Radios

	Radio Reviews
Back to Main Page	Airtronics RD8000 Airtronics RD6000 Futaba 6X Futaba 8UHFS Futaba 9C Futaba 7C Hitec Eclipse 7 Hitec Optic 6 JR 8103 JR 6102 JR 652 Spektrum DX7

Airtronics RD8000

Airtronics RD8000 - mini review: I like it but there is not a lot different then the RD6000. Well of course there are two more channels, but I mean menu wise I do not see any additional functions. I do like the dedicated gyro switch, that is nice... well it's nice during setup, I really don't use it since I have a good Futaba GY401/9253 so I just leave it in heading hold all the time but still it is nice to have that for those that like to switch between the two modes while flying. I do like the placement of the switch to turn on/off the mixers. It is on the far right on the front of the radio and is now easy to get to. Speaking of this, it still only has two programable mixers which is all you need for 3D but I would like to have seen one more just to have :) Overall this radio is an incredible buy, I bought the one I have from Ron Lund for $285, you won't find a new 8 channel radio system anywhere near that price range!

Airtronics RD6000

Pros:
+price
+ease of programming
+digital trims
+independent trims for flight modes

Cons:
-trim steps not independent per channel

I like the RD6000 a lot! It's easy to hold, the menu system is very easy to operate (the easiest I've ever used), and it does all I need it to. If I had to change anything I would make the speaker a little louder (I can't hear the count down timer beeps) and maybe one more mix.You do need to get the heli version so the flight mode/throttle hold are on the correct sides. This applies to other radios as well. I got the airplane version but then sent it in and Airtronics swapped the switches for $10.00 plus shipping. The only thing that you may not like is that if you prefer to have a separate switch to select Heading Hold then you have to give up one of the mixes. It only has two mixes and I use one for elevator to throttle mixing and the other for aileron to throttle mixing. I use my flight mode switch to change my gyro from standard rate to HH. This means I can't switch to HH while still in normal flight mode, but I prefer this for my ground maneuvers anyway because the gyro Telebee gyro has a jerky motion when some maneuvers. The only other thing I can think of is that with it only being 6ch, you don't have any extra channels to control retracts or lights if you decide to make a scale heli. For the price you can't beat the RD6000. For 3D flying it does everything I need it to.
This radio has 4 model memories. So you can use it to fly 4 different helicopters or combinations of helicopters and airplanes. 4 is plenty for me, but in 2001 the RD6000 Super will be released and it has 8 model memories if you need that many. One of the things I like model memories for is to test out a configuration without messing up my current one. I just copy the model to another then make the changes there. This radio can fly helicopters, airplanes, and gliders. I've never had an airplane or glider so I really can't tell how good it would be for that, but looking in the manual, it seems to provide many advanced features. For helicopters it's amazing this radio has 5 point throttle/pitch curves for the price! The thousand dollar radios can give 10 or more points, but I see no need for more then 5. I have owned two of these thousand dollar radio systems and I never used more then 5 points. In fact I never use more then 3 for the pitch curve. One of the features I like is in the pitch menu, you can inhibit points 2 and 4, that way when you make an adjustment to point 3, you don't also have to recenter point 2 between 1 and 3 and point 4 between 3 and 5. I don't use/need 2 and 4 so this features saves a lot of button pressing. This feature is per flight mode so it's great because I just use throttle points 1,2,3,5 in normal mode but use all points in flight mode 1. Speaking of flight modes I have a lot of people ask me about them on this radio. Yes, it does have 3 flight modes, but if you want to use throttle hold (and yes you do want to use throttle hold :) then that leaves Normal mode, Flight mode 1, and Throttle hold. The flight mode switch is 2 position (the RD6000 Super will be 3 position) and used to select Normal and Flight mode 1. My Futaba 8UHFS has a 3 position switch so if I wanted to have a flight mode 2 on that switch I could but I have never needed nor anticipate using a flight mode 2 so I disabled that position on my 8UHFS. I figured this was just one extra thing to accidently switch into on the radio and of no real use. My RD6000 does not have this and I don't miss it :) BTW: Switch placements are very easy for me to get to. There is only one switch on the top/left and top/right so your fingers are not squeezed between the switchs like on some radios. I know some really like a lot of switchs on there radio, but I like things simple. I don't want to have to think about 2 or 3 switchs just to get it in the right configuration, I'm too busy concentrating on flying :) As for keeping things simple, I don't see how you could make a menu system any more easier then this one! It's basically a spreadsheet layout with channels in the columns and the functions in the rows. For instance say you are setting up the radio the first thing you do is set the servo reversing. You simply use the left/right arrow keys to move to 'EL' for elevator then down to function 'REV'. Use the +/- keys to set the direction, then when you are ready for the next channel, just press the right arrow once. That will not only move you to the aileron channel, but like a spreadsheet you stay in the same row so you are already at the 'REV' function. Just use +/- to set the direction, then right arrow again until you're done. You can tell the programmers were making this radio user friendly. On other radios, when setting things like expo, mix, or end points, you have to hold the stick up/down/left/right but on this radio, just bump the stick in the direction you want to set, for instance 'up', and let it return to center and the radio will stay on the 'up' end point while you make the adjustment.. Another thing I like is that it remembers what menu you were in when the power is off. If during setup, you need to turn the radio off then back on, you don't have to navigate back to the menu item you were working on. The digital trims are a feature I think all radios should have, at least when implimented the way this radio does it. The only thing that would make it better is if the step increments were indepently adjustable per channel. I have to set the step count to 1 so my heading hold gyro will stay centered which then means the aileron/elevator also are at 1 step so I have to move the trims several clicks to make a noticable change. This really hasn't been a problem, but it would be nice to have the step count independent of the rudder. The DTM feature on this radio lets you have separate trim settings for each flight mode. This works great for my gyro configuration. It allows me to use the rudder trim to center the standard rate mode. Speaking of gyro, you can set 3 different gains. I have normal mode set for 92 % gain standard rate, flight mode one 84% gain HH mode, and throttle hold to 92% gain standard rate. The revolution mixing also can be set for each flight mode. Because of the way I setup my gyro, I can use rev mix for standard rate mode and set it to 0 for HH mode. This radio has selectable modulation types. PPM/FM for standard FM receivers; PCM/FM-1 for the Stylus PCM, PDM/FM-2 for the Vanguard and Infinity 660 PCM, PPM/FM-Reverse for other brands like Futaba. It also has four CCPM modes, 3 servo 120 degree (elevator in front), 3 servo 120 degree (elevator in back), 3 servo 90 degree (elevator in front), 3 servo 90 degree (elevator in back). Also, this radio comes with the new Z-connectors so the polarity is compatible with other brands.

Futaba 6X

Not a good radio, I consider it the worst for r/c helicopter use. The menus are confusing with the limited character display. Also the functions are very limited. Some versions of this radio will not even let you have two seperate pitch curves. The throttle curve is a joke, it only has three points, you set the top and bottom points with the end points for that channel then the menu has a hover point you set. Even if you find this radio at a really low price used I still cannot recommend getting it.

Futaba 8UHFS

Pros:
+5 point throttle & pitch curves
+8 channel
+independent trims for flight modes
+digital trims
+throttle cut

Cons:
-subtrim limited
-some menu items confusing

In the box there is the tx(transmitter) and a carrying case. The carrying case contains the on/off switch, overnight charger, extra servo horns, servo mounting hardware, neck strap

, and in the version I have it has five 3001 servos, an FM rx(receiver), and a 1000mah battery pack. after you take everything out of the case, you can then use the case

to protect the tx as you carry it to the field and back. The case and neck strap are both a little cheesy, but they work and I think it is nice for Futaba to include these. I got very lucky and won this radio at a fun fly raffle, but for those who spend the $420 or more, it's good to have a case to protect your investment.

The radio has a good balanced feel to it. The stick heights are adjustable as well as spring tensions on the sticks. The digital trims are great to have. Each time you bump the trim you hear a short beep with a different tone beep indicating you reached center position. The display shows four bars with a space indicating the trim positions. You have the option of changing the look of these bars from black, to a blank bar with a small black dash indicating the trim position.. One thing here that I don't understand is why the trims are not shown when you are in flight mode(idle up) 1 or 2. The only way you can find out the positions is to go to the advanced menu then to offset 1 (for flight mode 1) or offset 2 (for flight mode 2) then select the trim you want, for example aileron, then you can see a negative or positive value that represents the trim position.
Most things in the menu are easy to figure out with the exception of things like setting the throttle/pitch curve for flight mode 1 and 2. Specifically setting these is not the problem, but trying to activate them is. When setting up the radio I did what everyone should and get the manual out and start on page 1. Well on page 23 I got to the part about setting the flight mode 1 throttle/pitch curve but I could not activate the curves. They remained inhibated. After playing with the menus for ten minutes or more I gave up and continued one page at a time through the manual until I found what I needed on page 48. To activate the flight mode 1 & 2 curves, you have to go to Offset 1 & 2 in the advanced menu and turn them on. This is not very intuitive and I can't imagine how a person is to know that if they are at the field helping someone with one of these radios and not have the manual. Someone wasn't thinking when they wrote the user interface code. There are a couple of other things like this in the radio that are non-intuitive, but are not primary functions. One has to do with setting the timer function, but they do explain it in the timer section of the manual so that is okay. I do have to say I really like the feature in the timer menu that allows you to use the throttle stick to start/stop the timer. This is a very kewel feature!!!
The cyclic to throttle mix was a little tricky. The radio has 2 free mixes that you can use to add aileron to throttle mix and elevator to throttle mix. Like all other radios, the mix will drive the throttle servo past the ATV (end limit) that you set. Why the programmers do that, I don't know! I wish someone would make a radio we could customize when hooked up to a PC. Maybe even download configurations or special features other pilots have made. Anyway because the mix will over drive the fix is to use sub-trim to cause the servo to use the 1ms (or2ms depending on servo reversal) transmitter limit. You can read more about this at Throttle Mixing How-to. Unfortunately the sub-trim on this radio is limited. I had to max out the sub-trim at -120, then increase the top ATV until the servo no longer moved. That gave me a value of 111. I needed to try to make the other side somewhat close so I had to move the ball on the servo horn close to the center to achive a value of 89 for the other ATV side. This made the throttle action slower by two ways. First because I had to move the ball toward the center and second because I had to run high ATV settings.
The radio has a hovering throttle knob and a hovering pitch knob. I wish they would have made them digital trims and made them directly modify point 3 in the curves instead of having a separate internal value.
The throttle cut is a great feature. When you get done flying you can briefly pull the trainer switch toward you and kill the engine. That way you don't lose the throttle trim position.
The radio has some nice CCPM settings. There are many types to choose as well as a function to equalize the servo rates. I don't plan on using CCPM so I can't comment on the quality of this radio feature.
Another thing I like is the ability to set different digital trim step rates. This lets you set the rudder to 1 step for that fine degree needed for HH gyro centering, yet run 5 or so step for aileron and elevator.
The trainer feature allows the teacher to give the student anywher from one to all controls. This makes is much easier for the student to learn because they can more focus on one paticular control.
There are some special functions built in. The gyro menu provides separate gain settings for up/down positions if you use a separate switch to activate HH or if you use the flight mode switch, you can get three separate settings. The governor menu should make setup easier if you use one. It also has a menu for throttle to needle mixing. Other features have to do with the invert switch which very few people use.
I installed this radio in Raptor #1. For the way I position my fingers around the switches, I would liked to have an extra 1/4" between the front and back switches on the top left and right. If I pull the top/left/back switch forward, then there is not enough room for my finger to be between the front and back switches. The top/right/back switch is set for throttle kill and this switch is not a problem, but because of the limited room I have some tension against the front switch which is throttle hold. I hope I don't tense up one day and accidently trip the throttle hold at the wrong time. There are other radios on the market that also have the switches too close so I'm not holding this againist the 8UHFS.
I have the FM/PPM version, but this tx will run the 1024PCM Futaba receiver if you don't trust FM/PPM In the PPM mode, I don't see a way to chose negative PPM so you will have to stick with Futaba compatible FM receivers.
If you have any questions about this radio, just email me and I will try to help.

Futaba 9C

Good Things: This is a very good radio. Nine channels is a plus if you are into scale (note you have to have the PCM receiver to get all 9 channels). Has a five point throttle curve, all digital trims, throttle cut switch. The menus are easy and the jog dial control makes adjustments quick and simple. Unlike the 8U the user interface for the 9C was well thought out. One example of this is in the pitch and throttle curve menus. If you want to copy the curve you just setup to another flight mode then just hold the center of the jog dial for a few seconds then it allows you to copy the curve. Another nice feature is a servo monitor display like on the JR 8103/6102 that indicates the realtime servo output of each servo. The radio also has some switch assignability. However you cannot re-assign the flight mode switch. So if you buy the airplane version of the flight mode switch is going to be on the right side.
Bad Things: The top switches are a little close. If you back switches are flipped forward then you cannot get your finger between it and the front switch. Also while the user interface is a lot better then the 8U, there is a problem with the controls. I think the programmers must not have know the layout of the radio. The first is with the direction of rotation of the jog dial. When using the jog wheel to move the selection in the menu it seems backwards. The jog dial is on the right side of the radio and if I had designed it then to move the selection up I would place my thumb on the right edge of the dial and move it up... but this is opposite of the way it has been implemented. Another thing that is backwards has to do with setting the throttle and pitch curves. Points 1 through 5 are listed with point 1 at the top and 5 at the bottom. Sounds logical, but Point 1 which is on top represents the stick at the bottom. And Point 5 which is on the bottom represents the stick at the top. Another thing that is bad is that it is confusing when to use the jog wheel versus when to use the up/down buttons. For instance when you are in the menu you use the jog wheel to move the selection to throttle curve then press the jog wheel to go to the throttle menu. Sounds good right, but now if you use the jog wheel to select one of the five points you will find you just accidentally changed one of the curve point values. So now you have to remember what the value use to be then try to get use to using the up/down buttons to do the selection. It just adds to the confusion of when you should use the jog dial versus the buttons.

Futaba 7C

Mini Review: Good radio for the money (In the $280 USD range). 7 channel, mostly the same features as the 9C, menus/jog wheel/etc. but with a lower quality display.

Hitec Eclipse 7

Mini Review: It is a good radio. One of the advantages to this radio is that you can use the Spectra module which allows you to select any of the 50 channels to transmit on. Has 5 point throttle curve, all digital trims, and a throttle cut button located on the front bottom of the radio. I have helped one person setup a Raptor with this radio and it was easy to use (not as easy as the RD8000 but not bad).

Hitec Optic 6

Mini Review: One of the advantages to this radio is that you can use the Spectra module which allows you to select any of the 50 channels to transmit on. This radio list a lot of options but I have not seen one in person so I do not know if it has a five point throttle curve. I have seen a price in the $250 USD range and that would be good considering all the features listed with this radio (that is if the throttle curve is 5 point)..

JR 8103	Excellant top notch radio. If you need an 8 channel radio, then this is the one to get. The programming is easy, display is in a good location to read and shows lots of information. I like that you can see a bar graph showing the position of each channel. This is nice when doing setups like mixes and you want to see if a channel is moving or not. The radio has 3 available mixes. Two can be used for cyclic to throttle which leaves the 3rd one free. If you get one of the high dollar JR G5000 or 550 you have two use two channels and without getting too technical, I'll just say the third mix is nice to have so you can eliminate having to flip an extra switch during flight for those gyros. I don't have one of these radios so I can't give as detailed of a review as with the RD6000 or 8UHFS, but I have helped several at the field with this radio.
Pros:
Cons:
JR 6102	Great buy for the money. This is the first radio that competes with the Airtronics RD8000 in the best bang for the buck category. It is only 6 channels where as the RD8000 is 8 channel, but it does cost less. The RD8000 with 5 good servos has a street price of $300 while the 6102 with 5 good servos and a PCM receiver for $290. It has a 5 point throttle curve and 2 mixes like the RD8000 but a couple of nice features it has that the RD8000 does not is a servo monitor display to indicate in realtime the output of each channel and DSC. Direct Servo Control is a plug that connects from the radio to the helicopter and allows you to do setups without the radio transmitting.

JR 652	Poor excuse of a radio. 3 point throttle pitch curves (bad for advanced fliers), menu not always easy to interpet because of limited characters, poor mixing capability. This applies to this whole family of radios, 622 and 642. I don't have much to say about this radio, because there is not much to this radio. The Airtronics RD6000 is a much better buy, but if you must have a JR, then save your money and get the 8103.
Pros:
Cons: