Radio

I have never used more than 6 on an FT plane.
I still wouldn’t buy an expensive radio that restricted my channels, all the OpenTX ones have at least 12 with limitless mixes.
If you have a basic 6ch and have no plans to fly huge scale aircraft with tons of functions or quads then you are unlikely to need more.
I'm sorry to be dumb, but I'm new here and don't understand what is meant by "all the OpenTX ones have at least 12 with limitless mixes." I've not bought a radio yet but have been thinking of an 8 channel just for expansion of features etc. Is that the wrong approach?
 

poor boy 101

Active member
I'm quite certain the DX6e also does telemetry. Main difference between the DX6 and DX6e is the "e" doesn't have voice prompts or diversity antennas. The diversity, or lack there of, shouldn't affect range so much as its a redundancy thing just like running a satellite receiver in a plane to add more antennas. I love having voice prompts, but the DX6e is a very capable transmitter.
i don't know about the range difference between the dx6e and the dx6. if i do recall rotor riot came out with a range test between spectrum and frsky. they tested the ix12 vs the qx7 and the ix12 got a little farther than the qx7( the qx7's antennas were poorly arrayed.) and the ix12 uses the duel antenna. vs another video that i watched that has the dxe against theqx7( i don't remember who did it.) but the qx7 beat it easily with the dxe only going a quarter of a mile on a flat grass feild with almost no obstructions compared to the rotor riot test which is right next to a road surrounded by trees. also the dxe and the dx6e i believe have the same antennas. this is all with quads and i don't know what the range of a plane's receiver would be. so i would pick the dx6 if there was a possibility of doing quads or fpv airplanes. both work extremely well and i have tested them a bit. i started out with a dx6e and then upgraded to an ix12 so i could fly the freewing t-45.
 
i don't know about the range difference between the dx6e and the dx6. if i do recall rotor riot came out with a range test between spectrum and frsky. they tested the ix12 vs the qx7 and the ix12 got a little farther than the qx7( the qx7's antennas were poorly arrayed.) and the ix12 uses the duel antenna. vs another video that i watched that has the dxe against theqx7( i don't remember who did it.) but the qx7 beat it easily with the dxe only going a quarter of a mile on a flat grass feild with almost no obstructions compared to the rotor riot test which is right next to a road surrounded by trees. also the dxe and the dx6e i believe have the same antennas. this is all with quads and i don't know what the range of a plane's receiver would be. so i would pick the dx6 if there was a possibility of doing quads or fpv airplanes. both work extremely well and i have tested them a bit. i started out with a dx6e and then upgraded to an ix12 so i could fly the freewing t-45.
Thank you so much for your time and efforts here. It really helps the "old guy" who has so much to learn. I did do some research and "think" I learned that most of the set-up change for flaperons takes place on the radio/transmitter and not in the aircraft. Actually beginning to make some sense. Thanks again.
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
I'm sorry to be dumb, but I'm new here and don't understand what is meant by "all the OpenTX ones have at least 12 with limitless mixes." I've not bought a radio yet but have been thinking of an 8 channel just for expansion of features etc. Is that the wrong approach?

Let me start off by saying that asking here on what transmitter you should buy is a lot like asking what car you should buy. You'll hear a bunch of opinions on which is best, and brand loyalty. I compare a lot of it to "Ford vs. Chevy" or "Apple Vs. Android" - many of them will do the same exact basic functions, but some have different features or are easier to use than others. That's probably the BIGGEST takeaway from this - FlySky, FrSky, Spektrum, Futaba, Graupner, Tactic, etc. - they all have the same basic functions and will do the same job, in a sense. But sometimes it's worth it to look past the cheapest cost for better quality switches, or gimbals, or more features.

Let me give two examples:

I got a chance to put hands on the Taranis ACCST Q X7 at the AMA Expo West this past weekend, and I was not impressed with the way the sticks moved and with how the switches were laid out. I felt like the gimbals weren't smooth at all, and the outer switches weren't comfortable for me to throw them. For me, it was an ergonomic mess, and for its $100 price tag, it felt cheap. Does that mean it was terrible? No. It might work well for someone who is trying to get by.

In contrast, I also got a chance to look at Spektrum's new ix20. Everything about it felt nice. Controls were smooth as butter, everything felt easily within reach and nothing was difficult to accidentally bump. The gimbals are all magnetic, offering more precise controls, and it just felt much better to handle. It also had some really cool features, like being able to program AS3X from an app, the ability to do some really nice warning sounds and voices for specific events, and see what your plane's battery level was via telemetry. But, the $1400 price tag was enough for me to lose interest, especially when I can't justify using all of those features. Would I recommend it to someone? Yes. BUT (and this is a VERY big and VERY specific but!) they would have to have a need for it. They might need all the telemetry this offers to track their flight down to the nth degree, or need precision control for that $10,000 747 scale replica plane. Is it worth it? Not to the general public. But for those specialized people who need that many channels? Yep, I'd recommend it, because those guys are going to have the cash to drop on it and the need for those specific features.

What it really amounts to is to find a radio that works best for YOUR needs. Here are the things I would suggest you look at:

1) Requirements for what you want to fly in the future. For example, how many channels do you think you'll REASONABLY need? I'm finding I am using 8 channels for my little NewBeeDrone Acrobee TinyWhoop - I have the standard 4 channels for throttle, pitch, yaw, and roll, another channel for arming, another for being able to set the different rates/PID tunes that the board has, another to turn on and off the OSD for when I'm freestyling vs. racing, and one for telemetry, so I can see things like altitude, and that's just for one little quadcopter. I have other planes where I have a separate servo on each channel so I can configure flaps and trim out each aileron individually.

2) Comfort/ergonomics. This is INCREDIBLY important. If you have to stretch to hit a switch, or if holding the transmitter causes your hands to cramp up after a few minutes, it is NOT going to be comfortable to fly with, especially if you're flying something like a glider for an hour or two. Also, if there's a switch that can be easily bumped accidentally while flying, that could be a problem. You don't want to bump another pilot accidentally at the flight line and hit your throttle kill switch. You also don't want to have to really stretch or contort your hands to hit a particular switch.

3) Ease of use. This is sticky with a lot of people, and kinda subjective, but this is how I see it. Is the radio easy for YOU to understand? Can YOU figure out how to program in a plane, or set up different rates easily? If you want to fly say, a Horizon Hobbies Bind N' Fly plane, can you purchase it, bind it to your radio quickly and be flying in a matter of minutes, ore are you going to have to change out the receiver or use a separate module to get it to work? Do you have to do some odd programming setup that you need to watch a YouTube video on your cell phone while out at the field because you can't remember how to do it and the manual was written by a Chinese programmer and was then translated into regular Chinese, then into poor English?

Those are probably the absolute biggest things I say to look for, and it carries through REGARDLESS of which brand you use. I just warn against buying the cheapest radio you can find, because there's a lot of guys who do just that and find out that they want/need something that the transmitter they bought simply doesn't offer, and they need to upgrade 6 months down the road. Do a little research, and don't be afraid to ask questions; there's always a glut of info and opinions out there. :)
 

poor boy 101

Active member
Let me start off by saying that asking here on what transmitter you should buy is a lot like asking what car you should buy. You'll hear a bunch of opinions on which is best, and brand loyalty. I compare a lot of it to "Ford vs. Chevy" or "Apple Vs. Android" - many of them will do the same exact basic functions, but some have different features or are easier to use than others. That's probably the BIGGEST takeaway from this - FlySky, FrSky, Spektrum, Futaba, Graupner, Tactic, etc. - they all have the same basic functions and will do the same job, in a sense. But sometimes it's worth it to look past the cheapest cost for better quality switches, or gimbals, or more features.

Let me give two examples:

I got a chance to put hands on the Taranis ACCST Q X7 at the AMA Expo West this past weekend, and I was not impressed with the way the sticks moved and with how the switches were laid out. I felt like the gimbals weren't smooth at all, and the outer switches weren't comfortable for me to throw them. For me, it was an ergonomic mess, and for its $100 price tag, it felt cheap. Does that mean it was terrible? No. It might work well for someone who is trying to get by.

In contrast, I also got a chance to look at Spektrum's new ix20. Everything about it felt nice. Controls were smooth as butter, everything felt easily within reach and nothing was difficult to accidentally bump. The gimbals are all magnetic, offering more precise controls, and it just felt much better to handle. It also had some really cool features, like being able to program AS3X from an app, the ability to do some really nice warning sounds and voices for specific events, and see what your plane's battery level was via telemetry. But, the $1400 price tag was enough for me to lose interest, especially when I can't justify using all of those features. Would I recommend it to someone? Yes. BUT (and this is a VERY big and VERY specific but!) they would have to have a need for it. They might need all the telemetry this offers to track their flight down to the nth degree, or need precision control for that $10,000 747 scale replica plane. Is it worth it? Not to the general public. But for those specialized people who need that many channels? Yep, I'd recommend it, because those guys are going to have the cash to drop on it and the need for those specific features.

What it really amounts to is to find a radio that works best for YOUR needs. Here are the things I would suggest you look at:

1) Requirements for what you want to fly in the future. For example, how many channels do you think you'll REASONABLY need? I'm finding I am using 8 channels for my little NewBeeDrone Acrobee TinyWhoop - I have the standard 4 channels for throttle, pitch, yaw, and roll, another channel for arming, another for being able to set the different rates/PID tunes that the board has, another to turn on and off the OSD for when I'm freestyling vs. racing, and one for telemetry, so I can see things like altitude, and that's just for one little quadcopter. I have other planes where I have a separate servo on each channel so I can configure flaps and trim out each aileron individually.

2) Comfort/ergonomics. This is INCREDIBLY important. If you have to stretch to hit a switch, or if holding the transmitter causes your hands to cramp up after a few minutes, it is NOT going to be comfortable to fly with, especially if you're flying something like a glider for an hour or two. Also, if there's a switch that can be easily bumped accidentally while flying, that could be a problem. You don't want to bump another pilot accidentally at the flight line and hit your throttle kill switch. You also don't want to have to really stretch or contort your hands to hit a particular switch.

3) Ease of use. This is sticky with a lot of people, and kinda subjective, but this is how I see it. Is the radio easy for YOU to understand? Can YOU figure out how to program in a plane, or set up different rates easily? If you want to fly say, a Horizon Hobbies Bind N' Fly plane, can you purchase it, bind it to your radio quickly and be flying in a matter of minutes, ore are you going to have to change out the receiver or use a separate module to get it to work? Do you have to do some odd programming setup that you need to watch a YouTube video on your cell phone while out at the field because you can't remember how to do it and the manual was written by a Chinese programmer and was then translated into regular Chinese, then into poor English?

Those are probably the absolute biggest things I say to look for, and it carries through REGARDLESS of which brand you use. I just warn against buying the cheapest radio you can find, because there's a lot of guys who do just that and find out that they want/need something that the transmitter they bought simply doesn't offer, and they need to upgrade 6 months down the road. Do a little research, and don't be afraid to ask questions; there's always a glut of info and opinions out there. :)
What radio do you usually fly? You might have stated it previous thread but I ether don't remember it or didn't see it.
 

Bricks

Master member
Let me start off by saying that asking here on what transmitter you should buy is a lot like asking what car you should buy. You'll hear a bunch of opinions on which is best, and brand loyalty. I compare a lot of it to "Ford vs. Chevy" or "Apple Vs. Android" - many of them will do the same exact basic functions, but some have different features or are easier to use than others. That's probably the BIGGEST takeaway from this - FlySky, FrSky, Spektrum, Futaba, Graupner, Tactic, etc. - they all have the same basic functions and will do the same job, in a sense. But sometimes it's worth it to look past the cheapest cost for better quality switches, or gimbals, or more features.

Let me give two examples:

I got a chance to put hands on the Taranis ACCST Q X7 at the AMA Expo West this past weekend, and I was not impressed with the way the sticks moved and with how the switches were laid out. I felt like the gimbals weren't smooth at all, and the outer switches weren't comfortable for me to throw them. For me, it was an ergonomic mess, and for its $100 price tag, it felt cheap. Does that mean it was terrible? No. It might work well for someone who is trying to get by.

In contrast, I also got a chance to look at Spektrum's new ix20. Everything about it felt nice. Controls were smooth as butter, everything felt easily within reach and nothing was difficult to accidentally bump. The gimbals are all magnetic, offering more precise controls, and it just felt much better to handle. It also had some really cool features, like being able to program AS3X from an app, the ability to do some really nice warning sounds and voices for specific events, and see what your plane's battery level was via telemetry. But, the $1400 price tag was enough for me to lose interest, especially when I can't justify using all of those features. Would I recommend it to someone? Yes. BUT (and this is a VERY big and VERY specific but!) they would have to have a need for it. They might need all the telemetry this offers to track their flight down to the nth degree, or need precision control for that $10,000 747 scale replica plane. Is it worth it? Not to the general public. But for those specialized people who need that many channels? Yep, I'd recommend it, because those guys are going to have the cash to drop on it and the need for those specific features.

What it really amounts to is to find a radio that works best for YOUR needs. Here are the things I would suggest you look at:

1) Requirements for what you want to fly in the future. For example, how many channels do you think you'll REASONABLY need? I'm finding I am using 8 channels for my little NewBeeDrone Acrobee TinyWhoop - I have the standard 4 channels for throttle, pitch, yaw, and roll, another channel for arming, another for being able to set the different rates/PID tunes that the board has, another to turn on and off the OSD for when I'm freestyling vs. racing, and one for telemetry, so I can see things like altitude, and that's just for one little quadcopter. I have other planes where I have a separate servo on each channel so I can configure flaps and trim out each aileron individually.

2) Comfort/ergonomics. This is INCREDIBLY important. If you have to stretch to hit a switch, or if holding the transmitter causes your hands to cramp up after a few minutes, it is NOT going to be comfortable to fly with, especially if you're flying something like a glider for an hour or two. Also, if there's a switch that can be easily bumped accidentally while flying, that could be a problem. You don't want to bump another pilot accidentally at the flight line and hit your throttle kill switch. You also don't want to have to really stretch or contort your hands to hit a particular switch.

3) Ease of use. This is sticky with a lot of people, and kinda subjective, but this is how I see it. Is the radio easy for YOU to understand? Can YOU figure out how to program in a plane, or set up different rates easily? If you want to fly say, a Horizon Hobbies Bind N' Fly plane, can you purchase it, bind it to your radio quickly and be flying in a matter of minutes, ore are you going to have to change out the receiver or use a separate module to get it to work? Do you have to do some odd programming setup that you need to watch a YouTube video on your cell phone while out at the field because you can't remember how to do it and the manual was written by a Chinese programmer and was then translated into regular Chinese, then into poor English?

Those are probably the absolute biggest things I say to look for, and it carries through REGARDLESS of which brand you use. I just warn against buying the cheapest radio you can find, because there's a lot of guys who do just that and find out that they want/need something that the transmitter they bought simply doesn't offer, and they need to upgrade 6 months down the road. Do a little research, and don't be afraid to ask questions; there's always a glut of info and opinions out there. :)

Very nicely done ^^^^^

Me personally went with Spektrum being older and not as techy as many on here I tried a Taranis X9D and after a month I just could not get my head wrapped around open Transmitter programing and sold it. Stayed with Spektrum and the DX series radio will do anything an OT transmitter can and easier except open more channels then the radio was intended for. Service from Spektrum is way above excellent at least for me and they are continually coming out with new updates that are free and enhance there radios even more. There are more companies making after market receivers for Spektrum that are very reliable there must be something to Spektrum as they are the most copied out there.

Which ever radio you decide on it will get the job done just how much do you want to put into it learning how to use it.