Hi,
Finally I've seen the light and have found that my el-cheapo radio might not be as good as it could be. I've kicked it out the door and am looking for a replacement.
- Where do you like to shop / order from? I've had luck ordering from Great Hobbies and Hobby Wholesale. (Nothing in the last year or so though.)
- Does someone have an Airtronics MT-4 I could look at? Or know of a store that carries them so I can see how it feels? It is a nice looking radio that I can afford.
- I'm not sure about the different Futaba and Airtronics frequency types/protocols. How fast is "fast enough" for our racing?
If anyone has some suggestions I'd appreciate it. Thanks,
Colin
I'm sure Blake get anything at matrix hobbies. Usually for the same prices as amain converted to Canadian currency. He has always gotten stuff for me pretty quickly and reasonably. You could also check RCtech for used or nearly new. I like futaba and airtronics. Can't go wrong with either.
John
one of the newer guys has an mt4 i think and someone in cor does. I have owned one.. its pretty good. very fast and very smooth but i wasnt impressed with the build quality.. it was definitely adequate, but most hand held electronics seem to be getting lighter in all areas.. the futaba's ive owned were all really rigid and felt tough where the newer airtronics feel like toys.
my m12 is no different and i make every effort to NOT drop it.
if i was in the market now id prob buy a 4px. then you can use any of the fhss or fasst bands FUTABA uses. you prob know this from aircraft stuffs but you cant mix different brands bands anymore.
John G has a 4px and id totally dump my airtronics and 4 receivers to get one lol. exchange bad right now though.
the newer spectrums feel better than the older ones but definitely get something thats adjustable to your preference. id avoid buying a used radio unless you personally know the person selling it. rctech is an absolute crap shoot everytime you buy something used.
its also advisable to buy the most important element of your rc hobby new for the sake of warranty.
just ask different people at the track to drive their cars with their radios and see what you like. id say the mt4 is the best option in the $299 usd range for sure, but the futaba is quite popular as well. at least with the airtronics you can use fhss2,3,4 and be modern as far as airtronics is concerned. its not as quick as an m12 in fh4 but its pretty damn good compared to its direct competition.
as for shops.. your kinda sol on the island. nrc MIGHT have some nice radios in stock, but unlikely open box for viewing. shaver unlikely.
I love my 4PX. It certainly has not made me a better driver, and I don't expect it too. That just comes with time and effort. It definitely is overkill for Saturday night club racing and I'll probably only ever use a 3rd of it's features. But I just wanted the best I could get, well... just because.
I may be a little off here, but I'm sure this is pretty close to right:
Futaba makes 2 different 2.4 GHZ systems. FASST and FHSS. FASST systems will work only with FASST receivers, but some, not all of the FHSS systems work with both types of receivers. And FHSS receivers are usually a little cheaper to boot.
As well Futaba offers four or five radios under the FHSS name such as the 4PLS (which may be right up your alley) and they are all priced below the 4PX. I've been in the hobby for a lot of years before racing here on the island, and I have owned and used quite a few different radios in that time such as KO, JR, and Spektrum. Futaba build quality always seems to be consistent and second to none.
http://www.futaba-rc.com/systems/futk1410-4pls/index.html (http://www.futaba-rc.com/systems/futk1410-4pls/index.html)
As far as where to buy it from Amain and Stormer do come to mind. However on a personal level, I like to buy from Blake or NRC. Blake gets a lot of his gear through Matt and Tonya at NRC and these are the guys who are operating local tracks and clubs here on the island. The way I see it you might as well give them the business, because of what they give us and you'll end up paying the same online once you pay the exchange.
If you need a radio in the meantime, you are welcome to use my old Spektrum DX2. It's pretty basic, but its reliable. I bought it used and have raced with it for five years without an issue and it still works fine and I have 2 receivers for it.
John
Thanks for the input so far. I forgot that Matrix or NRC may be able to order in something for me. I'd definitely support them first. I have no idea what I'll choose at the moment. Hopefully looking at some radios next Saturday will help clarify what I like and want.
John, thank you, would you mind bringing your DX2 next Saturday? I might not need to use it. I may have an alternate I can use, but I'm not 100%. My current receiver is DSM, so the DX2 will bind.
Thanks,
Colin
I really like my m12. At first I though i would never use the extra features. But once I started racing mod off road, the extra features like abs and many others started to help out. Happy shopping
I'm in Clagary until
Sunday morning so I won't be able to bring it to you for Saturday. But any time after that would work.
I don't know if you would be interested but I couldn't resist the 40th Anniversary M12 so I bought one which leaves me with My Sanwa M11x. I'm Selling it with 3x 451r receivers, A NiMh Battery and a Lipo Battery. $325
Hi, thanks for the offer. At the moment I have no idea which radio I'll go with. Too many choices. I'm sure any of them would work for me.
One thing I have learnt - the newer DX4_ Spektrum radios are reported to not work with the inexpensive Orange receivers from HK.
Colin
some would say thats a good thing.lol :P my friend used one of those receiver in his boat and it ended up glitching like crazy. but that could be a dud.
$500 car. $10 rx.... does not compute.
I hear what you are saying. Some of the club members use the $10 receivers though, and they mentioned they may be looking at upgrading their radios. So I thought I'd mention it.
Colin
I'm assuming his is one of the cor guys.. I think is is the same as Brian ashmores. I used his last weekend and I did like it.
Maybe worth a look?
http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/Futaba-4PKS-R-4-Channel-24GHz-FASST-Radio-System-wR614FS-Receiver_24653822
Futaba 4pks is the one you want.
Ryans is a better deal. At that price you might as well pay the extra for the 4px. Maybe with two receivers.
Does anyone have an Airtronics MT-4 or Futaba 4PLS I can look at? I'd like to see if they feel better than just a basic Spektrum unit, which is 3-4 times less costly.
Colin