RC RADIO Spektrum Vs Futaba Vs Frsky Vs Hitec

RC RADIO Shootout for 2019 - Spektrum Vs Futuba Vs Frsky Vs HiTec

These are some of the best high end RC Radio Transmitters for Planes, Helicopters and Drones you can buy

A reliable RC Radio Transmitter is really one of the most important things you can buy when it comes to launching your expensive RC Helicopter or Plane into the sky and keeping it from crashing down into the ground.

There is nothing worse than having spent many hours building an expensive plane or helicopter than to take it out into the field and have it fall out of the sky from a bad radio signal.

Thankfully RC Radio technology is better than ever. Choosing a brand name quality radio transmitter can prevent costly crashes or fly aways later on.  Let's have a look at some of the most popular selling models from Spektrum, Futuba, Frsky and HiTec.

Each company makes a wide range of models, we will only look at from inexpensive to some you may need to get a small loan to afford. When you move up the model ladder you are paying for smoother high quality ball bearing gambles, better cases and more channels.

A more expensive radio with smoother sticks can make you a better pilot. But it won't take the place of many hours spent actually honing your flying skills.

Let's have a look at some of the best transmitters available and how they compare. We will show you which RC radios are the best for 2019

Spektrum Radio

The Spektrum RC Radios have not been around as long as Futuba, but they really have some good things going for them and many RC Pilots are quite happy with them.

They offer intuitive easy to use software, quality hardware in their upper line models and the their easy bind and fly setup works great with many popular Horizon RC planes and helicopters available everywhere.

Spektrum iX12

Spektrum 1X12 12-Channel DSMX Transmitter with AR9030T RK

This a Top RC radio from Spektrum and it's a beauty! 

Besides the beautiful  color display it also features, 

Additional Features

• Machined-aluminum, quad-bearing gimbals
• Ergonomic side grips
• 12 fully-proportional channels
• 250-model memory

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Futuba Radio

Many of you that have been flying for a long time have probably grown up with Futuba. They are a Japanese company that has been around since 1948 and to this day they still make some very nice quality RC Radios.

While not as universal as Spektrum, Futaba Radios continue to be extremely popular especially with custom builders of high-end RC planes and helicopters.

Their 10 channel 10JS computer telemetry-capable radio has excellent build quality and while it may not be quite as easy to program as Spektrum,  it is still a very popular alternative for RC helicopter, glider and airplane pilots.

Programming a Spektrum Radio is still easier, but Futuba has made some advances in their programable radios in the last few years and they have become more intuitive and easier to program.

While not bind-n-fly, you can easily control the larger DJI quads as long as you install the included Futuba receiver.

Futuba 18SZA

Futaba 18SZA 18-Channel FASST

This is the top ready made by Futuba, and it is also a very nicely made and serious piece of RC hardware.

It also features more expensive quad-bearing with precise stick control. Flying your RC plane, helicopter or drone with a  higher end radio will make you a much better pilot.

This radio also has a long list of features.

Additional Features

• Data editor for S.Bus programming
• 15 character user and model naming
• Sub trims
• Servo reversing
• End point adjustment
• Data resets
• Battery fail safe
• Servo speed adjustment
• AFR D/R
• AFR curve mode (3)
• AFR curve point (17 points)
• Programmable mixing
• Throttle cut
• Idle down
• Logic switches
• User menu
• Servo monitor
• Up/Down timer (2)
• System timer
• Model timer
• Throttle stick alarm
• Rubber hand grips
• Backlight adjustment
• Calibration
• Alarm voltage
• Alarm vibrator
• Auto power off
• Range check
• Dual receiver setup

Get the Best Deal on eBay

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Frsky Taranis Radio

Frsky is a Chinese manufacturer of lower cost RC radio transmitters. Unlike the pricer made in Japan Futuba radios, they are competing quite successfully in the lower range market segment. While they still are not as popular as some of the other larger players they do make some pretty decent hardware that won't break the bank.

Their highest end best model is half the cost of a top of the line radio from Futuba or Spektrum.  Their design may also be a little unconventional. But they do have some loyal fans and their radios do work as designed.

FrSky X12S

FrSky Horus X12S Radio

The X12S is FrSky's best radio and it has some nice features as well. We really like their CNC 6 ball bearings gimbals with accuracy Hall effect sensors and extensible by stick ends. Hall effect sensors eliminate mechanical switches so they are more accurate and are very durable.


Additional Features

• Full telemetry and real-time data logging
• 6 position encoder for easier flight modes switch
• Integrated GPS module and Inbuilt 6-axis sensor (3-axis gyro and 3-axis accelerator)
• Internal and external antenna selectable

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Hitec RCD Radio 

Probably best known for their high end Aurora 9. This is their "pure digital" 2.4GHz system that gives you a fully "connected" feeling.

This radio has a large backlit 5.1 inch touch screen display with 30 Model memory, easy assignable switches and fully customizable programming menus. The Aurora 9 is a true 3 in 1 radio.

Hitec Aurora 9

Hitec Aurora 9, 2.4GHz Transmitter

This is one of the most affordable higher end radios with some great features for the price. It also offers very sensetive 8-ball bearing gimbals with adjustable tension.

We find it ironic that the lower priced radios offer more ball-bearings then in some of the more expensive models. 

This lower cost  top of the line Hitec model is a very decent radio transmitter for the money and will also make you a much better pilot versus the cheap radios that come with many bind-n-fly kits.

Additional Features

• AFHSS 2.4GHz / PPM / PCM Compatible
• Easy to Read 5.1 Inch Wide Backlit Touch Screen
• Customizable Menus
• Fully Assignable Control Switch, Knob, Stick and Digital Trims
• Highly Sensitive 8 Ball-Bearing Gimbals with Adjustable Tension

Find the best price on eBay

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No matter which RC radio you buy, you won't go wrong with any one of these. They all over some great features along with great gimbals for ultra precision, and outstanding aerial maneuvers.

If you can afford it, both the Spektrum and Futuba offer the best software and top of the line quality hardware. Otherwise, you can't go wrong with Frsky or especially the bargain priced Hitec Aurora 9 compared to the rest. Just make sure to buy a receiver as they won't bind and fly like the Spektrum do with their bind-n-fly RC models.

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Popular Drones at Discounted Prices

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Deals on RC Radio Transmitters and Accessories

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How To Setup The Blade Inductrix Pro

Inductrix Pro Motors Won't Start - This Will Help

If you are used to the plain red Blade Inductrix or the Yellow FPV model, the black Blade Inductrix Pro racing quad sets up completly differently.

When we set up our stealth black Inductrix Pro for the first time and bound it to our sweet Specktrum DX9 Black Edition radio and nothing happened when the throttle stick was raised.

We thought it was broken. The red LED was solid red so we knew it was communicating and binding was succesful but the motors never spun up.

Our other two Inductrix Tiny Whoop quads which were built more for quad and FPV beginners, had a flight controller where the motors never needed to be armed.

The Pro is different, it has a motor arming switch (H) which kills power to the motors when it is enabled.

How To Arm and Disarm The Inductrix Pro

• "Motors Disarmed" with the two position H switch pulled back towards you in position 1, the motors are off and it won't let it fly. 
  
  This can also act as a failsafe so if you feel your quad is about to fly away or you lose control you can simply flip this switch back and all power to the motors will be cut and your Inductrix Pro will fall out of the sky.
  
  To recap with the switch closest to you, the motors are locked out and when disconnecting or reconnecting the battery they won't turn on when you apply throttle. 




• "Motors Armed" As as soon as you push the H switch forward to position 0. The motors will only then be armed and be able to spin up when you push your throttle stick forward.

This is a little bit tricky and can be a little confusing. If you leave the H switch in fly position (forward position 0) when you disconnect the battery.

Then add another battery it will not spin up the motors until you arm the motors first by placing the switch in position 1 for a second or two and then pushing it forward away from you into position 0.

Again, the Pro is a completely different animal than the other two Blade Inductrix Tiny Whoops. They are always ready to fly as soon as you insert the battery and apply the throttle stick.

It's a small price to pay after you see how much better the Pro performs once you master arming it and flying it a few times.

Anytime you need to instantly kill the motors like if it is flying out of range, just pull the arming switch back towards you and it will stop it dead in it's tracks.

These tiny quads can auto rotate down from a very high distance with no damage. Just make sure you keep your eyes on it to see where they land.

A tracking beeper would be nice that could activate with a switch.

Although, where every gram counts it would no doubt affect performance.

You may be able to locate it by spinning up the motors when it fell in some tall grass or thick brush. Hopefully you have enough juice left before the Flight Controller Low Voltage Cut-Off kicks in and shuts down your motors.

Mode Switch

The Pro model also uses a three position Flight Mode Switch (B) 0, 1, 2.

Position 0, bank angle is limited and it is self leveling. This is by far the easiest mode to fly in.

Position 1, in this mode the motors never shut off and keep spinning at low RPMs. This make it easier to make turns and is typically used for racing. It will not self level and beginners, this makes the quad much harder to fly because it takes constant stick inputs to keep it level.

Position 2, is just plain nuts. You will need to be an expert to fly in this mode. Inductrix quads are very hard to fly in this mode and if you are not very fast on the sticks, this is a good way to crash or lose your quad.

Make sure your Inductrix Pro is Set Up Properly

When you first get you Inductrix and before you bind it you need to setup a new model in your Radio.  Before you get started set all your trims to 0. If your throttle trim is set too high it may not arm.

Use Airplane and not Quad mode. All Blade Inductrix use the Airplane setting per their customer support. Even though we were able setup both the Red Inductrix Plus and the Yellow FPV Inductrix fine under their Quad Setting on our DX9 radio.

The F3 flight controller comes pre-flashed and tuned with Betaflight firmware. Once you setup your radio to the settings listed here it flies fine. No need to go into the software and do any tweaking unless you like to tinker.

These are the Inductrix Pro Radio Settings from the manual.

SETUP LIST

Model Type: Airplane


F MODE SETUP
Switch 1: Inhibit
Switch 2: Inhibit


CHANNEL ASSIGN
1: Throttle
2: Aileron
3: Elevator
4: Rudder
5: Gear – Switch B
6: Aux 1 – Switch H


Switch Functions:
Switch B = Flight Mode
Switch H = Motor Arm Switch


FRAME RATE
11 ms
DSMX


SERVO SETUP
Throttle 150/150
Aileron 148/148
Elevator 148/148
Rudder 148/148
Gear 100/100
Aux 1 100/100


D/R AND EXPO
Aileron
Switch B Position 0 – D/R = 100/100 Expo = 0
Switch B Position 1 – D/R = 100/100 Expo = 0
Switch B Position 2 – D/R = 100/100 Expo = 0


Elevator
Switch B Position 0 – D/R = 100/100 Expo = 0
Switch B Position 1 – D/R = 100/100 Expo = 0
Switch B Position 2 – D/R = 100/100 Expo = 0


TIMER
Mode – Countdown
Time – 3 Minutes ( Set it 2 minutes to be safe)
Start – Throttle Out
Over – 25%
One Time - Inhibit


Once all these setting have been set proceed with binding your Blade Inductrix Pro to your radio. To bind leave your radio off and power up your quad.

Hold the bind button down until it says bind complete.

The blinking red led should turn solid. Then proceed to arming your motors and get ready to put a big old smile on your face.

How The Inductrix Pro Performs

Once you have your Pro setup and flying you will notice it is pretty darn quick especially if you previously had the yellow or red Inductrix without any mods.

The Pro has more powerful motors and a lighter canopy. Even though the frame is a little heavier which is a nice tradeoff from the flimsy frame on the plain Inductrix and yellow Inductrix FPV. It also has a nicer camera.

There is a slight occasional wobble which we all but eliminated by replacing the stock props with these three bladed ones from Rakonheli. It also responded even better with the new blades.

 If this is your first Ultra Micro Quad and you just want to learn to fly, the Pro may be a little much, the yellow and red Inductrix quads are much easier to setup and fly.

Although once you get the hang of the Flight mode and Arm switches the Pro will give you some great entertainment and you probably won't get bored.

Be sure to get a handful of these batteries, because you will want to keep right on flying.

More great Inductrix Tiny Whoop mods!

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Longer Blade Inductrix Flight Times

Increase your flying fun with the Blade Inductrix Battery Connector Mod

If you bought yourself a Tiny Whoop or one of the many great clones like the awesome Blade Inductrix, you may notice your flight time degrading a few seconds each flight. After several flights you may find you are spending much less time flying then when your Inductrix quadcopter was new.

It's not uncommon for brand new out of the box Blade Inductrix quadcopter to fly for 3 to 4 minutes or longer. Unfortunately, it is also quite common for this time to be slowly reduced each flight.

We spent a lot of time researching the best way to increase flight time and the best way how to overcome this. Many Internet pilots claim their reduced flight times are because of a bad power connector that was used on these models. Others claim it's because of bad boards which trigger the Flight Controller (FC) too soon to shut down power to the board based on voltage drop of the battery.

There have been mods on earlier boards that were defective that would bypass the low voltage cutoff circuit by shorting two resistors together with solder, or adding another resistor in parallel. Trying to fool the FC into staying on a little longer while longer to keep you in the air.

Blade Inductrix Battery Connector Mod

Blade chose to use an Ultra Micro JST connector for their Inductrix, Inductrix FPV, and Inductrix FPV Pro.  Now it is not a standard Ultra Micro JST connector because Blade chose to slip it into a little plastic sleeve that provided a better grip when plugging in and removing the connector from the battery on their drones.  This white plastic sleeve also shows proper battery orientation with a little painted red dot.

Now when they assembled this gripper sleeve, they just slid it over a standard Ultra Micro JST battery connector and glued it on. We noticed right off that the battery would bump up against this plastic sleeve before it made full contact with the Ultra Micro JST connector.

Instead of just clipping the cable and soldering on a new connector, or de-soldering the old wire from the Flight Controller Board like many online suggested,  here are a few tips that will help extend your flight time.

The tiny Ultra Micro JST connector takes the amps from all four motors, the flight controller board and the camera if you use a Blade FPV model. So a lot of electrical juice passes though this tiny connector. If it is not making good contact with the battery, you will have more resistance which can cause heat. It can also create a temporary voltage sag which is all the FC needs to trigger a shut down mode to preserve your battery from early failure.

LiPoly batteries last a lot longer when you only discharge them to 3.7 volts. Any lower and you shorten their life span. As they age, batteries will also start to degrade and they will no longer charge to full capacity like when they were new.

A typical RC battery is good for 50-60 charges. If you balance charge, they are good for over 100 charge cycles before you no longer would see the voltage go to 4.2 volts on a full charge.

How to Perform The Ultra Micro JST Connector Mod

The tiny connector on the Blade Inductrix line of tiny drones use a Micros JST connector. Blade makes them even heavier by adding another part which I call a gripper sleeve. This little sleeve makes it easier to grasp the connector and remove it from your battery but it ads additional weight.
Every gram you can shave off the longer your flight time will be.

These connectors are the same one used to connect the motors to the FC board. The problem lies these tiny connectors are only good for about 30 cycles before they wear out. That's 15 connects, and 15 disconnects and then they loosen up and are done. To get some of your battery flight time back, order up some spare sets of Micro JST 1.25 connector cable.


We tried these connectors from eBay, or these from Micro Motor Warehouse and there was a difference.

The Micro Motor Warehouse connectors had a silicone type wire and it was a little heavier duty than the connectors we found on Amazon and from eBay but were more expensive. The wire on Amazon Micro JST connector we bought was not silicone and not as large a gauge. It may be adequate, but I am not totally convinced.

When I replaced the Blade Inductrix factory connector, it made a huge difference in my flight time. And after seeing these two connectors side by side, from now on I will only be buying and using connectors from Micro Motor Warehouse.

Power Connector Replacement Tips

You will need to replace your existing connector by either directly soldering it to the board, or trimming back your old connector and splicing a new connector cable in.  If you want to use the splice method which is easier due to the glue used on some of the boards, use the staggered method as shown below and you only need to use a small piece of shrink wrap over both wires with no possible way they can short out. The X represents the solder joint, the hashed line is your wire and the solid wire is the shrink tube covering both solder joints.

_______________

------X--------------

------------X--------

_______________

Here's another thing you can do to increase flight times.

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Best Inductrix Tiny Whoop Drone Mods

Upgrading your motors on a Blade Inductrix with or without a FPV Camera will give you much better control!

If your Blade Inductrix lacks extra zip and punch during maneuvers, doing a motor mod may be just what the doctor ordered.

Stock Inductrix drones can feel painfully slow once you learn how to fly. This is even more noticeable when you're flying outside.

Forget about flying your Inductrix when it's windy, the stock motors lack the power you need to overcome more than a slight breeze.

At some point you will want to replace your motors. Blade uses a brushed motor in their tiny whoops. At this time, it's still hard to find brushless motors in the 6mm X 15mm size.

Choosing the right motor can mean the difference between smoother, faster and more precise vibration free performance. It may even squeeze a little extra flight time from your batteries.

Choose the wrong motor and your flight times will suffer. Or, your Inductrix flight controller may not be compatible and your little whoop will fly worse than it did before.

High Performance Battery Mod

Before we look at different motor choices, let's touch on batteries.

Some motors require more power and this can start shaving off time from your flights.

You can compensate for this by adding a more powerful battery. 

The highly rated TATTU 220mAh 3.7V 25C batteries will give you the same or longer flight time than stock 200mAh batteries with a motor upgrade.

It's always a compromise because adding larger batteries also adds more weight. With these tiny quads every extra gram can make a difference in flight time and performance.

We have used these batteries in both the FPV Inductrix, FPV Pro and also the plain Inductrix without a camera that comes with a smaller150mAh battery that weighs 4.15 grams.

These batteries weigh 6 grams but added a lot more flight time. They still fly great in the non FPV Inductrix Tiny Whoop. Considering this entire drone weighs 19 grams.

Adding an even larger heavier battery will begin to have a noticeable effect on flight performance.

Once you add faster motors and higher capacity batteries, you will gain better performance at the same or even longer flight times.

You will really notice the difference when going from a 150mAh or 200mAh battery to a more powerful battery along with upgrading to a faster motors.

BEST INDCUTRIX & TINY WHOOP DRONE MODS
There are tons of motors and mods available for Tiny Whoops. These mods will give you the best bang for your bucks. Your tiny quad will fly better, faster and even longer with these mods.
OEM Slowest Motors Only buy these motors if you are  replacing a single broken motor. These motors are way too expensive otherwise and much better, longer lasting motors are available for much less money. Blade Drones use two clockwise and two counter clockwise motors. Buy on on eBay: Clockwise or Counter Clockwise
0615-11 11Kv Medium Performance Motors Slightly better performance than OEM with a little longer battery life using a 220mAh Lipo. Best for indoor flight. *Wires are opposite from Blade motors. Clockwise: red +, blue - Counter clockwise: white +, black - See drawing below. Buy it from Micro Motor Warehouse
0615-14 14Kv Fast Motors These coreless motors give you the same flight time as stock with much better performance using a 205mAh mylipo. *Wires are opposite from Blade motors. CW: red +, blue - CCW: white +, black - See drawing below. Buy it from Micro Motor Warehouse
CrazePony 19.0Kv Faster Motors Special Sauce Edition - This is about as fast as you want to go with the stock flight controller. Get ready for some insane outdoor flying with these motors. Be sure to let them cool 20 to 30 minutes between flights. CW Motor(Red Blue), CCW Motor(Black White). Buy it from eBay
PowerHobby Black 17 kv Motors Bump up the performance a couple notches on your yellow FPV Inductrix with these batteries. Plus you won't be reducing your flight time as much if you used faster motors. Buy them from eBay
JST 2.0 HV Connectors Increase flight times from stock batteries. A must have with FPV cameras or higher performance motor upgrades. Higher quality cable. Buy them from eBay
BETAFPV 8x20mm 15000KV Brushed Motors Set of replacement motors for the Blade Inductrix FPV Plus. These use a special JST 1.25 Battery Connector so they are just for the Plus model. Buy them from eBay
JST 2.0 HV Connectors Increase flight times from stock batteries. A must have with FPV cameras or higher performance motor upgrades. Higher quality cable. Buy them from eBay
ApexRC 17.9 Kv Fast Motors This is a good for beginners to intermediate level flyers. Flight time, power, and life expectancy is all good. *Wires also reversed from OEM motors. Buy them new from eBay
300mAh HV 1S Lipo Battery 30C 3.8V JST 2.0 Batteries Increase flight times over stock batteries with more power. These are a must have with FPV cameras or higher performance motor upgrades. Buy them from eBay
Crazepony 230mAh Batteries If you crave even longer flight time, consider upgrading your Blade Inductrix to a even higher performance HV 1S Lipo Battery 30C 3.8V battery. This battery uses a JST-PH 2.0 Connector and it requires soldering in a higher quality battery connector to your flight controller. This will give you the ultimate in extreme performance and work great with 3-blade props. Buy them from eBay
Tiny Whoop Reinforced Original Frame The original frame is still one of the most forgiving and lightest frames on the market. This is the same frame and it is reinforced at key areas with a strong adhesive. It will add very little weight and make your frame stronger than ever. Buy it from Tiny Whoop
Mullet Mod - Lighter Canopy For FPV Inductrix If you love the look of the Yellow FPV model, but hate how the extra wight shaves time off of your flight times you will want to do this mod. This will require a slight modification to the Quantum Elite VTX Micro Cam to fit the cooler lighter Mullet Mod canopy. But the end result is worth it. Buy it from eBay
RakonHeli 3 Blade Props Besides batteries and faster motors, this is one of single most noticeable improvement that one can make to your Inductrix. 2CW+2CCW; 0.8mm Shaft. Less vibration than two blade props. Buy them from eBay
CNC Frame Stiffener This CNC 3K Pure Carbon Fiber frame stiffener is very handy when first learning to fly and you crash a lot. It's not needed for the Pro model but is more useful for the yellow Inductrix FPV. Once your skills have improved, take it off and shed the weight. Your drone training wheel days are over. Buy it from eBay
Hard Case - Protect your Tiny Whoops You spent a lot of time modding and tweaking your Tiny Whoops to where they run like a Swiss watch. Now you want to protect them from getting damaged with a nice hard shell padded case. It has enough room for two of your favorite Tiny Whoops and a ton of batteries. Learn more
Home Radio Settings Resistor Mod Longer Flight

Motor and Propeller Replacement Tips

Nothing will screw up your tiny quad faster than getting the motors or propellers in the wrong position.

Two turn clockwise, and two turn counter clockwise. Study the images closely below. Blade uses different colors for their motor wires than almost every aftermarket motor.

So be sure to follow the drawing and put the motors in opposite positions.  This photo shows the blade factory motors installed.

The tags in the photo below show the colors of the wires of how the aftermarket motors should be installed.

Inductrix Carbon Fiber Frame Stiffener and Frame by RakonHeli

Propeller Direction

This photo below shows which direction the props should rotate and how they should be orientated.

Place them in the wrong position and your Blade Inductrix will try to drive itself into the ground rather than fly.

Frame Mods

If you own the Red or yellow FPV Inductrix, you could benefit by a reinforced frame. The black Pro already has a stronger reinforced frame. 

While there are many aftermarket frames you have to be careful, some frames add additional weight and don't offer that much more strength. Some made from exotic materials tend to bend.

The original Blade Inductrix frame is still one of the best. A better one is sold by Tiny Whoop. This frame is reinforced at key points to make the frame stronger than stock adding only a  .003 gram of extra weight.

They use the same clear adhesive welder product they sell to repair frames.  It's only a couple of dollars more than the stock frame. But it's well worth it and will keep you from needing to replace your frame much less often.

CLICK HERE for the Larger Stronger Enhanced Inductrix Plus Tiny Whoop!

Thanks for dropping by and please be sure to bookmark and share this page. We will keep adding more cool Blade Inductrix Tiny Whoop mods as we find them.

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