Basic transmitter/receiver question

Unbracedarc2

Junior Member
I bought a Hobbyzone RTF Champ plane, and I have started moving on to scratch building. I was wondering if I could use my Champ's transmitter and bind it to another receiver. If so, which recievers would be compatible (Hobbyking link if possible) and if not, what is a better transmitter that I can pick up for somewhat cheap?
 

ruud

Senior Member
I believe the Champ transmitter should be compatible with DSM2/DSMX receivers (such as various OrangeRX ones sold at HobbyKing) but keep in mind that its range is fairly limited. With a bigger model, you're likely to fly it out of range.
 

Capt_Beavis

Posted a thousand or more times
Like Ruud says, it will work with a 4 channel spectrum Rx or a 4 channel DSM compatible Rx, but I wouldn't recommend it. I have lost a plane and almost lost a second using these cheap transmitters. It is worth it to spend the money for a better one, even a DX4e or DX5e.
 

Epitaph

Ebil Filleh Pega-Bat ^.^
Mentor
If you wanted to bind it to a cheap Orange or Lemon receiver and use if in a small scratchbuild like a Mighty Mini then I don't think there would be much of a problem, because a small plane like those are to fly close in, and if something does happen and it crashes then the loss is only small. But if you wanted to use it on a bigger BNF I think you could have problems which could end in deception and tears for all the reasons already stated above.

Probably the best thing would be to have a look into a cheap, working, second hand DX4e, which in reality is a 6 channel radio and will give you a lot more security and experience, and all at a small investment.
 

PhenomPilot

New member
Welcome to the forums Unbracedarc2! The transmitter will definitely bind to Dsm2 receivers but like the others said, you are limited to roughly 75-100 meters. This is enough for the minis and ft flyer/delta/nutball. Once you get bigger/faster, it gets hard to keep it that close. Orangerx like the R615 and R410x from hobbyking will work but if plan on building a few planes, go with the 5 pack of dsm2 featherlight from lemon-rx.com.

If you want a cheap tx better than BNF one then I would look at a dx4e on ebay ($18-25). If you are getting a little more serious with multiple builds then a computer radio is the way to go so you can save plane models and not have to reset switches or trims every time you want to switch planes. Devo7, Turnigy9x, dx6i are three common ones. Dx6i you can find on ebay for around $70 and it will work with the dsm2 receivers as well. Devo7, and the T9x have their own protocols but can work with the dsm2 receivers with some modding.
 

Epitaph

Ebil Filleh Pega-Bat ^.^
Mentor
Devo7, and the T9x have their own protocols but can work with the dsm2 receivers with some modding.

One thing to point out in case you go off buying one, it is the Devo 7E that can be made compatible with DSM2 and DSMX with just a firmware change, not the Devo 7. One thing against this though is it is not a full range radio, but can be turned into one with a small solder modification inside... so small it's TINY in fact, not at all easy to do. I don't want to discourage you at all, the 7E is a great transmitter and very capable with a few mods and I LOVE mine, but it's not a "take out of the box and fly a BNF" transmitter at all!! You can't ask much more from such a capable transmitter that costs less than $60 shipped though!!

Mine has the WLToys A7109 module (for V9x9 protocol and Flysky too) in it, as well as the stick upgrade, the added 2x three position switches, a nightly release of the latest Deviation with up to 12 channels, and the range mod (which was not easy... very fiddly). All together with the switches and everything else as I have it the price get to around $90, although in my case I only paid $15 for the switches (I wanted the nice pretty flat long arm switches with nuts that matched the ones already on the transmitter) and $2 for nice red stick ends (the plastic ones that come are not good at all, but use the standard M3 thread), the transmitter was a gift, the soldering I did myself, and the A7109 module was taken from a broken V911 transmitter.
 
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PhenomPilot

New member
Thanks for the report Epitaph! I don't know much about the Devo 7e as I started with a 9x but I hear (probably from you) that it is a great transmitter for modding. I have been looking at the Taranis lately as my 9x is out of model memory with about 12 aircraft saved. Unfortunately, the budget isn't going to allow it for a while.