Hi everyone; I'm looking to purchase a radio transmitter/receiver system (around $150), and I am looking for some advice/recommendations. After browsing the interweb. the following units caught my eye: 1. FLYSKY FS-i6X w/ iA10B receiver View: https://www.amazon.com/Transmitter-Controller-Receiver-Helicopter-Quadcopter/dp/B07Z9YNP7S/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=tgy-i6x&qid=1614815787&sr=8-9 2. FrSky Taranis X9 Lite View: https://www.amazon.com/FrSky-Transmitter-Protocol-Airplane-Helicopter/dp/B07RQ5BCNG/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=taranis&qid=1614815090&sr=8-1 3. Jumper T12 Pro https://www.rc-wing.com/jumper-t12-...16ch-transmitter-radio-with-jp4in1module.html 4. Jumper T8SG V3 Plus https://www.rc-wing.com/jumper-t8sg...l-2-4g-12ch-multi-protocol-transmitter-1.html 5. FrSky Taranis QX7 View: https://www.amazon.com/FrSky-2-4GHz-Taranis-Access-Transmitter/dp/B08JCKHW6B/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=taranis&qid=1614816472&sr=8-2&th=1 I'm not familiar with "modules" that can be added to some of these radios and not sure of the difference between ACCST and ACCESS protocols; also, some of these transmitters don't include receivers, so that would be an additional choice/cost. Is OpenTX worth going for the more expensive radios? I understand replacing potentiometer gimbals with buttons/fixed resistors, but how difficult would it be to replace a Hall-effect gimbal with buttons? Does anyone have better suggestions? Thank you...
I recently picked up the Flysky 10ch you were looking at. It should be plenty for a combat boat. You just have to assign the channels in the TX (really easy).
FS-i6. Theres no difference between the 6 and 10 channel versions physically, you can flash the firmware to make any FS-i6 a 10 channel radio. But you rarely need more than 6 channels on a combat boat. If your budget is $150, you can buy 2 and still have $ left over for the nice C&K switches to do a button conversion *and* order takeout.
FS-i6 is pretty great and a good value. Never had an issue with connectivity and the most likely consumable is the receiver in the boat, which you can buy for around $12. The only downside is the menu system, which is a bit janky. Useable once you know how, but not intuitive (at least on my Hobby King branded version).
As I always recommend.... get radio last. I have a x9 lite-s and a qx7, both are spectacular. The x9 lite with gimbal upgrade is a really nice TX . the pushbuttons are nice but in a poor spot for combat on the s versions, I keep meaning to tear mine open and reposition them... someday. amazon is a bit steep on the price for the x9 lite and qx7, you can get better prices with bundled receivers elsewhere (x9 lite-s with the nicer gymbals and wireless trainer is 110 with RX at horusrc.com, regular x9 lite with rx is 80 shipped) That being said I have not been as happy with the ACCESS receivers. Compared to the older protocol they are a bit more hassle to set up AND are really a pain in the butt when you don't realize that the first thing you have to do to even get them to work out of the box is to upgrade the transmitter RF module firmware. If you go into it knowing that if you can't make a receiver work with it, you need to upgrade the module firmware (easy and free just have to do it) , you can save yourself days of swearing trying to figure out why it won't work. real advantage of the opentx transmitters is the ability to do neat tricks like slow on for pumps (which can help with priming and current surge), and timed ON time for cannons, which can really help with excessive gas usage for people not terribly experienced with their boat (my son is like that, heavy on the gas). I've also found that the timed ON time is a help with setting up cannons to be reliable, since once they are well set up, the ON time required per shot is very stable, and it has become a diagnostic feature for me as well. on the FS-i6x, opentx does not officially support it in the current version. you may be able to find someone who has ported it over, or there may be other open source variants out there.
Double-tapping Greg there with the ON time for cannons. I have a QX7. Love it. Like he says, the OpenTX is the primary advantage. I went from dumping a whole 5 oz can and having a lot of rounds still my magazines to having a few ounces left over when I get back on shore, and all it involved was tweaking my triggers to only open the solenoid for 2/10th of a second. I also programmed a switch on my radio that activates a five minute timer, of which I am disproportionately proud. probably because that was the first thing I did on OpenTX that worked the first time with no glitches.
Thanks for all the great suggestions! I think I should take @GregMcFadden 's advice and hold off on getting one for the moment. I'm still evaluating my needs and exploring what OpenTX can offer - and besides, newer/better radios are always on the way... Out of curiosity, could OpenTX be used to make a shot counter?
the price of the FlySky/Turnigy i6 does make for a great backup radio. I got a mode 2 and put a centering stick in place of the non-centering one. also going to re-make my divider with some magnets and 4 ways for the right stick so no crossing over when firing (i just barely e-6000'd in a wood one that only had 3 channels cut to give it 3 ways, but will need the 4th in the future)
