I'm with Boomer on this one. The system is new and it is going to have problems but isn't something that was thrown together overnight. I race every weekend with the guys from horizon and they have been running this for over a year and they are usally the fastest guys on the track. at our local track there are 5 guys running it without a single hiccup. yeah the pros might feel a millisecond of difference but not likely. so the mass population won't either but since some pro said he could tell everybody thinks they can tell. what a bunch bulls@#T!!

i'm not cancelling my pre-order...

I don't even care if it won't work on carpet..i'll useit in my off-road gear...that's where I have the most glitchingissues anyway

I guess those people experiencing problems other than slow response with the system are also putting out bulls@#T???

Like I said, is it REALLY possible that so many people are simply "imagining" the problems their having?

Of course it is, because if people say something that someone else disagrees with, they must be full of it.

Whats truely amazing about all of this is how people can say "The system is new and it is going to have problems" but at the SAME time, say that the people reporting these problems is just "a bunch bulls@#T!!"

Truely remarkable!

somebody must like them! if you watch ebay they are going from $200 - $300+ just for the module and one reciever! thats crazy I'm glad I didn't have to pay that much for mine but some people have more money than sense I hope they take care of the people that are having the real problems because this system is awesome!!!!

I was saying that they could really tell a millisecond of differnce in response as bulls@#t!!

I think the misconception is that some people don't like the system. Who wouldn't like the 'idea' that the system brings to RC? But people have to know when they buy it, that it will work. Thats not too much to ask I don't think.

Yeah, I'm sure they are going for lots on ebay. There are lots of people who don't know about the problems, don't believe the problems, or simply race outdoors where the problems don't seem to occur. But whats more disturbing, the fact that people want one bad enough to pay that much for them, or that this "awsome" system has already started to hit ebay?

Hopefully, all this will be straighten out by the time the 3PK version comes out. But my experience with Horizon(not good) tells me this may take a while.

I haven't ran the system anywhere but inside so far becuse the weather in IL. sucks this time of year. I guess i'm just excited that i don't get the glitch anymore that plaques one certain section of our track. Alot of people get hit by it and as everyone knows glitches suck!! so with the spek. so far so good. I bought the M8 just so I could have the spek. I had to turn down the speed of the steering becase it was super fast. I had xr3 befor the M8 and never ran the M8 because I bought just the trans. and module so that is probably why I don't notice anything being slower because the M8 is fast to start with.

What I've found is that there are a FEW problems that are legitimate.

What I've also found is that those with other problems (massive glitching, etc.) didn't read the directions thoroughly and follow them exactly.

- OR -

They had problems stemming from another component.


All I know is that I had a very slight problem that was alleviated very quickly upon troubleshooting and I will be working to completely solve it.



((((this message is NOT to put anyone down and may be taken with tongue firmly planted in one's cheek - just not YOURS in MINE. . .thank you! ))))

Boomer,
The FCC rules prohibit marketing of radio equipment until it has FCC Certification.
Displaying it at a trade show or having a magazine do a review would be marketing.. Spektrum might have violated this rule, I dunno, I asked them for their FCC authorization number, and got no response. I have looked up their FCC certification once I saw an actual unit as the rules require the number to be put on the equipment. It was granted 10/22/2004.
I couldn't find it myself because it is not granted to Spektrum or Horizon, it is a Fremont company's radio board that uses a wireless USB chip made by Cypress Semiconductor. It has a "high-speed" mode that is equivalent to a 56K modem..
Now speed doesn't seem like a big issue, servo's require a 8-16ms delay after sending them a command that takes 2ms to send.
The issue is two-fold. if data takes longer to transmit, it is more prone to get lost/corrupted. If it must be resent, a slow system will miss the 8ms update window. That means a real delay in car response.

If you look back a few posts, I have said I have been using our 2.4ghz system for almost a year now, racing with it every week. It has been mostly trouble free, a number of improvements have been made, mostly
to reduce the size of the receiver and make it more reliable in the face of harsh treatment.
The version to be submitted for FCC approval will be in a couple weeks.
An issue has been what range is required,
the current system will go about 120-feet, that seems far enough to me, but I haven't been to many tracks outside california.

At the risk of giving out too much info, a picture of the transmitter, and the reciever boards
can be found here.
I will be looking for feedback from racers on the system soon.

Look, if you bought a spektrum and it works for you that is great. Given the reviews and marketing why wouldn't you!? My complaint is two fold, we were the innovators here, not Spektrum.
And two, the review by Steve Pond in Car Action is full of unqualified misinformation, e.g. FCC requires technology so systems "absolutely can't interfer with other devices".
Nothing is further from the truth!
The rules are you must deal with any interference you get!
We have a FHSS system. Sure if you use a FHSS designed for networking or USB, it will work badly for R/C. We have designed our own proprietary protocol
that is being patented for real time control.
I could go on, but I don't want to bash Steve, he was given this information from someone else.

Yeah I did plug the cap in the way you said, but after reading I think maybe my Q1 was the problem. I am going to try my Keyence and see if that fixes the problem. Thanks for your help. I will post the results.

well i for one just wish horizon would have taken what seems to be the approved approach of the people that think we are making this stuff up.

a simple label on the the box would have been all it would have took.

"the system is new and problems are to be expected"

or

"this is the first version of a series to be released so buyer beware"

yea and i guess if i updated from a xr3 to a m-8 i would think the spek was faster too.

and nimble, you seem to know what your taking about, but how are you suppose to hold that thing with the steering wheel where your trigger hand goes.

Formula1fan........ Sup man. You shouldnt have any problem voltage wise with the keyence. Check out the specs. I am not positive but i think it has the highest bec on the market. 6 volt 3 amp output. Crazy power compaired to other esc's. I installed a secong reciever as my first was DOA and its seems to work ok I also added the cap for the sake of doing so , give it all i can.

I know no one will care..but I simply HATE it when someone comes and tries to capitalize on someones else's problems. It happens all the time here. Whether it's someone knocking a magazine, some other magazine will chime in on how great they are. If it's a battery, some sponsored driver will chirp about how their company would never screw you like so and so did. Now it's radio's too? It does appear that Spektrum has some issues, unfortunately that's the price you pay for being the first on your block (I don't say that maliciously, because if I had the opportunity, I would have a Spektrum also!!) I just think it would be nice if people would make their products look good rather than making others look bad. That is unprofessional to me. Rant over

When you buy a new full size car...is there a big sticker onthehood that says 'This is the first model year of a new car design - Expect problems'....

when you buy a Jaguar does it have a big warning on the dealership showroom's door stating ' These vehicles have a history of mechanical quirks and issues, we advise youlook elsewhere'.....

No?


hmmmm....nobody has put a gun to your head and forced you to adopt new technology....(or buy that brand new car)....Spektrum has tested the system and itws found to work properly...now that it is into production, quality assurance gets tougher with higher volumes produced, and it is used by a larger sample of peple in more varied applications....problems are going to show up....period....Horizon is dealing wit the issues as the arise. Where is the complaint?

Horizon is shipping the Spektrum Friday for the Helios....Well at least to me they are shipping it. I will let you know how it fairs.
I am curious if they have worked out there bugs since the M-8.....I haven;t seen anyone with the Spektrum for the Helios so far so I guess I get to test it out...I am not really worried about problems...I expect them....It is new....I remember when the Novak switch system first came out for the M-8...Man I had so many porblems with it adn after a couple trips to Novak and Airtronics I sold the M-8 and the switch system to buy a Helios...Now the only thing is since I have had the Helios I haven;t had but one glitch so I am going to see what happens with the Spektrum...What is the worst thing that could happen....It stinks and I have to send it in for repair or replacement...At least they are willing to fix any and all repairs...
I will let you know
-Stephen <><