New Here & Transmitter Recommendations

[CPAlfaDude]

Hey Y'all,

Im new here but I've been "creeping" the RC scene for a long time. Ive watched many of the FT videos and am starting to do some of my own builds. I am a freshman at California Polytechnic State University SLO with the declared major of Aerospace Engineering. I got into aerospace when I started working at an aero-museum when I was 11, and eventually my interest sprouted into a passion for aerodynamics and suborbital flight. I continued on at the museum until I graduated high school and got my private pilots license when I was 17, earning my time in a multitude of tail-dragger antiques such as a C-140, a Aeronca Champion, a J3 Cub, and a Taylorcraft BC-12D.

In the past most of my model-making has been stationary or free-flight stuff (aka no electronics), however after having recently seen some of my friends progress with controlled flight, I decided that I wanted to make the plunge and buy what I need to make at least a couple gliders and possibly some powered airplanes in the future.

Currently I am looking for recommendations on transmitters because I have very little knowledge about what is "good". From what I have read, I understand that the more channels the better (allows for expansion in the future) however I'm not sure on what brands have "okay" quality and what features I should look for: basically just problems someone has when they haven't had enough exposure to have an opinion. As it sits, I think Im looking for something with 7-8 channels and is under $130-150 (college budget strikes again haha).

Thanks ahead,

Miguel Salguero

 

[F106DeltaDart]

Welcome to the forum Miguel! Sounds like you will fit right in here! I am also an Aero Engineer and just finished up my degree last year. I went a similar route to you learning RC in college. My personal recommendation would to watch other forums classifieds (particularly RCgroups) for a good deal one of the "old" Spektrum DX8s that were discontinued recently. They can be found for a very good price there, generally $150 or less, and are pretty easy to program. Let me know if you are interested and I can send you a link to one I found there that is quite cheap. Looking forward to seeing your builds, and good luck!

-Michael

 

[CPAlfaDude]

Hey Michael,

Thanks for the warm welcome! Yeah, the Spektrum DX8 is the one my friend had but I think I was initially daunted by some inflated ebay prices... Ill check around some other forums and if I dont find anything ill DM you.

Thanks again,

M~

 

[Hai-Lee]

Based on price Vs performance I chose a turnigy iA6 2A. It has turned out to be a very competent and well rounded system.

 

[Craftydan]

CPAD,

First off, welcome to the forum!

As for radio gear . . . Some decent suggestions here, but don't ignore the friends that have dragged you into this. Even if they aren't that much farther ahead than you, if their gear is decent and they know how it works, that's one less thing you have to learn on your own.

 

[French]

+1 on talking with your friends. Experienced buddies can help troubleshoot issues when you're in a bind.

You may also want to consider the relatively newer FrSky Taranis Q X7. It fits in your price range and has nearly all the features as the $200 Taranis x9d plus, which has been a go to transmitter for mini quads. The Taranis transmitters use Open TX, which offers nearly limitless programming options. This can be a blessing and a curse. There can be a steep learning curve to Open TX, but once you understand it, you feel like you can do nearly anything.

The other huge benefit with FrSky is the receivers are relatively inexpensive (under $30). When considering a new platform, make sure you consider all the costs.

I love my Q X7.

 

[F106DeltaDart]

Another +1 on sticking with similar radios to your friends. Opens up a lot of possibilities for things like buddy boxing with friends, and the programming is pretty simple. With the Spektrum radios, you can also use the low cost "Lemon-RX" units which perform well, and are economical at ~$12/piece for the 6 channel units. It also allows you to bind to any of the Horizon Hobby bind and fly airplanes if you ever choose to go that way.

 

[CPAlfaDude]

Hey all,

Thanks for all the recommendations. Yes! I will definitely follow my friends as closely as possible, even they said to not try and "reinvent the wheel". However, they're working on a much looser budget.... So, as it sits I think that im going to get a FrSky Taranis QX7, I watched an FT review on it and with all of the features it looks like a great deal, and holy heck 16 channels!!! As for troubleshoot-ability, it looks like the QX7 is straightforward enough that most of my questions will around terminology and easily answered by my more experienced friends.

Again, thanks for all of the help, I can already tell this forum is going to prove very useful!

M~

 

[Konrad]

FrSky is the future of mid range radio, particularly the freedom from the Master Slave concept of mixing. With the "internet" the need to conform to the limitations of the group you fly with is all but removed.

Now I will say that I learn much faster reading from a dead tree manual than I do off of the You Tube videos. While the thought of paying $15 for paper is off putting the information is well worth twice the price. When you buy the FrSky Taranis QX7 buy the paper manual.
http://alofthobbies.com/taranis-q-x7--opentx-user-manual.html

All the best,
Konrad

P.S.
Jr has all but left the toy RC market, Hobby King is in hot water with the USA FCC for not complying with FCC type certifications of RF equipment, Futaba is just far too expensive. This just about leaves Hitec, Spectrum and FrSky as the only real viable options

 

[French]

Note the QX 7 only has 16 channels on receivers that use s.bus or CPPM (plug into a flight controller)

Here are some good video playlists to get you started with a Taranis
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYsWjANuAm4osY8fkvVXtFFhR_TDARRt_
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYsWjANuAm4o0zcX7RwmJxtflFGyTKwdY
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDb7WF6c8nHZcOHZwcJplOLcL2qUkPR

 

[Ltngstrike]

I haven't used the new QX7 but I can tell you I am very, very happy with my X9D+. I was worried I would be overwhelmed by the OpenTX software but it came fairly easily with all the available online help articles and videos...YouTube videos by "Painless360" were especially helpful. I am totally new to RC and no spring Chicken, if I can learn it anyone can! I think you will be very happy with your decision.

Good luck and have fun! I sure am!

 

[pressalltheknobs]

While doing what you friends do has its benefits, it also has its drawbacks. Going used can be a crap shoot if you don't know what you are buying or have any way to test it.

Based on what you say the FrSky Taranis Q-X7 is the best fit imo. It's $110 plus receivers. 16 channels (up to 32) and very flexible programming. Basically there is nothing that comes close for value and the only major caveats are:
1. the programming is very flexible and not like other Transmitters so you will need to do a little studying but you don't even have to own one to try out the programming since there is OpenTX Companion.
2. You cannot fly Horizon BNFs with it out of the box but you can add a module that will fly pretty much anything BNF though....the latest version)

Since you are in the US I recommend buying here...
http://alofthobbies.com/frsky-taranis-q-x7.html

You can also get it from FliteTest store
https://store.flitetest.com/frsky-taranis-q-x7-2-4ghz-16ch-transmitter/

but currently they only have the pre-configured mode ones in stock currently for a bit more money (you can configure the mode yourself easily) and their warranty might not be as good.

Ideally you should buy a soldered battery pack for reliability... but since you will need a charger (see below), you can use AAs to start.
http://alofthobbies.com/72v-2600-aa-nimh--qx7-transmitter-pack.html

You will also need a micro SD card for the voice alerts and model backups...best to get a genuine brand name but the speed is not critical...its likely you already have one...1G is fine...

A wide variety of receivers is available. Generally you should pick from the X-series...

http://alofthobbies.com/radio/frsky-telemetry-system/x-series.html

with the X8R and X4R-SB (or plain X4R if you have no interest in quads) being default choices...Depends a bit on what you want to build/fly. You can find some after market "compatibles" on Banggood and HobbyKing which apparently work...not really sure if they are worthwhile.

The Q-X7 is discussed at length here...

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/sho...scussion-info-the-younger-full-featured-radio

Other useful resources...
These are not Q-X7 specific but apart from the on TX UI being re-arranged to work better the smaller screen the differences between programming the Q-X7 and the X9D+ are minimal since both use OpenTX and OpenTX 2.2 mostly adds support for the Horus and the Q-X7 rather than adding or changing features from 2.1.
OpenTX Companion used to download the OpenTX firmware
http://www.open-tx.org/
The best introductory article for OpenTX imo...
http://www.rc-soar.com/opentx/basics/index.htm
The official OpenTX manual is a good overview...
https://opentx.gitbooks.io/opentx-taranis-manual/content/
A reasonably complete OpenTX 2.1 Reference with an emphasis on Companion
http://openrcforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=8724

Other radios you can look at for comparison are:
FlySky i6X ~ $50 with a receiver...a good value 10CH with good features if a bit on the cheap seats side quality wise. Main reason to buy is value for the price...you can even get spare parts.
Spektrum Dx6e ~ $150 (no receiver) ...a nice quality 6CH TX with good features. Main reason to buy is to fly's Horizon BNFs out of the box. This is probably the fastest way to get flying.

Both are ok choices for starter radios but limiting in various ways.

You will need a RC battery charger almost immediately. A 4 button programmable like this http://alofthobbies.com/up100ac-plus-battery-charger.html is a good place to start since you don't need a separate power supply and it will allow you to change NiMH, LiPo, other LiXX and Pb batteries. ( I don't have that particular model so just an example. FliteTest are out of stock on their example of this type of charger... https://store.flitetest.com/imax-b6ac-pro-battery-charger/ ) Get familiar with LiPo battery safety...

 

[Konrad]

Aloft is my local hobby shop. Great service both from a technical stand point and from a business perspective.

Just a historical point the object (control surface) based mixing philosophy used in Open TX (FrSky) is well proven and used for many years. Multiplex (a high end german radio manufacture) used this programing philosophy since at least the late 80's.

For the cost of a FrSky Rx any BnF or RX packaged model (other than the UMX stuff) can be made to work with the FrSky. To my way of thinking the toys marketed by Horizon Hobbies are no reason to limit one's choice in selecting a powerful TX.

 

[CPAlfaDude]

Wow, lots of advice! All good to know!

Note the QX 7 only has 16 channels on receivers that use s.bus or CPPM (plug into a flight controller)

So French, that's the one thing I can't seem to find, how many PWM channels does the QX7 have? And why is ppm plugged in only? Knowing the basic differences between PPM and PWM being implied.

 

[pressalltheknobs]

The Q-X7 (and all other FrSky Txs) transmit either 8 or 16 channels when using the internal FrSky module.

The number of PWM outputs depends on the RX you use

X4R -SB 3 PWM, SBUS
X4R 4 PWM, CPPM and 3 PWM
XMR 6 PWM
X6R 6 PWM, SBUS
X8R 8 PWM, SBUS

You can get 16 PWM RX outputs from FrSky RXs using two X8Rs or 12 using two X6Rs

You can also get 16 PWM outputs from the the Redundancy bus. You need two SBUS capable RX's to drive the Redundancy bus.

You can also use SBUS to PWM converters if you need to add 4 additional PWM channels to one of the RXs that outputs SBUS

Note: All PWM outputs driven by SBUS outputs need servos capable of fast refresh (9ms usually digital)

Note: You can send up to 16 channels via CPPM to an external transmitter module plugged into the module bay but as far as I am aware with FrSky RXs, CPPM is limited to 8 channels as a receiver output. On the X4R you can combine this 8CH CPPM signal with the PWM pins to get 11 effective channel outputs.

 

[bitogre]

First off: Go CalPoly!!! :applause: I graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering from SLO in 2004.

So French, that's the one thing I can't seem to find, how many PWM channels does the QX7 have? And why is ppm plugged in only? Knowing the basic differences between PPM and PWM being implied.

The Taranis internal RF Module in D16 mode always transmits 16 channels. However, the number of PWM channels you have available is dependent on the receiver. The most any FrSky RX currently supports is 8 PWM but you can bind multiple RX to the same model (just the additional RX's must have telemetry disabled - see RX manual for details) which will let you use to X8Rs to get the full 16 PWM channels.

Also notice I referred to the internal RF Module. The Taranis does support sending another 16 channels to the JR module and you can use both the internal and external JR module at the same time (for up to 32 channels). I personally have not found a need for more than 8 channels and use the JR Module for a DIY Spektum JR Module for my BNF planes.

 

[Bricks]

The Q-X7 (and all other FrSky Txs) transmit either 8 or 16 channels when using the internal FrSky module.

The number of PWM outputs depends on the RX you use

X4R -SB 3 PWM, SBUS
X4R 4 PWM, CPPM and 3 PWM
XMR 6 PWM
X6R 6 PWM, SBUS
X8R 8 PWM, SBUS

You can get 16 PWM RX outputs from FrSky RXs using two X8Rs or 12 using two X6Rs

You can also get 16 PWM outputs from the the Redundancy bus. You need two SBUS capable RX's to drive the Redundancy bus.

You can also use SBUS to PWM converters if you need to add 4 additional PWM channels to one of the RXs that outputs SBUS

Note: All PWM outputs driven by SBUS outputs need servos capable of fast refresh (9ms usually digital)

Note: You can send up to 16 channels via CPPM to an external transmitter module plugged into the module bay but as far as I am aware with FrSky RXs, CPPM is limited to 8 channels as a receiver output. On the X4R you can combine this 8CH CPPM signal with the PWM pins to get 11 effective channel outputs.

Do not know much of any thing about FrySky when setting up say 9 channels what is the final cost of receivers and how many?

 

[pressalltheknobs]

To set up 9 channels PWM you can use combinations like these...prices from aloft are here...http://alofthobbies.com/radio/frsky-telemetry-system/x-series.html

2 x X8R @ $33.75 each = 16 PWM CH

or

2 x X6R @ $27.25 each = 12 PWM CH

or

1 X X6R (or 1 X X8R)
1 X SBUS-PWM converter $11.10 (fast refresh or digital servos only..not sure how you program it) ...10 PWM CH or 12 PWM CH

There are also some aftermarket SBUS->PWM converters. eg...
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/signal-converter-module-sbus-ppm-pwm-s2pw.html
http://alofthobbies.com/xps-x10-channel-expander.html

that can be used with and SBUS RXs like the X4R-SB ($25.35) or SBUS only RXs like the XSR (24.70), XM+ (13.01) and XM (park flier $10.02) The XSR and XM's have limitations around telemetry but I don't have the details.

 

[pressalltheknobs]

you could also use 1 8CH and add an SBUS servo

http://alofthobbies.com/radio/servos/frsky-servos.html



Another approach is to use the Multi-Protocol module and some 9CH PWM RX for one of the supported protocols...

details here...
https://github.com/pascallanger/DIY-Multiprotocol-TX-Module

latest Banggood implementation of this...Like lemon and orange stuff not strictly legal in the US...
http://newbg.banggood.com/IRangeX-I...ocol-STM32-TX-Module-With-Case-p-1139049.html

but probably only for foamies and park flyers you don't care too much about.