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
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This area is for feedback, suggestions, or questions about any topic...
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I like to collect classic airplanes, so the gorgeous little Great Planes Electrifly Fokker Dr.1 Tridecker was a natural choice. Great Plane...
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Chris wrote... The F4U is too small and light for my CG tool from Great Planes. Where should the CG be based on your experience and how ...
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Can Z8RC's mad scientists double the speed of the Carbon Z Scimitar with a UM Stryker 180 hopped up on a 3S crack adrenalin rush? Resul...
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This area is for feedback, suggestions, or questions about any topic...
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Chris wrote... The F4U is too small and light for my CG tool from Great Planes. Where should the CG be based on your experience and how ...
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There are a lot of people mundanely peddling motors on the common RC message boards. If you were in the business, wouldn't you? The sal...
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I've written about this subject before, but this diagram should help clarify how easy it is to add your own LED lighting for just a few ...
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INTRODUCTION It is sooo past time for a Jug. SPECS - Wingspan: 1400mm (55.1 inch) - Length: 1250mm (49.2 inch) - Flying Weight: 2100g (...
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Computer simulation has gotten good enough to be useful for learning to fly RC. Some might even say a good sim is a modern necessity. Can ...
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In this series of posts, I will occasionally try to perpetuate common pet peeves of the pilot community. There is a right way and a wrong ...
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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...
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UPDATE: Also see: Half of DX8 users report "unresolved" problems UPDATE: Also see: Head to Head: Aurora 9 vs Spektrum DX8 ...
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