Next Steps

[Soul]

I';ve just built my first quad (based on an SK450 frame). I';ve got about 1hr proper stick time (!) but the urge to buy new bits or upgrade stuff is already kicking in :)

Things I';m thinking about:

- Changing the KK2.1 to something better/more versatile/fully featured (Naza M-lite, Arducopter etc)
- Changing my budget Tx (FlySky CH6B) to something better and programmable on the unit not via crappy PC software (which one?)
- Going FPV (do I neeed GPS/RTH first?)

Is there an order of doing these things that would work best? Or should I be just concentrating on learning to fly the thing better?

[guest325]

Honestly, I would learn to fly it properly first!
a) It would give you more time to save up for good gear.
b) You would know how to get it back to the ground safely if something went AWOL with the bell ';n whistles FC
c) It would be more satisfying to know you can fly it rather than the FC flying it.

[Soul]

Yes agreed. I just love to upgrade and tinker with things :)

Was reading about such cool features as ';fence'; and ';autotune'; and got jealous. However to use that I need a better Tx (with more channels/switches) anyway.

[guest325]

Yes agreed. I just love to upgrade and tinker with things :)

Was reading about such cool features as ';fence'; and ';autotune'; and got jealous. However to use that I need a better Tx (with more channels/switches) anyway.

A decent tx / rx setup is a good idea because you will be happier with it; depending on your budget you could go for something like a Turnigy 9xr at the cheaper end but with Frsky module and recievers.
Alternatively a Frsky Taranis, mid range price and very nice but if you can stretch to it you would be hard pushed to beat a Hitec Aurora 9
http://www.airtekhobbies.com/aurora9.html

[Steve-flys]

Yes agreed. I just love to upgrade and tinker with things :)

Was reading about such cool features as ';fence'; and ';autotune'; and got jealous. However to use that I need a better Tx (with more channels/switches) anyway.

In a couple of weeks i will have a futaba t8j for sale
Its a great tx and easy to use

Steve

[Cloudbuster]

Agree with darrell , resist the temptation get some good flying time under your belt the more you fly the more you will think aabout what it is you want to get to build your ultimate machine !!! There are many different formats and many different combinations of bits you can buy and it is all to easy to spend loadsa money on unecessary bits, i know i have spend shed loads on RND and i have boxes of stuff which is now redundant...

All the best rob 

[Soul]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys :)

I guess Tx would be best thing to change if anything right now as that would last me no matter what I fly in the future. No idea which one though which makes it a bit difficult :S

[guest325]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys :)

I guess Tx would be best thing to change if anything right now as that would last me no matter what I fly in the future. No idea which one though which makes it a bit difficult :S

The thing to do is decide on a budget and have a look at what you can get;  any of the three I pointed you at would do the job long term.
If you are worried about how to program it then the Aurora 9 wins hands down - it is possibly the easiest programmable tx on the market.
The version I pointed you at is not the current model hence the price,  but it is not lacking in performance or reliability in any way - when it came out it was £320+.
I';ve got a Spektrum dx6i which is ok for simple models and an Aurora 9 for my models that need more channels and more complex programming.

[Soul]

Thanks. Do they all feel the same to use then pretty much? Just wondering what makes someone choose one brand over another given they all seem to have models at various price points.

[guest325]

Thanks. Do they all feel the same to use then pretty much? Just wondering what makes someone choose one brand over another given they all seem to have models at various price points.

When you spend more it will feel nicer because better gimbals with mor bearings will be used, that said at the price of the Aurora 9 I suggested you will not get anything better; the Taranis is nice and less money but is new so no reliability experience yet. The best thing to do is go to a model shop who has got your shortlist and feel what they are like; compared to what you are using any I';ve suggested will feel much nicer!

[Soul]

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1179322

Good review of that Aurora 9

[guest325]

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1179322

Good review of that Aurora 9

Any of the reviews you can find will be the same,  for Airtek';s price it is fantastic value!

[Soul]

Wandered into the chatroom for the first time, and there was a lot of love for the Taranis....

[kugabooga]

I';m also a newbie ,
i have just bought a Taranis from giantshark.co.uk .
it has WAY more features than i need at this time but i can and will grow into it .

From what i';ve researched it';s the best bang for buck when it comes to TX';s

cheers
kugabooga (Gaz)

[dp106]

+1 for the Taranis.  Love this radio.  I';ve not found anything I can';t do with it so far, and there are usually 2 or 3 ways of achieving it! :) 

Having the compaion9x software as well means you can tinker with settings on your computer, simulate them to see if they do what you expect and discard them if they dont without the worry of messing up your radio.

If you already have a radio this would be a good upgrade but not sure I would recommend it as a first radio.  With all the features it has it can be a little daunting to start with.  That said if you';re patient enough to do some research there is plenty of information and guides to get you started.

[Soul]

I guess I';m thinking that I';m never going to be a power user with 50 models flying every minute spare that I have, however at some point I';m likely to need more channels (due to more advanced flight controller).

I wouldn';t want to spend more a new Tx now then want to spend again in a couple of years, so might as well buy something that will last me. I';d be happy to spend the time figuring the Taranis (or any other Tx) out as I';d enjoy that

[Soul]

Downloaded companion9x - I like being able to play around in the simulator to see what effects changes have. That alone seems pretty impressive....

[dp106]

Yep so when you have a thought "I wonder if I can do that" you can have a go in the software then simulate it all without messing up any current configuration you have on your radio. 

There';s also plenty of setup files you can download.  Personally I prefered to have a look at them and learn what they were doing and use bits here and there in my own setup.

I had one of those where, after I';d initially setup a basic model for my plane I thought. "Wouldnt it be good if I setup a switch to enable/disable my throttle".  A bit of tinkering in the software and I';d managed to set it up.  Then I thought, "but what if it warned me with an alarm when it was enabled", that was simple enough but I don';t want it going off when I';m actually flying..  I now have a throttle enable switch and an alarm that sounds when its enabled and the throttle is at 0% 

[Soul]

Yeah it seems very powerful. Followed a guide on creating custom switches and got to the point where I could control 6 positions of output on a single channel from a combination of 1 2-position and 1 3-position switch. Very cool.

Does any other Tx offer this sort of thing? If not it might be enough on it';s own to send me down the Taranis route....

[guest325]

Yeah it seems very powerful. Followed a guide on creating custom switches and got to the point where I could control 6 positions of output on a single channel from a combination of 1 2-position and 1 3-position switch. Very cool.

Does any other Tx offer this sort of thing? If not it might be enough on it';s own to send me down the Taranis route....
Aurora 9 has individually assignable switches,  also has usb port - it can do anything the Taranis can do BUT more importantly has proven reliability and performance, OK it';s a bit more expensive but not that moch more.

[Soul]

So there';s is Aurora config/simulation software? Might have a look and see if I can download it. Hope it works on a Mac like the companion9x does.

I quite liked the idea that the Taranis supports other protocol modules via an inbuilt socket to add them to (to allow use of other receivers etc).

[dp106]

So there';s is Aurora config/simulation software? Might have a look and see if I can download it. Hope it works on a Mac like the companion9x does.

I quite liked the idea that the Taranis supports other protocol modules via an inbuilt socket to add them to (to allow use of other receivers etc).

yeah and you can configure which model uses which one :-)

Just seen a very good guide: www.alofthobbies.com/files/Taranis_Quick_Start_Guide.pdf

[guest325]

So there';s is Aurora config/simulation software? Might have a look and see if I can download it. Hope it works on a Mac like the companion9x does.

I quite liked the idea that the Taranist supports other protocol modules via an inbuilt socket to add them to (to allow use of other receivers etc).

No the A9 doesn';t have that type of thing but there are loads of St on YouTube that show you almost anything it can do; it is much easier to set up than the taranis, one of the guys at our club had one when they first came out, he';s selling it and buying a SH A9 off a clubmate who';s buying the new one; purely a matter of how difficult he found the programming!