Wildcat1971

iTrader: (84)

The radio wont win the race for you, Most people on these forums think avid steering or bearing will fix their issues. That they can spend their way to the finish line. Some things will shave a 1/10 of a second off your lap time, but until you can pull consistent laps nothing will help you much at all. This is what you "need" to compete.
1) A Solid Car/truck
2) The right tires for the track. Tire might the largest difference you can make.
3) A good setup for your track. Talk to the guys with the same car/truck you have or look online.
4) Lots of practice. Not doing wheels up and down the street.
5) A faster servo is not a bad thing, not really a MUST, but it is a very good upgrade if you want to spend some cast and a good servo will last you for years. I have had my Airtronics servo for 9 years and have put it in my 8th for throttle/steering, my 4x4 SC and every car I have owned. And it still works like a champ. Probably not as fast as it once was, but still very solid.




A nice radio can give you a good "feel" and that "might" translate to fast and consistent laps, but if your new to racing and are still learning, a $35 dollar radio is not a bad thing and if in a year you want to upgrade, buy a better radio. I use a fly sky, its alright. It has some bugs and things I don't like and i might upgrade in the next 6 months, but its fine for now. I paid 300+ for my M8 and the battery tray always fell out. I call the company and they said it was a known issue and sent me a "fix", lol. All they did was heat up the tabs on the cover and bend then a little. Didn't work well, ended up using a thick rubber band to hold the tray. No radio is perfect.

MarkA

iTrader: (21)

Let's try to stay more on topic and less with the personal attacks guys.

It's Ok on RCtech to say a radio is cheap when it is by definition cheap and even it's defenders admit it has lag and issues, it's not Ok to do what filled page 3. Sarcasm, attempts at making a point about RC stuff through humor, also Ok. Just plain attacks, not cool.

Thanks to Wildcat for pulling the thread back in the direction it should be.

ChuckG

Thanks for saying that MarkA, and thanks to Wildcat for adding his own opinion without feeling the need to attack others for theirs.

But to get back to the original poster's question:

2.4ghz is just a frequency, no different than the 27mhz or 75mhz FM and AM radios used back in the day. But, now as then, there is more to a radio and the quality of the rest of the components of a radio than just its frequency.

Look at it this way, if you purchase a cheap cellphone for $15 does it do all the things that a $200 iphone will do? Of course not. Can you "feel" the quality of the more expensive unit over the less expensive model? Of course, and if not then you just don't know any better. Does the el cheapo allow you to make calls? Yes, but that is about it.

Same deal with comparing a $15 radio to a higher-price, better quality radio.

End of the day, the one endearing question keeps running through my head. "It is one thing if you have a $150 RTR that you are beating around the backyard. But if you are going to make an investment of $400 into your rc car, why would you risk controlling your higher priced model (via your only connection between you and the machine) by purchasing the cheapest $15 radio you can get your hands on?"

To me that would be like going to a Ford dealership with your mind on buying a new $55,000 Shelby Mustang, and requesting they put the tires off a Focus on it to save a few dollars. Can you still drive the car? Of course. Would you take it racing at a track day like that? Not if you don't want to embarrass yourself.

MarkA

iTrader: (21)

Back on topic - thanks!

SouthFloridaApp

iTrader: (6)

I raced wit a M8 with Spectrum for a couple of years. The screen went dead and I decided to purchase a FlySky GT3B. I did not notice a difference in my lap times. keep in mind I am average at best.... I am a democratic transmitter user - I hit pipes and boards no matter what the transmitter.... I just purchased a MT-4 because I was sick of the cheap quality of the FlySky GT3B. I have three major major issues with the latter. First, the batteries get drained very very very quickly. Second, I have to move the batteries (roll) in order for the unit to turn on. Third, the on off switch is twitchy.. I have to press/depress the button several times on many occasions. It seems like I am spending half of my available time between heats dealing with the transmitter/batteries. I know I could install a lipo in the unit and this would help with the latter problems, but I can afford better.

It would be interesting to see a A main racer test the radio for at least two race weeks and see whether lap times would suffer. Logic tells me that a difference between 5milliseconds would not matter, but others with much more experience have posted that it does... I will not argue with their experience. I do not have my MT-4 installed yet... but will post my findings in a few weeks.... On another note, many years ago I had a Futaba AM radio and upgraded to a KO EX-1 Precious FM $300 transmitter.. It definitely felt smoother...

porterdog

iTrader: (3)

Well said. I did *exactly* the same thing for pretty much the same reasons. It didn't suck *completely* but was almost constantly irritating. Not what I'm looking for from my recreational equipment.

JFuel11

iTrader: (152)

My sons started racing with me alot last year so it was time to get them their own dedicated equipment. I went with the FlySky radios because they are a GREAT radio for the money.

The performace is good for someone on a budget getting started. Plus my kids would most likely drop a radio or knock one off the pit bench as the learn to be responsable with their equipment.

I myself am an avid racer and have had just about very brand of radio on the market. I have used the Fly SKy radios and thought again they are very good for the money. I don't personally feel they would keep me from winning an A-Main.

With that said I still very much prefer my 4PKS due to the adjustments, quality and fit. The FlySky radios do wear out and get slope in the wheel after a few months of racing (2-3 times a week), it does run batteries down a bit fast and the power button acts up at times. (Will not shut off)

Do I feel I got my money out of the radio.... Yes...

Now that my kids are racing and more competitive I have upgraded them to Futaba 4PL radios.

If you are just getting started and not sure on staying in the hobby the FlySkY is a good starting point and will always make a good backup radio. If you are already an avid racer them you would most likely benefit from a higher quality radio if anything for durability.

Hope this helps...

nexxus

iTrader: (315)

I'll disagree with the above just because IMO the 4pl is the flimsiest radio I have ever used. Mine lasted all of 3 months before the steering stops broke and Futaba Australia wouldn't address the issue under warranty. This was a radio that had never been dropped and spent it's life in a padded storage bag. My son's GT-2 has been dropped, kicked, thrown, and besides having to glue up the Antenna it hasn't missed a beat. I raised the issue with the antenna with the supplier and they offered to replace it.
I had to use that GT-2 racing on that weekend as my 4pl was unusable, my laptimes were consistent with what I usually do and I certainly didn't place any lower or feel like the car drove any different. My only gripe was the hand grip felt a bit cheap (well it was)

So in my experience the expensive radio had no back up support, the el-cheapo did.

Granted I use an MT-4 now, and will never use Futaba again, but I also think the GT-2 for the price is an awesome little radio, and great for a new user or for a basher.

Wildcat1971

iTrader: (84)

The grip does feel cheap on the fly sky, so I used tennis grip tape. I actually like the feel so much, I will probably grip tape all of my radios now.

Who ever said "if your on a budget, its a great radio was spot on". And a $400 with electronics included is a cheap car, lol. My B4 ft was 250 + about 300 in electronic minus the radio. So that makes it a $550 dollar car? Aside from 1/8th scale, not sure whats 400.

JFuel11

iTrader: (152)

I personally do not feel you can even come close to putting the FlySky Radio at the same level as a Futaba... I had a 4PL that we broke the trigger off of... It was actually our mistake and Futaba had the radio fixed and returned under Warr. within 4 days... Super fast and great service on this end....

I had a trigger brake on the FlySky radio and it took 3 weeks to get the replacement part from China....

Again good radio for the money but still budget focused.

token

Why would anyone want to spend $300 + on a toy car and get a $10 radio... That makes no sense to me. Im a STRONG believe in you get what you pay for. I totally understand cost saving and the best bang for you buck but to just get the cheapest because its cheap is...... IDK......

Each company makes entry level radios. The Spektrum DX2E is $60. There are several around that price. I would just have a better piece of mind when controlling a 40+MPH toy around with a radio....

tc5 man

Theres a $15 radio But yea some of the RTR thats around $400 + do include some really cheap radios.

I did see some RTR that include the Airtronics MX-3 sport radio at least thats a good deal and really good radio ! I run the MX3-X radio .

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

If you can't do 5 fast laps without hitting something, radio wont make much difference.

If your standard deviation is always over 1, radio wont make much difference.

BUT:

If you're a competitive 1/12th racer with standard deviations under .3, you are already using a good radio. How do I know? Because it is not possible for mere mortals to be that consistent with a high latency radio. It's just not possible, you will clip corners or blow apexes and be toast. You probably will still be able to run fast laptimes, good drivers can adapt very quickly to almost anything but your consistency will suffer big time.

Wildcat1971

iTrader: (84)

Spektrum DX2E?

1) Does it come with a receiver for $60?
2) Is it back lit
3) How about model memory?
4) EPA?
5) ABS?
6) Expo?


Please tell me all the wonders of the Spektrum DX2E.

Wildcat1971

iTrader: (84)

If I replace my gt3b, it will be with a Airtronics MX-Sport or Futaba 3PL. I still would not pay 300 for a radio. Its just not needed.