Hello everyone I have decided to get into flying rc planes and I want to know what would be the best transmitter and charger for me to get as Im on a tight budget. my budget comes to around 280 dollars. I also want to tell everyone that I actually have a pwm elrs receiver as I was planning on buying a radiomaster pocket but am not to sure about that purchase anymore. So if anyone can reccomend a good elrs radio that fits in my budget that would be great as I dont want the money spent on the receiver to go to waste. Im mostly planning on using the radio to fly mostly foamboard pusher prop aircrafts for now and edf jets after I get a bit more skilled at flying.
Solved Help picking a charger and a transmitter for a beginner on a budget
- Thread starter magolag
- Start date
What make you hesitate on the pocket? It is a good starter radio, and even seasoned veteran flyers like me use them. I have the pocket and TX16 radios. For simple builds and testing, the pocket is great. If you want to add BNF planes later that use other protocols, you can always add the 4-in-1 backpack.
Well when I told some people I wanted to fly large edf jets in the future they told me that the pocket wasn't a good choice because it didnt have enough switches for stuff that I would need to do. For example flaps, landing gear, landing gear doors, lights and stuff like that. So that made me heavily hesitate buying the pocket.
You need to fly a bunch before you get into needing and handling all that. When you can afford a plane with all that, you will be able to get another radio. Don't blow your starting budget all on a high end radio and chargers. Get more planes and batteries and learn to fly BEFORE you think about jets.
Look for a good brand, simple, AC/DC charger like these:
store.flitetest.com
www.readymaderc.com
www.buddyrc.com
B6 Charger
The iMax B6 is a rapid battery charger for RC planes with a high-performance microprocessor and specialized operating software. Expertly designed for optimal flight dynamics.
ISDT 608AC 50W AC 200W DC Dual Mode 8A 6S Smart Charger - RMRC
Get the ISDT 608AC 50W AC 200W DC Dual Mode 8A 6S Smart Charger shipped fast from the best source for all your FPV gear, RMRC! Free shipping for qualified orders using the shipping deal.
www.readymaderc.com
SKYRC Updated B6AC Neo Balance Charger 200W DC / 60W AC V2
SKYRC B6AC Neo charger is the upgrade version on the basic of the classic B6AC V2. Stunningly smaller than a credit card, B6ACneo charger sports a sleek design with vibrant colors, and boasts an impressive 200W charging capacity with DC power and 60W with AC, surpassing the original B6AC's 50W...
www.buddyrc.com
Thinking about a sky b6 Neo 2 with a isdt power supplyLook for a good brand, simple, AC/DC charger like these:
B6 Charger
The iMax B6 is a rapid battery charger for RC planes with a high-performance microprocessor and specialized operating software. Expertly designed for optimal flight dynamics.
ISDT 608AC 50W AC 200W DC Dual Mode 8A 6S Smart Charger - RMRC
Get the ISDT 608AC 50W AC 200W DC Dual Mode 8A 6S Smart Charger shipped fast from the best source for all your FPV gear, RMRC! Free shipping for qualified orders using the shipping deal.
SKYRC Updated B6AC Neo Balance Charger 200W DC / 60W AC V2
SKYRC B6AC Neo charger is the upgrade version on the basic of the classic B6AC V2. Stunningly smaller than a credit card, B6ACneo charger sports a sleek design with vibrant colors, and boasts an impressive 200W charging capacity with DC power and 60W with AC, surpassing the original B6AC's 50W...
True so should I go with the pocket ?
I agree with LB, it takes a HUGE budget to fly large edf jets.
If you have that kind of budget, a new Tx is peanuts.
But if that is what you want, the Raidomaster Tx16 is my choice. All of the LARGE budget guys fly Spectrum.
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True aside from that fact i just want a radio that I can use in the future for those things aswell but seems like my budget might be to limited and I should just upgrade when I get to that point.
See what others have to say. There may be some other brands that run EdgeTX with more features for the money. For Price, performance, parts, support, and reliability, RadioMaster is hard to beat.
I’ll wait for more replies on this thread before pulling the trigger on something
The brand of Tx that one uses has little to do with performance, ALL of them work equally well. It has far more to do with what you're used to.
If your talking to others at your local club, I'd pick the one they are using. I can do Raidomaster, but if you handed me a Spectrum, I'd be lost. Only because I'm not familiar with their menus. It comes down to what you are used to and familiar with.
When I started, a long time ago, Futaba was the dominant brand. Spectrum, the new upstart, came along and undercut Futaba. Now Spectrum is the dominant brand and you hardly see Futaba. Raidomaster is the new kid now and is undercutting Spectrum, by a lot. I'm guessing in 10 years or so Raidomaster will dominate.
I agree with this up to a point. Spectrum and Futaba are very price heavy for the functionality but are favored by many of old school flyers. Maybe a low priced used model of either of these brands for starting out if you expect to need help at your local flying field or are technically challenged.
If you are technically adept, eager to learn how it all works, and not afraid to ask questions, stick with the less expensive, more functional EdgeTX radios. As long as you set things up correctly, anyone can do a quick stick check with just about any radio. I like to hand my radio to someone else for new builds/maidends just for a second set of eyes making sure everything works correctly before throwing it in the air.
You can drop in here and get good help for any of the brands. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. You can almost always find someone who has used and/or is familiar with just about everything here.
RickHunter
Elite member
The tx16s is my choice as well. I have multiple edf jets and use my tx16 for them. There is nothing wrong with Spektrum, it is a good product with great customer service, but are very pricey. I own a NX8 as well, but still personally prefer my tx16 over it. The pocket is a good starter radio. Being on a budget, I would start with a pocket and save the rest of your money for planes and a few batteries. You will pry go through a few planes before getting the hang of it.
tomlogan1
Elite member
+1 on the TX16S. Depending upon the receiver(s) you use, it can support up to 16 channels.
Ailerons, for example, can take a single channel or two channels depending upon what capabilities you need such as straight ailerons (1 channel with Y adapter) or ailerons & flaperons (2 or more channels).
With 16 channels you support a wide number of capabilities and also have a HUGE community of users to answer questions as they arrive.
Start with what you understand and the radio will be able to support more capabilities as your knowledge and skill grow.
My 2 cents.
Ailerons, for example, can take a single channel or two channels depending upon what capabilities you need such as straight ailerons (1 channel with Y adapter) or ailerons & flaperons (2 or more channels).
With 16 channels you support a wide number of capabilities and also have a HUGE community of users to answer questions as they arrive.
Start with what you understand and the radio will be able to support more capabilities as your knowledge and skill grow.
My 2 cents.
Right so....great advice from everyone here. Seems like the tx 16 is everyone's choice. After reading everyone's advice I remembered that there is a hobby shop not to far away from me. The owner of the store who is a good friend of mine told me the tx 16s mark 3 is a good option for someone like me and that it has all the bells and whistles I could possibly need. But after holding the radio I realised that for one its massive and its also quite heavy. So the second option he reccomened is a tx 15 which I liked much better. I think I might save up a bit more and might get that one since after discounts the price doest seem to bad. Anyone here got any experience or opinions on tx 15 ?
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I have a side job at an online RC distributor/vendor/manufacturer. I have touched just about every RadioMaster radio currently available processing returns. I reset everything back to the latest factory firmware image, calibrate, and test all the hardware. Each model has it's own "feel", and some of the knobs/sliders/switches have slightly different relative locations. I do like where the 6-pos flight mode switch is located better on the TX15. Overall it is a nice radio. See how it feels in your hands when moving the sticks. For me, the TX16 feels better, but I have been using it for quite a few years.
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I personally liked the tx 15 much better than the tx 16. Moved around the sticks, played with the menu and pressed every switch on the radio. Probably will go for the tx 15.
Buy the Radiomaster Pocket, get a plane and go fly! It fits your budget and is a great radio with all the switches you will need until you get into very complex planes. Don't wait to get the "perfect" radio, get what you can afford right now and go fly. A second plane or extra batteries are a much better investment than a fancy radio when starting out.
Don't let anyone talk you into a budget busting fancy radio because you may want some feature it has two years from now or will "grow into it". A year or two from now you will have even better options to upgrade to if you end up wanting or needing a fancy radio. Many people with fancy radios don't use most of the switches anyway. The pocket is perfectly capable of flying EDF jets and has all the switches you actually need to fly one.
TX15 and TX16s are nice, if you don't mind the large form factor, but they don't fit your budget.
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