Spektrum DX7 review
last updated 1-22-2007

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Using the radio - Although the radio is not as simple to operate as my RD8000 it is still a very easy radio to program. The function list is a nice feature that will bring up all of the menu items at once. So instead of scrolling up/down through each function until you spot the one you need you can can find it much faster by looking at the list. To bring up the list press both 'UP' and 'SELECT' simultaneously while you are in the menu. One thing I would have done differently about the list feature is to have the user only have to press a single button to select the function they choose rather then have to press both 'DOWN' and 'SELECT' simultaneously. I do like that when programming the throttle/pitch curves they have each flight mode as a seperate item in the function list. On some radios like the Futaba 9C and JR 9303 you have to highlight the mode and then change it. On the DX7 you just push the UP or DOWN buttons to go from one flight mode to another. This is easier when you just want to check a value in one curve to setup another. And another thing they did good is to keep the selected curve point the same while switching between flight modes. In other words if I am setting point 2 of the throttle curve in ST2 and need to check what I have point 2 set in ST1 then all I have to do is press the DOWN button once. This will take it to ST1 (aka flight mode 1) and point 2 will already be highlighted and value shown. Another thing they did good at is the radio remembers the last function you were at. So if I were working on the throttle curve then turn the radio off, the next time I turn it on and go into the menu, the throttle curve comes up and ready for me to use. Another thing I like about this radio is that it has a 20 model memory. For a radio in this price range that is very good. I do not have 20 models but if you have a few models, a couple of memories setup for the simulator, and some used for training others, it all adds up. I also like the servo monitor function. This is very handy when you are setting up mixes and need to see that it is working and working in the right direction. Also I like that the radio has three mixes but I would prefer that a preset mix for cyclic mixing was built-in. And have that mix set to pay attention to the servo end points. For now I use two mixes to get cyclic mixing and I use the sub-trim trick to prevent servo binding on the throttle. No big deal, but you would expect a new radio in this modern age would not have the issue with the mixes causing servo binding. Speaking of things I would change, that would be the gyro function. It only lets you set two values! If you could set three values this would make it ideal for use with governors. I will cover a 3 setting governor setup at the bottom of this page. Another thing I like on the radio is the large battery. It comes with a 1500mah NIMH battery in the transmitter. This will last a whole weekend of flying!

Flying with this radio - Well as mentioned at the start of this article the radio feels fantastic! You really feel connected to the helicopter. I also like that the be sticks felt good and the spring tension was already set just right. This is the first radio I have owned that I did not need to open up and loosen the spring tension on the sticks. And one more thing I really like is the sound from the timer is easy to hear. Most radios are too quiet to hear the timer go off when you are flying. This one is perfect. It also has different levels of sound with the loudest being for the solid tone when the timer has reached zero. Oh yeah, one more thing, I know several have commented that the radio is bottom heavy and while it is I do not notice it while flying. Yes I do use a neck strap and no the radio does not hang level but it takes so little effort to hold it level that it really just is not an issue for me. I let two other club members fly my helicopter with this radio and I asked them afterwards if they noticed the radio was bottom heavy, neither noticed it. While using the radio you do have to get use to not having to pull out the antenna when you go to fly. The short antenna is part of the balance problem but I like it. No more transmitter antenna that gets worn out and hard to pull out, nor bent. Oh yeah, an improvement they made since the DX6 is they put a rotational pivot on the antenna. This joint broke on my DX6 in the first week I had it. When the antenna is angled and something hits the tip of the antenna it would put a lot of pressure on this joint and break it. On the DX7 they made it so this would rotate. Another thing I really had to get use to is the 'throttle recovery' feature. With a nitro helicopter you use the digital throttle trim to lower the engine idle until the trim is all the way at the bottom. Afterwards with just one up click of trim the throttle will return to the idle position you last had it set to. This works good but I have forgot about it a few times and wondered why the helicopter would not crank up :) If you want to configure the radio to have a throttle cut switch you cannot because the mixes do not let you pick any switch. Instead your only switch choices are flight mode switches. Another thing I thought was not going to be good but actually has worked fine is the trainer button. Instead of having a dedicated button or switch to hold while buddy boxing, this has you hold down on the hover pitch trim. I thought it was going to be hard to hold this while keeping my fingers on the throttle stick but it actually feels just fine.

Sub-trim: Use this to set the head speed for flight mode 1.
Travel Adjust +value: Use this to set the governor/limiter off in normal flight mode. You can use the monitor screen to set the AUX2 to the center (off mode).
Travel Adjust -value: Use this to set the head speed for flight mode 2.