raido and receiver

[karlhh]

was wondering if anyone knows of good deals on a new raido receiver for my king of shaves build?

[rcboatmanwithkids2880]

Go to www.r2hobbies.com , there 3 channel Digital Radio ( TX/RX ) for about $40 U.S. has quite a good reputation for the price ....

Brad
Oz

[jamespl]

Flysky GTB-3 seems a popular budget radio. I run my genesis on one with good results. I also use the HK-310 radio in my p1 kos. It's the same as the venom 2.4ghz radio but with the digital display.

[Diesel6401]

I'm all about Spektrum! I have a dx3s and love it, the dx3c also looks really good. I also am a Spekteum air radio fan owning a dx5e, dx6i and currently a dx8

Ive come to the conclusion that I have a lot of money and time invested in my models, that last place I want to get "cheap" is the device that keeps my in control of all that money. Just my 2 cents.

On my low budget planes I do use knockoff receivers that work well, but anything worth a damn I use the good stuff.

[martin]

I find it strange that we invest a lot off our money & time in building very fast boats & then put a $30-$40 radio in. I was one of those until i put a JAE hydro into the bank at WOT because of radio failure, never again i now only use Spektrum & Futaba.

[Doby]

Tactic.

[Rumdog]

GT3b. You wont convince me otherwise. Tactic... na. No model memory.

[rcboatmanwithkids2880]

Each to their own philosophy I guess , pointless argument . The more expensive system is much better without doubt ....

Just buy what is most logical to you ...

Brad
Oz

[Rumdog]

Really. Tell me why the more expensive unit is better. The gt3b has been well documented and has endless mods available. They are excellent radios. You're not paying for a big name with this radio.

[rcboatmanwithkids2880]

Hey guys ,

Just saying that those that support either radio has a legitement argument as to why they consider their choice of radio better , so why does this matter get discussed every month . When they are getting produced in the same country , that have unimaginable labor laws , I know what radio system I am going to buy , the one in which is less expensive . Maybe there has been a fault in 5-10% of GTB3 , though there must be also that percentage fail rate with more expensive systems , due to there electronic nature. .....

Given such forum members as Rumdogs experience in our great hobby of R/C F/E Boating , with their support for the GTB3 radio system , that should at least make them worthy of consideration ....

Brad
Oz

[Doby]

Tactic.

[macdon]

I believe that with the investment we put to every serious project, it warrants a good and reliable radio system. When I was into rc planes some 20+ yrs ago, I used Futaba and never had problems. Coming back into rc last year with boats, I tried a hk radio with smaller projects but when I was starting with a bit higher powered boats, I got a futaba and just used the hk radio with smaller boats of my kids.

However, here's an interesting incident............
We have a mini deep vee that sunk until a local fisherman found it caught in his net 3 weeks later - boat stayed underwater for 3 weeks! The rx in that small boat is the GT3-b which costs $7 shipped - it was the cheapest part on the boat and actually the only electronic item that survived. All we did was bind it again and I've used it many times after that with no problems. The batt, esc and servo of the mini didnt survive after numerous testings - so they were trashed.

During that 3 week period, I had a dumas F1 tunnel that had a Futaba 603GF rx that suddenly stopped - when it was retrieved there was steering but no throttle - I noticed that some water entered & splashed the esc, so I didnt continue running it. When I got home, I took the electronics out, let it dry, sprayed everything with contact cleaner and waited a few days before testing.
When tested, I was glad that the esc was fine & throttle was normal ................ but now the steering doesnt work. Even after a few weeks now, the ch1 of my futaba rx doesnt seem to work.
Maybe its just a fluke, but a few splashes disabled my futaba rx, while the hk gt3-b rx which was submerged underwater for 3 weeks works fine.

A futaba 603gf costs $60 shipped, while a gt3-b costs $7 shipped.
When I learned that a few of our boating buddies were even using the gt3-b rx in their high powered gas boats for nearly a year now, I ordered 3 x gt3-b rx for $21 shipped. Currently, I have 3 futaba 603GFs and 2 gt3-b. When the 3 gt3-b rxs arrived, I'll assign them to my FEs and just reserve my Futaba receivers to gas boats.

[rcboatmanwithkids2880]

Is it a case of prestige over budget priced gear , in the case of this conversation .

If a test was conducted without a person knowing what Radio System is the higher priced unit , what would they choose ??

Back in the mid eighties my dear mother put the test to my older brother when he was a teenager , regarding his love for expensive pairs of jeans . She sewed a known quality brand name to a cheaper pair of jeans , which he wore for about twelve months proudly . Then after about twelve months she removed the more desirable brand name to reveal the less desirable name brand . Although I understand this is not the same item , it just shows how blinded we can all be by our own thoughts as to what is worth having ....

Tigers to kick ass tonight in NRL.COM ....

Brad
Oz

[jamespl]

In some cases very poular brands like spekrum make you pay for advertising and packaging. What i have found with any higher priced item what ever it may be is that the more you pay the better the backup service is if you have a problem. Like if your spektrum has issues thay will sort them for you but if your gt3b hass issues its a throw away and start again job.

[JonD]

What i have found with any higher priced item what ever it may be is that the more you pay the better the backup service is if you have a problem. Like if your spektrum has issues thay will sort them for you but if your gt3b hass issues its a throw away and start again job.

Couldn't agree more. If you pay the extra dollars, then you should expect the extra service when you have problems. However I now use Flysky gt3b for both my Genesis boat and also my Traxxas E-MAXX truck, after experiencing dismal support and service regarding a fault in my Traxxas Tx. I couldn't be happier than with the gt3b. Yes, if it does ever goes wrong it's probably a throw-away job - certainly don't expect any after sales service. But it would have cost me more than that to return the Traxxas transmitter from Australia to the factory, even for warranty repair. And then I would have had to buy another Tx in the meantime waiting, for that one to get repaired.

The gt3b firmware can be reprogrammed by the user (with a little on-line help from another forum which has extensive information on the gt3b), to change and add extra features. Exponential was a problem on early models. This may have been corrected in later models, but in any case the firmware can easily be changed.

At the end of the day, it's entirely your choice.

Jon

[siberianhusky]

I just don't like the feel of the cheap radios. They just feel like the wallymart toy grade radios. Ergonomics is important to me. I hate wobbly throttles or wheels.
My last radio is still working perfect after about 25 years, two years ago I bought another name brand and hope to have it for about 20 years as well.
I don't want to have to install a bearing in the wheel of a brand new radio so it doesn't flop around, I don't want to have to flash the firmware to make it work, I don't want to replace a voltage regulator in a brand new radio. All things a manufacturer of quality radios already does so it works right out of the box.
I'm just a firm believer in the old adage - Buy cheap Buy twice.
Most of my name brand hand tools are older than I am and still working perfect (and still have a warranty near 50 years later as the companies are still around!)
I am pretty sure the people who built my radio will be around for a good while, they've already been around for a long time.
I'd also prefer to have a radio fixed if it breaks instead of the modern landfill method of just buy a new one and throw the old one away. I don't have much respect for the philosophy of when it breaks toss it out and buy another. Just another symptom of a disposable society. LOL a lovely legacy we are leaving for future generations - we don't care you clean up our mess!

[sundog]

GT3B, hands down. I used to use Airtronics , but the GT3B does more (model memory, for instance) for half the price of an Airtronics receiver! and is more fun. Yeah, advertising, customer support, and several middlemen between you and the factory are what drives the costs up. But just the fact that there are so many focus groups devoted to a radio system should tell you they are a great value. Buy cheap, buy twice isn't a 'golden rule'. There are plenty of exceptions, and the GT3B is one of them, IMO. When I see the prices of some systems and look over their specs, the word 'suckers' come to mind. Don't mean to step on toes here, but if you are just starting out, the GT3B fills the bill sweetly! And you may never need one of those more 'expensive' units.

[rc2266]

http://fightercatracing.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=144&category_id=43&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

[siberianhusky]

WOW even though I'm not a fan of these radios it looks like Horizon is/will be carrying them. This may mean you can get it through your LHS and get some customer service if required!
http://www.horizonhobby.com/products/gt3-3ch-2-4ghz-tx-rx-INTC23325

[egneg]

I have a Spectrum DX3R Pro (pre-marine), Tactic, Traxxas 2.4, and a Fly Sky GT3B (w/ upgrade kit). They all have pluses and minuses. The spectrum is a very nice high end radio but cost is a factor. The big advantage is the memory is model specific - very nice if you can afford to put different receivers in all your boats. However I couldn't get it to bind with my AQ 60 amp controller. The Tactic is fairly cheap and simple to use but settings are very limited. The Traxxas came with a boat I bought and I use it with my Pro Boat Arleigh Burke because I like the 50/50 trigger choice for forward and reverse. The GT3B is very good for the price - even with the cost of the upgrade kit. The wheel bearing is not needed as it is crisp and concise. I haven't had the radio long enough to see if the regulator will be of any benefit. Yes it has model memory (16 with the upgrade) but it is not model specific. So a rescue boat will need to have it's own radio. Bottom line I think the GT3B will give you the most bang for the buck. I got the radio w/rx, 5 more rx's, and the upgrade kit for $110.00 - just a bit more than the price of a good Spectrum RX.

[Diesel6401]

The Spektrum MR series of receivers work very VERY well even when splashed or wet. I know the flysky radios are popular, but my rc buddy bought one and it was terrible nothing but issues and even a runaway boat which was scary. He dumped that radio and bought another one that was "unlocked". The new unlocked one is a lot better, but I still like the feel of my dx3s over his radio and when it comes to planes, cheap radios will give u nothing but headaches. They just don't have the resolution rate of the higher end radios or programmable features.

I like and trust my Tactic especially after I waterproofed the rx's, but the lake of model memory is annoying to say the least.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk

[rcboatmanwithkids2880]

Guess it comes down to your own Personal choice of Radio System , the Bling or the frugle priced units . The GT3B Radio System has its knockers & also experienced guys that stand by it . Though I do feel the GT3B Radio System is worthy of consideration at least .....

Have owned mine for two years , & can't complain for the price I paid . As I have used it numerous times at my local lake without fault , which includes having the RX submerged from water inside my boat , on more than one occasion ....

Brad
oz

[Big Lebowski]

The Spektrum MR series of receivers work very VERY well even when splashed or wet. I know the flysky radios are popular, but my rc buddy bought one and it was terrible nothing but issues and even a runaway boat which was scary. He dumped that radio and bought another one that was "unlocked". The new unlocked one is a lot better, but I still like the feel of my dx3s over his radio and when it comes to planes, cheap radios will give u nothing but headaches. They just don't have the resolution rate of the higher end radios or programmable features.

I like and trust my Tactic especially after I waterproofed the rx's, but the lake of model memory is annoying to say the least.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
Hey diesel I had a question to ask you about the stock spektrum rtr remote? I understand that the stock radio has fail safe but I ran my boat yesterday and it lost signal and took a nose dive when it surfaced there was no response to the boat then all of a sudden the throttle was backwards, meaning throttle was pushing trigger forwards now and brake is backward now,if I let the trigger go back to neutral the boat would accelerate and I have to brake it back to shore. Would this be a bad Esc or maybe the remote and receiver? I was thinking of picking up the dx2s from spektrum. Also I lost signal with the boat several times out there. Is thus normal? Someone said there are dead zones out in the lake. Fresh batteries

[Big Lebowski]

Sorry throttle in neutral, brake forward not sure about pulling trigger. One more thing u also notice was the prop got really bent out of shape. Then the boat acted the way it did. Thanks diesel