I'm guessing that I'm not atypical, in that, after a few decade hiatus from the hobby, I made a dumb mistake a few years ago. Simply put, I asked an LHS-kid to recommend a great radio. It was a silly mistake on my part, not realizing that his idea of a high end radio and my idea would be worlds apart.
I blame myself for being so stupid. But thinking back through the process, in my defense, even the bottom-feeder DX6i that he recommended looked like a giant leap forward from the technology I remember from back in the day: square hammered metal box, sticks, metal antenna with frequency flag. It worked.
Fast forward. Spektrum/Horizon does a super job of catering to novices. That's ok. Even with more full scale flying hours than most people have driving hours, I recognized that I had been out of the hobby for a while. Horizon makes great stuff for people getting into, or back into the hobby. Like most sharp high-volume marketeers, they do a savvy job of locking you into a low end standard. Over time, I've realized that my initial mistake in the LHS, not doing enough research and relying on a kid with no money for a recommendation, quickly became very limiting and far worse, time consuming.
The DX8 seemed like a reasonable path forward, given Horizon's claim that there were attempting to build the best 8ch in the world. I don't need 8chs, but the higher resolution appealed to me as I my RC skills had come back to the point where the low res DX6i wasn't precise enough. And so, I was ready to make the next classic rookie mistake: throwing good money after bad...
The DX8 story is history on this blog. Horizon proved too technically weak to make the leap to a high performance radio. I don't blame them for trying. I blame myself for buying the high side of a low quality line, something I've sworn off many times in other facets of life. My brief life experience has taught me, over and over again, to buy the low end of a quality line when dipping a toe in the water, not vice versa. Again, my fault for doing less than adequate homework. Time down the drain is a bummer.
On the bright side, the full range of radios available today are amazingly inexpensive, especially for the over-the-top features. Ironically, I don't want that. I want fast, extremely precise, reliable control with excellent ergonomics. That's it. I don't see myself ever needing 8chs, but I have nothing against extra channels, either. The extra glitz and complex features are actually a negative to me--no time nor desire for Nintendo. But I do appreciate a great interface for staple features.
So I'm on a quest to migrate from Spektrum DSMX to a higher quality standard. More to come...
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Z8RC Open Discussion
Feedback | Suggestions | Questions
Please note, reader comments do not appear immediately after hitting submit.
Please note, reader comments do not appear immediately after hitting submit.
I like to fly:
Top 10 This Week
-
Update: Also see: Fixing the Flyzone Fokker Dr.1 Micro Update: After all that was discussed below, the little Fokker's motor shaft r...
-
Addendum: As a result of my review, Horizon lowered the price of the UMX Beast to $99, earning it a B+ Z8RC overall rating. Horizon deserv...
-
This multi-engine set up runs as smooth and strong as I'd hoped. ST .30 The trick to getting the multi-engine setup to run is to u...
-
Three cheers for Hobbyzone's little Aeronca Champion! This1944 vintage, true American classic sold over 10,000 copies, not counting late...
-
Update: These photos added to support the comments, below: Original post follows: ----- Electrifly Edge 540 hangs at the ready wi...
-
The Round 1 bell approaches, with the simply outstanding Art-Tech ready to take on the Great Planes Electrify EP E-Performance Series Yak-5...
-
Get ready for some hard WWI 3D action. Some ask, “Why?” I ask, “Why not?” PZ Albatros with Rimfire 15, 11x3.8 SF prop, HK Flight Stab...
-
UPDATE: After pretty light use, the E-Flite 370 in the Ascent failed without warning between two flights. It landed fine, only to never r...
-
DISCOUNT CODES The purpose of this blog post and reader comments is to gather and share known RC retailer online discount codes. It will r...
-
BlitzRCWorks G4 Quad Charger / Thunder T6 Multi Charger Update: My Common Sense RC 250W PSU has two sets of outputs (see photo below). ...
Top 10 This Month
-
Update: Also see: Fixing the Flyzone Fokker Dr.1 Micro Update: After all that was discussed below, the little Fokker's motor shaft r...
-
UPDATE: Video added of top speed, low speed and stalls UPDATE: Video added. I don't usually buy airplanes that are not scale classi...
-
Addendum: As a result of my review, Horizon lowered the price of the UMX Beast to $99, earning it a B+ Z8RC overall rating. Horizon deserv...
-
This area is for feedback, suggestions, or questions about any topic...
-
This multi-engine set up runs as smooth and strong as I'd hoped. ST .30 The trick to getting the multi-engine setup to run is to u...
-
This will be a complete build post, including a flight review. Yes, the wingtips are orange, not red as shown on the box. The plane come...
-
Update 3: See also: http://z8rc.blogspot.com/2012/01/blade-mcp-x-100-tail-blow-out-fix.html Update 2: mCP X with Z8RC truss upgraded to A...
-
The Blade SR's twitchy tail takes getting used to, but the errors generally offset in a hover. The SR is a Collective Pitch lead-in tr...
-
The T-28 is a great trainer, but let’s face it, after a few weeks some might find it a little wanting in the Thrust:Weight category. The ...
-
Get ready for some hard WWI 3D action. Some ask, “Why?” I ask, “Why not?” PZ Albatros with Rimfire 15, 11x3.8 SF prop, HK Flight Stab...
Z8RC Resources
A Practical RC Simulator Comparison
AMA Under the Microscope (& Part 2)
Balancing a ducted fan or prop perfectly
Balsa or Foam?
Blade mCP X 100% Vibration Fix
Choosing the Right Motor
FAA Guarantees Your Right to Fly RC in the USA
Fixing those broken UM wheel pants
How to Land from The Overhead Pattern
Online RC Discount Codes
Soft Throttle
Understanding CG
Z8RC Thrust-to-Weight Ratio Database
Z8RC Manufacturer Rankings