Need a little help getting back in TX suggestions etc

[Randall]

Evening all.

So i have now flown for a good number of years now. However i went out the other day and flew a mates old raptor 30 as he did not care if i bent it. I took to it straight away and i all came rushing back and fell in love again. So i found a Bargain on the internet (yet to actually see it as im picking it up tomorrow, actually have no idea what it is apart from a Trex 600N) but it was such a silly price i thought i would get it and just fly it until i become capable of flying a newer machine again.

Im stuck on what TX to go for. i have always been Futaba and still remember the programming so been looking at the T12K transmitter seems a bit of a bargain at £300 with an RX. although very open to suggestions as im way out of touch. Below are a couple of pics of the Heli. I actually know very little about what it is in terms of Model and if the canopy belongs to it or not 600N pro? Im guessing its a good few years old now and hope i can still get spares.

It has an OS50 with a blue cylinder head. No idea what engine model it is or what fuel to run? my last Nitro heli was a X-cell 90 with a Mechanical Gyro about 18 years ago. I have however had a Trex500 about 5/6 years ago but nothing Nitro in a long time.

Any tips and tricks on Radio, Fuel and what this Heli is would be ideal. I am happy to take the spektrum RX off and replace with a futaba if this is the right way to go.

Couple of pics.

[Nooby]

That is a deal, but the 3GX flybarless is one of the hardest to set up there is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiHpiMnJPQs

is a vid series on setting up the 3GX is avalable, and will help.


If you are fairly sure on wanting to get back into the hobby you may want to replace it with something newer, like a Vbar or IKON or microbeast. Having a variety of flybarless systems in your fleet is just more trouble than its worth. Deals are around for a vbar control and vbar

Dont be tempted by a Kbar or vbar mini however, as they are not design for the vibration of a 600 nitro heli.

I have only had good experiences with spektrum and Taranis. Open-TX is a supremely powerful and flexible system, however setup can be daunting at first. An open TX radio with receiver and telemetry can be had new for ~ £100. Telemetry will be useful for RX voltage, engine temp, engine rpm ect.

Optifuel 20% is readily available and suitable for that engine. Align Trex will give free next day delivery if you buy 4 bottles of fuel or more

[Stuart]

Firstly Welcome back...... honestly I haven't changed my TX in years long overdue an upgrade but I'd say in today's mkt if you are used to futaba I'd stay with it.

[Randall]

That is a deal, but the 3GX flybarless is one of the hardest to set up there is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiHpiMnJPQs

is a vid series on setting up the 3GX is avalable, and will help

thanks for that I had a microbeast on my 450 a good few years back and I managed to set that up fine. In terms of performance once the 3gx is actually setup how do they perform? I notice it has an sbus connector so guessing I can use the sbus on the Futaba sbus2?

The heli cost me £150 as is I’m guessing it’s a bit of an older model but should get me going.

i have never heard of these opentx transmitters... guessing they are Chinese offerings and if you have a problem service would be an issue?

[trillian]

The engine is an OS50 Hyper, very easy to tune and pretty bullet-proof.

[Randall]

The engine is an OS50 Hyper, very easy to tune and pretty bullet-proof.

Well at least that’s a god start. I don’t know why I feel so out of touch I’m sure in a month or two I will be back on here giving advice again like I used too but at the moment it all seems so foreign. I think the part making me most nervous is flying nitro again and being forced into an auto over electric choosing when. I used to be able to fly very mild 3D inverted hover just off the floor and chuck it about but never got to the crazy stuff people do

[Ade_Law]

take a look at the frsky qx7s from t9hobbysport, less than £200 and has far more powerful software than any of the futaba/spektrum txs that are 2-3 times its price, lots of telemetry available too, for instance you could put a temperature sensor on the motor to warn of lean engine conditions.

Some flybarless also allow you to change settings from the transmitter too.

honestly of all the radios I have ever owned the qx7 beats them all... and that includes a futaba 14mz

https://www.t9hobbysport.com/frsky-taranis-q-x7s

Ade

[waveydavey]

It's an original sport whith a flybarless head by the look of it. Spares for the main gears etc may be a bit of an issue. I'd drop the engine and replace the bearings, if you don't know the history it could have been sitting a while and there's no point in wrecking the engine.

[Mikej]

I was going to mention the QX 7 like Ade - I bought one a few months back and I'm gradually moving my helis over from the Spektrum DX7 that I have used for the past 10 - 12 years.

The only reason that I held back is that if you are getting back into things then it works quite differently from the Spektrum / Futabas that I have used previously, and takes a slight shift in how I think about things - it has much more configurability and features that only the more expensive Spektrums have (e.g. telemetry. set-up changes within the Tx, etc.) and is much cheaper - it just took me a while to fully get my head around as it works very differently.

The FRSky Taranis Txs are really cost effective and have great functionality, plus Rxs and telemetry sensors etc. are really well priced, it's a great option if you want a high-functionality, highly configurable system

[Randall]

take a look at the frsky qx7s from t9hobbysport, less than £200 and has far more powerful software than any of the futaba/spektrum txs that are 2-3 times its price, lots of telemetry available too, for instance you could put a temperature sensor on the motor to warn of lean engine conditions.

Some flybarless also allow you to change settings from the transmitter too.

honestly of all the radios I have ever owned the qx7 beats them all... and that includes a futaba 14mz

https://www.t9hobbysport.com/frsky-taranis-q-x7s

Ade

my god it’s Ugly ! I don’t mind dropping a bit of cash on a futaba and I had an issue with one of my futabas in the past and the service center was amazing (if it is still going) I do get what your saying that the opentx is more customisable. Ideally I want to go to a shop tomorrow and buy a TX and my guess is these are online order only? Given what I’m going to be flying and my skill I don’t see the futaba limiting me? Or are their features so good that it really is worth it? The futaba says it has telemetry I’m guessing it’s not as good? One thing I’m not too bothered about is saving £100 I would rather get stuff that is going to last and enjoy it for years to come.

Although i I am quite techy and enjoy fiddling so there is also that appeal with opentx. However I’m just not sure I will use the features?

[Randall]

One thing I have noticed is when turning the engine over by hand (not tried to start it yet) I can hear the fan slightly rubbing the fan enclosure I’m guessing this should not happen. How do I adjust this? It’s only lightly scraping but I can hear it

[waveydavey]

Loosen the 4 screws holding it and move it around until you can't hear it. Again, if you don't know when it was last used and how long it is since it ran I'd drop the back off the engine, the crank case cover and see what sort of state the bearings are in. The last thing you want is to start it, the bearing crumble and it go through the engine

[Randall]

Loosen the 4 screws holding it and move it around until you can't hear it. Again, if you don't know when it was last used and how long it is since it ran I'd drop the back off the engine, the crank case cover and see what sort of state the bearings are in. The last thing you want is to start it, the bearing crumble and it go through the engine

I will pop the back off now and take a pic

[Randall]

I cant see the bearing, should i be able to see the race?

[waveydavey]

The bearing is sat behind the crank but it looks as clean as a whistle