Spectrum 6i the only option??

Gavin Newcombe

Junior Member
Hi all

Is the Spectrum 6i the only option for the Serious beginner? I live in the Uk and I can get it transmitter only for £79.99 at the current exchange rate that $128.66 is this a good price? Also is there anything thats a bit cheaper that will see me up to 4 channel aircraft? The reason I ask is that Im great at picking up hobbies for about 6 months and then dropping them. But I want something that will be easy to use and see me though to 4 channel.

Cheers

Gavin
 

RoyBro

Senior Member
Mentor
There's a big fan base here for the Turnigy 9x & 9xr and Frsky Taranis. The key feature for me with these radios is their upgradeability. The Turnigy radios end up being around $100 USD and the Taranis around $200 USD. Also the 9x requires some diy mods to be upgraded, but nothing too serious.

They may even carry them at the hobbyking UK warehouse.
 

rcspaceflight

creator of virtual planes
If you're looking to order through Hobby King, their Orange Tx is supposed to be pretty good at a really good price. I doubt it's in their UK warehouse, and their global/international warehouse can be a headache.

Hobby King probably has their Hobby King brand Tx in the UK warehouse and it's far cheaper. But, the six channel version has to be hooked up to a computer to make any changes to it and that gets really old after a while. The four channel version has no mixing what's so ever. If you are looking to save money now, and you really think that you won't stick with this hobby, that might be the way to go because it's only $25. You can't fly wings or anything with "delta" or "elevon" or "v-tail" mixing. But for basic planes the 4 channel Hobby King Tx is good enough.

So, if you want to go as cheap as possible, the Hobby King brand Tx will work fine. However, with either the 6ch or the 4ch version, you will out grow them and that would eventually make buying them a waste of money. The 6ch requires a separate USB cable to program it, the 4ch doesn't need such a cable.

But be careful with Hobby King. Shipping can cost A LOT from the global warehouse and it's a horrible, horrible idea to order batteries from the global warehouse (due to restrictions on how many LiPos can be on a commercial aircraft). The shipping cost can make Hobby King's items not any cheaper than a local hobby shop. And their Tx is not as good as your local Spectrum 6i.
 

rcspaceflight

creator of virtual planes
I just thought of something else that is worth considering.

The Hobby King Txs can't be hooked up to a Sim. A good simulator is actually the cheapest way to get into this hobby. The price of the sim and better Tx is worth it for all of the planes, props, and other parts you save by knowing better what you're doing when you first fly.

It's very easy to get frustrated with this hobby and give up too quickly. A good sim can take some of the frustration out and you can fly it at any time. Day or night, good or bad weather. Sims work.

Crashes are always going to be a part of this hobby. But a good sim helps to avoid quite a few of them.
 

rockets4kids

Senior Member
Hobby King does sell a device that connects to your RX's servo ports and makes it appear as a typical gaming joystick. In theory, this will allow you to use any TX with any sim that can use a joystick for control. It is pretty cheap, under $10 IIRC.
 

rcspaceflight

creator of virtual planes
Hobby King does sell a device that connects to your RX's servo ports and makes it appear as a typical gaming joystick. In theory, this will allow you to use any TX with any sim that can use a joystick for control. It is pretty cheap, under $10 IIRC.

Can I get a link to that? I might be interested in such a device. It would be nice to use a Tx as a controller with Microsoft Flight Sim X. Then I would be using stuff I already have instead of buying a new Tx and a new Sim.