are there any reasons to choose the different protocols out there?

[Marzipan]

as the subject title asks, is there any reason to choose one over the other? I understand there are some with specializations. like ELRS, but take Spektrum, DSMX or DSM2, as an example.

 

[Flying Monkey fab]

I think you already have it figured out. As you get farther in and want to do certain things some protocols just work better for that thing than others but starting out flying LOS you just are not going to find huge differences. If I was back at square one again I'd do what I did before. Get a Spectrum 5 or 6 channel and use it until I see a need for other things and then go open source. That's Edge TX for me but maybe something else for you.

 

[AIRFORGE]

as the subject title asks, is there any reason to choose one over the other? I understand there are some with specializations. like ELRS, but take Spektrum, DSMX or DSM2, as an example.

DSM2 chooses/uses 2 channels and if one of them becomes too busy it will stay on the clearest until the other becomes usable again.
DSMX jumps around (FHSS, Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) between more than 20-something different channels many times per second. Even if some of the channels are unusable the loss of connection is so short it isn't noticeable.
DSMR for surface RC which randomly frequency hops, has about a 2000' to 3000' range.
A TX with a 4-in-1 module will allow the use other protocols if you have planes with different protocols. Also, you can add external modules for other protocols like ELRS.

 

[Marzipan]

@FlyingMonkey can you clarify what LOS stands for? gratzi!

 

[LitterBug]

LOS = Line Of Sight
FPV = First Person View

Those are the two main ways to fly RC Planes.

 

[LitterBug]

If you are flying at a very big event, say like FliteFest, You may want to consider something Other than a Spektrum protocol. I was a skeptic for many years of people saying even DSMX was bad, but this year while flying in combat, DSMX did in fact let me down.

 

[Marzipan]

LOS = Line Of Sight
FPV = First Person View

Those are the two main ways to fly RC Planes.

ah...yes. LOS gets difficult when you've got bad eyesight and / or have a really small aircraft. might need to put up stringers or something, LoL!

 

[Marzipan]

If you are flying at a very big event, say like FliteFest, You may want to consider something Other than a Spektrum protocol. I was a skeptic for many years of people saying even DSMX was bad, but this year while flying in combat, DSMX did in fact let me down.

so other than popularity and commonality for compatible receivers, is there any 'reason' to choose one over the other is it more a loyalty thing from the medieval ages when selection was less, all proprietary and you basically chose what to go with for ease of use and simplicity? or are there interesting nuances to learn about?

 

[bisco]

are you looking for your first tx or upgrading?

 

[Flying Monkey fab]

Sorry, forgot to define my acronyms which I know better but I see @LitterBug got you fixed up. Anyway, just starting out most any quality radio is great as long as your receivers match.
I will say from several years in that I'm liking ELRS a lot and not just for the range. The down side with starting with something like that is extreme learning curve where as you can buy Spectrum or FRsky and they just work out of the box.

 

[Marzipan]

are you looking for your first tx or upgrading?

I have a RadioMaster TX12 og and T8-Lite plus the 6ch Spektrum SLT that comes with RF Trainer, but Im not sure if that will work with DSMX.

 

[Bricks]

I have a RadioMaster TX12 og and T8-Lite plus the 6ch Spektrum SLT that comes with RF Trainer, but Im not sure if that will work with DSMX.

Yes it will work the nice thing about Spedtrum versus like Futaba they are backwords compatable. Futaba made a lot of people mad when they came out with their new radio and would not work with their old receivers, they basically shot themselves in the foot.

 

[Piotrsko]

Futaba made a really big deal with spectrum hopping (which needs computer control of the receiver). Those receivers are still FM, BUT have gobs of computer mods to make life better and supposedly glitch free. Wasn't.

Whole point was to have clothespin free flying with up to 20 people on the "same" frequency and not have noticeable interference. Worked well for their military handee talkies. "Toy" aircraft are apparently much different.

 

[Bricks]

If you are flying at a very big event, say like FliteFest, You may want to consider something Other than a Spektrum protocol. I was a skeptic for many years of people saying even DSMX was bad, but this year while flying in combat, DSMX did in fact let me down.

Just curious was your recevier DSMX or DSM2?

 

[Merv]

All of the protocols work equally well in normal conditions. However, Spectrum is by far the most popular brand going. At a large event, it gets swamped more easily than others, simply due to the popularity. Less popular protocols seem to preform better at this time. If another protocol would dominate an event, I suspect it would also suffer, perhaps even more than Spectrum.

I agree with LB.

The cost of the Rx is definitely a consideration. I only need 1 Tx but I use many Rx's.

 

[Marzipan]

sorry for the late reply...been busy with life.

ELRS has recently come to my attention and it seems to be the wunderkind solution for all things air, now that's it's matured some. has anyone switched over to ELRS due to all it's benefits and apparent ease of use?

 

[Merv]

I'm going to give ELRS a try.
I know @LitterBug uses it.

 

[Foamforce]

I’m switching over. All my new planes and drones are ELRS. It’s substantially more of a learning curve than tradition, that’s for sure. However, it does seem very reliable. I can’t recall having any lost connections yet. Also, I really like that you can get receivers with voltage telemetry for as little as $7.50, although a name brand one is closer to $14.

I‘m a little concerned about what will happen when ELRS is updated to the next major version. Will I have to go through and flash the firmware on 15 receivers? That would be a real pain.

 

[LitterBug]

I have been very happy with ELRS in general. I waited till last year to jump in when it really seemed to have stabilized. I have fully adopted it for my biggest/bestest builds including updating some of my old builds which were needing some other minor work, or a new airframe altogether. I have some PWM RXes as well as serial RXes hooked to flight controllers. It can be a bit overwhelming at first because you can tune quite a few aspects to optimise for different types of flying. So please ask questions if you need help. The WIFI updating makes it very easy to update everything without having to use serial passthrough or digging the RX out of the build.

Cheers!
LitterBug

 

[Flying Monkey fab]

Well ELRS is not as easy as just plug it in systems like Spectrum but I'm liking it more and more. It allows some cool tricks like two receivers for more channels or two receivers for redundancy, or mix and match as needed. Like so many things with a steep learning curve once I got my first firmware update to go through things have been getting easier and easier. Probably everything I buy except maybe a foamy with the receiver already installed will be ELRS.