2.4 where have you been all my life!

Brushless, lipo, spectrum, etc...

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fredswain
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2.4 where have you been all my life!

Post by fredswain »

I finally made the jump to the 2.4 ghz transmitters and I don't know how I've lived without them! I had done some research and had narrowed it down to the Spektrum DX2S and the Airtronics MX-Sport. I wanted a nice system but didn't want to break the bank. After using a friends Flysky transmitter, I determined that route was not for me either. It may be cheap but it feels like a stereotypical Chinese product. I have only ever used old KO Propo and Futaba radios and have always been happy with them. The glitchiness with these old systems now was getting a bit annoying due to the saturated airwaves using similar frequencies so I decided to make the switch.

After reading reviews and holding each transmitter I ended up buying the Airtronics MX-Sport. It too is made in China, which sadly nearly everything is, but feels nothing like the Flysky or cheap units out there. For under $100 it also isn't something that breaks the bank. Even my old KO EX-5 cost more than that in 1988! True it isn't $20 but it doesn't feel like $20 either.

The performance difference over the old radios is incredible. It is very easy to dial in and response is so much smoother and faster. Range anxiety is also no longer a problem as it will go until I can't see it anymore. I swear my steering got faster! Soon I am going to upgrade to a modern servo and then switch to brushless and lipos. I'm currently using this system with a 25 year old Futaba servo and an equally old Novak T4 speed control and Lightspeed stock motor and I'm having a blast with it. If the radio change alone made this much of a difference, I can't wait to update everything else. The old RC10 may be 20 years old but it's like an entirely different car. I highly recommend the switch. Nostalgia is one thing but this is just plain awesome!
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Coelacanth
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Re: 2.4 where have you been all my life!

Post by Coelacanth »

I definitely want to go that route as well...but seeing as all I have are vintage cars & parts, it's baby-steps! I upgraded to alloy & titanium parts; next up were some modern ESCs and some much smaller-sized radio components; then a brushless motor. Now I'm in line for a LiPo battery and after that, a 2.4 GHz radio. Pretty taxing on the wallet, I must say! :o
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fredswain
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Re: 2.4 where have you been all my life!

Post by fredswain »

All of my cars are vintage as well. My newest car is a XX. I decided to upgrade the radio side of things first. I had thought about going the brushless route first but was getting sick of the interference I've been getting. It's worst right around sunset. I'll go brushless next. Lipo will be last. I'll just have to settle for the nimh batteries for a little while longer. Even they are far better than the old nicads from back in the day!
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Re: 2.4 where have you been all my life!

Post by flipwils11 »

I had some real bad experiences with interference last summer when I first got back into this and it was driving me over the edge. I finally got to a good point with my PCM 1024 radios that use FM (for sale now on the for sale section!) but wanted to try the digital servos and 2.4ghz. The other thing I'm excited about (I went with a used Futaba 3PM-X radio) is the ability to control multiple cars with the same radio. I bought an extra receiver that will work with the Futaba 2.4 radio and that will go in my gold pan modern racer build, and I plan to buy a few more receivers to outfit in my other cars. Makes it easy to grab several cars and one radio and get to switch them out.

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