Best Radio for Gasoline power boats

[Gilbert Pun]

I understand this question has been asked many times, but I have to ascertain what to buy for my new boats. I have tried 2.4 Ghz radio on gasoline boats but they failed when i got them out too far and the short antenna are difficult to position outside the hulls. Currently I am using FM40, FM41 and PCM75 for my gasoline boats, but as the fleet is growing and it is difficult to buy crystals and receivers for my FM radios, I have to consider getting new radio systems.

Appreciate to hear what is the latest system that is fit for gasoline power boats especially with running boats with big rooster tails that turning fast corners.

Gilbert

 

[Bill Zawada]

What 2.4 Ghz did you use? I'd guess Spectrum.

Run Futaba Fasst system and be safe. A little more money saves boats.

Bill

 

[KenBeller]

I sure 2.4 Ghz Futaba, no trouble. I do not even use an antenna whip anymore , just lay the short anteena wire down in the radio box. You have an option now such that Futaba has recievees that have an internal antenna. The only exception is on my CF hulls, since CF is conductive I worry about shielding so I do use an antenna whip. Otherwire use FS and go for it.

 

[Mike Voorhees]

I use a Futaba 3PMX 2.4 radio-never any problems--You can purchase an antenna extention to get the antenna outside of the boat from Gizmotors .I use these on all my boats.

 

[Mark Simmons]

I use Hitec aggressor with no problems. Using it for about 3 years now.

 

[RobertWurster]

I have been using a Axial remote that came with my Wraith and has worked perfect .

 

[Gilbert Pun]

Thanks for the input.

Do you guys expose antenna when using 2.4Ghz ?

And how ?

 

[Ron Olson]

All of my gas boats are now on 2.4 Gig using Futaba PL radios. I'm paranoid so I mount the RX's on the radio box lids as close to the antenna tube as possible. It's 4" or so up in the air which makes me feel better. Just don't bend the end of the wire as that's where most of the signal is received at! In CB radio-speak, it's a top-loaded coil.

 

[adam larvenz]

I love my airtronics 11 so much I bought two been very happy scence adam

 

[Gilbert Pun]

Thanks folks for the input.

At the moment, most of my gas boats are using 75MHZ PCM radio using 3PK transmitters, FE boats using FM 40 mhz 3PMs and Chinese made 2.4 ghz radios for smaller scale electric boats.

I guess I would get FAAST for future additions.

GP

 

[Ron Olson]

If you've been using the Fly Sky, I've heard good and bad about them. I went to an all gas boat race and there were 3 in use, not a glitch in 3 days of racing.

Sprektrum's you can't use without the Marine receiver as otherwise the range might be 100 feet, otherwise with one they're solid.

I haven't tried an Airtronic's but there are boats using them in record-setters, the M-11. I was curious about the Hi-tec's as I just haven't seen anyone using any of them until now so it's good to see one positive review of them.

It'll come down to how much you want to spend and how many features that you need.

 

[larcor69]

Futaba FASST or Airtronics.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Any of the Futaba 2.4 systems will work and work well. Not sure why everyone jumps right to the FASST systems. For about half as much, you can get a FHSS system with all the bells and whistles you could ever ask for and have a rock solid control system for up to 30 boats by just adding receivers

 

[Ron Olson]

I agree. The PL's don't have all of the bells and whistles but they have what a boater needs without paying the price for stuff that you don't need anyway. $90.00 will get you everything but the servo's on a 2 PL but most systems aren't tossing in good servo's anymore anyway when they do.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I bought a Futaba 4PLS Telemetry system before the season, along with a second RX, a LiFe pack and charger to power it. Total cost was roughly $375. Had I bought the FASST equivalent, that didn't have telemetry, I would have spent over $700 for the same purchase. I just couldn't see spending an extra $300+ for no reason when I could get just as much for half the price

 

[larcor69]

all is good, the primary question which was BEST , best is FASST

 

[Gilbert Pun]

Right you are, if looking for cheap stuff we do have Chinese made radio system which is way cheaper and have more function, but you don't know if they are reliable nor can last long.

 

[Gilbert Pun]

Some of my FUTABA (Made in Japan) units are in use for more than 18 years and still controlling well. You need reliable unit to be able to control your expansive and powerful Gasoline boats.

Especially when we have a big antenna transmitting radio broadcasting signal in the vicinity of the beach.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Don't mean to hijack your thread Gilbert but, this question I just have to ask.

What makes FASST better? Not sure what you're basing that on so, Corey, so let's compare FASST and FHSS:

1) Both transmit and receive on 2.4GHz

2) Both frequency hop across the band

3) Both can be used for multiple boats by purchasing additional receivers, up to the transmitter's limit

4) Both must have the RX linked to the TX or the RX will ignore the signal

5) FASST systems usually cost more for equally equipped systems. Here's one example from Tower, the FASST 3PM-X $180, the FHSS 3PL $115 with both being equal in bells and whistles

I guess if higher cost equals better systems, I stand corrected. But then again, my 9CAP FM/PCM system seems to work just as well as my FHSS 4PLS when it comes to controlling a boat. Could it be that maybe I'm just lost in the past someplace and my training in radio and radar repair, operation and theory by the Navy was based on incorrect assumptions by the people that wrote the course I graduated from, giving me no basis for my argument that a comparable system from the same manufacturer with a higher cost is nothing more than the same basic system with a different name on it and using the new name to justify a higher price tag. NOW, ONE OF YOU CLAIMING FASST SYSTEMS ARE SUPERIOR PROVE ME WRONG AND PUT A BASIS IN FACT TO SUPPORT THEIR ARGUMENT. SO FAR, IN MORE THAN ONE THREAD, NO ONE HAS BACKED UP THEIR ARGUMENT WITH ANYTHING REMOTELY CLOSE TO BEING A FACT THAT CAN BE VERIFIED AND/OR TESTED

Gilbert, in Seattle, we have not one, but three radio/TV towers in the near downtown area and yet we ran races in the location that now contains Safeco Field with no radio issues. As long as the radio you are using is not in the same frequency range as what's being broadcast by that tower, there shouldn't be any issues. IN FACT, there should be more issues with the 2.4 systems than the previous R/C systems since the 2.4 band falls right into the UHF "S" band. This covers some radar systems, TV digital broadcasts and many of the communication channels used in both civilian and military aircraft, satellite radio, Blue Tooth, 13cm HAM and microwave ovens

 

[Gilbert Pun]

I sure 2.4 Ghz Futaba, no trouble. I do not even use an antenna whip anymore , just lay the short anteena wire down in the radio box. You have an option now such that Futaba has recievees that have an internal antenna. The only exception is on my CF hulls, since CF is conductive I worry about shielding so I do use an antenna whip. Otherwire use FS and go for it.

Ken, that is my worry as well when running CarbonFibre hulls.

I have tried to put a GPS unit in a CF hull, the reading is 25KPH when the other boat which is much much slower than the CF boat has a reading over 100KPH.

Placing antenna inside a fast boat hull is a concern for me.