[HMeinhold]

Hi,
I am posting also in a European live steam forum. Recently I started a thread about the Spektrum 2.4GHz RC. It seems to be almost unknown over there. Now I would like to know how wide spread it is in the US and if anyone has ever had problems with glitches (apart from low batteries) or interference with other systems. I own 2 transmitters and 5 receivers and never ever had problems. Please post your experience (positive or negative) with the different flavors of this system to give our European friends some input.

Regards

 

[Pete Thornton]

Everyone I know raves about it. I just got a DX6 (replacement for the DX6i, and uses receivers compatible with the DX7.) My only complaint is that it takes a while to 'bind' (recognise the transmitter.) No sign of glitches.

I helped run an Aster Berkshire a couple of weeks ago for Bill Crane, who had it rigged with a DX6i that controlled the throttle, reversing, blower, cylinder cocks and whistle! A lot of knobs to jiggle!

 

[emartin187]

Henner

I have two Spektrum 6000, 2.4GHz transmitters and my brother has two, with about ten receivers between us used both in Onboard Battery and Live Steam locos without problems. I did the fix for better battery life (see thread two or three months ago) on mine, by brother did not. As far as I'm conserned, these units are great. All the antenna problems we've suffered in the past with 75MHz are gone!!

emartin187
Thunder Valley Narrow Gauge Railway
SA 360

 

[seadawg]

ZERO glitching, ZERO interferance, great range. I've also setup a Futaba FASST 2.4GHz system for a friends loco and can report exaclty the same results. I see alot more of these systems in stock at a couple of local hobby shops I visit regularly. They seem to be catching on for the park flyers and standard R/C guys.

 

[weaverc]

I recently upgraded from a DX6 to a DX6i and like it better because of the better battery technology and life, better range, better visuals in the control screen and it's model matching feature that prevents you from running a model on the wrong saved memory. There is NO GLITCHING and NO INTERFERANCE. Spektrum offers a US and a European version that has the throttle and aileron levers reversed. Binding the transmitter to the receiver is the same for both the DX6 and 6i, but I did notice that the 6i takes a littler longer to recognize the transmitter during binding and when you first fire up the system for a run. This is NOT a problem, however. Last Saturday, I ran my DX6i for 6 hours on an overnight charge with no transmitter battery failure. I use AR6000 receivers since they are the smallest available. See my previous thread on the binding procedure:
http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/11/view/topic/postid/37174/Default.aspx

 

[rodblakeman]

Henner.
I'm in the UK and I and pretty well all my live steam friends are using Spektrums or Futaba 2.4 Ghz. systems. We have been for a couple of years now. As mentioned above, no problems, no glitching, brilliant, why would anyone now install 40Mhz kit?.

 

[Dwight Ennis]

I have a DX7 - no glitches, performs as advertised, good range. Great product!

 

[seadawg]

Posted By weaverc on 10/15/2008 9:49 AM
snip..... Spektrum offers a US and a European version that has the throttle and aileron levers reversed. snip.....



Do they fly on the other side of the road over there?

 

[weaverc]

Seadawg,
That's what I first thought also. But when I questioned Spektrum on the difference betwee DX6i models MD1 (#SPM66001E) and MD2 (#SPM6600E), I was told that MD1 (Euro) has the throttle on the right and MD2 (US-Canada) has it on the left. Go figure. You can enlarge the DX6i pictures on this page http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/spektrum-m-197.html?cPath=818&manufacturers_id=197
and see that it's true, but why? Perhaps someone from the UK contingent can enlighten us colonists.

 

[rodblakeman]

Carl,
With all my RC engines I have always used the RH joystick for the Regulator, right to left movement, and the LH joystick for Reverser, centre off up and down forward and reverse. It makes no difference what the supplier/manufacturer labels the controls as, I just connect up my servos to the channel I want to use . With the Spektrum it happens that the control labeled Throttle is for me the Reverser, and the Aileron control is the operating the Throttle. " align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[David Halfpenny]

Here's another take on RC.

Replace Tx antenna with short rubber one.

Replace both stick springs with accessory rachets.

Tx held in left hand.


Right Right/Left stick for reverser, operated by right hand.

Left Up/Down stick for mainline throttle, operated by right hand

Left trimmer for shunting throttle, operated by left thumb, leaving ight hand free to throw switches, twiddle knobs and fiddle with couplers..

David
England

 

[mack505]

I've replaced all of my RC setups with a DX6 and love it. I have done the battery life mod, and installed a larger battery. It will run all summer on one charge now. No glitching, no issues at all. And I now have one transmitter for everything. It will even double-head, providing both locos are similar and set up the same way.

The first thing I do to any new acquisition now is rip out any old radio hardware and replace it with a Spektrum receiver.

 

[weaverc]

James,
I used to be able to double head with my DX6, but not with the 6i. I think it's due to the 6i's Modelmatch feature, which prevents linking to a receiver using the wrong transmitter memory. When you set up a model with the 6i, each individual model memory has its own embedded code that is transferred to the receiver during binding and the receiver learns the code. From that point on, a single receiver will only work with the model that has been selected and the transmitter will not connect to any other receiver such as one in a second locomotive. I'm sure there is a way around this, but I haven't figured it out yet.

 

[Bill4373]

Carl,,, very simple, buy another transmitter and "bind" it to the 2nd engines receiver

 

[mack505]

Makes me glad I have the 6 and not the 6i. Wonder if there's a way to turn off that feature?

I don't have photos, but the VoR and Russell sure looked nice running together. Have to do it again soon. . .

 

[chooch]

Carl,
May be a long shot, but how about trying to bind two receivers at once? That may do the trick. I have a DX6 so don't have that issue if I ever need it.

 

[JEFF RUNGE]

Fred, If the system works as designed it will NOT bind with more then one receiver at a time as each receiver has an "identifier" and it will only bind with one per model.

 

[chooch]

Jeff,
Makes sense to me. He had to have two receivers linked to one transmitter didn't he? Maybe I'm missing something here.....but I see what you are saying though. The DX6i won't bind with more than one receiver at a time, but the DX6 would. Correct?

 

[weaverc]

Fred,
I could double head with the DX6 because it did not have the model match feature that my new DX6i has. It was bound to both receivers. When two receivers at a time were turned on, one was following the correct memory in the transmitter and the other was incorrectly running on the first model's memory. That's the main issue the fixed with the new 6Xi release. I had five locomotives bound to the 6X and often forgot to select the right model, but the train receiver I had turned on worked anyway. All the 5 memory settings in the transmitter were so close that it usually took a mishap for me to notice. This would have been a dangerous situation with an airplane, but acceptable with a locomotive. Now I have four locos bound to the 6Xi and each of their settings are different. For example, my Billy has 80% throttle travel, my K-27 has 100% travel and my K-28 has 125% travel. But only the transmitter memory bound to a specific receiver will match and link up. So the old problem of running a locomotive on the wrong settings can no longer happen. I like the 6Xi better because of this feature, the better battery technology, the improved control window and increased range.

 

[JEFF RUNGE]

Interesting, I did not think the transmitter would communicate with a receiver in a model that was not selected. Still, I think I'll stick to operating one engine at a time......