TX for Gliders - FrSky X9D+ 2019, Radiomaster TX16S?

[DeepSky22]

Hello all,

For a few months I've been getting into the RC Gliders world, and I started with entry level equipment before really committing to the hobby. I currently have a FlySky i6x transmitter, flying a Multiplex Easyglider 4, and I'm loving this hobby

Now that I'm more confident on my flying, I decided its time to upgrade my setup, starting from the Transmitter. Although most folks in my club use Futaba or Jeti, I wanted to try something different, also to stay on my tighter budget.

My current idea is going for a FrSky X9D Plus 2019 SE. Overall it seems to be reliable and quite complete for the needs of a Glider, with a fair price, and it also also seems to offer good options in terms of telemetry.
What is the general view of the X9D+ 2019 for gliders? Would you say it is a good choice for thermal soaring?

I also saw that there are a few Multiprotocol competitors coming to the market with really good prices, especially the Radiomaster TX16S, but I am wondering if it can be trusted for sailplanes. How reliable would it be, especially in terms of range and signal?

As a note: my next plane will likely be a Multiplex Heron, and I am thinking of then building an electric F5J with 6 flap surfaces wings. I'm based in Europe and will mainly fly electric gliders for thermal soaring. I don't mind the learning curve for openTX, I generally enjoy learning these things.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Merv]

In my experience ALL of the hobby brands have excellent range. There are counterfeit receivers that suffer range issues. Other range issues are associated with damaged equipment (especially antennas), improper installation or local conditions.

The range of properly installed, working equipment used in an area free from interference, is well beyond controllable line of sight. With FPV, I have flown my stock FlySky equipment well over 1.5 miles away.

 

[LitterBug]

Are you planning on doing FPV and longer distances, or just Line Of Sight? Are you running any flight controller and/or doing any autonomous flying? I have the "previous generation" X9D+ and R9 gear. A little ticked that FrSky made all my "new" R9 gear obsolete, but that is another story for another thread and won't happen if you are starting with the 2019 and OTA modules. The R9 gear has worked great for me with the FPV flying I do around our field. I don't go out super long range, but have never had any issues pushing through trees even I drop behind a line of trees. That was more my goal than going miles away. R9 would probably be overkill if you are flying Line of sight but would give you plenty of room to grow.

Cheers!
LitterBug