RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hi lads,
The weekend is here and I am taking my wallet for a walk again...........

I am thinking of buying a Spektrum DX5e r/c set for my el-mod tiger. It has a nice little 5th channel for something extra.....such as the CD turret I am playing with.

I have never bought a 4 or 5 channel set before....and because no shops sell the tanks we make I am getting stupid answers from them....so can u answer my questions please.

I presume I need Mode 2.......this means right stick is self centering....yes????

I am told that I can not make the left stick self centre by removing what I presume is a form of ratchet mechanism behind the stick.

Am I being told rubbish.........

I know I definately need left stick self centre....and I presume that you have right stick self centre too just like the HL kit.....

Maybee the DX5e is the wrong radio to choose......what do you think.....if I shouldnt use this set, what do you suggest please?

I am surprised that the DX5e cannot be switched mode1 or 2 like the cheap one supplied with my helicopter.

thanks................

Mike

Hi it is posible to have both sticks self centre but I dont know who does it its just an extra couple of springs to balance the sticks you could ask the shop see if they know how to do it or if they know who can do it .


        regards pete

hi mike
            i dont know if the spektrum stick  can be self centered  or not (ive had no experiance of spektrum) but i do know the futaba 6ex can be, i have this set, and i went to my local rc store just after i bought the radio set, and bought a little kit of 2 or 3 bits a spring etc, it cost me a whole £2.50 for the kit, it is quite easy to swap over aswell, a ten minute job. futaba do list this kit as an option, but its been awhile since i bought it so unfortunatly i have forgotten the part no'. anyway i would recommend futaba any day of the week, and in my opinion thier after sales service and parts availability is 2nd to none. as a matter of interest i payed £150 for my radio set, the 6ex tx & r606fs rx , from sussex model centre, though now i'm sure you can get it a bit cheaper

              Tony

Here in the US you have to send the Spektrum's back to the dealer for the centering springs to be fitted. Not sure why, maybe as a US manufacturer they don't want to fall foul of the FCC regs about modifying transmitters?
In the case of spektrums I think mode1 and mode2 refer to which stick is the throttle, rather than if its self centering or not. A mode2 Dx5e radio has full self centering on the right stick and centering on the horizontal axis of the left stick, the vertical being intended as a throttle for aircraft or helicopters.
I have 2 of them here, and apart from the AA batteries they ship with them litterally last about 5 mins , I've no complaints with them. I would suggest that you invest in a decent NiMH battery charger and AA sized cells - my local supermarket started selling Duracell branded ones over here last year, not the cheapest but they charge a darn sight faster than the stock chargers will do the sealed battery packs in the Futaba 6EX or my Dx6 series Spektrums. I would also check with the Blitz to confirm that you cen get by with the Dx5 - we know it works with the DBC RC2HL, but I don't yet have any elmod gear myself.

I am told that I can not make the left stick self centre by removing what I presume is a form of ratchet mechanism behind the stick

This is correct. The Futaba's have a removable ratchet arm, but this won't help you.
HiTec radio's have a small part that you can remove to allow self centering, but they don't currently offer a 2.4GHz model yet - which is a shame as I prefer their Laser 6 model over both the Futaba and the Spektrum .

HTH, Mart