Advice needed

[tiny-james]

So after my visit to the flying club yesterday I was made aware that I should change my Futaba T8j Transmitter to a Spektrum for a lot of reasons main one being that there trainning system while they do or should I say they can link up with my Futaba Radio I would be better of buying a Spectrum so Last night I asked the club if anyone had a spektrum for sale 8 channel 

 

 

One radio was offered with only 11 months of use a Spectrum NX8 but what would you expect to pay for this transmitter a RX8 channel and a long life battery is also in the mix

I think he said he paid £405 for the lot ??

[kc]

I wouldn't buy secondhand radio gear especially if it's expensive.   I would prefer to buy a new Spektrum 6 channel as 6 channels is usually plenty.  Need to buy a Tx with a screen and memories ( cheapest ones dont have these )

 

You should note that any Futaba Tx with the square type buddy lead connection - even old 35mhz  - can be used as a buddy Tx with another Futaba Tx with same connector.   Look for a Futaba Tx - a 35mhz should be cheap maybe free.     You can use the 2.4 ghz Tx and be on 2.4 while using a 35 mhz Futaba buddy ( see the Futaba manual )

I can't imagine a decent size club doesn't have a spare 35mhz Futaba Tx around somewhere that would save you buying more gear.   You might have to buy a Futaba connecting lead though and of course it's not wireless buddy like the Spektrum might be.

 

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by kc

[Denis Watkins]

As KC suggests will work,

But a low cost shortcut would be a Spektrum DX6i from someone to aid your training.

[Jon H]

The futaba 8j is a great radio, i use it myself. Its crazy to get rid of it and buy something broadly equivalent. 

 

It sounds to me like they have their own brand biases and are passing them on to anyone who asks. To be clear, this is something we are all guilty of to some degree. I have flown futaba gear since i was a kid as my dad had it and i just followed along. I did buy a spektrum system with an eflite helicopter and from first hand use i found the quality and reliability was not on par with the futaba i had so i stuck with the futaba brand when i upgraded again

[Shaun Walsh]

The later Spectrum DX transmitters (not the silver ones) together with the NX and iX series offer the facility of wireless buddy connection which is useful.

Regarding the purchase of used radio equipment it's advisable to either know the vendor personally and the history of the equipment or to send it off for a health check immediately after purchase. I have two transmitters which were bought second hand. One I bought from a fellow club member the other was an eBay purchase which went off for a check and came back with a clean bill of health.

[tiny-james]

I like my Futaba but it requires a repair so I don't know I am a newbee but what is a fair price for the radio he only just changed his radio as he needed a Tbar for his hel's

 

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

I would also go with a Futaba 8j, there are a couple in our club, less troublesome than the spectrum ones,,,

 

 A2Pro du  a buddy box system that will run on any two different radio receivers all mixed Ie, 12.4 / 35mhz etc,,,

 

maybe like our club  yours cant invest in invested in 1 of them,,,

 

 20€,,,,

 

https://www.flashrc.com/a2pro/23081-module_écolage_4_voies_a2pro.html

Edited December 5, 2022 by Paul De Tourtoulon

[Jon H]

18 minutes ago, tiny-james said:

I like my Futaba but it requires a repair 

 

 

Ripmax are the uk importer for futaba. They have been in hypersleep since covid but i would give them a call and see what they can do. 

 

Even if its dead, the upgraded 10j is not mega expensive. https://www.modelshopleeds.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=16314&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyracBhDoARIsACGFcS4-6_gEsfg7Bc5VnxaH2bs9hkB47XGLMvELOeMUIMxJV0vVm-XuGqsaAnYHEALw_wcB

[EarlyBird]

22 minutes ago, tiny-james said:

I like my Futaba but it requires a repair

Is this the broken switch?

[tiny-james]

9 minutes ago, EarlyBird said:

Is this the broken switch?

Yes the switch needs replacing

[jrman]

Send it to Mike Ridley

https://modelradioworkshop.co.uk/servicing/

[EarlyBird]

16 minutes ago, EarlyBird said:

Is this the broken switch?

Bring it to me and I will fix it, assuming you have the replacement switch.

Photos of the switch would be good.

 

Steve

[tiny-james]

Stev where in the world are you Northhampton ? I live in Rugby

 

 

[EarlyBird]

1 minute ago, tiny-james said:

Stev where in the world are you Northhampton ? I live in Rugby

 

 

Oops 😳 North Lincolnshire.

 

I thought you had joined PANDAS. I think I am losing the plot. Turning seventy is my only excuse.

 

Sorry

 

Steve

[Nick Cripps]

Which switch is damaged? It may not be an essential one for your early stages of learning if, for example, it operates one of the auxiliary channels such as retracts.

 

Alternatively, give Al's Hobbies a call in Milton Keynes. They have an ex-Spektrum technician who does their radio repairs and may be able to do a while-you-wait repair on your broken switch.

[MattyB]

2 hours ago, tiny-james said:

So after my visit to the flying club yesterday I was made aware that I should change my Futaba T8j Transmitter to a Spektrum for a lot of reasons main one being that there training system while they do or should I say they can link up with my Futaba Radio I would be better of buying a Spectrum so Last night I asked the club if anyone had a spektrum for sale 8 channel 

 

One radio was offered with only 11 months of use a Spectrum NX8 but what would you expect to pay for this transmitter a RX8 channel and a long life battery is also in the mix

I think he said he paid £405 for the lot ??

 

Hehehe... "You can't use that here, you need an xyz mate....". Classic stuff. Did they provide some high quality "facts" to support that view?! 😉

 

Yes it may be difficult to buddy that to a Spektrym setup, but that does not mean you should bin it or sell it on. Its a perfectly usable radio for anything you are likely to fly given your level of experience. If you really do want to join them and use their buddy setup, a better solution than a secondhand NX8 at high cost would be a brand new Radiomaster, Jumper or other multiprotocol TX - this can be bound to Spektrum as a wireless buddy system, but has way more flexibility and functionality (they can be used with a huge variety of receivers from many different brands), and will probably be cheaper than the secondhand NX8 too.

 

PS - You need to be aware that people get very tribal about radio brands; we all have our own biases (me included), but some people take it to extremes. Spektrum vs Futaba used to be the big battleground maybe 10 years ago, but with the decline in Futaba sales it now tends to be Spek vs. Frsky vs. Radiomaster. Either way, be wary of anyone who tells you "this system is rubbish, you need to use [my favourite brand] because otherwise you'll have unexplained crashes left right and centre". Whisper it quietly, but almost any current radio system available today will be hugely reliable if you a) understand how it works, and b) install and power it correctly. 

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by MattyB

[Don Fry]

Tiny, memory keeps nagging, don’t you already own a Spektrum transmitter?

[Jon H]

Totally agree Matty.

 

I like the futaba gear, i am used to it and confident it its performance and will recommend it over spektrum as i did not get the same feeling of quality and reliability from the spektrum radio i own and have used for training. Personally i wouldnt touch frsky with a 10 foot pole. Not because i claim models will be dropping like flys if you use it, but because i have not seen evidence that they wont. I will keep an eye on it, and may consider it in future once i have seen it in the flesh/many years of in service reports are available. But for now i will stick to what i know to be reliable (one futaba radio failure in 30+ years). 

 

The only stuff i would class under the "this system is rubbish, you need to use [my favourite brand] because otherwise you'll have unexplained crashes left right and centre" banner is anything you see on ebay. No matter the sticker, these can be fakes, imposters or straight up scams. Always buy radio from known sellers. 

[tiny-james]

Yes Don but I've had the house upsaide down looking for it. I have given up 

the other week my son said he had it. So yesterday I rang him to ask him to bring it home at Christmas. He said we where both thinking of different things and he didn't have a RC transmitter.

 

Stev photo of switch. I know it should be long but I bought the one by accident 

[tiny-james]

Sorry stev should be 

@EarlyBird 

[tiny-james]

I have just been sent a image of the Transmitter in question 

 

this transmitter was owned by a committee member

[J D 8]

    I am a T8j user and have an old Futaba 35 FF6 as buddy, This has the old round connection plug but was able to obtain a round to square lead. The FF6 does not need a battery for this to work.

[EarlyBird]

For me and many others on here that would be easy to remove from the board. The trick is high temperature say 380 touch a terminal with the iron and add solder the solder on the board solder will melt fairly quickly now drag the iron to the next terminal adding solder as you move this will melt two terminals drag the iron and solder to the third terminal, with all three melted the switch will be easy to remove. Give it another go as it's the only way to learn.

[Frank Skilbeck]

If the club use Spektrum, especially the wireless system I can see why they have recommended the Spektrum system, apart from the wireless buddying on the Spektrum system the master Tx takes over the second the instructor moves the sticks, it's a very good system (Note I don't use Spektrum but have instructed with it). 

We were using the new Futaba 6Ks for newbies, but for some obscure reason Futaba have decided to move the trainer switch to the top right and make a standard 2 position switch, which if as an instructor you are used to a spring loaded switch on the left (6EX) was a real pain to remember when it was all going wrong. We ended up loaning FASST receivers to students so we could use our 6EX as the master.

[kc]

To set the record straight ( correct me if this is wrong! ) ANY Spektrum Tx can be used as the buddy for a wireless link as long as the master Tx has the radio buddy capability.   So even a cheap/old Spektrum will do for the pupil.   However don't buy a Spektrum without memories or screen ( it will work as a buddy but won't be so useful in future)