Some radio advice for my planned setup.

G

GrimmTech

Member
Hey guys/gals (if there are any)

First a little background. I've been in and out of RC for my whole life. Ive been flying pod and boom helis for about 8 years on and off. I can fly some very mild 3d. (loops, rolls, some upside flight) I have an electronics background, a technical job, and a home electronic repair business. A lot of things I see posted on here I assume I should have no issues with. Orientation, (other than all sides looking the same lol), thumbs that move like they are supposed to without thinking, I can solder. That being said...

Im about to make an order.
Flamewheel f550 kit
Naza M v.2 with GPS
zenmuse gopro gimbal
downlink system

that should be enough without all the details to get some advice.

Im stuck on radio options. I have a Spectrum DX7. Problem is it has no knob for camera tilt control. Also want to be sure I have enough switches to fly IOC if I decide to do that. (Not sure if I ever will, but I want the option if its there)

So Im looking for something in the 9 channel range.
Possibilities-
Spectrum DX9
JR 9503
Turnigy 9xr with FrSky setup
Graupner mx-20


I used to have an old FM JR9303 and loved the radio. Thats why Im considering this one. I just want to be sure it will operate all I need it to without much hassel to setup.
I like the DX7 fine, just not enough channels. So the DX9 looks attractive. And if I understand right, the is a little bit of telemetry with this setup. I would like to have low voltage indicator on the transmitter
I love the idea of the Turnigy but at the same time, It looks like opening a huge can of worms that I may not be happy trying for hours to make it right.
And with the Graupner, I love german engineering, and hear great things about their equipment.

Sorry to be so long winded. I know there are going to be a lot of opinions on makes of radios, but I would apprecaite some "this is why this radio is good" advice.

Thanks in advance for your time reading.
Grimm
 


LeeT

LeeT

Wannabe AP Dude
I too had a DX7, and ran out of channels. I was going to go with a Futaba 8J as I had used the radio before, and think it is a good radio at an attractive price. However I ended up purchasing an Airtronics SD-10G. It has an incredible amount of features. Airtronics is coming out with an "improved" version so you can get the radio with a 10 channel Rx for $330. There does not seem to be much improved with the new model. Check out Finless Bob's review in Helifreak - http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?=166966
 


B

bruce365

Null
Hi I tend to agree with ProPilotWannaBe, DJI Naza is made for the Futaba radios and with S-Bus why would you choose anything else.
The 8J if you want to spend around $300 or the 8FG super prob around $500.
No telemetry on the radio but if you are getting a down link like DJI iOSD or iOSD mini no problem.

Regards - bruce
 

G

GrimmTech

Member
I didn't consider the Futaba. Kinda like ford vs chevy, pentium vs amd, I just never really did care for Futaba radios. More of a JR guy. BUT, that being said, you have me intrigued. Please tell me more about the S-Bus and how the Naza is designed for Futaba radios. I haven't read that anywhere yet.

Thanks Again
Grimm
 

P

ProPilotWannaBe

Member
GrimmTech said:
That being said, you have me intrigued. Please tell me more about the S-Bus and how the Naza is designed for Futaba radios. I haven't read that anywhere yet.
Click to expand...
When configuring a Naza or Wookong, one of the first questions at the top is "Tradition" versus "PPM" versus "Dbus". The Dbus setting is basically saying "Sbus" which is a Futaba specific protocol. It's one servo wire that supports up to 18 devices (16 proportional controls and 2 discrete controls). As with other servo controls, "SBus" is one-drectional, thus the SBus compliant receiver outputs on the one wire all of the channels being received by the transmitter. The is an "SBus2" protocol defined that is slowly catching on which is a bi-drectional bus. The device that is connected to the receiver can send data back to the transmitter this way, providing data such as voltages, or what have you.
The benefit of SBus is you can have a smaller receiver with only a couple of pin connectors, yet it can support multiple devices. The other huge benefit is that you only need one wire now between the receiver the the FC.
There are some rumors of future Naza or Wookong variants that will have a receiver built into it, and that it is only compatible with the Futaba FAAST type of transmitters.
 

P

ProPilotWannaBe

Member
Oh, SBus is not limited to sending data to FCs such as the Naza or Wookong. It is widely used on all types of remote control aircraft. In those cases you use "smart" servos that you can connect to the SBus and know which device or channel ID to respond to, and act accordingly. Or you can use SBus decoders (e.g. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__24482__SBD4_4_Channel_S_BUS_Decoder.html) that listen to the one bus, and output the signal on several servo control wires for compatibility with "normal" servos.
 


PeteDee

PeteDee

Mr take no prisoners!
I use both Futaba 14SG and Spektrum DX18, both excellent radios, best advice I think is to buy the best radio you can afford, in the long run it will save you a lot and do more, and we need and use more on multis.

Pete
 

G

GrimmTech

Member
You're trying to make a ford guy buy a chevy. And... its working. Next quick question. Does Futaba make a radio with telemetry? I know DJI does have something for the Iphone but Im going to have enough to keep up with considering the screen, downlink RX and what not. Would rather have the telemetry in the radio. Although cost IS important, I can be upsold to get what I want.

Grimm
 

P

ProPilotWannaBe

Member
GrimmTech said:
You're trying to make a ford guy buy a chevy. And... its working. Next quick question. Does Futaba make a radio with telemetry? I know DJI does have something for the Iphone but Im going to have enough to keep up with considering the screen, downlink RX and what not. Would rather have the telemetry in the radio. Although cost IS important, I can be upsold to get what I want.
Click to expand...
Now you're getting into that SBus2 stuff I mentioned, and I am not well versed in that... yet.
Basically you need a Transmitter/Receiver pair that talk both directions, as well as a receiver that supports two-way communication with onboard devices. (At least, that's how I understand it from what I've read.)
Futaba has the 14SG and 18MZ that both talk to the 7008 receiver in a bidirectional manner. The receiver does allow you to hook it up to sensor, such as a voltage sensor, which then transmits it back to the transmitter for display on the screen.

BTW, for what it's worth, and this is just one opinion here... I am not one for telemetry on my transmitter screen. The main reason is that I will always have a video screen present with data overlaid, and I want my focus on the MR or that screen, and not have to shift my focus to yet another screen. I also rely more heavily on voltage alarms, but I do have to say that having the voltage readout helps me gauge how much longer I have before having to RTH.
 

olof

olof

Osprey
GrimmTech said:
You're trying to make a ford guy buy a chevy. And... its working. Next quick question. Does Futaba make a radio with telemetry? I know DJI does have something for the Iphone but Im going to have enough to keep up with considering the screen, downlink RX and what not. Would rather have the telemetry in the radio. Although cost IS important, I can be upsold to get what I want.

Grimm
Click to expand...

http://www.futaba-rc.com/systems/futk9410-14sg/

I have 2 of the 8FGs but if I bought another it would be the 14FGs, it does telemetry.
 

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