2.4ghz systems

[crrcboatz]

Curt, to be very honest, if you have an existing modern top of the line FM system. Stick with it, as the issue of frequency clashes will be more remote with the move to 2.4 ghz

Douggie

All my pcms are wheel and I would really like to get back to a stick. I learned on a stick and used it so long. I have only had wheel radios maybe 4-5 yrs when I went to pcm. Never should have bought so many wheel futaba pcm transmitter systems.

[AndyKunz]

It should, run some tests (on water) to make sure it does... it may have the problems that regular Spektrum radios sometimes do... no range...
I don't wanna open another debate whether they have range or not since the radio work for some people and doesn't for others... just test it.

Jan's right - some folks have trouble while others have none. I have had several different Spektrum radios in my boats (both aircraft and surface systems) and haven't had any trouble. I saw a few guys at the store I used to work at who had MAJOR trouble with them and Futaba in their gasoline monster cars. They all had the receivers almost completely surrounded by metal. DUH! A few had trouble that had high-torque servos on them, probably browning out the receivers (this was before they had the blink-after-brownout update).

Just like antique-style radios, you have to install them smartly for them to work. I never had trouble with AM or FM either, but I went to great pains to make sure I didn't by installing them properly.

Two simple rules:

1) If you can't see the active portion of the antenna, neither can your transmitter.

2) If you don't feed them enough voltage, the failsafe doesn't work either.

Andy

[ApacheDude]

This is good discussion on 2.4 options...

Can someone explain a little more what the difference is between mode 1 and mode 2?

Is it only which side is considered throttle?

[AndyKunz]

In Mode 2 (standard in the US), the throttle and yaw (rudder) are on the left stick. Roll (aileron) and pitch (elevator) are on the right stick.

Mode 1 swaps throttle and elevator.

There are also modes 3 & 4 - one is Mode 1 swapped left/right, the other is Mode 2 swapped.

Andy

[Bill-SOCAL]

ANd when Andy talks about rudder in this case he refers to the rudder on an airplane. For a boat you choose which side you want the throttle on (left=Mode 2, right=mode1) and then plug you boat rudder into whichever channel you want your steering to be on (left stick or right stick).

And about failsafe, Futaba radios have a low voltage failsafe that drops the throttle when the RX sees 3.8 volts or less. The RF failsafe works all the way down until there is not enough juice to move the servos, generally well less than that 3.8 volts which will trigger the low voltage failsafe.

[obrien008]

So would you recommend the Futuba 6EX then?

[AndyKunz]

I wouldn't, but I'm a little biased working for Spektrum :)

What are you trying to do with the radio? What is best for you depends very much on you, and what you want to do with it.

Andy

[obrien008]

We'll I have a cheap AM and FM Radio system now both prob around 70$ each and im tired of them gliching out on the water. Id like atleast a four channel because i like to mess around with other things like hovercrafts and cars as well. So basically im looking for something pretty reliable with some range mainly for use in FE Boats. I like all the features on the 6EX but was kind of unsure as to whether 2.4 ghz was ok for boats, I dont see why it wouldnt be but it seems some people just dont recommend it.

[AndyKunz]

Water absorbs 2.4gHz radio waves. That's something they learned back in WW2, and you use that fact every day when you nuke some leftovers. So yes, there will be issues with 2.4 that are not seen with 75MHz.

All is not lost, though, as both Spektrum and Futaba have systems which work well on water. Look for the system features which will be important to YOU, and select accordingly. The Spektrum line includes features like telemetry, Model Match (so you don't use the wrong model with your transmitter), compatibility with JR radios, a great selection of Bind and Fly/Bind and Drive models, and a wide range of receiver selections. I'm sure the Futaba team members here will bring up some points about their systems.

It sounds like you're interested in an aircraft radio. The Spektrum Marine receivers (MR3000) will work with a Spektrum or JR aircraft transmitters, and they work just fine on water. The Futaba aircraft radios will work ok on water too, but you'll be using the aircraft receiver.

It boils down to what YOU want to do. Both brands have loyalists (and haters), and they share an awful lot of common features expected in radios today. Look at the differentiators and decide which fits your interests and needs best.

Andy

[tomstoys2]

Well said Andy!

[obrien008]

Haha very well said, thanks. I did not know that there was a system specifically designed for marine use. I was not set on the 6EX at all, so ill look around for a good deal on that spektrum reciever and maybe get a compatible 6 channel stick system to go with it. Thanks

[AndyKunz]

The DX5e provides 6 channels, but one is a "bomb drop" type operation on a momentary switch. It's an economy radio - very few features. The DX6i had 10 model memory plus mixing and other things that are needed for more complex vehicles.

If you know what you're looking for in features, I might be able to help better.

Andy