XMB

I picked up a DX8 G2 for only £20 more than a DX6 G2 so maybe worth shopping around? Remember the DX8 G2 comes with a Li-Po battery so is worth the extra money.

We are going a bit off topic but maybe we should all be adding a capacitor to the receiver supply to try and iron out any dips? I see the Graupner range of HoTT receivers (GR-16 etc.) quote a supply range of 3.6V to 8.4V and remain functional until 2.5V! They also say they have a fast re-binding time but give no figures. Maybe it is time all radio manufacturers provided re-boot and re-bind times in the event of a power brown out?

If you are monitoring the motor battery voltage and not the reveiver voltage, which will be always showing the BEC voltage, then you will get a indication of a problem long before the reviver voltage drops below the minimum value. Of course you have to ensure the alarm is set at the correct level for the type of battery in use otherwise the monitoring is useless!

Looking at the manual for the Spectra 2.4 module used in the A9 it is CE marked for use in France but with the note of restricted frequency range(2.4056GHz to 2.4482GHz). But it fails to mention how you tell it you are actually in France! I see the new Graupner MX-16 (model 33116.EN) has a option to select Europe or France in the menu and has more comrehensive telemetry support than the A9.

Is there room in the market for another format? Although the JR DMSS system seems quite good why would you choose this over the more popular Specktrum systems now they have DSMX? I have had mainly JR gear over the years but not am looking at switching to 2.4GHz and the market seems very confusing with multiple incompatible standards! This is compounded by trying to decide if telemetry is important and if so what are the key points to monitor as this can affect the final system of choice. For example monitoring the Li-Po pack voltage for electric models seems a good idea but some make this simpler and cheaper than others. For example the Hitec A9 receivers have a direct connection to monitor this voltage but the Spektrum systems need the telemetry module and cable to be able to monitor this. The JR XG8 has no add on to be able to monitor this so far so seems a poor state for such a new system? In fact if this was available as standard, as with the Hitec A9 I would probably stick with JR and get an XG8!

Graupner do have a module that measures the battery current and voltage along with connectors for optional fuel level, temperature and RPM sensors for about £40. (Model no. 33610.) This module is compatible with their new HoTT systems (MX-12, MX-16, MX-20). Interestingly these transmitters have some of the best telemetry support I can see including all radio signal data and even the individual cell voltages of Li-po packs when used with the above mentioned senso module. All this data is stored on the SD memory card so it can be reviewed after the flight either on the TX screen or via the PC software. Of course alarms can be set for almost any event and the transmitters have a speech audio output to relay the data and alarms (to a earpiece). Seems very comprehensive and quite a good price as the 8 channel MX-16 costs about £300 with TX and RX and includes the SD card and PC USB data cable. It is odd no one ever seems to mention this radio! But maybe, as others have said, telemetry is not of interest to those in the UK and USA?