My First Heli Radio....

Can someone tell me why buying a heli exclusive radio is better than buying a A/C and Heli combo? Any advise would be helpful.

I am currently looking at an Futaba 6XHPS 6-Channel PCM?

Or is a JR Better?

Any suggestions?

Just gathering as much info as I can...

Thanks

I don't know that there are any exclusively helicopter radios, but I'll offer this:

There are airplane and helicopter "versions" of the same radios. When I started I managed to get a airplane version of a JR 622. The difference is that some of its top switches are in different places than would be on a helicopter version of the same radio.

Because of this my next radio a JR XP8301 is also an airplane model (used to the switch locations by now), but still has all the CCPM, throttle and pitch curves you'd normally find on a helicopter radio.

The main the switches that get moved around are the "landing gear" aka 7th channel (used most of the time for changing the sensitivity of your gyro or switching to and from heading lock mode) and the dual mode switches for going from normal flying mode to acrobatic modes.

If you don't know anything else and are just starting I would get what ever is available.

Did the JR 662 set/hold you back in anyway. I have heard the the 3pt curves keep you back from doing loops, or at least "nicer" (not sloppy) loops.

What I am saying is I am teaching a friend who got the jr 652 3pt curves basic radio with 537bb servos, good radio, but the 3pt curves are hurting him now. his transitions from FFF to hover are not smooth because of the pitch curves, he can't do flips yet but I have done them on his heli and they are sloppy etc. He needs a new radio but the rest of his equipment he has not out grown yet. He has used only 3 gallons of fuel so far just to give you a time frame.

This was posted on one of the threads on RCuniverse.com

i am looking to purchase the planker version of the JR XP8103 radio. the only reason i'm getting this version is $$$$$. it will save me over 100 bux to get this radio vs the heli version. the only differences is 2 switches and the "notches" on the throttle stick. the cool thing is that by removing the case and spending 10-20 mins swapping the switch places and taking the "notches" out of the throttle- you have the EXACT same transmitter setup as the heli version. hope this helps-

as for which radio is the best? i think that is a matter of opinion. i am personally going with the JR because i am buying a Venture 30 cp heli-this heli is made by JR as well--just like to keep it all in the same family-ease the setup a bit on the ccpm the venture has.

I never got that far with that radio. The 8103 has a 5 point curve and some day I hope to need all of that...

I've always used JR. My father-in-law recently started flying planes and he didn't use JR, hated it and switched. For the price I think it's the best out there. Futaba still thinks "their stuff don't stink" so they charge more that what the equipment is worth.

[colin]

Originally posted by grnkota
i am looking to purchase the planker version of the JR XP8103 radio. the only reason i'm getting this version is $$$$$. it will save me over 100 bux to get this radio vs the heli version. the only differences is 2 switches and the "notches" on the throttle stick. the cool thing is that by removing the case and spending 10-20 mins swapping the switch places and taking the "notches" out of the throttle- you have the EXACT same transmitter setup as the heli version. hope this helps-

Usually, the heli version of the radio is optimised for heli settings, and the main bulk of the program deals with heli setups rather than plane setups.

For eg, my 8UHP-S futaba has both the 8UHP and 8UAP version. The programming functions are fairly different. Both supports cross programming, ie: programming a glider setting on the heli radio for example, but the settings are scaled down.

[rotorz]

Hi Dudes
I cant see why any one should even need to consider a tranny that has only three pts what a waste of space.

My JR X-347, now 12 years on has 5 pts it is a cow to set up on ccpm though because of convoluted mixing "fiddles"
My X- 378 is the biz and at a good price. I have yet to find something I need to do with it that I cant. A small gripe is the model names only go to three letters which is a bit pathetic considering how much other computing stuff they ram into it.

To be biased get a JR.