Is this a decent radio?
 

I found a deal where you get a truck, a servo and this radio system for $200.


Its a decent radio right? Not great but it will work?

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...1p?&I=LXASX265

yeah that radio is great. i use it with my MRS4.

Ill be using it with an rc18t. So it should work fine?

It'll work, but you would be better served if you could find similar deal with an FM radio. AM is prone to glitches and interference.

Yes very true, with 2.4ghz radios all over the market now you can pick up some decent FM stuff for right around that price.

How prone?

I've got overhead powerlines in my back yard and with my Tmaxx on the stock Trx TQ3 AM radio, I had a run away the 3rd day I ran it and was totally unprepared to deal with that. I got lucky the 1st time - got caught in the bushes and flipped over and motor quit. The next few run aways, I was not so lucky, then I installed a failsafe. The failsafe would activate a few times a week, thats how common the interference was. I've read of probs with AM interference running close to highways - prob CB related from 18 wheelers too.

It stopped completely when I changed to FM and I've never had another runaway or even the failsafe activate. AM will glitch if theres a prob with the antenna wire getting nicked or damaged. You don't have these probs with FM (or 2.4 for that matter). If you're going to go AM, get a failsafe, you're prob going to need it sooner or later. If you live out in the country away from powerlines, you'll prob be alright, but I'd still get a failsafe.

I plug a failsafe into the reciever right? Will this http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXMRE6&P=V hold a failsafe?

Can you recommend me a failsafe from towerhobbies?


Will this work? Aside from the receiver what else does it plug into?
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXJDF8&P=ML


Edit: Wait that wont work. That says I have to plug it into a throttle servo. What if Im getting the failsafe for and electric truck?

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/27197

That is the one I used - Tower doesn't carry it anymore. It provides both low batt and loss of signal protection. It plugs into rx (one you linked is fine) and then the esc - basically its wired between the rx and the esc. It activates the brake to stop when its triggered, not the throttle servo. You set it up per its instructions and test it to make sure it works. Then just watch for LED - I mounted mine of top of the rx box so I could see it and when my rc would all of a sudden stop, I'd go over and look and see solid red LED which meant loss of signal (interference). I never ran batts down and activated that side of the failsafe (blinking LED).

The failsafe you linked seems to be for nitro and NiCd batts only which would be a practical prob with the preference for NIMH today. It might work fine, but I don't know that either way. You could see if they would answer an email question (Futaba, not Tower) and find out.

Failsafes are disappearing because most radios now have builtin failsafes.

Hmm. I dont think my ESC will have a place to plug the failsafe into.

If your worried about all that, id definately try to go with at least an FM radio.

It's been proven over time that AM radios have no more glitching issue than a similarly priced FM model. Glitching and interference is in most cases as a result of the cheapness/lack of quality of any radio system.

You get what you pay for.
Get a good radio, no problems. Go bottom dollar, lots of problems.

Improper builds also contribute greatly to glitching. Bad wire routing, bad reciever mounting...

I wonder if my current radio system is AM. I havent had any problems with it.


I hope the radio I ordered works alright.