FMS RTF transmitter?

[white crown]

Im considering buying an Fms rtf kit, particularly the ranger or super ez, it seems the almost the same price and buying all the electronics separately and building an FT model. I am starting out with no radio, no batteries, no anything. If I crash and destroy one of these I can just swap all the electronics over to an FT right? My main question is what transmitter comes with the Fms kits and are they full range?

 

[evranch]

An FMS RTF transmitter was one of the first ones I ever had. And it had amazing range, no joke. I actually flew it out to almost a mile in a larger plane much like you are talking about doing. It also had switches to reverse the servos and even a delta/v-tail switch.

What it didn't have was rate limits or any expo at all, meaning it was super twitchy to fly with. And that made for a poor trainer experience and a ton of crashes. When I finally stepped up to a "real" transmitter with expo, suddenly flying got a lot easier.

Expo makes your small stick movements have less effect and your large ones have more effect. This translates to much more fine control over your plane, especially if you have shaky thumbs as a beginner!

Half rate basically divides your stick travel in half before it sends it to the plane, so that again you get more fine control and less risk of tossing the plane around with aggressive inputs.

If you're not sure if you want to get into this hobby, you could probably do better with a cheapo transmitter like the FlySky FS-i6 which is only $50 but includes dual rates and expo settings. FlySky is often looked down on compared to the "real" brands, but it is functional, often carried in hobby shops, and I know guys who fly just fine with them.

Another thing to keep in mind is an FT model is easy to repair, and if you write off the entire plane in a wreck you can usually salvage the motor and electronics and rebuild the foam airframe for $2. You can't do that with an RTF foamie.

 

[Merv]

I never had an FMS Tx, I agree with points @evranch makes. My question, can you get more revivers that are compatible & how much model memory is there?

 

[evranch]

The FMS TX I had had its own brand of receiver. No model memory, we are talking configuration switches and a bind button. A Jumper TX would probably bind to the RX, but I doubt you could buy more receivers for the FMS TX outside of buying another FMS RTF kit.

Just another reason to buy a standard TX rather than an RTF.

I saw your other thread about maybe wanting something with a stabilization system, a fairly affordable stabilized system would be:

- $90 Jumper T12 (or any other Spektrum compatible DSMX transmitter)
- $30 LemonRX stabilizer plus, which is an aftermarket DSMX receiver with the same capabilities as SAFE. It can limit your roll and pitch angles and auto-level the wings with hands off the stick. Great value for RX and stabilizer all in one.

 

[Hai-Lee]

If wishing stabilisation there are other options that do not tie you permanently into Spektrum compatible equipment.

I use and teach with the Flysky iA6 radios, (much cheaper than Spektrum or the Jumper). The receivers are also very cheap and perform very well. I also use a number of different third party stabilisers. A bit expensive is the ZOHD Lite with its GPS and return to home or GPS fenced modes as well as a good emulation of the Spektrum SAFE mode.

As an entry level stabiliser I fit the NX3 which can limit the roll and pitch moments or just a basic stabilisation, (switch selectable).

One of my students had severe orientation issues and was forever requiring a rescue. By using the ZOHD and the NX3's in a number of his planes I do not even both with the "Buddy Box" as the planes can almost take off and land by themselves and when flying they extremely stable and almost docile.

The same student has purchased a large number of planes and I am tasked with fitting the radio and stabilisers in them all.

Just something to think about!

Have fun!

 

[Tonero311]

+1 on the FlySky FS-i6X. It is my first, current and only Tx so far. It is a great starter Tx that can handle nearly every one of flite tests models. It has dual rates, expo and it's big limitation I have found is only 3 mixes. I found I hit the limit on mixes using a flaperon equipped model. Used all of them up for that function.
Also has V-tail and elevon settings. Made getting several FT-22 prop and slot models a breeze to get on the air.
6 or 10 channel Rx's are easily available and quite affordable, FS-ia6b and FS-ia10b. There are other Rx's in the range that can handle up to 16 channels I think, though I haven't used any of these yet so I can't give you an honest working opinion on them.
The range is excellent on these(furthest I fly is about 500 metres away max) and never have lost signal once in the year I have owned it. The only failures I have had with my models was cheap linkage stoppers slipping in mid air or after a rough landing.
I will be stepping up to a Jumper T-16 very soon and the old Flysky will be passed onto my 5 year old Son and 60 year old Dad to buddy box with. That and I'm going to need more mixes as my building is getting more advanced and I want to have capability for dual thrust vectoring in a twin edf setup combined with differential thrust in the future. Also got plans for a V-22 Osprey but they are at the half baked in my head stage🤣.
Sorry for this being so long winded, but in conclusion, I would advise the FlySky kit with Rx(£40) and building from scratch(or speed build kits and help support FT and future developements) faster than RTF. You will learn a lot faster and it won't be nearly as heart breaking when you do crash. This is just my 2p's worth.
P.S. an added bonus I found was that going this route also helped me getting 2 different technical jobs. Mentioned it during interview, pulled out my phone to show and explain the process while interviewer sat on the edge of their seat. That moment I knew the interview was over and I had the job.
Good luck with the future and keep us updated how your doing please. I for one love seeing how each individual is progressing in this amazing hobby and we have an amazing community here for support as well.

 

[FL_Engineer]

+1 on Flysky fs-i6x. Andrew Newton on YT has some great vids if you are interested.

 

[evranch]

Good suggestion @Hai-Lee, I forgot about the ready to use flight controllers that you can install after your receiver.

There are cheap Betaflight/Arduplane autopilots that you can build from a F4/F7 quadcopter flight controller but I hesitated to recommend building and tuning one of these to a new pilot, even if they will stabilize fairly well on default settings. These would be equivalent to the ZOHD product but require some soldering and setup with your computer.

Sometimes it's nice when something just works! The NX3 looks like a good equivalent to the LemonRX stabilizer for a non-Spektrum pilot.

 

[white crown]

Thanks for all the options, you guys are a wealth of knowledge! The flysky looks great with a lot of features for the price, how common are software/firmware issues with these? Is there good support for issues when they arise? I have the worst luck with things working properly as soon as there is a screen on it.

I like the idea of dual rate, even the RTF radios have that, but how necessary is expo really? Is it like video games where 20 years ago we said "this game is awesome! its so realistic!" but today playing the same game people say "these graphics suck, this in unplayable"? Like the same game had changed and gotten worse, when really expectations just changed. Did everybody in the hobby complain about their twitchy transmitters before expo was invented? I'm fine with "old school" equipment/technologies, I'm the kind of guy that drives a manual, shoots black powder guns, shaves with soap and a brush, uses kerosene lanterns, and sharpens my own pocket knife, all more difficult to learn but IMO, better.

 

[Hai-Lee]

Thanks for all the options, you guys are a wealth of knowledge! The flysky looks great with a lot of features for the price, how common are software/firmware issues with these? Is there good support for issues when they arise? I have the worst luck with things working properly as soon as there is a screen on it.

I like the idea of dual rate, even the RTF radios have that, but how necessary is expo really? Is it like video games where 20 years ago we said "this game is awesome! its so realistic!" but today playing the same game people say "these graphics suck, this in unplayable"? Like the same game had changed and gotten worse, when really expectations just changed. Did everybody in the hobby complain about their twitchy transmitters before expo was invented? I'm fine with "old school" equipment/technologies, I'm the kind of guy that drives a manual, shoots black powder guns, shaves with soap and a brush, uses kerosene lanterns, and sharpens my own pocket knife, all more difficult to learn but IMO, better.

The FlySky radios have a programming lead that is available separately that allows you to upgrade the firmware. The firmware has been "HACKED" and the cheaper 20 model memory 6 channel version can be upgraded to 10 channels quite easily.

I have 2 Transmitters and to date I have had no issues with them. Actually when I bought my first one I would crash quite often, (mostly due to LOS). Since starting using mine I have become a club committee member and a flight instructor!

Never estimate the ability of a transmitter based upon its purchase price!

Have fun!

 

[TooJung2Die]

I bought a Flysky FS-i6 five years ago. I'm still using the same Flysky! I'll upgrade if and when I need a better radio. I upgraded the firmware to the "hacked" 10 channel version a couple of years ago. I never needed more than 6 channels. Never needed more than 3 mixes. I have 18 currently flying airplanes in the memory. I may run out of memory for more airplanes before I run out of anything else.

Problems I had and fixed:
1. Return spring on the rudder gimbal broke off on one end. I bent a new end and put it back on.
2. I dropped the radio and broke off the 'A' toggle switch. Bought a new toggle switch and soldered it in.

I bought a spare FS-i6 on sale for about $40 shipped. I may never need it. It is sitting unopened on a shelf somewhere...
Do I recommend the Flysky FS-i6? You bet I do!