Spectrum DX8/DX9

[AnthD]

Im just about to buy a Heli to step the hobby up this year but after having a good read though the threads here I've decided to delay and buy a Transmitter and a flight Sim first before totalling my new project !

Budget for the set up is £750.00 , and I'm thinking Trex 500 FBL with BeastX and a spectrum 8 or 9 ,Any advise will be welcome here chaps the spectrum seems to get great reviews and should last me though any future Helis I change to

[Leigh Beaumont]

Good heli great size all round, spares are cheap after crashes

Dx8 & dx9 both solid reliable hand sets with good support off horizon

[Grumpy]

The DX9 has a lot of extra features over the DX8 (far more than the extra channel) so would be the way to go if you can stretch to it. The Trex 500 Pro is a nice solid heli. I found it a good compromise between big heli performance and small heli practicality and cost.

If you are looking for a mint one PM me...

[Mark_T]

DX8 and DX9 are both great radios, but the DX9 is part of the family that includes the DX6/DX9/DX18 and shares the same firmware base and some hardware features like the wireless trainer and voice alerts.

The DX8 is not part of that family but is still a good choice, but I might be tempted to look for a 2nd hand DX8 rather than buying new.

[Mutley]

Just out of interest, there's a 600ProDFC which looks virtually brand new and un-flown in the for sale section. has beastx, spectrum, etc so would be bind and fly - wouldnt take much more to get a DX8

I'm not affiliated to or neither do i know the seller but if i was looking at a 500, i'd be considering that for the price !.

[james_2k]

600 just has the step up of two batteries. more complexity, cost and danger

also maybe a scary first big heli

[French Paul]

Definitely stay away from a 600e if you don't have the experience, James states the most obvious reasons!
the 500 is a great heli but I'd be more inclined to go for a good 450 as you won't be so afraid to fly it and crash it, which you most likely will, they are pennies to repair and nearly everywhere has stock for the trex 450's!
There are some excellent choices ranging from the trex, jr forza,gaui x3 and chase 360 but the align is hands down the best starter choice and the cheapest.
id recommend the Phoenix sim as it's easy to srt up and get going, start practising with a 700 size as they are smoother and most importantly easier to see!
the dx9 is better for features but the dx8 will be perfect for years to come and would leave extra cash to play with for batteries and tools you'll need such as Allen drivers, ball link pliers, ball link reamer, thread lock,digital pitch gauge, charger, lipo safe bags,battery checker, transmitter case etc, it all adds up!
i can recommend all of the align tools, they are actually great quality while being quite cheap!
Hope some of this helps

[waveydavey]

I'm sure Mike will be along soon and add substance to this but why not go with the 600e. Mike has just learned to fly with the very same heli, admittedly a flybar equipped one and suitable setup with a lower hedaspeed and reduced rates. He's just passed his A and he won't mind me saying he's our oldest member. It's true the 600e is a bit of a handful wound up and very slippery but it's more than possible to tame it.

Our flying site is quite open and to learn to fly on anything smaller than a 550 is difficult. A 450 is just too easily blown off course and would put a beginner off. The bigger the machine the more stable. I suppose we could factor in fbl units making this better but don't discount the 600 if you're getting it for a good price.

[AnthD]

Paul,James,Mutley

great advise and Im hearing the argument for the cheap repairs ! I'm the sort of guy that wants to jump in the Deap and and go for the best and biggest now but after reading here Im holding back I want to enjoy this and the enjoyment is certainly higher if I make a mistake and it's not costing me hundreds of pounds for a cracked heli! , thanks for your time on this Gents most appreciated! I've been looking at the DC8 and seems to have everything I am going to need and is about £100+ cheaper than the DX9 , now warning school boy question ahoy here !! But Im looking at this - http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...d=161536270675

Now is this everything I'll need with the transmitter ? some are £250 and like this ebay one there are £150 I take this is missing kit Servos etc ? .. Sorry guys I did warn of this newbness here !?

Anth D

[Holst]

I think if your at a club with help then you can learn on anything.

Size is just down to how much you can afford to spend.

Personally 450 is all I can afford to fly at the moment.
Well to be more precise "afford to crash"

I would go with the dx9 and sim then worry about what heli in a few months.
If your a member of a club then you might find someone to give you a gooon a budy box before you buy anything.

[AnthD]

ps. I do like the 600 a lot ! .. Just don't want it to be waisted on me and then when I do fly it it costs me £200 to put right

[AnthD]

Sorry guys im not being rude here I have responded to the replies just for some reason my list is away being Moded for approval ! .. Possibly the ebay link I had in there !

[Mike Sanders]

There is a lot in what waveydavey says. I haven't flown a 500 but I expect that it is nearer in feel to a 450 than it is to a 600. I started with the 450 (which had a flybar then)and although it is very popular I wouldn't really call it a beginner's model.

The 600 is easier to fly and easier to see. It is much more stable than a 450 so I suppose it is quite a lot more stable than a 500. It is a bit more expensive to crash, mainly because blades are quite expensive. I overcame that to a certain extent by buying Hobbyking blades.

I only crashed the 600 once because of pilot error but I have the 450 a couple of dozen times.

I hope this is of some use. The 600 is a good size if you are flying at a club like MK or in any big field.

[Grumpy]

Having flown a 450, a 500, a 600 and a 700 I'd say that the 500 feels more like the 600 than it does a 450. In truth obviously it's somewhere in between but for sure it doesn't have the nervous frenetic feel of a 450.

The 500 costs half as much to run in batteries and is a lot less intimidating, it also copes fine with wind, not as good as a 600 or 700 but a whole lot better than a 450. But it depends on what you are looking for, if you have the budget and you have the experience or an instructor, then a 600 would be fine I'm sure

[AnthD]

Mike , Grumpy,

Thanks for the advise makes a lot of sense with regards Heli stability and size , I'll look at the 600 and see what it will cost me for transmitter/heli get me up and running .. Cost wise I don't mind spending one a set up Im gonna enjoy and is gonna last me and I can work on and learn/progress to flying 3D.

AnthD