You can find used Futaba 4PL's for a good price, I would pic up a 4PLS. I have been using Futaba for 30 some years now. If you want a glitchy radio buy a Spectrum. 700 something people at Axialfest this year and the people who had issues were Flysky and Spectrum people.
-
Welcome to RCCrawler Forums.
It looks like you're enjoying RCCrawler's Forums but haven't created an account yet. Why not take a minute to register for your own free account now? As a member you get free access to all of our forums and posts plus the ability to post your own messages, communicate directly with other members, and much more. Register now!
Already a member? Login at the top of this page to stop seeing this message.
Best mid-level radio for a crawler?
- Thread starter Benbot
- Start date
-
- Tags
- radio transmitter wraith
snapon boy
I wanna be Dave
Airtronics mx v is a good choice ive got 2 of them use both daily with 6 receivers. Can be had for 75 Yes the receivers are 50 easy to bind also waterproof. They can control 10 models and 3 channel. Me and my son switch between all our rc no problems. I had 3 different flysky set ups always glitches loads of headaches. I'll be honest my brother has a hacked gt flysky never had any issues.
scalemadness
Quarry Creeper
What is this glitching? Ive never had one issue with either of my spektrums? If they had such big issues then why would they be the radio system of manufacturers choice in so many on/off road vehicles aircraft and watercraft? Not trying to be a dick but seems like alot of people have one problem with their radio get rid of it and have never tried one again saying their garbage. Spektrums are updatable through an sd card slot. So how are these radios causing issues glitch could be anything from the display not working to not transmitting if your going to say a products no good explain the details so people know exactly what the issue,s are.
FloridaCrawler
Quarry Creeper
Glitching happens when multiple people are running the same radio in the same area. Makes your vehicle stutter, jerk, stop, ect usually at the worst possible time. I watched multiple people having glitching issues w/ FS systems last sunday during a comp. 20yrs exp w/ Futaba not a single issue besides I lost the battery cover on my old AM pistol grip when I was 13.
scalemadness
Quarry Creeper
Ok so whats to say its going to affect the original poster? And whats to say if there were as many Futaba radios there they wouldnt glitch as well?
BigBlokBoi
Quarry Creeper
I was a Axialfest also, I have a futaba radio, and I had zero problems with glitching with over
700 people running there rigs at the same time
grimacium
Rock Stacker
Something with your specific controller or setup then. Done it with multiple dx3c/dx4c's w/ heyok 3positions.
snapon boy
I wanna be Dave
When I raced stadium trucks and buggies flysky was what I tried to use. Every week I had issues. At home with no one around no problem. So I switched to airtronics and never had another glitch at race day or comps etc.
Have you used one, I have a 4pl and 2 hacked GT3b skyfly radios. The 4pl is setting on the shelf gathering dust. "Flyskys made all sorts of glitching at the last comp I went to." I think that is what you said, are you saying the skyfly was glitching or it caused other radios to glitch?"thumbsup"
I would recommend these radios very highly. For the money a hacked gt3c is the best radio you can buy!
If you have FaceBook, read this: https://www.facebook.com/groups/939264866097861/ Scroll down a bit and you will see the radio thread.
Not one Futaba complaint. Like I said, 700 people and Spectrums and Flysky's (not so bad) were the radio's I saw glitching out. A bunch of my buddies had issues that I saw first hand. Mind you, this was only a few people telling of there experience at Axialfest. Expand that by 700+ people.
If I were to go with another system other than a Futaba, Airtronics MT4!
Futaba: 67 years experience.
Spectrum: Not quite.
Funny thing was most Axial RTR radio's didn't have to many issues.
Last edited:
BigBlokBoi
Quarry Creeper
Norton I was at your event this weekend, DPC had a great time and my futaba had no glitching issues and worked flawless
I'm not the one looking for a radio and those were just random examples of the complaints I've seen. Some of which were right here on these forums.
micro racer
Rock Crawler
I have had zero problems with Spektrum. I ran a DX4s at Axialfest and it was flawless. My dad also ran a DX3c there and it was great as well. The only problem he had was that some of the buttons stopped working after it was dropped; we rebound it and everything was back to normal.
On the other hand, my very first radio, a Futaba 3PRKA, had to be sent back to Futaba to fix some pretty bad glitching. If you turned the wheel all the way to the right, the steering re-centered, and the throttle went crazy. (Yes, I put a BEC in and that was not the problem...) Got it back from Futaba (under warranty), it ran fine for a month, then started back with the glitching. I would say that this was a fluke (maybe somehow user error, being a complete noob at the time), but I have since seen two other people have the exact same issue.
Also, we sell Spektrum DX2e's all day at the hobby shop I work at, and we haven't had any problems with them in my two years there.
Back to the OP's question: just pick a radio from either Futaba or Spektrum that fits your budget and functionality. Personally, for the price and functionality, a DX4c is the way to go...
On the other hand, my very first radio, a Futaba 3PRKA, had to be sent back to Futaba to fix some pretty bad glitching. If you turned the wheel all the way to the right, the steering re-centered, and the throttle went crazy. (Yes, I put a BEC in and that was not the problem...) Got it back from Futaba (under warranty), it ran fine for a month, then started back with the glitching. I would say that this was a fluke (maybe somehow user error, being a complete noob at the time), but I have since seen two other people have the exact same issue.
Also, we sell Spektrum DX2e's all day at the hobby shop I work at, and we haven't had any problems with them in my two years there.
Back to the OP's question: just pick a radio from either Futaba or Spektrum that fits your budget and functionality. Personally, for the price and functionality, a DX4c is the way to go...
grimacium
Rock Stacker
I think 400 radios is going to be an atypical situation. Even with ofdm tech the 2.4GHz band has physical bandwith limitations. Granted maybe fhss (futaba) is better at avoiding interference than dsss (spektrum), but it could also be a cause. Hate to be the guy to quote wiki's but why not.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency-hopping_spread_spectrum
Sh0rtBus
RCC Addict
Starting to look like this has turned into a debate on whether the FlySky radios are a quality product or not.
OP....I just went through this same delimna a couple weeks ago myself. Even have a thread up on here about it. In the end, I chose the Airtronics (Sanwa) MT-4 because of the features and the included telemetry. Not that you'd really ever need it unless you're racing, but it's nice to be able to look at your radio and see what temp your motor is running at or what RPM's it's turning. Two telemtry sensors are included with the radio when you buy it and I think with the rx's when you buy extras. Yes, the RX's are expensive @ about $100, but I think there are some Hobbyking ones that work with it, too, that are half the cost. The Futaba 4PLS does have telemetry functionality, but you have to buy the sensors separately @ $50-$60 ea.
Funny thing about the thread & poll I started on this when I bought my MT-4 is this:
More people voted for the 4PLS....but....of the 11-12 votes that came in for it, there were only 2-3 people that actually justified their vote with a post. I think there were either 7 or 8 votes for the MT-4, but almost everyone that voted for it justified their choice with a post explaining why. I don't know if there are just a lot of Futaba fanboys out there or what, but I found that sort of odd. Don't get me wrong....Futaba makes a great, reliable radio. Had one of their AM radios years ago and loved it.
I'm surprised it hasn't been advised yet, but do this:
Go to your local hobby shop and see if they'll let you hold a few different radios in your hand. Then choose the one that is above all else the most comfortable. And then make sure it has teh features you're looking for and fits your budget. "thumbsup"
BTW: The Futaba 4PLS and Airtronics MT-4 both run about $220, but as has been mentioned, you can pick up an MT-4 from Tower right now for $180 with their current promotion.
OP....I just went through this same delimna a couple weeks ago myself. Even have a thread up on here about it. In the end, I chose the Airtronics (Sanwa) MT-4 because of the features and the included telemetry. Not that you'd really ever need it unless you're racing, but it's nice to be able to look at your radio and see what temp your motor is running at or what RPM's it's turning. Two telemtry sensors are included with the radio when you buy it and I think with the rx's when you buy extras. Yes, the RX's are expensive @ about $100, but I think there are some Hobbyking ones that work with it, too, that are half the cost. The Futaba 4PLS does have telemetry functionality, but you have to buy the sensors separately @ $50-$60 ea.
Funny thing about the thread & poll I started on this when I bought my MT-4 is this:
More people voted for the 4PLS....but....of the 11-12 votes that came in for it, there were only 2-3 people that actually justified their vote with a post. I think there were either 7 or 8 votes for the MT-4, but almost everyone that voted for it justified their choice with a post explaining why. I don't know if there are just a lot of Futaba fanboys out there or what, but I found that sort of odd. Don't get me wrong....Futaba makes a great, reliable radio. Had one of their AM radios years ago and loved it.
I'm surprised it hasn't been advised yet, but do this:
Go to your local hobby shop and see if they'll let you hold a few different radios in your hand. Then choose the one that is above all else the most comfortable. And then make sure it has teh features you're looking for and fits your budget. "thumbsup"
BTW: The Futaba 4PLS and Airtronics MT-4 both run about $220, but as has been mentioned, you can pick up an MT-4 from Tower right now for $180 with their current promotion.
That sentiment right there is why some people will simply vote and move on. Some would rather not bicker with Brand-Y "fanboys" if/when they infest a thread. This applies to any Brand-X vs. Brand-Y flame starter thread. Also, if the OP has already expressed his choice in his opening and subsequent posts, that will get you anonymous votes. And after reading your poll thread that's likely what happened.
You started a poll then chose to buy the loser of that poll. You've also tried twice now to "call-out" the Futaba voters to defend their decision to an Airtronics owner/fan, once in your poll thread and again right here with the added insult of "fanboys". These won't help with any future poll threads you may start.
Another important fact to consider, a fanboy is by no means subtle. They'll scream loud and proud and as often as possible to defend and support their pet products. They're usually not the kind of people who would click-to-vote anonymously.
Sh0rtBus
RCC Addict
I never "called out" anyone, so much as I was merely asking what people were buying and why. I saw in the poll what people voted for, but didn't base my decision on the poll alone. I was more looking for feedback or rather someone to "sell" me on one or the other. And while yes, the poll showed more people chose Futaba, the actual responses I got leaned more toward the Airtronics. That information coupled with what I was actually getting for my money is what finalized my decision. Going into it, though, I really was neutral.
I'm not calling out Futaba owners here, either. Just found it odd that my poll/thread ended up the way it did. I have nothing against Futaba radios, as I know they are among some of the best on the market and have been for years. So I have no reason not to buy a Futaba product. Just in my case this time, the MT-4 seemed to fit the bill a little better for my application.
Now let's return this thread to the OP's original question rather than trying to figure out what happened in my thread and discredit my posts/polls in the future. I have absolutely nothing to gain no matter which direction the OP chooses to go here. He asked a question...I answered with as much information as I could....plain and simple. :wink:
If its me i would have hunt for Airtronics, say Sanwa MT4
