What Transmitter to pick up as my first one

Parfox

New member
I called the biggest RC provider in my country and asked them what transmitter they would recommend and they told me to get the DX8e.
Now I just wanted to get a independent opinion regarding this. I have access to Radiomaster, FrSky, Futaba and Spektrum. I want to get into foam planes but also have some gliderish planes.
 

Flying Monkey fab

Elite member
How tech savvy are you? If you answered quite, I'd suggest the Radio Master Tx16s, far more radio for the money, you can bind all the common receivers, lots of room to grow.
Only down side I see to it as a first transmitter is the steep learning curve.
But yeah, Spectrum makes a good radio and the dx8e should be fine if that is what you want.
 

luvmy40

Elite member
Maybe a stupid question: The Radiomaster Tx16 says multy protocol and FT store lists FRSky D8, and Spektrum DSMX as the protocols. Will it work with the FlySky IBUS or AFHDS 2A receivers?
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
+1 on the Raido Master, steep learning curve but it works with all the major brands of receivers.

All the hobby transmitters work equally well. The differences are personal preference. Like with cars, all of them will get you from point A to B, yet some prefer one brand to another.

Be sure to look at the cost of the receiver, you will end up buying several of them. One for each plane.
 
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Flite Risk

Well-known member
Maybe a stupid question: The Radiomaster Tx16 says multy protocol and FT store lists FRSky D8, and Spektrum DSMX as the protocols. Will it work with the FlySky IBUS or AFHDS 2A receivers?
not sure about AFHDS & IBUS but then again personally I've never tried/looked for them or tried. but yes to DSM & DS2, lemon & orange guapner, wltoys
 

Flying Monkey fab

Elite member
Maybe a stupid question: The Radiomaster Tx16 says multy protocol and FT store lists FRSky D8, and Spektrum DSMX as the protocols. Will it work with the FlySky IBUS or AFHDS 2A receivers?
Im not familiar with these specificly but it certainly should. There are dozens of subtypes under each type. As long as FrSky didn’t jump to another band they’ll work.
 

Flite Risk

Well-known member
If you ever plan on flying at flite Fest or at an event where there are, many planes in the air at once, I think the general consensus is that FR sky / open Tx does much better than
Spectrum handling many people in the air and high bandwidth events.

The beauty of the radiomaster tx16s is being able to have multiple planes on multiple frequencies and testing for yourself
 

dap35

Elite member
Maybe a stupid question: The Radiomaster Tx16 says multy protocol and FT store lists FRSky D8, and Spektrum DSMX as the protocols. Will it work with the FlySky IBUS or AFHDS 2A receivers?
FRSky D8 is a pretty old protocol. The current Tandem system will talk back to ACCESST D16, ACCESS (newer), as well as their current Tandem dual band RX (2.4Ghz + 900Mhz). They are pretty affordable and the RX's are a good value - a stabilized 6 channel RX is about 45$.
Also, the Ethos operating system has many of the strengths of OpenTX, but IMO has a bigger focus on ease of use.
 

CappyAmeric

Elite member
RadioMaster TX16S, hands down. You may need a little help programming your first model, but after that it is so much more simple that Spektrum’s labyrinth of menus etc. Every model you setup thereafter, you will be able to do in seconds, whereas repetitive tasks in Spektrum cannot be automatted.

I ditched my Spektrum ix12 for the TX16s. The ix12 takes nearly 5 minutes to boot up, and several minutes to switch models. It can only do Spektrum receivers. The TX16s boots in 5 seconds, can do anything the ix12 can do and more, and supports dozens of receivers.

The TX16s also can be fully accessed on a PC or Mac with a free app, not just for backups like Spektrum.

Lastly, Spektrum transmitters are far more expensive than comparable RadioMaster.
 

Hondo76251

Legendary member
I'm a spektrum guy myself.

Started with the, "buy once, cry once." Theory and I've not been disappointed.

That said, I wouldn't recommend the Dxe. Its a pain to have to program your transmitter via an app on your phone. Other than that, I've liked all my spectrum gear.
 

L Edge

Master member
I called the biggest RC provider in my country and asked them what transmitter they would recommend and they told me to get the DX8e.
Now I just wanted to get a independent opinion regarding this. I have access to Radiomaster, FrSky, Futaba and Spektrum. I want to get into foam planes but also have some gliderish planes.

You mentioned gliderish planes.
Are you interested in being able to set up not only a camber system and using butterfly or crow braking? How about mixes for each of the flight modes?

So be sure your get a radio with enough channels to do all(planes, gliders, even helis) that offers screens to due your mixes.
Programing mixes is a pain. So find out what radio is best for you by downloading the manual at their site and do your research.
 

FlyingMonkey

Bought Another Trailer
Staff member
Admin
Another vote for the TX16.

Make sure to get the multi protocol one, and not the ELRS version. The TX16 has a module bay, so you can always add Crossfire, ELRS, etc after if you want.

It's a radio that you can grow with. And there's plenty of support for it online and as more people switch over, there will be more support at the field as well.
 

JasonK

Participation Award Recipient
I would say TX16S for a full sized radio or something like the Zorro if you want a controller sized TX (either way get the 4 in 1, both have module bays)
 
Hopefully i'm not hijacking this thread too much...
If I were looking at my first transmitter that i wanted to be able to hardwire into my pc to run the real flight simulator (till I save up for the wireless dongle)... for those of you who might be RadioMaster fans, would the TX16S or the soon to be released Boxer be a better start? I've watched a lot of videos, but some of the terminology is still evading my understanding.

Things to consider...
- Price: $140 vs $200 (plus batteries)
- Weight: 532.5g vs 700g (I've got kids that want to fly planes... with the youngest I'm willing to let try being 6yrs old)

Also, since I'm in the states, I'm assuming I should go with the 4-in-1 and the FCC model... correct?