Futaba 3PV Vs Sanwa MT-S?
 

Hoping to get some help from the oracles on here...

I have been club racing for a few years now, starting with a short course truck with a HPI TF40 Radio which was not too bad in terms of adjustments. It had end point adjustment for throttle, brakes and steering - so for a RTR radio is was alright.

I then bought a few other RC Cars and decided to buy a radio with model memory, I purchased from MB Models the Absima CR3P with 2 Recievers.

It was not as nice to hold as the HPI TF40, but offered a nice display to alter the settings digitally, it didn't really offer anything else in terms of adjustments (Not that I need much more!) but had Expo adjustment, ABS and of course model memory.

Skip forward a year and I thinking it would be nice to upgrade to a slightly better radio. Something along the lines of the Futaba 3PV or the slightly more expensive Sanwa MT-S with the antenna-less RX482.

Ergonomics wise, I guess it depends on what feels good and I probably won't have the oppurtunity to actually handle one, but thats personal opinion and subjective I guess.

What is important with the menu system, the CR3P is ok, but not very intuitive but it works. How does the menu systems compared between the two radios?

Secondly, Recievers... The RX482 is around £70. Is this the 'best' aka fastest(?) reciever for Sanwa. What about Futaba? I've read they are cheaper, but most if not all are bigger than the Sanwa's and have an antenna.

Last question. Speed wise, latency/lag. Would there be a discernible difference between the more expensive MT-S and cheaper 3PV from Futaba? I'm guessing both would be perfectly suitable for a club racer.

Just trying to get a much info as possible what *should* be the best for me to buy.

Thanks

I had a Futaba 3PV and found the transmitter small and almost toy like and I did not like the menu system. I currently have an Airtronics MX-V and an Airtronics MT-4 and much prefer these radios. I would go for the MT-S personally.

3PV is technically a level lower than MTS in terms of price point and features. MTS should more or less be compared to a 4PV. MTS technically have a advantage in terms of response than futaba when comparing the fastest protocol. However to enable the faster response on MTS you need to use a programable or SSR/SSL comparable Sanwa servo like SRG-BLS. For average racers, increase in response on the radio does not translate to better performance most of the time. Difference between 2ms to 5ms average latency is not great enough

I've got both radios. No comparison, the MT-S is far better in every facet (adjustments, ergonomics, speed, menu, etc.) except for the cost of the receivers. Sanwa receivers are expensive, and you need to get FHSS-3/FHSS-4(T) receivers.

If you can afford it, I would definitely get the MT-S, they are in totally different classes. I've got reviews of both also on my YouTube channel for more info.

Did you consider the 4pls. I know its a little older model but it can be had for $150 from Tower. It is $180 and there is a $30 off coupon code. Worth a look, i picked one up a month ago and really like it. It was my first non RTR radio i bought for my Tekno...