Newbie, What Radio?

[Alvaro]

Hi Guys, I am a newbie and love your videos,
I need advice on a decent radio. I just bought a Hobbyking ASK-21 EP, EPO (PNF), and need a 4-6 Channel Transmitter and Receiver + a 3S 11.1V 1300-2200mAh Lipoly Battery.
I am totally lost here, could you give me a recommendation for something decent and not very expensive?

Thank you

 

[c172ae]

In my experience, you should buy a radio which can grow with you and controll larger planes later on. I would recomend the Turnigy 9X. It is 9-channel, programmeable and only 60 bucks.

 

[Alvaro]

Thank you for the answer

 

[Bolvon72]

I second the 9X for an inexpensive radio. Don't pass up on the backlight kit if you get it.

Before I get all nutty talking about the radio, Turnigy lipos are cheap and of good quality. You can get them through hobbyking.com. Now for the radio question.

I am trying out both the 9X and 9XR side by side and prefer the 9XR for ease of programming and build. Its $10 cheaper but you are going to have to drop an extra 30 or so for a module and $6 or more for a receiver. So $60 plus shipping for the 9X, $86+ for the 9XR. You would also have to pick up a lipo for the 9XR but they are comparable to the 8AA needed for the 9X.

The 9X comes with an Rx and is ready to go, so it is simple, but I find the user interface annoying to use and the buttons are iffy. It has an 8 model memory which fills up quickly. It has two position dual rates and the ability to set switches. It is very hard to see the screen indoors. (Why I mentioned the backlight kit) Simply put, it will fly planes right out of the box.

I like the 9XR over the 9X for several not severely important reasons. It is quicker to program and not as counter-intuitive in navigating the screens. It does have 3 position switches, but flying DSFB planes doesn't require all that much precision. It has a 16 model memory and microsd card slot and requires no modification to run off a 3s lipo. It is easier to flash the firmware if so desired and, frankly, though I thought it was an uglier radio in pictures, it looks and feels much better in my hands.

If expense is key, the 9X is a great choice and you likely won't regret it. It functions as well as the 9XR once the plane is in the air, the 9xR just suits me better.

 

[bitogre]

There are some positives for getting a radio you can grow into but at the same time, those radios can just add another thing to learn and to the number of things that can go wrong. There is something to be said about keeping it simple, which the 9X and 9XR are not. I am thankful that my first plane (the E-Flight Apprentice) came with a bare minimum radio (the Spektrum DX5e) which has no computer functions.

However, if you are tech savvy, the 9X and 9XR might be a good radio. Just be sure to fully test as much as possible on the ground and make sure you understand the radio before you put the plane in the air. Once it is in the air, it is too late to fix any issues you might have with the radio.

BTW, just to be clear, I am not against these radios. In fact, I am waiting for my Taranis (the more advanced version of the 9X and 9XR) to arrive in the mail. I just think of these radios as a second radio.

As for what is the absolute best starting radio, I cannot say for sure. But I highly recommend you watch Flite Test : RC Planes for Beginners: Transmitters Ep. 8 which directly addresses the question of this post.

 

[Bolvon72]

An alibi on the 9XR. I must have mixed features of the Taranis with the 9XR, the 9XR does not have but one 3 pos switch, just like the 9X. I'm evaluating all three of them at the same time, I need to get more organized in how I am trying them out.

I also thought there was a micro sd slot. It was supposed to be one of the features and I thought I saw it in the battery compartment. I just looked while investigating making the OrangeRx module antenna internal and upon opening the case, no card slot. Just a spot where it may have been in theory.

 

[Winglet]

I'm currently using the HobbyKing Orange T-Six transmitter and Orange receivers. Like them both a lot. It is a computer radio, so a little more complicated to setup. You might not want all of that function on your first transmitter just to save on the confusion? In any case, the Orange Transmitter is a tremendous value in a transmitter.

 

[SteevyT]

Really once you flash the firmware, the only difference between the 9x and the 9xr is the design. Although, if I'm not mistaken the 9xr comes with er9x already flashed to it. But yes, if you don't have a few hours to spend with it, they probably are not the best first choice. You can spend hours just messing with different mixes and still not be using it to the full potential.

 

[Tactical Ex]

I have had a great time with my FlySky FS-T6. It's an incredible Tx for the price ($50) and it does everything I have ever wanted and more. It feels kinda cheap because its mostly plastic with some aluminum but I would recommend to anyone starting. You have a lot of room to grow with it before you need to look for a better Tx, I probably will never grow to the point that I need anything more to be honest. It is about 2x the price of a cheapo HK Tx but its nearly 1/5 the price of it's high end couterparts that do the the same thing. Also, the HK cheapo Rxs' are compatible.