Hello, quick background. I've been in and out of RC for 30 years. Long ago I did cars and some planes, more recently more cars, and some heli action. I'm back in messing with multirotors now, but I have an yearning to pick up an electric plane or two as well, particularly since certain trainer models can be had so cheaply, and may be enticing for my nearly teenage son to fly.
Currently I'm flying a Blade Nano QX as a training unit for a much larger platform that will be used for filming. That rig will likely have a remotely controlled gimbal with a separate radio unit for the cinematographer, so that's not being a huge consideration at this point in my radio search, but keep in mind I will be building/flying a heavy lift octo on this transmitter eventually. For now, I've arrived at a point where I realize how stunningly bad the RTF radio with the Nano is, and I want something I can bind that to in order to keep progressing in my flying of that to the point where I build the other two multis I'm looking towards.
So, I need enough channels to run a good sized multi rotor (6 will do it, 9 might be ideal for the smaller multi that I want a GoPro on, think gimbal control?) and I need it to bind to Spektrum stuff. I've come up with 3 options, and I'm looking for advice regarding those options, or perhaps something fantastic that I've overlooked.
The middle of the road: Spektrum DX6i. For $129 I can get one with a receiver right now. Upside (uncertain?): It's a known quantity, I think. I had a DX7 with my last heli rig (I don't have it anymore) and it was a quality unit. Can I count on the same quality? Downside: minimum number of channels for long term use.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/product...transmitter-with-free-ar610-receiver-spmr6630
The cheap way:Turnigy 9XR, Orange TX module, 3s battery $94 - Upside, enough channels to do everything I can think of long term. Downside: This radio, brand, etc is a complete unknown for me in terms of usability and reliability.
The expensive way: FrSky Taranis 16 channel: $175 Upside: What the heck do you do with that many channels? Downside: Unknown in terms of quality, usability and reliability. And what the heck do you do with that many channels? And will it bind to the Specktrum stuff? I have more questions than answers about this radio, but I constantly see it mentioned on these forums as I'm reading through, so it's on the radar.
First: Have I missed anything I should REALLY be considering in terms of bang for the buck?
Second: If I haven't missed anything, where's the smart money go for my situation?
Thanks in advance for all the help.
Currently I'm flying a Blade Nano QX as a training unit for a much larger platform that will be used for filming. That rig will likely have a remotely controlled gimbal with a separate radio unit for the cinematographer, so that's not being a huge consideration at this point in my radio search, but keep in mind I will be building/flying a heavy lift octo on this transmitter eventually. For now, I've arrived at a point where I realize how stunningly bad the RTF radio with the Nano is, and I want something I can bind that to in order to keep progressing in my flying of that to the point where I build the other two multis I'm looking towards.
So, I need enough channels to run a good sized multi rotor (6 will do it, 9 might be ideal for the smaller multi that I want a GoPro on, think gimbal control?) and I need it to bind to Spektrum stuff. I've come up with 3 options, and I'm looking for advice regarding those options, or perhaps something fantastic that I've overlooked.
The middle of the road: Spektrum DX6i. For $129 I can get one with a receiver right now. Upside (uncertain?): It's a known quantity, I think. I had a DX7 with my last heli rig (I don't have it anymore) and it was a quality unit. Can I count on the same quality? Downside: minimum number of channels for long term use.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/product...transmitter-with-free-ar610-receiver-spmr6630
The cheap way:Turnigy 9XR, Orange TX module, 3s battery $94 - Upside, enough channels to do everything I can think of long term. Downside: This radio, brand, etc is a complete unknown for me in terms of usability and reliability.
The expensive way: FrSky Taranis 16 channel: $175 Upside: What the heck do you do with that many channels? Downside: Unknown in terms of quality, usability and reliability. And what the heck do you do with that many channels? And will it bind to the Specktrum stuff? I have more questions than answers about this radio, but I constantly see it mentioned on these forums as I'm reading through, so it's on the radar.
First: Have I missed anything I should REALLY be considering in terms of bang for the buck?
Second: If I haven't missed anything, where's the smart money go for my situation?
Thanks in advance for all the help.