You guys already hit one of my favorites - one of the three channel
radios (Futaba or Hitec are the ones I know). Things that are useful
include V-tail coupling, servo reversing, FM on something other than the
27MHz band (for flying), double tuned receiver and NiCd batteries. The
latter adds to the cost but is a good investment. I used to be prone to
a more high-end radio as a starter but the cost and performance of the
three channels is very good and they can always be used for RES, or
RE/Throttle, sloping and other fun things over the years.
V-tail coupling on these is a bit primitive - the throws are fixed and
generally split 50/50 between elevator and rudder throw so it's hard to
get enough rudder but still keep the elevator from being too twitchy.
They're OK for flying wings, and great for R/E slopers, many of the Park
Flyers as well as for Aileron/Elevator/Throttle foamie warbirds (I have
one on a foamie Zero electric and it's a blast)
If one knew they were going to be in the hobby for a while, I'd strongly
suggest one of the low end programmable systems. I talked one of my
students into an Optic 6 and never regretted it. Digital trims made it
hard to inadvertently change the trim setup (a major problem for a
newbie when you accidentally bump the conventional trim sliders). End
point adjustment was a major benefit for 'tuning' the plane for the
student's capabilities. Multiple memories made it possible to stick with
one tranny for the next plane or two that came along. Much more
flexibility in V-tail coupling so you can set it up a lot better for V's
and wings.
A bit more up front cost but a good investment for the next several
years. Futaba, JR, Hitec, Airtronics and others all make entry level
programmable systems. Dave Garwwod reviewed an Airtronics unit in RCSD a
while back. The Hitec has been covered in some of the mags. All good stuff!
Just my two cents. Hard to go wrong with a lot of things that are out
there now. If there's a club in the area or a few Old Flying Buddies
that you can hook up with, the local preference probably trumps most
other opinions.
- Dave R
On Wednesday 21 December 2005 06.51, Norm wrote:
I'd like to hear your opinions on what you think is a good radio system to
get for someone just learning to fly. Something to use with basic electric
trainers, foamie combat wings, and warbirds.
Thanks guys-
RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and
"unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe
messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email
such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format
