RC Model Reviews

Hi guys, first post and all that.

I'm getting back into r/c planes after a break of thirty years or so. Needless to say things have come a long way since my old 2 channel Futaba 27Mhz box (which I still have).

I'm fairly tech savvy, but the contradictory information and opinions I've been reading about popular transmitters is doing my head in. I had pretty much settled on getting the soon to be out Spektrum DX7s, or maybe even the DX8 (having been warned off the DX6i by several people at the club..."built to a price, crummy battery set up" etc etc).

Anyhoo, just want to see if I'm getting things straight. One review I read just recently had the writer binning his DX8 as unsafe and selling his other Spektrum gear. Follow the link if you are unfamiliar with this guy and his review; it's pretty damning, especially for gear that is so popular...makes me think he's either real unlucky or has an axe to grind.

http://z8rc.blogspot.com/2010/09/dx8-review.html

So now I'm thinking along the lines of the Hitec Aurora 9, especially with it's more intuitive menu system, touch screen and seemingly better features than the DX8. JR and Futaba just seem overpriced to me and that's without the receivers.

Btw, I'm starting off again with a simple Clark Y winged .40 glow trainer (a venerable Global Right Flyer ARF), before I get into scale, gliders and especially FPV stuff (which I dreamed of as a kid and now the future is here).

Cheers.

Welcome, and all that ...

The old DX7 is fine but the new DX7s is so much like the DX8 that one wonders if it has inherited it's problems.
It's a gamble.

Well right now, the DX8 and the A9 are sitting on my review bench being prodded and probed.

Stay tuned and the comparison review will be up on the weekend!

Thanks Kozmyk. This forum surely seems like a place to get decent advice. I've also enjoyed reading and watching the TCMT reviews and explanations.

Also, my timing seems to be fortuitous. Good on ya Bruce! I look forward to seeing what you have to say about the relative merits of the DX8 and A9. Much appreciate your good work.

BTW, just as an aside. When I first stumbled on your website I thought you were an American for some strange reason (I'm an Aussie) but two seconds on YouTube and I was chuffed to hear you were in fact a Kiwi.

I'm actually an expat-Aussie. Been here for nearly 40 years though - hence the Kuywuy accent

Even better. I'm a Tasmanian, so although the accent is Aussie, I keep getting an echo. (State motto: Two heads are better than one

Bruce, I'm looking forward to the shootout/review between these two radios. However, even now, I'm pretty sure I know which way I will go if I decide to get one. In the meantime, my modified 9x radios will have to do, and a fine job they do too.

Regards

Christian

Don't underestimate the 9X. As I've said before, I have a JR9XII (9303), a Hitec Eclipse 7, an Optic 6 and the A9 that I have for review purposes. Guess which one gets flown 99% of the time?

The $60 FlySky/Turnigy 9X. It's been working just fine for over 3 years and, apart from some of the FPV stuff and craft (like the jetpack) which need some pretty advanced mixing, the 9X does just fine. There are gas-planes flying in our club with the 9X/FrSky combo and I've flown pulsejet models at ridiculous speeds with it.

RCModelReviews wrote:I'm actually an expat-Aussie. Been here for nearly 40 years though - hence the Kuywuy accent

Would never have guessed it

Interesting about the 9x Bruce. If it's legal here under MAAA rules I might just get one for now to use at my club's field and reuse it for FPV head tracking when (if???) I get a name brand Transmitter. Has to have an Aussie C tick though for insurance purposes; not sure if they do. Any thoughts?

This is from the MAAA list of approved systems. As you can see there are two technologies listed under Frsky. I assume the 9x type transmitters are the ACCST ones? Not really sure tbh.


Frsky V8 ACCST 2.4 GHz and
V8 compatible systems


Frsky TF Series receivers
(compatible with Futaba
FASST Technology)