Yellowirenut wrote:Hello all,
I am very new to this hobby, i have crashed a few cheep park fliers from large chain stores but looking at getting deeper in to it.
(also hello sid)
I was curious about a nice radio to start out on.
I have read some things about the Turnigy and was wondering if the mods are necessary fro a beginner? I have talked to a few at my local club and they seemed to poo on the Turnigy noting software and communication issues. Have those items been fixed with the new version?
I don't see the need to start out with a $400 transmitter if a $60 will fit my needs of crashing and learning the art of repair
Haha, hi mate!
Go easy on him guys, he's sometimes the world's worst speller but a great guy (we are mates on another forum).
OK, I'll start off and no doubt Bruce will have better and wiser things to say.
Out of the box the Turnigy 9x is...
1. A bit of a gamble sometimes, because the quality control department are all dead (or worse, undead). Despite this, most transmitters still work OK...and bear in mind, it costs less than a night out on the booze.
2. The little box at the back, that is the actual radio transmitter module (together with the receiver in your plane that it talks to) is OK, but lacks some important features. So, you change that little box for a surprisingly inexpensive, but far better one from FrSky, who's system is not only damn cheap, but works as well, or better, than any system on the market today, regardless of price.
3. The battery pack in the transmitter sucks. It has to be replaced. It's easy to do.
4. The software, aka, the operating system, or "firmware" supplied is cheesy and beeps at you. Because it's open source however (like Linux) its kinda easy to load a better one that changes the transmitter from a cheap, sometimes annoying and buggy box, into something that craps over name brand transmitters costing many hundreds of dollars more. Also, you can program it on your computer instead of the transmitter. Think going from DOS to Windows 7.
5. People who have paid a lot for their gear can get defensive about others who get a better transmitter system for hundreds less by taking a small risk and being smart. Then again, the same people got a proper guarantee, and hopefully better components on their more expensive stuff. The 9x is a $60 radio for a reason.
What goes up...better bloody stay up (until I say otherwise).