Radio Gear (Tx & Rx) Choice

[danch]

Looking at going for 2.4Ghz for use in my Raptor 30 v2.

I am torn between the Spektrum DX7 & the Futaba 7C with their respective rx's

As a newbie to RC Heli's which one would you RC Heli Masters regard as the best choice to go for.

Cheers

Dan

[spunkmyer]

Hmm now you done it, most likely a 50/50 response on this one. Me I have a DX7 that I upgraded from a DX6I.

DX7 easy to use, good customer support and a good price.

One thing I found out with the DX7 is I have a plane with separate aileron servos but was using a AR7000, on reading the manual I found that I could use the Flaperon setting on DX7 to run two servos by mixing the channels and it would also give me rates.

Now I would imagine that the Futaba and most other TX's also do this but it saved my going out to get some y leads.

Happy days

[Mart61]

Mike's hit the nail on the head. I've got a DX7 and love it. However I'm not dismissing Futaba as the last experience I had of them was 20+ years ago.

Go to your local hobby store, have a play with them both and buy whichever one you think feels the best.

[danch]

Thanks Guys, Will be off to the model shop this weekend to have a play & see what feels best for me.

Once I have got it then I start the learning curve of setting it up..lol

Cheers

Dan

[Mutley]

If your a complete novice then you cant go wrong with a DX6I/DX7 or the futaba equivilent.

Can i just throw a spanner in the works.

At £280 from some resellers in the UK the HiTec Aurora9 seems outstanding value and unless i hear different over the next few months it'l be my choice when i upgrade.

Aurora 9 - 2.4GHz - Hitec RCD

[Mart61]

Thanks Guys, Will be off to the model shop this weekend to have a play & see what feels best for me.

Do that. But do keep an eye on this thread for updates and advice.

Oh, and do your homework, know what the radios are, their capabilities, weaknesses etc to. I don't know your local hobby store (LHS) but there are some that may play the hard sell on one radio over another because:

- they have more stock they wanna shift
- the markup is better
- they don't know their stuff

Caveat Emptor!



Of course, if you live near to one of the many trusted stores that frequent this site, I'm sure you'll get good advice. Your choice may well come down to budget too.

[GravityKills]

it's one of the most thoroughly discussed topics in the RC heli universe. Search the forum, you'll find more discussion than you can read.
The thing that annoys me most about Futaba (I own both 7C and DX7) is the unreliable adapter cable for Phoenix. We can't really blame Futaba for it... On Spektrum, you plug the cable from the Phoenix dongle straight into the Tx, which is very convenient.

[ddracer]

+1 on either the DX7 or the HiTec

[RafeyRJX]

Aurora 9!!!!!...... I've had a few years away from flying and just coming back in to it. I used to use JR388s, i thought that was pretty damn good, but this time round i've gone for the Aurora.
Its really easy to use and the manual gives a step by step guide to setting it up for a heli. You really get to learn how the Tx operates and you get a much better understanding of what your actually setting up from the manual.
Plus theres loads of support vids on the Hi-Tec web site.

[Grant_beltcp]

The radios themselves are both very good.
I personally would always go with Spektrum for a few reasons, firstly being the have increadible customer service - you wont have to worry about any faults as they will be fixed and sent back in record time and unless obviously damaged by you then fixed FoC. You also want to take into account how many other models you might want to run off the same TX aswell.
Spektrum recievers are cheaper than futaba, so in the long run can save you plenty of cash... especially if your looking at smaller RX's like the AR6110e etc

[graycbr]

if your after a S/H dx7 I've got one up for sale ,as I'm selling up all gear

[Hangar-7]

I'd go for Futaba 7C. It's easy to program and very reliable. Suggest read info about DSM2 (Spectrum) and FASST (Futaba). Futaba Tx and Rx are relable and signal reception is superb. Down side - Rx are a bit expensive but that's all.

I had Spectrum but recently changed to Futaba after having problems with Spectrum system. I use Futaba 35MHz system even now as I have done over 20 years and had zero problem.

Cheers

[Birdie4x4]

Go to you flying club and ask there, then you can get easy advice on setting up, I started with a Futaba as a newby (it came with my first helli) used it for a year or so, most of the plank flyers at the club had them, none of the plank flyers wanted to get involved with setup, so as all the helli flyers had a DX7 I swaped over, now I find alterations to settings much quicker and easier with the help of the helli lads.

[Disc]

Fast Lads do a good price on a new futaba 7cap 2.4ghz sets

[Mike W]

Been futaba since I started flying and TBH I never really like programming spekkies ... but thats just down to personal choice ... Go to LHS and see which feels better in your hands and go with that one ... Programming you can get used to ..