Hey guys,

Even though I haven't been doing much RC, I'm starting to get the itch again. I took stock of my radio gear and while I've had fun with the Taranis, and I do love the telemetry, I'm starting to get the urge for something nicer. This urge was intensified by a mystery glitch / failsafe on my Protos 380 last time I was out. I auto'd it with no damage, but logs revealed no clear reason for the issue. Then I saw a thread pop up on HeliFreak with 2 different guys reporting the exact same behavior. Doesn't instill confidence, really.

So, that got me to looking at new radios. I've considered a few:

1. The new FrSky Horus X10S. Nice color screen, better quality hardware. Can run OpenTX or stick to the stock FrOS. Still FrSky though, so if I'm losing confidence with the brand this won't help.
2. Futaba 16SZH. I haven't been a Futaba user since back in the early 90's, but this one is intriguing.
3. Jeti DS-14. I like these radios, but the price is really hard to swallow for both the TX and RX/sensors.
4. Graupner MZ-32. This one is also a fairly hefty price point, but does offer good telemetry and integration.

Right now, I'm kinda leaning towards option 2. This was helped by seeing Nick Maxwell announce that Futaba is releasing a new FBL unit, fully integrated into the new transmitters. Futaba receivers are not cheap either, but for models where I don't want telemetry there are relatively inexpensive options. Futaba also has current sensors and variometers.

I know this is kinda like asking "which ice cream is best", but I figured I'd put it out here for comments.

_________________
Chris Boultinghouse

I'd say the 16SZH or Graupner.

I don't know much about the Graupner but it seems to be a nice system.

I have interest in the FrSky systems but I don't want a glitch I programmed in the radio causing problems. I know Karl on AoA had an issue because he didn't program something correctly with FrSky too.

The Jeti is nice but a fellow club member said it didn't live up to the hype after he bought one.

_________________
A.K.A. ben_beyer

Thanks Ben! Those are my top 2 favorites as well.
Once my house is put back together (kitchen remodel and bathroom repairs in process right now) I'll get more serious about picking one.

Mainly I'd like to have a new radio for the big glider I'm building. I'd really hate for all that effort to go down due to a radio issue.

I'm probably just being paranoid, since this is the first time I've had any sort of issue with FrSky, but when confidence is shaken in a radio it's hard to get over it.

_________________
Chris Boultinghouse

And thank you for taking care of the spammer!

_________________
A.K.A. ben_beyer

Yeah, that was not cool.

_________________
Chris Boultinghouse

On the JR declaring bankruptcy thread on Flying Giants, some people commented on how good of a radio the Airtronics SD-10G was. I never tried one but wish I had back in the day.

Of course I was flying JR then so I would've missed out on some of the BNF stuff except I never acquired that many of those models since I was in to bigger and crunchy stuff.

_________________
A.K.A. ben_beyer

I had an Airtronics SD-10G and it was indeed a great radio. However, Airtronics is no longer being sold in the US either, so our choices are dwindling!

_________________
Chris Boultinghouse

So Ben and I have been chatting on FB about RC and well here I am. LOL

Chris are you still looking at radios?

I have Futaba & Jeti so can give you that perspective.

Doug B.

Hey Doug!
I haven't been seriously looking at radios, I'm finding it hard to get re-motivated to play with my RC toys. I know, that's sad.

_________________
Chris Boultinghouse

So I finally decided to just spruce up my Taranis. I got the hall effect gimbals installed, and ordered some switch covers (not arrived yet). I also used some textured rubber "grip" material to give some feel to the sides. It turned out pretty well!

_________________
Chris Boultinghouse