so new I squeak but I have information overload

[use2busa]

So I decided to pick up this hobby without telling my wife. Better to ask forgiveness than permission I always say..lol. Anyway I bought an electric cessna with a 52 inch wingspan. Got it from bananahobby.com ,, got the rtf kit. Had everything including the radio. I hardly know where to start but looking down the road I might end up wanted to upgrade the radio so I was wondering if anyone had advise on a radio brand model etc that is say and 8 chan that would be the best bang for the buck and wouldn't break the bank. For now I just dont understand all the lingo and information so advise is welcome. I have a lot of reading to do. Clearly.

[xviper]

I don't know what your budget is so "bang for the buck" is not very informative. If you want cheap, look at some of the offerings from HobbyKing. A lot of their stuff is Spektrum compatible and going Spektrum will open up a lot of choices for you. Most of Horizon Hobby stuff is Spektrum based and are AS3X and SAFE based, so buying their Bind N Fly models makes for an easy entry. More common and main stream and still in keeping with the Spektrum wide range of availability would be the Spektrum NX8 or DX8 G2, both 8-ch. TX's, each in their own price range and features.

[use2busa]

I was thinking once I get passed the rtf plane I bought then I would upgrade starting with the radio so budget wise I was thinking $200 to $300 for transmitter and receiver 6 channel.

[xviper]

Under $300.00 will only get you a DX8e - a fairly basic Spektrum 8-ch TX. Then there's always the HobbyKing Orange DSMX compatible radios that are for the low budget minded. As for the receiver, you can buy the Spektrum compatible types like Admiral, Lemon and Orange. These are also "budget" products. Genuine Spektrum RXs can be pricey.

[paulrkytek]

I was thinking once I get passed the rtf plane I bought then I would upgrade starting with the radio so budget wise I was thinking $200 to $300 for transmitter and receiver 6 channel.

ergonomics is as important as economics, pick a radio that sits comfortably in your hands and the sticks have a good feel to them for you. I use a basic 6 channel Turnigy/Flysky IA6 because I like the light weight, the feel of the sticks and the relatively simple operating system. I have used it for the last 7 years and it flies 29 out of 30 of my planes just fine for me from trainers to gliders, warbirds, aerobatic and most edf jets. I dont use gyros so its all I need. The only one plane I fly on my jumper 10 channel radio is my Freewing SU35 as I need the extra channels for thrust vectoring, flaperons etc. You dont need an all singing and dancing radio to fly, you can always upgrade in a couple of years time. Better spend the money on a good quality brand of plane in the early stages. The problem everybody has is that you can ask 6 different people and you will get around 6 different answers. Having said that, ask around at your local model club and visit your local model shop and play with the radio gear. If you are intending to use gyros go for a 7 or 8 channel with at least 2 number 3 way toggle switches so that you can have 3 position flaps and a gyro with an off/expert/ beginner switching ability. We tend to be lazy and computer radios vary in their ease of use depending on how your brain works so if you can follow computer logic then there is plenty of choice but not everyone thinks like a computer and tend to stick with their first radio as we find it a bind to have to go through the setup process with a different one. More channels, more switches, more options, more confusion and frustration, more set up time. Keep it simple and Have fun

[Beeg]

Your radio will be your “anchor” in this hobby in that the different major manufacturers have there own proprietary protocols that the radio uses to communicate with its receiver. Meaning you can’t use a Spektrum receiver with a Futaba radio. With modern radios I would guess that “Spektrum” is probably the most used radio system followed by “Futaba” but I could be wrong. I have a friend that is a die hard Futaba fan while most of the guys in the club use Spektrum. There are a number of other manufacturers but in the USA Spektrum and Futaba are probably the most used.

once you decide on a protocol that you want to use DSMX, OpenGL, TFHSS, etc.. you can shop for a radio in your budget and what looks and feels good to you.

[Elbee]

So I decided to pick up this hobby without telling my wife. Better to ask forgiveness than permission....Clearly.

UB, welcome to "the Squawk". Lot of great peeps and information here. Welcome aboard, Sir. Best, LB

[Gilatrout]

So I decided to pick up this hobby without telling my wife. Better to ask forgiveness than permission I always say..lol. Anyway I bought an electric cessna with a 52 inch wingspan. Got it from bananahobby.com ,, got the rtf kit. Had everything including the radio. I hardly know where to start but looking down the road I might end up wanted to upgrade the radio so I was wondering if anyone had advise on a radio brand model etc that is say and 8 chan that would be the best bang for the buck and wouldn't break the bank. For now I just dont understand all the lingo and information so advise is welcome. I have a lot of reading to do. Clearly.

Radios are a lot like the religious.war between Mac and PCs. In the end both sides have their advantages and disadvantages and there are no winners or losers

I reccomend talking to your local club and getting what most of them are using. The reason is you will have a depth of resources among them to learn from. We have a guy that is a wizard with mixes, another a gyro pro etc. Basically when you have a question or a problem, you'll have people around that probably know the solution.

[use2busa]

You know this kinda reminds me of a motorcycle forum I belong to. The parallels are funny. I appreciate the input for sure. I remember back around 1985 when I was a young Marine stationed out in California at Tustin Air base, we had a club that came on base every weekend and flew. I got to fly with an instructor using a buddy cord. Got to the point where I could take off land fly around without help. I used his plane. They called them foamies as I recall. Gas powered. Dont think electric was around back then. It was a cesna 182. It was a lot of fun. Learned a lot. Of course now I have to learn it all over again. Thats ok I love learning how to do new things. Back then the only radio system I remember was Futaba. Hard to forget a name like that.lol Maybe also Airtronics. Not sure. Havent looked at the hobby since till now. Man things have changed so much. Much for the better.

[Elbee]

use2busa, I still fly Futaba for the same reason, that and I worked part-time at a Hobby Shop in those days. The discount helped. Many here fly Spectrum. Don't have any first-hand comparison, but Futaba is still building good stuff and the TX/RX are compatible with all the PnP aircraft and gyros I have flown so far. Best, LB

[use2busa]

So I came up with a combo that I wanted to ask about. Ive chosen this plane and radio. Wanting to get feedback Freewing Pandora 4-in-1 Blue 1400mm (55") Wingspan - PNP and a spektrum dx6e.
any thoughts appreciated

[xviper]

The DX6e is a fairly basic radio but then, so is the Pandora. Those two should go very well together. However, as you advance in this hobby, you may find the DX6e to be a bit restrictive. All you need now is a basic receiver - maybe an Admiral 6-ch. or Lemon or a very basic Spektrum 6-ch.

[use2busa]

Well after reading some of the posts here and doing some more looking I decided to pull the trigger. So for the plane I ordered a Freewing cessna 4 in 1 plane. The plane can be either top or bottom wing and can go from tricycle landing gear to a tail dragger in either configuration. Got it for $215 which I thought was a good deal. For the radio I bought a spektrum nx6. I thought this would be a good radio that would last me a few years and one that I can depend on. Got it with a receiver for $350 which I thought was a good price. I added a 3 axis gyro to the plane. Figured that would help out. What do you think. Any input appreciated.

[use2busa]

sorry I meant dx6...lol

[xviper]

I think the current DX6 is labelled a Gen3. It's a pretty good TX. You must be talking about a Pandora. It's a versatile plane that can be re-configured once you get more proficient at flying. Since it's a "trainter" plane, a gyro may not be necessary but I supposed it won't hurt, so long as you set it up correctly. A poorly set up gyro will cause a crash faster than bad flying skills.

[use2busa]

Well thats why I bought it. Since it has different configurations I thought it was a logical and cost effective buy. I see your point on the gyro so Ill pay close attention to that for sure.

[use2busa]

I have flown the plane several times in the last couple of weeks. No real issues. Landings have started to improve and getting better with orientation. Had a rudder servo strip out on me. Factory one. replaced it. Depth perception needs work though. Was coming around to come in for a landing when instead I smacked into a VERY large tree way down at the end of the field. Lost the plane completely. No sign of it. I find myself imagining a family of squirrels making a new home in the cockpit...lol I tried looking for it but no luck. The bad thing is that because of a series of tornado's we had a few years ago this tree line is covered up with underbrush thats upwards of 10 feet tall and so thick its almost impossible to get through. Looked for about an hour and had to give up. Such a nut buster. Gonna put me out for a few weeks till I can buy another one. Might get something else. Might not. not decided yet. NOT GIVING UP THOUGH!!!!!

[SanExup]

use2busa That's a bummer! I know it's no consolation, but you're not the first to land in the trees. I must admit I've done it, er, twice on opposite sides of the same tree. Though, I was able to collect all the tiny pieces...because it was the only tree in a wide open field. Doh!

[use2busa]

LOL. like a moth to a flame I guess.The part that really sucks is that its gonna take a while to get another plane. but I understood that it is an expensive hobby at least potentially so Im gonna roll with it. Since I have so many spare parts for pandora Im just gonna get another 1.