WOW!! Airtronics MX-3 FHSS Review

[Cupooterluvr]

I received my Airtronics MX-3 FHSS in the mail today. All I can say is THIS THING IS AMAZING!!

It was really easy to set up. All I did was hook the wires up, bind the receiver. It was pretty much already set up for the Maxx, all I had to do was reverse the steering servo. I also had to do a little extra EPA for the brakes.

Range test: I borrowed my brother's bike and rode down to the pond, which is approximately 5-600 yards from our house. I also took my two-way radio. As I was riding down there I was twitching the throttle servo. When my brother came over the radio to say it stopped, I was halfway across the pond!

Failsafe: I set the failsafe to about 50% brake. I went WOT down the street, closed my eyes, and cut the radio. It stopped, without flipping, which is a problem with my Maxx if I'm not careful.

Menu nav: The menus are very easy to navigate. It has little icons on the screen for the various features like EPA, sub-trim, trim, reversing, etc. There are also displays for battery life and the trim.

Feel: The radio fits in my hand very nicely. It weighs a puny 14 ounces with 8 NiMH batteries installed. The steering wheel has a very nice, almost luxurious, foam grip. The throttle and steering wheel are both very smooth.

This radio is a VERY good radio for the price. $180 can't be beat for a radio with this amount of features. 18 model memory is a definite plus. Compared to Spektrum I'd say it would be a great match, and the price definitely helps in the battle. For certain the only true competitors are the legendary M-11 and the new Spektrum DX-3R. My only gripe is that it takes about 5-6 seconds to start up and start working the electronics on the vehicle.

96/100 points.



I'll use it a bit more and report on battery life, long term use and a more complete report on the range.

 

[robmob]

I don't own this radio, but I do own a Futaba 3PM with FASST which is their equivalent.

Both are great radios with the features you need and use.

Also, the M11 and DX-3R (you left out the 3PKS and upcoming 4PK???) are not considered competition to the MX-3. They are full blown competition computer radios with more features than one will ever need at 2-3 times the price.

For certain the only true competitors are the legendary M-11 and the new Spektrum DX-3R.

 

[Cupooterluvr]

Also, the M11 and DX-3R (you left out the 3PKS and upcoming 4PK???) are not considered competition to the MX-3. They are full blown competition computer radios with more features than one will ever need at 2-3 times the price.

I did not know this. Thanks for telling Do you think i should edit that part out?

 

[Rolex]

I did not know this. Thanks for telling Do you think i should edit that part out?

Not necessary. It will make part of this thread confusing if you do.
I have the M11, so I know what Airtronics is capable of .
Congrats on the new radio.

 

[platgof]

I thought you had to spend $300 to get a radio like that! Nice!

 

[olds97_lss]

I was looking at getting that radio as well... the stinking receivers are so pricey though. I need 3 total which kicks my starting price up from $180 to $360... That made the Airtronics and spektrum much closer in $ for me since the spectrum I was looking at at the time came with two receivers.

On a side note, I've found that it's better to setup your FS to idle vs any brake. Then if it glitches out on you while in flight, you don't get a really bad endo (had it happen a few times).

 

[Rolex]

That's a great price for those features. This is the one I got:
I've had it for a while, but just added the DSS module, receiver and rechargeables.

Airtronics M11

The antenna you see gets removed since the module that snaps into the back has it's own 3 1/4 inch antenna.

When I had everything installed and buttoned back up in the Savage, it dawned on me that I hadn't programmed the failsafe after removing the one I had with the FM system.
Before opening everything back up, I decided to see what it would do, and while rolling it I turned off the radio and it went to throttle off, partial brake by default. Perfect. Just where I would have set it.

 

[platgof]

And the battery life is............... are you still liking it?

 

[Cupooterluvr]

Yeah, sorry I totally forgot about this thread! I'd say I get around 5 hours of battery (more than enough for a weekend bash session!) with 8 2600mah NiMH's. What I like is the removable battery tray. That makes it so you can just pull it out and plug it into any peak charger with a Tamiya --> Futaba adapter. They also sell rechargeable packs for it but for now I'll just keep the convenience of AA's.

Also, this radio balances very easily in the hand, with the center of gravity more towards the battery tray so it isn't forcing your hand to flip over. It's not very heavy, I'd say around 14 ounces or so.

In the time between I started this thread and now I've gotten in to a few more of the features. This radio has throttle and steering exponential curves (where you can make it go slower/faster depending on where the trigger is at) and sub-trim. I've used both features in VRC, and I used the sub-trim on my RC18t. They actually helped ALOT in VRC since I was having trouble tracking straight in VRC, so I made the curve more like a "j" shape so the servo turns faster the more you turn the wheel.

I also tested the range a little more thoroughly. At my grandma's house, there's a half-mile long straightaway right next to her house. I had no trouble driving my T-Maxx all the way to the end of the street. Range is a little shorter with my RC18t but I think that has more to do with the constant current draw of the motor.

EDIT: I should add that it doesn't actually NAME the models like the DX3r and (I think) the M11, but it has a numerical display for which model it is on. It's easy to remember which model is which if you only have a couple like me but 18 can be confusing. The battery box is the perfect size for a small 3" by 5" card folded in half with the models written on it.

So far I've only used 3 of the 18 models but I plan to add more this summer, to include a 5b if I can get a job

If you would like a detailed picture of it just let me know and I'll go out tomorrow (it's 11 pm here right now and my camera's flash sucks) and get one for you.