Best Midrange Radio
 

I have an older Spektrum set up that let me down this weekend. Everytime I would get to the other side of the track it would quit working. I tried different receivers and even different cars. So I am guessing it the transmitter.

My system worked great for the last few years I had it, but I know Spektrum has been known to have issues on their new stuff.

I am looking at either a DX5C (or Rugged). I dont love the Futaba 3pv. I dont really want to jump ($$) to the 4pm.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Dx5's?

I like the looks of the rugged. I dont like spectrum as a brand and just so you know its only dsmr and dsm2....

Yeah, I know. But a 2 channel receiver is only $30. I heard good things about the rugged. ????

I've been using a DX5C weekly for over 2 years with no issues. I even dropped it from the drivers stand twice with no damage.
In my opinion it has all the features that are needed (exponential, epa, etc. etc etc.).
For the price I feel it's a good value.

If you're willing to drop $180 on the Rugged, you should then consider the $180 Noble NB4. One hell of a radio for the money and can do more than the Rugged. The RX are in the same price range for both. Downside to the Noble is you have to wait for overseas delivery which is worth it in the end.

Werty .I got my nb8 -3 months ago only waited 18 days..I like it .. has a good feel did a tennis racket wrap on it..(happen when you have giant mits).

Consider the Sanwa MT-S too, the 'compatible' receivers are available from $25-30. If you want reliability, compatibility and speed they are good choice. If you ever need to borrow a receiver or transmitter it is likely going to be easy to find one at any race.

The noble feels solid and is great value in terms of features, but it too had some receiver problems early on. If you run into problems on race day you're likely out of luck unless you know someone else running it.

I've had my NB4 for over a year and I really like it. There were issues with the V1 receivers (I would know, I had a couple fail and FlySky sent me new ones) but the V2s are solid. FlySky's support has been good for me. I can't imagine it's cheap to send a package to the US in just 3 days from China.

How many and what type Spektrum receivers do you currently have?

I've had the DX5R for a handful of years with no issues. The new line of receivers are a lot better than what they used to be and aren't susceptible to the glitching people used to complain about with older Spektrum receivers. At the end of the day, pick whatever suits your budget and feature requirements.

Spektrum has disappointed me far too many times in the past and I choose to no longer support the brand.

I do want to caution about the false advertising on their "Rugged" radio which is anything but rugged per their own manual:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...fb75fcee5a.jpg

The following picture shows a frozen ice covered radio which is not a supported function per the manual.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...c36e3c3d62.jpg


There are plenty of other much better quality mid-range radios worth exploring here who don't make false claims about their products:

Which surface radio system is the best?

Why dont you like Futaba? Everything I've heard is they are much better than comparable Spektrum radios.

A radio is a radio either they holdup or they dont..people have issue with every radio Ive seen in the last 10 years .You never know when you might get a Lemon.but I refuse to buy a know lemon...Jr was once a solid radio brand I feel the New (jr) spectrum are a failure but people love them..Its always a gamble with anything we get or do in rc...

Spektrum sticks with the 5.5msec framerate while Futaba and Sanwa delivers 3msec in normal modes, not to mention the much faster SR/SSR modes. Even the NB4 can be set to a faster framerate. Also Spectrum is doing a lot on the RTR and low end market, so when you want a transmitter for racing, be sure there is no AVC receiver with it....

Is Noble nb4 that good? Always thought flysky had weird glitches that made them difficult to work with/upgrade. Nb4 says it's at <13 ms though doesn't give lower range.

I run my King Motor X2 (among others) with the Noble and haven't had any issues with range or glitching of any kind. I'm not in a race environment though so I can't speak on that.