Radios

[flyalan]

Does the 8fgs timer work similar to the dx8?  Just curious as I've grown to appreciate that feature a bit... especially the throttle out to engage/disengage.  I'm nervous about retooling from Spektrum, but i continue to have problems with nearly everything related to HH stuff in terms of quality. Support has been great.. but i get tired of having to call them. They have done a ton for the hobby and i love to bind all the little parf flyers etc easily and have become lazy using satellite receivers... but i get more an more nervous the more time and money that i get invested in my birds.

I have my timer on the 8fg and 14 set up to start above about 25% throttle and off below that. Is that what you are looking for?  The 8fg timer is audible only and a bit anemic. The 14sgh has both audible and vibration. A definite improvement!

Cheers
Alan


Alan Butler
Team Synergy

[jabull]

Ah, i don't like the idea of a quiet timer.. and i have learned to appreciate the vibrating timer on the dx8.  Suppose Ill look more closely at the 14 rather than the 8

[flyalan]

Can't go wrong with the 14sgh. Plus you get telemetry :-)

Cheers
Alan

[Rodney Kirstine]

The timer operation is the only thing I'm not digging about the 14sg. As far as I can tell, there isn't a way to get the timer to start based on a throttle percentage. I would be interested to hear how most of the Futaba guys on here set theirs up.

[curmudgeon]

I'm using the DX18. 

I have the first timer set on Count Down to Throttle out 45%.  The timer only counts down when there is power to the motor.  Count down stops whenever Throttle Hold or Throttle Cut is engaged.

I have the second timer set to Pitch >50% with the timer itself set to 99 minutes.  Any time the pitch stick crosses the Mid Stick mark, a beep goes off.  This is mainly to help me with autorotation training.

I imagine the Futaba radios have a similar function. 

[jabull]

OK, i sold the dx8 and ordering a 14SGH.  I'll say this as gracefully as I can... HELP?

I'm new to the s.bus stuff etc but i'll be running with HC3sx and vbar (which i'm new to as well)  wanted to see what the fuss was about, but i love the HC and am trying to standardize.  I'll have to either trade in the 130x for something else or come up with a strategy to use the futaba with it.

[Greg Jackson]

I'm getting away from dsmx also and going to DMSS.  It seems like the xg11 will fit my hands the best so I'm taking my time looking for one.  Going to hold a futaba at the hobby shop this week, but I don't plan on buying another blade product so I don't need to worry about the bind n fly stuff.  We shall see what happens!

[Greg Jackson]

How were you able to get your hands on a xg14?  They aren't out anywhere.

I have had most every radio out there in the past few years (within reason). I have been the most die-hard JR guy you could find. I also did my time at Horizon and had all of the Spektrum radios out there. Here is my take:

JR:

10X- best radio I have owned, best balanced (w/72mhz antenna)- not and option on 2.4GHz due to latency, not being native 2.4GHz

9303/9503- Excellent workhorse radio with the "JR Feel". Slow in comparison to modern 2.4GHz protocol. It will be the same speed as your DX7, but not the same as the DX7SE, Futaba FASST or JR DMSS

12X- same as 10X, but balance is off due to not having the long silver antenna sticking out. I modified mine and it is the most perfect radio out there except for it being slow (see 9303 info above)

11X/XG11- Horrible. I have owned them and I hated them. I would rather fly with the RealFlight transmitter. Super plastic feeling, the gimbals are a mile and a half apart. If you like the DX7, you will hate holding this. I bought my XG11 from a guy who owned it for three days. I sold it a few weeks after buying it. The guy who bought it from me sold it three days later. They just got it all wrong with this radio.

XG8- More "normal" gimbal spacing. Still extremely cheap feeling.

XG14- Same song, different verse. Basically expanded capability XG8

In summary, if you want the "JR Feel", your radios are 9503, 12X, DX7, DX7SE. These are all old protocol and are noticeably slower

[RyanW]

There are a few out there (show samples and pre-production). Also, they are the same case as the XG8, so if you have held the XG8, you have held the 14.

[Greg Jackson]

Gotcha.  I kept searching for one and never saw it.  I found a xg11, it suited me the best and i like the look.  Everyone has different tastes.  Should have it next week. 
For the ikon will I need to run an 8 channel receiver or can I do a 6 channel? 

[Greg Jackson]

Got my XG11 in today.  Feels really good in the hands.  Hopefully I will get it programmed tonight, but it depends on how much time I have.  I guess the look isn't for everyone, but I love the look.  Plus I am glad to be done with Dsmx.  Did one final flight with my old radio and I guess it lost connection because I could hear the throttle diminishing and luckily I started bringing it down.  Then had to do an auto which I am still not trained on and landed in some tail grass only snapping one part of the landing skid near the frame.  I am trying some JB weld to see if it might do anything while waiting for some more landing gear. 

[BrianE]

For the ikon will I need to run an 8 channel receiver or can I do a 6 channel?

6 is all you need.

Got my XG11 in today.  Feels really good in the hands.  Hopefully I will get it programmed tonight, but it depends on how much time I have.  I guess the look isn't for everyone, but I love the look.  Plus I am glad to be done with Dsmx.  Did one final flight with my old radio and I guess it lost connection because I could hear the throttle diminishing and luckily I started bringing it down.  Then had to do an auto which I am still not trained on and landed in some tail grass only snapping one part of the landing skid near the frame.  I am trying some JB weld to see if it might do anything while waiting for some more landing gear.

Congrats on the new radio.  As far as your old radio losing connection - you would lose everything, not just the throttle.  If your CC esc log wasn't already full, you might want to look at the data.  It sounds like you have something else going on.

[Greg Jackson]

Thanks, should play with it in a couple of hours after my show.

What I'm worried about is that I didn't charge that battery.  Had so many rainy days, I was sure earthing was charged up but I could be wrong.  The CC was beebinv quite a bit after wards.  Then put in another battery and flew fine.
Good to know I can do a 6 channel, thought I saw something shot not being able to do bank switching or something with just a 6 channel.

[BrianE]

Thanks, should play with it in a couple of hours after my show.

What I'm worried about is that I didn't charge that battery.  Had so many rainy days, I was sure earthing was charged up but I could be wrong.  The CC was beebinv quite a bit after wards.  Then put in another battery and flew fine.
Good to know I can do a 6 channel, thought I saw something shot not being able to do bank switching or something with just a 6 channel.

OK, I'm not sure I've actually seen one setup with a separate receiver.  I know that the iKon is assignable, but that maybe just for use with satellites or an sbus receiver.  You can try the 6 channel receiver and assign bank select to channel 6 and let us know if it works - if not you may need a 7 channel receiver.

To assign Bank select - In the iKon software under "view" in the top menu - go to "advanced" menu.  Under "common" setup select the "receiver" menu.  Each feature has a pull down menu - select channel 6 for Bank select.

Edit - Just talked to my Team iKon friend and he says in the last software update (or a couple updates ago) they added a feature that allows the tail gain to software selectable.  Then Bank select is moved to channel 5.

[Greg Jackson]

Gotcha.
Also, news on the forced auto.  I checked the voltage on the battery that flew well, then the battery that caused me to have to order another landing skid.  The voltage was so low on there that it was beeping.  So apparently I made a mistake I never make and forgot to charge that battery.  I need to get some training on autos though.