planes and how do you like it compared to Hitec? Are there aspects of Hitec you're more comfortable over the new JR radio.

 

[stangflyer]

Just out of curiosity...are you using the JR XG11 on all you new planes and how do you like it compared to Hitec? Are there aspects of Hitec you're more comfortable over the new JR radio.

So far, I have the XG 11 installed in the PAU300 using the RG1131B rx. I've got 9 flights on the PAU now and I really like how it performs. I plan to move it to my more expensive planes as time goes on. Especially the Sukhoi, the 260 and the Hempel. It feels really comfortable in my hands, the sticks are ultra silky smooth and once you get acquainted with the menu, it is actually pretty easy to navigate. I really like the styling of the radio also. Still not real clear on a few settings but I am sure I will figure them out. As for the 9X, the really gratifying features are the menu is exceptionally easy to navigate and understand. My 8 year old grandson could program the Hitec. It also feels really good in my hands. The sticks don't have the "feel" that the JR has, but still very smooth and very precise. Two things I like on the Hitec over the JR is the sliders on the back of the radio. The 9X just really fits well and are very accessible. The JR are a little "odd" feeling. To me that is. The other thing is the price of the rx's. Ultra inexpensive. 69 bucks for a 9 channel Optima 9. While the JR is nearly twice that price with only two more channels. The 9X is a very hungry radio though. With the two processors onboard, it eats a 2000 mah lipo in about 2 hours. A 2600 Li-Ion in about 2.5. The 1300 mah Nimh that is supplied with the radio won't last an hour and a half. The XG 11 is supplied with a 6.4 Life 1400 mah 2s battery. It holds for a solid 3 hours before I see a noticeable drop in volts. Both radios have great telemetry packages. Overall, both radios have the same useable features with the JR having only a slight advantage of some mixes. But nothing I care about. Both have programming features that are well beyond most peoples expectations. Dollar for dollar, they are both awesome radios. I was going to off my Hitec when I got my JR, but I figure it is more cost effective to phase out the Hitec slowly. I am most definitely not a radio wizard but from my own experience with both radios, this is what I have found.