Noob TX and RX help please

Liemavick

Member
Mentor
Hello all Im having another go at learning to fly RC after a 25 year hiatus. I'm starting with foam scratch planes and will buy Flitetest's speed kit in the near future. I dont want to handicap myself buying bottom of the line equipment, but would rather not second mortgage the house for a setup. What would you guys recommend that will grow with me? I dont see myself flying single wing 3D speedsters ever, just cruising the skies with slower to mid range planes. From the looking around Im guessing a 6ch is what I need, perhaps a 4ch?? Thanks for your time and sharing your experience.

Brian DSCN0002.JPG
 

Liemavick

Member
Mentor
Thanks pgerts, Heres what I have already on order for electronics, minus tx and rx. How am I doing so far?

3x #TG9e/22928 Turnigy TG9e 9g / 1.5kg / 0.10sec Eco Micro Servo
1x #TR_P25A/36903 TURNIGY Plush 25amp Speed Controller
1x #L2210C-1200/36911 Turnigy L2210C-1200 Brushless Motor (150w)
1x #T3000.3S.20/15009 Turnigy 3000mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack
1x #T7A80W/15164 Turnigy MAX80W 7A Lithium Polymer Battery Charger
 

Bolvon72

Senior Member
Mentor
I can agree with pgerts on the orangerx if you don't want to drop the money on a Spektrum or the like. On the other hand, while the smaller motor can carry the early swappables, if you want to fly the Mikeys pictured above you need a bit of power. I get by well with the Suppo 2810/12 bought special for this plane.

The Spektrum DX6I is down to $140 at Horizon right now BTW.
 
Last edited:

pgerts

Old age member
Mentor
The setup mentioned seems heavy - specially the battery.
The picture dont show the real size but i cant see a lot of carbon fiber or other reinforcements.
I would go for a couple of smaller betteries like 800-1000 mAh.
And the motor 1200 - will the propeller fit in your slot? Seems to need a 9" on 3 cells?
Perhaps 4 cells and a 7" prop - but that is only guessing as i dont have the plane on your picture.
As Bolvon says - Spektrum is great. You can keep every plane and receiver if you need to upgrade later on to a TX with more channels/memories/telemetry. The Orange TX is compatible with the Spektrum but some cheaper. I would go for the DX7s if i had the extra money. There is not a lot of price difference between the 6i and the 7s "naked" versions.
 

davereap

Member
I have used and own a variety of radios .. but now I agree with the previous comments... go dsm2.. with orange and/or spectrum radio gear..
the orange 6ch tx is on a par with the spektrum dx6i .. being 6ch etc.. and is a good starter set
I have both a dx6i and a dx8... the 8 gets used the most it has the most memories and more programming features..
They both get used with orange rx's .. these are very cheap and very good for general use.. they are what I use nearly all the time
..Other radio is fine.. everything is reliable these days... but most of the other stuff uses their own receivers that are very expensive.. although there are futaba compatible rx's now available.. they are still more than 4 times the orange costs...
 

Liemavick

Member
Mentor
Thanks for the advice gang, I decided to buy the Spektrum DX6I with a r/x. The more I thought about it I didnt want to have to buy another radio in a year and like the features on the DX61.
 

Liemavick

Member
Mentor
PG, The naked plane as it sits now weighs in at 16.6 oz. There is a 3/8" wood dowel running the majority of the length on the lower wing. The battery choice was for a longer flight, but I dont disagree I may need to go smaller. Have I mentioned Im new to this? lol
the top wing span is 40"w x 19"d, nose to tail is 30". The slot for the prop is 10"w and with the right motor mount Ill have clearance on the bottom. The plane was designed for a slow stable flight for FPV with a Go pro. I'm sure there will be adjustments made, but any upgrades just gets me a spare parts box started :)

Brian
 
Last edited:

Bolvon72

Senior Member
Mentor
any upgrades just gets me a spare parts box started :)

Absolutely. But I can attest that the Suppo 2810/12 with a 40 amp esc will carry it and as much gear and batteries you wish to put on it ( I used two 2200 3s towards the front just for CG without the camera on the nose). It'll run you $40 for the combo, but you can fly with confidence. Then you can put that turnigy on a power pod and have a blast with the swappables.

I do recommend a rudder on this plane. You can bank and yank with this but having the rudder gives me a much more stable feeling. I just glued and braced one onto it. You don't even have to cut a prop slot on yours. I am actually planning on reversing the servo on one set of elevons to make it rudder/elevator only, but ever since I got the Bixler I feel I have a good prop free cam plane and this one has been sitting.

0325132113.jpg
 

Liemavick

Member
Mentor
Bolvon what experience level are you at flying? I'm new to this and want a slow controllable plane at this stage so I can crawl before I walk. I believe you when you say your Suppo is the way to go, but is it for a total novice? At this stage I just want level flight, dont care if it has the power to pull a loop or anything else, of course the ability to land would be nice too :) Thanks for your input bro
 

Bolvon72

Senior Member
Mentor
Very slow, the low kv of this motor chugs a lot of weight nice and slow. As for experience, I would say intermediate, I fly every evening unless it's raining. (Nice field next to my house) I would also say that this plane is a bit much for the novice. I would recommend chucking the FT Flyer or Old Fogey around a bit until you are comfortable with orientation and the basic feel for maintaining a good flight path, then the Delta or Bloody wonder to get used to flying with ailerons. Take time and have fun.
 

Liemavick

Member
Mentor
Good advice Bolvon, thank you. Old Fogey is under way. The pic was taken late last night and I just set the wing on it for the photos sake, so its not as bad as it looks lol

IMG_0318.JPG
 

Bolvon72

Senior Member
Mentor
Very nice Liemavick, looks great, you're gonna love it.

Edit: Built to standard this plane can get tail heavy fast. The CG line is supposed to be at the break on the wing but I find it flies better a touch forward, a cm or so. If it pitches up harshly on throttle just tape a few washers inside the front of the fuse. Because I build a taller vertical stabilizer on these I make a slightly longer nose for balance. I'm just bringing it up to save you a bit of frustration if it drops the tail and goes squirrelly on you. Hope to see a vid of the maiden.
 
Last edited: