Looking for good general radio system.

[Flying Fish]

Hi all,

I am very green behind the ears and I am moving up from rubber powered models. I am just grasping the whole FM RC systems for elecyric models. I plan on purchasing the Miss Bohemia slow flyer and I am trying to decide on a good general radio that will meet my needs for most or all electric plane I will build in the future.

I am considering the Hitec Focus IIIss FM Feather System. Will this radio allow me to control most electric slow flyers/park flyer I will build in the near future? It appears to be a good radio to start with and have some growing room.

I apologize if my question is too general, but this is where I am at right now. :confused:

[ 08-14-2001: Message edited by: Flying Fish ]

[MacYankee]

Maybe you should look into the Quattro Lite system by JR. It has 4 ch. transmitter, even better for growing room! PLus you don't spend a cent on a battery that doesn't work!

[gjohnson]

All my transmitters are Hitec and I've never had any problems with them. I have the Focus-3 with Feather. It's a good system. Hobby-Lobby.com has the complete package with Feather and HS55 servos for $90. They also have the Focus-4 with the same servos and receiver for $118. So, for $28 more you can get a radio that will allow you to fly a plane with ailerons and rudder (if you buy a "Y" cord for a few bucks). The Feather is already 4 channel. The Focus-4 also has the trainer plug so someone could help you learn to fly. The Focus 3 does not have this feature.

A couple of other thoughts to consider. The Feather reciever is a nice light receiver. However, it is only single conversion and can have glitching problems when flying indoors or with other people flying on nearby frequencies. If you plan on flying alone, this is not generally a problem. If you end up flying where glitching is a problem, you can solve the problem by buying an FMA Extreme 5-channel receiver with double conversion for about $50 or so. I've got a couple of both kinds of receivers depending on flying venue.

My recommendation is spend a few extra bucks and get the Focus-4 which will allow you to go up in channels if you want.

--Gordon

[jimwalker]

To me, the big decision you have to make is how much money you want to invest initially until you decide how important the hobby will be to you.

If you get into the hobby you will probably end up buying several flight packs for different types of planes. This leaves us with the transmitter as the one long reaching decision.

To make it simple there are esentially three levels of transmitters. The cheapest is the Focus III SS FM. It is a good system and will definitely get you started with the basic necesities. GJohnson gave a very thourough run down on those prices.

Next would be the 4 and 5 channel transmitters with some programming functions and 2 or 3 model memories. Having the transmitter be able to adjust servos instead of you messing with linkages, setting trims and throws, and then the transmitter remembering that for you for each seperate plane is a great boon, believe me. For these type of transmitters with no flight pack, you're talking $80 to $150.

Finally there's the transmitters with all the bells and whistles. 6 or 7 model memories, every exotic mixing program you could think of (plus design your own), 7 or 8 channels, and last but not least, maybe even dial in any frequency and shift for different brands of recievers. These go anywhere from $175 to $300 just for the transmitter and frequency adjusting module.

I started with a Focus III FM. It was fine and took me through my first year of slow flying. I just bought one of the midrange transmitters because I got tired of having to figure out the trim setting and switch settings each time I flew one of my three planes. Now I just punch up the name of my plane and the transmitter remembers it for me.

If I had to do it over again I would have bought the transmitter I just purchased and bought my flight packs seperately. However, I know MUCH more now than I did then. It was very confusing at first and I played it safe with the inexpensive complete system. I'm sure it's pretty overwhelming so keep on asking questions and I'm sure everyone will try to help you get something you'll be happy with....

[Flying Fish]

Thank you all for your help.

Jim, I would like to know which radio you upgraded to? I do not mind spending a few more dollars up front to get a radio that will make my life easier and be useful for a longer time frame.

[jimwalker]

The local hobby store owner wanted another flight pack and I wanted another transmitter. He ordered a JR 5 channel system which works with all of HiTecs stuff. I think he sells the complete system for $149. He sold me the transmitter for $80 and kept the micro flight pack for himself.

I don't know if JR will sell transmitters seperately. I know Hitec does sell theirs individually. If you get a midrange Hitec system, I think several people have recommeded the Flash 5 system.

A great flight pack to get if you do buy a transmitter seperately is the GWS pico flight pack. It comes with two pico servos which are the lightest you can get for a reasonable amount of money, a superlight reciever that has superior performance to the Hitec feather reciver, a 280mah Nimh battery pack, and an ESC (electronic speed control) for $95 at Balsa Products (http://www.balsapr.com). Finally you need a charger. This is another place where you need to determine how much money you're willing to spend. You can spend $35 and get something that will take you through your first year or so, or you can go all the way up to $180 for all the bells and whistles.

Jim

[ 08-15-2001: Message edited by: Jim Walker ]

[ 08-15-2001: Message edited by: Jim Walker ]

[gjohnson]

I have the Hitec Focus-4, which has four channels and no memory. I recently bought the Hitec Eclipse-7 from majorhobby.com for about $230 because they sell just the receiver. Hobby Lobby sells the same Eclipse, but not the transmitter separately and not with the Spectra module.

The Eclipse can fly planes, sailplanes, helicoptors, has memory for seven models, and if purchased with the spectra module can synthesize all 50 RC channels -- which means you can fly any plane you have regardless of the channel the receiver is set up for.

I too started with a Focus-3 AM, then Focus-3 FM, then a Focus-4, and now the Eclipse. I recently gave my Focus-3 FM to a friend. How many transmitters do I need?

I was lucky and bought the Astro 110D charger for about $120. It's great. There are others (check out FMA direct and others) that also do what the Astro does, plus some discharge battery packs as well.

--Gordon

[flyingbuddy]

Or, for $230, you can get the Eclipse that actually HAS bells and whistles, or at least beeps. See the review in the September issue of RCModeler. You can get it Tx only with the Spectra multi-frequency module so you can use it on any 72MHz channel. Then, you can get GWS flight packs, and an FMA Extreme 5 Rx for safety and flexibility.
The Eclipse may be daunting at first, so having a Focus or Flash 5 might be a great start and as a spare radio.
See: http://www.majorhobby.com/catalog%20folder/page15.html#anchor713009 http://www.rcmicroflight.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=000110
Also, check out the Training Area section of the Ezone discussion forum. http://www.rcmicroflight.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=000110
Good luck!

[flyingbuddy]

Gordon, you leap-frogged me again!