The 2.4 GHz price wars are really heating up at the moment now that many Chinese manufacturers have entered the market. For the past few years there have been various 2.4 GHz modules coming out of China, with some decent offering from Corona and Assan, now it seems like the Chinese want to make a name for themselves by offering full systems. The Fly Sky FS-TH9X is the first offering that I decided to check out.
I am a diehard Futaba Fasst fan but I am tired of having to sell a kidney or take out a second mortgage every time I have to buy a new receiver for my fleet. The Fly Sky offerings drew my attention with their sub $20 receivers. The Fly Sky FS-TH9X is offered under various brand names but it is basically the same transmitter.
The Fly Sky FS-TH9X is modular system, so specifications may vary depending on the module you select. The transmitter itself is loaded with features, some of which you will usually only find on some high end transmitters.
- Number of Channels: 8ch PPM/9ch PCM
- Display: 128*64 LCD
- Support Type: Heli/Acro/Glid
- User Models: 8
- Stick Modes: 4
- Encoder Type: PPM/PCM
- Sub Trim: Yes
- Simulator Interface: Yes
- Buzzer: Yes
- Low Voltage Display: Yes
The menus are clearly and easy to navigate using the 128×64 pixel LCD display. The only issue I had was that the +/- buttons are back to front with the positive on the left.
When the package arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the attention of detail that Fly Sky went to. Everything looked very professional, that was until I saw the manual. Let me start by saying that the manual is probably the worst Chinglish I have ever seen, luckily the transmitter is easy enough to program without it.
The actual layout of the transmitter is quite nice too; there is a vast array of switches for selecting rates, gear, trainer-mode, flight modes, etc. These are complimented by three knobs which serve for flaps, hover pitch, etc.
From online reports I know that the quality control for these transmitters can vary greatly. The first one I received simply wouldn’t allow me to access the menus. The second one has been with me for a few months now and is still going strong.
One major thing to note is that the amount of channels will vary depending on whether you use PPM or PCM. Switching to PPM reduces the number of available channels to only 8.
The package that I purchased included the transmitter and transmitter module but no receivers. Luckily I had planned ahead and ordered both the 6 channel and 8 channel receivers from Hobby King. One you have everything the setup is extremely easy. Simply bind the receiver to the transmitter by putting the bind plug in the receiver and powering on your transmitter while holding in the bind button. All the receivers I bought were bound without any problems.
Once you have bound the receiver to the radio, it’s time to program the radio to suit your model. Pay careful attention to servo reversing and also the transmitter’s mode selection.
And now we will move on to the actual performance. I wasn’t expecting too much from this transmitter, so I was pleasantly surprised by its excellent performance. I could easily fly my helicopter to the very limits of my vision without any glitches. On a 450 size helicopter that means I could take it out about 300 metres on a 500 size helicopter I was able to go to nearly 400 metres before I started to get nervous, not because of the transmitters performance but rather because it became difficult to tell the orientation of the model. The first few flights I was actually expecting glitches, so I only used it on a few electric powered helicopters but now I feel comfortable enough to use it on my whole fleet.
The Fly Sky FS-TH9X is an excellent radio for the price. If you are on a limited budget and looking to upgrade to 2.4 GHz then I highly recommend you take a look at it. If you already have a Futaba/JR/Hitec radio then this will make an excellent backup or get up and go radio. At under $100 for a complete combo it doesn’t really matter if you knock or drop it.
One major problem is that when you are using PPM the 8 Channels means there is a lack of a failsafe option. This might prove a problem if you are flying very fast or dangerous models. But for smaller helicopters and aircraft I don’t see this being a big consideration.
Positives
- Affordable
- Easy to Program
- Module Flexibility
Negatives
- No Failsafe
- Only 8 Model Memories
- Quality Control Issues
As I said earlier, the Fly Sky FS-TH9X is available under various brands, Imax, Turnigy, Eurgle etc. Hobby King ‘s Turnigy 9X is now in its 3rd revision and at under $70 I highly recommend you check it out.
Source: http://www.helireviews.com/fly-sky-fs-th9x-9ch-transmitter/
You can buy FlySky Transmtiter at www.hobbyhot.com
Source: http://www.helireviews.com/fly-sky-fs-th9x-9ch-transmitter/
You can buy FlySky Transmtiter at www.hobbyhot.com
