Transmitter Recommendation

[Andyemory]

Hi,

Looking for a recommendation for a transmitter. I’m looking to get back into RC flying and want to bring my kids along. I would love to get a great set up for 2 transmitters for beginner planes with easy buddy boxing capability.

Based on what I’ve found through searches, it looks like something from the Spektrum lineup would be the simplest/easiest. Is that a good route? Any other suggestions? We’ll just be doing 3 and 4 channels and need the buddy box feature.

Thanks!

 

[Ketchup]

Hi,

Looking for a recommendation for a transmitter. I’m looking to get back into RC flying and want to bring my kids along. I would love to get a great set up for 2 transmitters for beginner planes with easy buddy boxing capability.

Based on what I’ve found through searches, it looks like something from the Spektrum lineup would be the simplest/easiest. Is that a good route? Any other suggestions? We’ll just be doing 3 and 4 channels and need the buddy box feature.

Thanks!

Well I don’t think I have enough knowledge here to give an exact recommendation, but I can give you advice on brands. First off, for a transmitter with a lower amount of channels (below 6) I wouldn’t go with spektrum. Their “entry level” offerings just lack the features that would normally come with a tx at that price. Also, while it is normally good to put in a low investment to see if you will really enjoy the hobby, it looks like you have already been in the hobby before and might be staying, so why stop at 4 channels? A transmitter with 6-8 channels can allow you and your kids to grow their skills and start flying more advanced planes without needing a new transmitter. Brands like Jumper and Radiomaster sell 16 channel multi protocol tx’s for less than the price of some lower end spektrums, so that is a good option. I have heard of reliability issues with them, but I do believe that those were just the early models and that now they are fixed and pretty much as reliable as anything else. Then there is the flysky FS-i6x, which is a very good tx, and possibly one of the best options for a beginner. It is cheap but has good features and I haven’t heard of it being any less reliable than a spektrum.
Now what I have just told you is pretty much just a small taste of all the info there is on different brands and transmitters. There’s a good thread here on the forums with a lot more info, so I will find that and post a link.

 

[Ketchup]

Finally found the thread
https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/which-transmitter-you-should-buy.37966/

 

[The Hangar]

Hi,

Looking for a recommendation for a transmitter. I’m looking to get back into RC flying and want to bring my kids along. I would love to get a great set up for 2 transmitters for beginner planes with easy buddy boxing capability.

Based on what I’ve found through searches, it looks like something from the Spektrum lineup would be the simplest/easiest. Is that a good route? Any other suggestions? We’ll just be doing 3 and 4 channels and need the buddy box feature.

Thanks!

If your budget allows, spektrum is the route to go IMO. However I would stay away from the DXE and DXS transmitters however as they are limited in capabilities. I would personally get the dx6e, but you don't have a wired trainer port so you'll have to buddy box with another wireless buddy-box capable transmitter. If you get a dx6 (G2 or G3) you can do a wired buddy box with a dx6i (or with a wireless buddy-box transmitter), which can be found on ebay for under $100. I have one, and while I don't like it near as much as my dx6 or dx-7 it is still a very good transmitter. You could also get two dx6i's on ebay, which would be the best bang for your buck probably.

 

[Bricks]

Buddy boxing wirelessly is the best and easiest as least to me versus screwing around with wires between transmitters. I have both Spektrum and RadioMaster TX16s for a newbie Spektrum is very easy to set up and OTx ( Open Transmitter the software the transmitter uses ) which many of the other brands use such as the RadioMaster TX16s can be a challenge to learn.

i would check with a local RC club and see what most are using for transmitters this way if you get in a bind you will have someone local to help out. This is the exact problem I am running into trying out the Radiomaster TXs there is only one person at my field that uses Open Transmitter and he knows less then I do, so it can get very frustrating.

If it would work and finances allow I would choose Spektrum for the ease of use and setup. The perfect set up would be two Spectrum DX6`s wireless buddy boxing and easy model setup.

 

[JManAZ]

/\ /\ /\
This is great advice. I got myself invited to a local club as a guest. Spent time with a really fine instructor.
First thing he mentioned? "DON'T BUY ANYTHING" They had a trainer plane and a couple Tx's set up
for Buddy Box operation. Smart process on their part. Turns out a high percentage of students...quit.
Just not their cup tea or struggled learning. Well, after several flight packs and a lot of "ground school' chat
I was completely hooked. Got home that evening and joined the AMA, that club and got a lot of training
with a great instructor. It's been a few years now but that experience made the hobby for me.

 

[Hvon11]

I recommend the Spektrum DX6. Good all around xmtr with lots of programmable features and does buddy/trainer link wired or wireless. Check it out. https://store.flitetest.com/spektru...adio-system-transmitter-only-spmr6750/p485283

 

[Andyemory]

Well I don’t think I have enough knowledge here to give an exact recommendation, but I can give you advice on brands. First off, for a transmitter with a lower amount of channels (below 6) I wouldn’t go with spektrum. Their “entry level” offerings just lack the features that would normally come with a tx at that price. Also, while it is normally good to put in a low investment to see if you will really enjoy the hobby, it looks like you have already been in the hobby before and might be staying, so why stop at 4 channels? A transmitter with 6-8 channels can allow you and your kids to grow their skills and start flying more advanced planes without needing a new transmitter. Brands like Jumper and Radiomaster sell 16 channel multi protocol tx’s for less than the price of some lower end spektrums, so that is a good option. I have heard of reliability issues with them, but I do believe that those were just the early models and that now they are fixed and pretty much as reliable as anything else. Then there is the flysky FS-i6x, which is a very good tx, and possibly one of the best options for a beginner. It is cheap but has good features and I haven’t heard of it being any less reliable than a spektrum.
Now what I have just told you is pretty much just a small taste of all the info there is on different brands and transmitters. There’s a good thread here on the forums with a lot more info, so I will find that and post a link.

Thank you!

 

[Andyemory]

If your budget allows, spektrum is the route to go IMO. However I would stay away from the DXE and DXS transmitters however as they are limited in capabilities. I would personally get the dx6e, but you don't have a wired trainer port so you'll have to buddy box with another wireless buddy-box capable transmitter. If you get a dx6 (G2 or G3) you can do a wired buddy box with a dx6i (or with a wireless buddy-box transmitter), which can be found on ebay for under $100. I have one, and while I don't like it near as much as my dx6 or dx-7 it is still a very good transmitter. You could also get two dx6i's on ebay, which would be the best bang for your buck probably.

Sweet, thanks for the ideas.

 

[Andyemory]

Buddy boxing wirelessly is the best and easiest as least to me versus screwing around with wires between transmitters. I have both Spektrum and RadioMaster TX16s for a newbie Spektrum is very easy to set up and OTx ( Open Transmitter the software the transmitter uses ) which many of the other brands use such as the RadioMaster TX16s can be a challenge to learn.

i would check with a local RC club and see what most are using for transmitters this way if you get in a bind you will have someone local to help out. This is the exact problem I am running into trying out the Radiomaster TXs there is only one person at my field that uses Open Transmitter and he knows less then I do, so it can get very frustrating.

If it would work and finances allow I would choose Spektrum for the ease of use and setup. The perfect set up would be two Spectrum DX6`s wireless buddy boxing and easy model setup.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Andyemory]

/\ /\ /\
This is great advice. I got myself invited to a local club as a guest. Spent time with a really fine instructor.
First thing he mentioned? "DON'T BUY ANYTHING" They had a trainer plane and a couple Tx's set up
for Buddy Box operation. Smart process on their part. Turns out a high percentage of students...quit.
Just not their cup tea or struggled learning. Well, after several flight packs and a lot of "ground school' chat
I was completely hooked. Got home that evening and joined the AMA, that club and got a lot of training
with a great instructor. It's been a few years now but that experience made the hobby for me.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'll see if we have a local club that could be a good resource.

 

[Andyemory]

I recommend the Spektrum DX6. Good all around xmtr with lots of programmable features and does buddy/trainer link wired or wireless. Check it out. https://store.flitetest.com/spektru...adio-system-transmitter-only-spmr6750/p485283

Cool, thanks.

 

[sprzout]

Buddy boxing wirelessly is the best and easiest as least to me versus screwing around with wires between transmitters. I have both Spektrum and RadioMaster TX16s for a newbie Spektrum is very easy to set up and OTx ( Open Transmitter the software the transmitter uses ) which many of the other brands use such as the RadioMaster TX16s can be a challenge to learn.

i would check with a local RC club and see what most are using for transmitters this way if you get in a bind you will have someone local to help out. This is the exact problem I am running into trying out the Radiomaster TXs there is only one person at my field that uses Open Transmitter and he knows less then I do, so it can get very frustrating.

If it would work and finances allow I would choose Spektrum for the ease of use and setup. The perfect set up would be two Spectrum DX6`s wireless buddy boxing and easy model setup.

This. Wholeheartedly this.

There are a few things I would recommend when looking at transmitters, regardless of brands:

1) Ergonomics. I've played with the X-Lite transmitter, which resembles a video game controller. I personally HATED it because it felt small in my hands. For a kid, might be great, but apparently i have catcher's mitts for hands and the transmitter felt awkward, especially when flipping the throttle kill switch or the rates switch. I felt the same way when perusing the Spektrum IX20, which was huge. And I had an old Hitec radio that was a 72mhz radio that had the WORST trainer switch I've ever seen - long throw, spring loaded with a heavy spring to hold it into the "student" position, so that after about 30 seconds, your hands were aching in the position you needed to hold the transmitter AND be ready to jump on the sticks to take control. I don't care which brand of transmitter you go with, make sure it feels good in your hands before you take it home, especially if you start trying to flip switches while your hands are on the sticks. If it's not comfortable, you're going to hate flying with it.

2) What does everyone else you fly with use? As Bricks mentioned, if you go out flying with your Radiomaster TXS but everyone else is using Spektrum, or Futaba, or Graupner, who can you turn to if you need help programming the radio? YouTube and online manuals can only go so far. I'm not saying you can't use a different radio, but you'll be on your own trying to figure it out, whereas you can likely ask others for help if it's something they're familiar with.

3) Make sure you pick something that's easy to get receivers for. My father started out flying RC a few years ago with a Tactic transmitter. This seemed like a good idea, right up until he went to the local hobby shops trying to purchase spare receivers for his radio. Turns out none of them had spare receivers because everyone in the area had Spektrum or FrSky radios. He found that he could order them online, but it was from obscure hobby shops and turnaround times were 2-3 weeks before they could get them out to him. When the one plane he had the Tactic connected to crashed, he decided to switch over to an Apprentice and go with Spektrum. This was a better decision overall because of the support he had from his club members, as well as the ease he had with walking in to any of the several local hobby shops in the area to pick up a Spektrum receiver. There's something to be said for availability...

 

[Homey]

Personal preference, of course, but multi- protocol is the way to go imo.
Any questions, YouTube is always my friend.

Peter

 

[Andyemory]

Thank you all for your input. I supposed I should have included some more details with my initial post. Just in case this information changes any of your recommendations, here is some extra info:

1) I did a little googling and couldn’t find a local club. We have some open land by us and I was just planing on flying there anyway. I wasn’t really anticipating joining a club at this point, so I’m not sure interfacing with other club members is as big of a consideration.

2) The kids I plan on flying with are 9, 7, and 5. So I think a pair of transmitters that would handle the wireless buddy boxing with 1 nicer transmitter (for me) and 1 more basic transmitter (for the kids) would be great.

3) I’d like to start with some Flite Test build kits to get the kids involved from the very beginning of the process. So we will probably only be flying the smaller FT models and maybe some compatible park flyers.

4) If the kids are really into it and we progress to bigger/more complicated models, I don’t mind upgrading in the future, so I don’t feel compelled to buy more than I need now necessarily at this point. So even a pair of more basic transmitters would be fine too. It a wireless training link I think is a must.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[nymtber]

Flysky FS-i6x is a good cheap option that has good range and easy to find and cheap receivers (online, of course).

They can be buddy boxed, check out Youtube for many videos on them, they are well liked by many beginners. Not the best, but at least offer on-screen programming! I like mine, enough channels, options, and switches for some time, and has a 20 model memory. Seems to hold memory/bind settings just fine, too.