Shopping New Radios
 

I'm completely lost on trying to pick a new radio.
The use is Short Course Truck racing. I'm running the factory stock radio for the Losi 22SCT right now although I've already upgraded shocks, servo, tires, and motor. (motor is just brushless from my buddies Team Associated SCT, I haven't gone fully 13.5t yet).

But radios run with high reviews from $68 to $400+ I have no idea how to pick one.
I can tell that better steering response would be very helpful, and I can tell that my throttle essentially has two settings. I can pull the trigger a little to "go"... but then the next setting is basically FULL THROTTLE GO. so I can't really feather the speed very well and my buddy keeps telling me that the difference is in the quality of the radio.
Now I know his radio was only about $110-150 and I could just buy the same one he has from the track. But I'm trying to do my research and really learn the difference. (buy once, cry once).

Can you guys give me any pointers on how to pick a good controller setup for SCT racing?

id go with the Flysky Noble NB4... looks like the best bang for your buck....

Pick any radio from Futaba, Sanwa, or KO Propo and you will have a quality controller for years and years to come. The last radio I bought was a Futaba 4PK in 2009, still works amazingly.

Heads up, willing to bet the radio is not the sole issue here. What ESC do you have? Sounds like ESC and radio programming error and/or poor quality ESC. Tekin ESC for example has a minimum throttle setting that you can adjust for your radio, esc, motor and car combo. So when you just touch the throttle the car starts moving without cogging or delay. Makes a big difference on the track!

Ask to "hold" some different radios at your local track. Get a feel for what they feel like in your hand and go from there.

this is very helpful!

also if possible turn them on to see display and how menus operate (that might be over the top lol)

I definitely recommend transmitter with backlighting if it has led/lcd display.

Currently the ESC is the Reedy SC600-BL. It came with the brushless motor on my buddies Team Associated truck that he gave me when he upgraded to a 13.5T.
https://img2.associatedelectrics.com...0BL_Manual.pdf

https://www.amainhobbies.com/reedy-s...MaAvtcEALw_wcB


My transmitter is an STX2 which came with the Losi 22sct
https://www.spektrumrc.com/Products/...odId=SPMSTX200

i was searching this site(even tried search feature but its a bit vague) for a new radio some time ago, decided to give the "cheap" radio a go being the noble NB-4 at like $200, came from the m12s and i feel its faster. the radio is so nicely made and two batteries one installed and a power bank that clips to bottom. 2 micro rx were included, the screen is not bad and the firmware was a bit clunky to get used to but does its job well and has a heap of features like VRC mode without an adapter(yay).
has a heap of channels if you want the other rx for crawlers etc.

This is a similar argument to HW vs tekin, hobbywing is cheaper and was initially that "dont buy brand its too cheap" but proven its one if not the best brand around now.

oh you know what I might have misunderstood you there, which Radio did you end up going with? the NB4?

correct, sorry if i was unclear.

Here, read this thread:

https://www.rctech.net/forum/radio-e...ick-radio.html

I've been racing for about 10 years and have gone through roughly a dozen brands of budget radios and a handful of luxury systems including Spektrum, Radiopost, KO Propo, Sanwa, and Graupner. The radio that has worked the best for my needs is the Graupner X-8E. Key features on why I love it:

• 2 Year Warranty, best in the industry, which I have used to replace a trigger on an older X-8N without any issue.
• Rx's are in the $30 range
• Mini-USB charge port, many systems require you to remove the battery to charge which is a hassle
• Touch Screen menu, easiest to change between model memories and make steering speed changes of any brand I have tested
• LiPo Included, many brands do not include a LiPo
• Ergos: spring tension, infinite steering angle adjustment, lefty option

I have been burned by FlySky in the past, their Rx's are very unreliable, especially on off-road with big jumps. Check the Noble thread and you will see that nothing has changed where multiple people are having Rx's issues with that system too. Spektrum would have a tendency to glitch at the worst possible time, very unreliable for me, even with their updated DSMR modulation. Radiopost is no longer in business so not worth explaining my issues with that system. KO Propo did not stand the test of time for me, required me to "calibrate" every channel on every model memory every 2-3 race days which was a pain. Sanwa was just as good as Graupner in feel where my lap times and consistency were the same, but menu navigation with the jog wheel was just pure torture after being spoiled with a touch screen. Graupner has been the longest running system for me by a long shot. After 3 years of use, the potentiometer went out on my steering and they shipped me a replacement steering drop down assembly for $40 with the system outside of warranty. While waiting for the steering drop down is when I began testing Sanwa and couldn't wait to go back to Graupner after the steering drop down arrived... I have learned to keep a backup drop down for next time ;)

Be sure to check for availability to get parts after warranty expires, if you can't get a steering drop down replacement, then I would encourage you to keep searching for another brand of radio.

More things to consider here:
Which surface radio system is the best?

If things ever go wrong with Graupner, then the only remaining brand for me to consider trying will be Futaba, only reason holding me back is they are way too expensive to get the same features that I have grown accustomed with my Graupner.

Good Luck in your search!

Guess you had to bash the Noble in someway to justify the cost. the only talk of Rx's failing were the big non "rc car" ones which they were losing signal at range.
In my area there are now heaps of nobles and nobody has had an issue...(with micro rx anyway)
The only frustrating thing is when updating the firmware it factory resets all the settings/models, i write all mine down anyway with my setup sheets.

Doing my best to stick with the facts in my personal experience with each brand I have owned, I was really hoping that FlySky would improve the quality of their Rx's but both Frewster and Morvlorv posted their issues with the system which confirmed my concerns. I have had FlySky Rx's last a very long time with on-road racing which has minimal hard impacts.

odd, we package ours really good in the box and so do others locally and we havnt seen a single issue..

thanks for the great break down! I appreciate the way you broke down your experiences here, as it gives me a real list of things to consider for myself as well.

This weekend we spent a LOT of time at the track. all day Saturday testing and tuning, then Sunday races. I PR'd our current track layout in a huge way. Went from average 30second lap times to avg 25-27 with a best lap being 22 seconds (I realize that means nothing to the people who don't drive this track, but it shows where my improvements have been substantial).

With all of these adjustments and improvements and about an additional 15 hours of track time this past weekend between Thursday-Sunday, the biggest challenge I am having now is that my throttle response just sucks. It feels like I have basically all or nothing. I can cruise the truck around the track with the throttle pulled about 1/3 to 1/2 the way but when I pin it, there is a second of lag where it feels like the truck is building boost, like a turbo charged vehicle. I'm running a 3300kvw motor + esc system that comes with the TA SC10 truck.

I compared that to the throttle response on my boys Losi 22SCT factory stock set-up (Dynamite 12t motor, brushed, non fanned ESC but I don't remember brand) and while my motor may have more power, and definitely stays cooler, the response is just miserable in comparison. The guys at the track tell me that my only option to get the instant throttle response that I want is a sensored motor + new esc combo.


That's fine if that's what it is. I have another thread on that topic as well and I'll probably go with the HobbyWing pro x10 + the V4s motor... but I'm still just trying to find any way that I can eek more power and control out of this current system because it is fast and strong, just horrible response and it blows my mind that the Losi stock 22sct system is so much more responsive being that it's about $100 less out of the box.