stickyfox
Key Veteran
Location: Troy, NY, US
| I say the answer is a resounding maybe. It depends on how, what, and where you fly.
Current high-end radios like the 9303, T9, and anything higher up are, if anything, superior to the DX6/7 in terms of programmability and control. If you are really getting intimate with your airframe and want a lot of mixing and custom programming, you will find a good FM/PCM radio to be better than the Spektrum series. This will of course change in the very near future, but keep in mind that not only are the FM companies starting to make the switch to DSSS, but Spektrum is also making their system available as a plug-in for many current FM radios.
If all you want is CCPM, adjustable curves, and a couple switches (like me), the DX7 is the winner because it's functionally identical to a simple FM/PCM rig with a bullet-proof radio link.
Spektrum is making a big deal out of their Servo Sync innovation now, and the fact that the DX7 has extremely low latency. These are both nice to have, but they're shaving a few milliseconds off of what was already pretty darn fast. They goofed up CCPM mixing in the DX6, causing a major lag between two servos. Now they point out with Servo Sync, you no longer have to worry about your CCPM mix being delayed by the channels in between. This was never the reason it was slow, though. If it was that bad to begin with, we would have noticed it about fifteen years ago when they chose to space the channels the way they did. So as far as speed goes, yes, it is quicker getting to the servos than your good old trusty FM transmitter, but the difference is not necessarily going to change your flying experience.
I have switched from FM to DSSS (I have both a DX6 and a DX7) because I don't really care about programmability, I don't need more than 7 channels, and I fly indoors around other RCers. I was shot down once by another helicopter guy (after for some inexplicable reason he found it necessary to walk the entire length of an empty warehouse to stand right next to me), and quickly realized that I would spend the cost of a DX7 in repair parts anyway if I didn't switch. Now I have one less thing to worry about (and it's a pretty big thing).
A trucker's CB will not interfere with your VHF FM or PCM radio in most cases. I say most because if the radio is illegally modified (which is usually the case with truckers), if the modification is done incorrectly, and/or the installation is done incorrectly, the radio can generate a lot of harmonics. The latter is usually not the case, as it would also quickly destroy the radio or antenna, and the harmonics generated wouldn't lie on RC frequencies anyway unless they were also running out of band. Truckers (in this country anyway) generally stick to the standard frequencies and do a decent job installing their gear.
-fox |
