Spektrum dx6r dsmr smart radio system

[micro racer]

So, I was at RCX today and managed to get my hands on one of these radios...

It felt like a high end radio: it has weight but didn't feel too heavy (they only had a pre-production model and the production one is supposed to be lighter, which would be good); it felt solid and not plastic-y, better than both my DX4s and my dad's DX4c; the screen looks good, nice and bright, and the touchscreen seemed very responsive, although I personally didn't get to try it (a Spektrum rep turned it on and flipped through a few menus before he realized that the battery was only at 5%; he said that he hadn't charged it since before the Nuremberg Toy Fair); the stock wheel felt almost identical to my DX4s but had softer foam, and there was the optional (included) wheel, about 3/8" smaller in diameter, sitting next to it.

The rep I talked with said that there was a lot of input from the crawling community that went into this radio, so that might bode well for us. He said that the two extra channels (over the industry standard four channels) were a feature specifically integrated for the super-scale crowd.

Among the usual digital buttons over the wheel, there is one more on the very bottom of the wheel, the thumb buttons that you can already see in the pictures, and an actual three position switch (not a digital "click-up/click-down," an actual "slide into position" switch). The scroll wheel on the back is not initially set up for programming (though it can be, per Spektrum's description); it is an assignable toggle (all programming/navigation is done with the touch-screen).

That's all I can remember right now, but I hope that this gives everyone a better idea of what this radio will be like.

 

[mikl]

anybody get one yet? Have been playing with mine for a bit now. I have my Wraith set up on it. I only have steering and throttle so only using 2 channels. The 6 channel receiver is a little big to fit in the stock Axial radio box so I am using the SR415 4 channel receiver. That way I can have a couple of channels for lights or something.
I think there are some teething/new product issues but so far I like the radio. In the vehicle setup menu, they even have MOA and 4 wheel steering built in. I think there will be a few features that the crawling community can take advantage of.

 

[micro racer]

I am not so patiently waiting for mine to get to the hobby shop. It should arrive this week, hopefully...

This should help out some of the comp crawler or scaler builds that need 4 Aux channels.

 

[nissan_driver24]

I love this radio and I highly recommend it for a scale crawler or rock racer. I have been a long time Airtronics MT-4 and MT-4s user and it seemed like no other radio could beat them. DX6R changed my mind.

Here's a video of my unboxing and intial thoughts if it help anyone decide on this radio.

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[Perkul8r]

Im really considering getting this radio. I have a truck I am building that I need at least 5 channels for lol. Just trying to get over paying so much for a radio. lol.

 

[motoj550]

Yeah i know i'm needing to get a new radio soon and really really like this radio also but don't wanna have to buy all new receivers for 14 different trucks and cars i have, all because spektrum couldn't make it dsm2 backwards compatible, smooth one specktrum now alls your gonna do is drive us that have been using your produsts for years now move on to another brand, now your losing customers, think it would be in spektrums best interest to re evaluate this move.

 

[micro racer]

Yeah i know i'm needing to get a new radio soon and really really like this radio also but don't wanna have to buy all new receivers for 14 different trucks and cars i have, all because spektrum couldn't make it dsm2 backwards compatible, smooth one specktrum now alls your gonna do is drive us that have been using your produsts for years now move on to another brand, now your losing customers, think it would be in spektrums best interest to re evaluate this move.

Actually, Spektrum's removal of backwards compatibility makes a lot of sense. According to a Spektrum rep I emailed a while back, they recognized that the older DSM and DSM2 systems were prone to glitching, and since the newer radios were still compatible with those modulations, people found that their brand new radio would still glitch. People complained of their new radio glitching, but ignored that they were still running DSM or DSM2 receivers, not the new RXs that fixed all the issues. Therefore, Spektrum decided to take the choice out of the consumer's hands, and forced them to use DSMR.

Sure, its inconvenient, but if I would rather make sure all of my radio gear is up to date (ie. DSMR), especially if I'm already spending $500 plus tax on a DX6r.

**Note: I do have an older DX4s that still has DSM capabilities. Four of my vehicles still have DSM RXs that I would have to replace, including a Losi micro rally that needs the entire ESC/RX combo switched**

 

[motoj550]

Been running dx3r for years crawler and indoor racing and never once have had any issues glitching or any kind of interfaces at all weather it be dsm or dsm2. think about it your already spending $500 on a radio, then another $500 to $600 on receivers to replace ones that don't work anymore, that's over $1000 to get new radio, (i call it BS) the dx4r will do both dsm2 and dsmr they can make the dx6r work to it only takes a firmware update. most of the general population can't afford to spend that much, $500 is a lot as it is, i'll jump ship before i deal out that much just to get a new radio, if spektrum is gonna do that to us, screw it i'll give my hard earned money to someone else, hope spektrum realizes this that they just lost me as a customer and i'll bet there's many to follow.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[GWTony]

Are there any radio owners out there on this old thread that are using this radio? all my cars have Spektrum in them, and I have a couple with AVC, so I don't really want to change brands. Thanks

 

[HumboldtEF]

I'm also curious, Although I'm more interested to hear what the difference between the base model (TX only) and the full featured model is? Does the TX only model need an android phone to complete it?

EDIT: after going over the features on each I think I've figured out the actual difference, base model (TX only) comes with no receivers while the full featured model has 2 receivers included

And I'm noticing some folks are having issues with the touchscreen not working, I wonder how they handle those issues?

 

[micro racer]

Are there any radio owners out there on this old thread that are using this radio? all my cars have Spektrum in them, and I have a couple with AVC, so I don't really want to change brands. Thanks

I've been running my DX6r for about a year now and it has been doing fairly well. I haven't been crawling with it very much, but I've had it at my local indoor-offroad track just about weekly. The newer firmware (2.0 I think) solved a lot of the early problems, though there are a few random bugs here and there. Some are Android related, a few are in the Raceware program itself.

Humboldt, I haven't encountered any touchscreen interface issues, so far. I did have a button that stuck on, but I pulled the grip apart and shifted the button a tad and it works fine now.

The only two major issues I've had are rare, but pretty serious. First, at Axialfest 2017, I went out on trail the second day and my battery only lasted 50 minutes... The system said that a "Miscellaneous Application" had consumed about 85% of a full charge, while the system itself only used 5%. I cycled power and the rest of Axialfest was perfectly fine, but I had this same thing happen again about a month ago on a local trail run.

The second issue arrose when the Android system told me that "The Youtube app may be harmful. Do you want to disable it?" I disabled Youtube, and then I got spammed with system messages that told me Youtube was not working. I had to clear the error, tap a menu, clear the error, tap a menu, etc etc all the way back through the system settings to turn Youtube back on. I still get the "harmful app" notification whenever I turn my radio on, but the radio is otherwise unaffected now.

Besides these two major issues, the telemetry doesn't always work correctly, and the system will occassionally do stupid things upon startup of Raceware.

HOWEVER, the issues I've had certainly do not outweigh the functionality of this radio. The six channels cannot be beat (7px is way too expensive), the physical and ergonomic customizations to the radio are endless (If you think Spektrum radios are uncomfortable, simply adjust whatever you don't like with the included parts), and the touchscreen interface and the accompanying UI are extremely powerful and intuitive to use.

TLDR: While the DX6r does have a few issues, the benefits completely outweigh them. This is not a must-have for indoor racing, but the physical and software customizations combined with the sheer amount of optional bells and whistles DO make it a must-have for anybody with crawlers AND racers... People who only crawl will have to consider price range and if they'll make use of all the options.

 

[mikl]

I’ve used mine for a while now with my Wraith. I only use two channels though. It has worked well for me. The one thing that annoyed me was the lack of a lanyard eyelet. X-treme RC has fixed that.
When racing with it switching models, it doesn’t always switch very quickly. I just learned to switch models as soon as I am down with a race so it is ready for the next class. But if using my Wraith for a couple hours there is no issue.
The touch screen responsiveness can be a little slow. I think that has more to do with Android OS or the speed of the chips they used.
Still a very good radio and I would recommend one.

 

[GWTony]

Thanks for the replies. I have heard about that YouTube warning and that it does not affect operation. I think I'm going to chance it, but not until the TRX4 stock radio starts to annoy me. It just seems when I purchase a new system, the company releases something soon after. There is a pretty large area of my back yard that is not used, good place to build a crawling course, not so good for racing... most of the ground is nothing but exposed tree roots. This will give me plenty of play time, and experimental time with winches and things like that too.

 

[rockhugger]

Thank you for reporting on this radio. It's been on my radar recently looking fir a 6ch factory system. I always Leary of too much gadgetry and nonsense in a radio. For some it's all good, but for me, the issues mentioned are enough to remove this one from my top 5 list for good. "thumbsup"
A) too spensive
B) issues I never want to have with a transmitter.... "as in EVER!!!!!"
C) refocusing on the less than $150 options that are available.
D ) oh and what the F %#.UCK do I need you tube on my transmitter for?

Again thank you for the great and informative feedback on the radio. "thumbsup"

 

[Taper]

Anybody try to bind this tx with dsm2 receivers, like sr3100?

 

[micro racer]

Anybody try to bind this tx with dsm2 receivers, like sr3100?

I have my DX6r bound to a DSM2 conversion for a Mini-Z and it seems to work well. As far as I know, the radio will only not bind to DSM. DSM2 (and DSMR, obviously) will be fine.

BRB, let me go check if the SR3100 pops up in the rx bind list...

 

[micro racer]

Can confirm, SR3100 does show up on the bind-able receiver list.

 

[Taper]

My radio is brand new and this receiver doesn’t listed.

How old are yours?

Is updated?

Thanks!!!