Horizon Hobbies

[stubtoe]

Kelly

See my posts regarding my DX9 battery discharge problem - page22 - Mike Ridley pinpointed the faulty FET on the top PCB - check to see, in a dark room if any LED's are glowing dim when Tx is switched off...joe

[Former Member]

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[Piers Bowlan]

Another new radio from 'you know who' and another faulty product. I am not Sp*t+um bashing, just saying.... I will now retire to the bunker!

Edited By Piers Bowlan on 07/10/2017 09:38:31

[Former Member]

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[Erfolg]

I am not a Spektrum or a HH fan, although i do think as a modeller there has been much to admire.

Spektrum made 2.4 at prices that forced other manufacturers to improve their game. Spekrums came with a range of features that other manufacturers would seek to pass of as higher end features.

In the case of Parkzone models came at attractive prices, flew very well, for a foamy durable construction . I still fly a PZ Albatross on a regular basis.

It does seem that the hard won reputation, seems tarnished. Almost a Leyland, Rover scenario, where known issues are not engineered out, that products spend more tome either under repair in or out of warranty. than many other users of rival products think is unacceptable. Now the maintenance and repair service seems to have also deteriorated.

All of which is not only a pity, but potentially puts in jeopardy what could be very good products. Even today i do see Rover cars, that their owners find are great, but complacency, bad management doomed the brand as far as the majority were concerned.

HH be them German, or from The USA need to remove the basis for threads like this.

Edited By Erfolg on 07/10/2017 11:21:59

[Former Member]

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[Guvnor]

Posted by Erfolg on 07/10/2017 11:21:14:

It does seem that the hard won reputation, seems tarnished.

Now the maintenance and repair service seems to have also deteriorated.

All of which is not only a pity, but potentially puts in jeopardy what could be very good products.

HH be them German, or from The USA need to remove the basis for threads like this.

Edited By Erfolg on 07/10/2017 11:21:59

But they won't for a very simple reason.

HH NEVER made any money in the UK and parts of Europe. Hence the retreat.

They really don't care what we think, and never will.

Shame, as a lot of their models are good...

[Kelly]

Hi

Thanks for the feedback will contact Mike Ridley when I find the time.

Update on charging, charged up with the wall wart fully charged.

Several minutes after taking off charge it switched itself on.Turned it off, 5 mins or so later it switched itself on again?? switched it off ,waited half hour did not restart.

Been in is box 3days.Just checked still showing voltage loss.

will check to see if anything glows later.

I have 3x Futaba 6ex TX never any problems on the ground or in the air.

It puts you off a leading brand name even if it is an easy fix.

[Former Member]

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[Former Member]

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[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

I have deliberately kept out of this debate - not wishing to intrude on "family grief"' as it were.

I do own a Spektrum Tx but only for BnF indoor stuff and since I managed to purchase a Spekky module for my Taranis I don't even use that any more. But I woukd kike to make the following observation - I am completely and utterly at a loss to understand what on earth HH are doing!

In Specktrum, no matter what else you may have thought of them, they had a 1st class brand name. As Erf says, the price was right, the kit was high spec (for the price) and although it did seem to have a rather high number of issues two factors needed to be taken into account:

a) many of its users were very new to the hobby and as is the way with those new to the hobby that installation and set up errors are frequent and you can't really blame the Tx for them!

b) customer service was absolutely examplary! Turn round was fast, whole Tx's (or at least major components like main boards etc.) were changed without question and at no cost. Incredible.

All of this meant that over the last 3 years virtually every beginner I have instructed has a Spektrum TX and buddy box. Many of the "old hands" in the club were also Spektrum users - it was without doubt the most common single make. Our own surveys confirmed this with Spektrum rapidly passing all other brands and displacing Futaba off the number one slot.

But HH seem to be prepared to lose all that - unbelievable. To have market domination in your hand and then to just apparently throw it away!

I really hope that Al's manage to salvage Spektrum's reputation - OK, personally I'm a FrSky man, but they need competition to keep them on their toes - it certainly doesn't look like that competition is going to come from the likes of Futaba or JR, both of whom are frankly miles behind the curve now in my estimation. Nor is it likely to come from makes such as Jeti and Multiplex - both of whom are on the front line but seem happy to just appeal to a very narrow and select market. No, we need Spektrum to be back where they should be - pushing the outside of the envelop along with FrSky and, not only in technological terms but in reliability and customer support as well. Let's hope that happens because that's in the interests of the hobby, overall.

BEB

[Don Fry]

Well said BEB.

[Former Member]

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[Former Member]

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[simon burch]

What I always found interesting in my 30+ years of flying is that I’ve never seen one particular brand of tx be sent back for repair by so many club members. Great post and interesting comments but would love to hear why you think Futaba are so far behind the curve? The one thing my Futaba is very good at is talking to the model, sadly one thing my DX8 wasn’t good at even after being returned 3 times.

I don’t use a lot of Horizon stuff but I hope they get it sorted out as I know their products bring a lot people into th3 hobby.

Simon

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

At the risk of getting stomped on...i reckon the policy of no charge for having a set looked at, encourages people to do it.

[Erfolg]

BEB I totally agree with you, I think you are also saying something with respect to an aspect I have applauded with how HH have operated. That aspect is that a number of third party ARTF models have been engineered(perhaps a rather over the top description) products that that make use of the Spektrum RC system.

I am not at present convinced that their position as the intro RC radio system is secure, certainly not to the extent that it has been. I have a gut feeling that the stage is now opening up to other performers. The reason being is the apparent reduction in retail outlets that were the natural home of HH products, principally down to the in-house range of goods that were available, and the third party ARTF models using their system.

I will be very honest in that I do not know who the main contenders will be for the crown, although I am sure that there will be many who sense that they can make more sales. Which all could lead to a very fragmented market at the entry level.

I personally sense that HH are about to throw it all away. Not intentionally, but as a consequence of a number of factors. In my opinion they need to get to grips with why their service department has an apparently heavy work load. With respect to the PZ type models, the need to both contain production costs, which are reflected in retail price and also a balance of older products and additions to the range, which both maximises their present assets and new product. From here it is all dead easy, at the sharp end, it is much more difficult, due to many factors which i am thankfully unaware.

I to will be sorry to see the fading away of HH, as much as a mourn the disappearance of names such as Sanwa, Enya, Keil Kraft, unfortunately the list can go on for a long time. Even exceptional products such as Graupner produced, is no guarantee. It is a balance of quality and price.

 

 

Edited By Erfolg on 07/10/2017 21:09:55

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Did I miss the passing of Enya and Sanwa? I thought both were still making and selling their traditional products? I'm not sure what trading model Graupner have adopted but the name is still going...

[Former Member]

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[edgar]

Enya Metal Products still has an active website that claims to allow purchase and international shipping. The available range of products is somewhat limited but does include engines for aircraft, boats and cars as well as parts. it gives me the impression tgat the don't make all their products all the time or even keep them in stock. i don't know how to paste a link, but if you search for Enya Metal Products and not Enya (singer) its easy to find and in English and Japanese. I don't know how much longer tgey can survive just making i.c. with the increasing popularity of electric.

[cymaz]

Edgar, this will help you....

HERE

[Former Member]

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[Brian Cooper]

I am going to be highly unfashionable here and give a positive "thumbs up" to Spektrum. . A lot of my models are flown hard and fast, and the radio has to be 100% every time -- no compromises. . Maybe, after 53 years of flying R/C aeroplanes, my relentless attention to detail with radio installations was (is) rewarded with faultless operations.

Before migrating to 2.4Ghz, I flew Futaba PCM radios. These were fabulous and reliable but I still had a couple of instances (broken RF output) which required the transmitters to be fixed. . . and, because the service centre had others to fix, it took time to get them back, but nobody launched into a virulent campaign to "bad-mouth" Futaba.

What I find curious on forums is whenever a radio "issue" is discussed, the first question is, "Was it a Spektrum radio?" If it was, then the usual response is an off-hand, "Oh well, what do you expect..!!" . . . But if it is any other brand of radio, people are prepared to have a softer attitude. . It is a very curious state of affairs.

Having witnessed many models crashing into the ground during the last half-a-century, my main conclusion for the cause of models coming to grief is DUMB THUMBS. . However, people being people, they will inevitably blame anything but their lack of skill or talent on the demise of their treasured models, and so the radio gets the blame. . Was it ever thus..!!

So a thumbs up for Spektrum, the DX-18 Tx and the DSMX protocol. . . It is just a shame that Horizon has turned its back on the UK market.

B.C.

[Colin Leighfield]

This will run and run, won’t it? I have no need to change from Spektrum and am happy to give it time to resolve itself one way or the other, my speculating isn’t going to change anything. However, as a slight aside, the Egan brothers Plimp is a very interesting and promising commercial venture, there is fascinating video online and it clearly has promise as a new approach to drones with scale up to passenger carrying intention. They aren’t going to take any chances on radio quality with expensive prototypes like this, are they? What are they are using? Off the shelf Spektrum. I know it’s the USA and maybe the questions about service back probably don’t arise. Even so, I will be surprised if that issue isn’t resolved here.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Not unfashionable at all Brian, folk don't respond because there's been so many threads on it. Well used/liked brand at my club, problems few n far between, in no ones interest the current faffing about.