Help?! Re-entry into rc planes

[Perrinoid70]

I recently started building rc planes again. I'm 52 and used to build and fly when I was in my early teens. I bought a Spektrum DX 6e. It works great with my Turbo Timber Evo, but I want to know if there are any good receivers I can buy for all my balsa and monocote planes that I can use my Spektrum with. I would like it to have Safe and all that as well. Or is Safe Tech a separate thing from the receiver?

 

[Mr NCT]

Welcome back to the insanity! Can't really help with the receiver but there are a lot of (almost all) people here smarter than me when it comes to the ins and outs of compatibility.

 

[Ryan O.]

I recently started building rc planes again. I'm 52 and used to build and fly when I was in my early teens. I bought a Spektrum DX 6e. It works great with my Turbo Timber Evo, but I want to know if there are any good receivers I can buy for all my balsa and monocote planes that I can use my Spektrum with. I would like it to have Safe and all that as well. Or is Safe Tech a separate thing from the receiver?

AR636 and AR637 receivers have the option to program safe, but in my experience it’s not worth it as it has to be mounted and tuned precisely. I highly recommend the AR620 receiver. No antennas or bind plugs which makes swapping between planes easier. However, if you really want SAFE Dave Marshall made a great series on programming both the AR636 and AR637.
https://www.horizonhobby.com/produc...tEpqGLPPf0FOCz11dKAkt0h84fWJw74xoCf-UQAvD_BwE

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ckq_g_E1ln1FTNWTUpVIy_-p1esbhAW

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ckq_g_E1lnOTIEmd5kxlSLUVczXvBRc

 

[ColoFlyer]

I have both the Spektrum AR630 and the Aura 5 from Flitetest. Both work great, but I do like the Spektrum a bit better because it fly's exactly like my Apprentice and any other Horizon Hobby type plane. Once you get past the programming learning curve on the Spektrum and get them installed properly they won't let you down. There are plenty of videos on youtube on how to program them. Also on the plus side they are made by Spektrum, and designed to work with Spektrum radios.

I also have several of the Aura 5 6-axis gyro's that work excellent as well. There are a number of videos done by Josh on youtube on how to program them as well, just type Aura 5 into youtube. But if you buy this one you will also need to purchase a satellite receiver to go with it to make it work.

AR630 -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CKXXRPF/?tag=lstir-20

Aura 5
https://store.flitetest.com/flite-test-aura-lite/

 

[quorneng]

The usual advice is not to get too hung up on full 'safe'. Good for the early learning process but bad to gain the skill to learn what is actually happening to your plane. In addition a full safe requires a careful installation set up, not a problem in your Turbo Timber as it is all done for you.
There are Spektrum compatible 'stab' receivers with integrated gyro functions. They do not have the same full safe menu but as a result are much simpler to set up.
The best advice is to get really good at flying your Turbo Timber with the safe off, then you won't actually need safe on any other plane.
I reserve my Spektrum stab receivers for the maiden with a new plane but once I am happy with how it flies I replace it with a normal receiver and transfer the stab one to the next new plane.

 

[HVB79]

If you are looking at receivers without safe and your older models only uses 4 channels you could also use an AR410. Just because your radio can use 6 channels does not require that you use a 6 channel receiver if you don't need all the channels.

 

[bisco]

look into lemon rx. they are cheap work with spectrum. for stability, they have gyro available as well.

 

[Ryan O.]

look into lemon rx. they are cheap work with spectrum. for stability, they have gyro available as well.

Don’t be surprised if they fail on you. I’d say don’t put them in any plane you want to keep for more than a couple dozen flights.

 

[bisco]

interesting, thanks. i've had a few crashes of unknown cause, but i never suspected the rx

 

[Bricks]

Welcome back hopefully you have plenty of room for stuff.

I have roughly 35 Lemon 6 channels receivers and never had a glitch with any of them unless the antenna breaks off, and cough cough did not notice. Not always but generally LOS comes from a poor receiver installation or other peripheral equipment..

The newer Spektrum Safe receivers with telemetry and forward programing are the cats meow when it comes to set up and adjusting rates. It is all done thru the transmitter ( if your transmitter has the capability ) so no need for laptop and can literally tune at the field after each flight. No extra wires dip switches or special receiver with SBUS like many of the gyros out there so installation is very straight forward, .

 

[Mr NCT]

Don’t be surprised if they fail on you. I’d say don’t put them in any plane you want to keep for more than a couple dozen flights.

That's been my experience also.

 

[Ryan O.]

Welcome back hopefully you have plenty of room for stuff.

I have roughly 35 Lemon 6 channels receivers and never had a glitch with any of them unless the antenna breaks off, and cough cough did not notice. Not always but generally LOS comes from a poor receiver installation or other peripheral equipment..

The newer Spektrum Safe receivers with telemetry and forward programing are the cats meow when it comes to set up and adjusting rates. It is all done thru the transmitter ( if your transmitter has the capability ) so no need for laptop and can literally tune at the field after each flight. No extra wires dip switches or special receiver with SBUS like many of the gyros out there so installation is very straight forward, .

It also seems very field specific. My field has a fair amount of facilities but that may be due to interference from some of the nearby factories whereas other fields further away have less problems. Maybe the Lemons are less resistant to interference, just like old DSM2.

 

[Perrinoid70]

AR636 and AR637 receivers have the option to program safe, but in my experience it’s not worth it as it has to be mounted and tuned precisely. I highly recommend the AR620 receiver. No antennas or bind plugs which makes swapping between planes easier. However, if you really want SAFE Dave Marshall made a great series on programming both the AR636 and AR637.
https://www.horizonhobby.com/produc...tEpqGLPPf0FOCz11dKAkt0h84fWJw74xoCf-UQAvD_BwE

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ckq_g_E1ln1FTNWTUpVIy_-p1esbhAW

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ckq_g_E1lnOTIEmd5kxlSLUVczXvBRc

The youtube links don't seem to work...?

 

[Bricks]

It also seems very field specific. My field has a fair amount of facilities but that may be due to interference from some of the nearby factories whereas other fields further away have less problems. Maybe the Lemons are less resistant to interference, just like old DSM2.

You are spot on most of the older Lemons are dsm2 especially there cheap 6 channel which I have a bunch of. DSM2 could be problematic in high interference areas, this is where Spektrum got a bad rap the new DSMX is light years ahead of DSM2. But at least Spektrum make all there transmitters backwards compatible not like some manufacturer's.

 

[Ryan O.]

You are spot on most of the older Lemons are dsm2 especially there cheap 6 channel which I have a bunch of. DSM2 could be problematic in high interference areas, this is where Spektrum got a bad rap the new DSMX is light years ahead of DSM2. But at least Spektrum make all there transmitters backwards compatible not like some manufacturer's.

Something I forgot to add on, guys at my field have been using the Admiral receivers and found no interference, maybe they’re updated.