Turnigy 9XR TX

I ordered the Turnigy 9XR yesterday, while it was available for a very short time on the Hobby King website. Just lucked out and saw it on the new items page. From what I gather the radio was sold out in minutes, so I was very fortunate to get one while it was still in stock. Reading some of the forums it appears that some people had been waiting and accessing the HK Website nearly every few minutes for days to be the first to buy one of these TX's. I hope it is all they think it is.

So now I will sit and wait until it arrives from HK. I am not new to RC, but new to all the  electronics that have been developed in the past...... well let's just say I've been out of the hobby for decades. All the new advances have made things less expensive, sometimes easier, sometimes harder, and for me at least, more fun (Maybe).

This article will be in a "diary" format. Step by step with my new 9XR. I did not get the battery (none listed for it, and size unkonwn), nor a module, although they had an Orange branded module listed as compatible. But I am unsure if it will work with the Turnigy, FlySky, and Hobby King RX'S I have in my 8 models. I presently use a FlySky TH9X radio and it binds with all of the above receivers, as they apparently made the Turnigy 9X for HK. But I am given to believe that the new 9XR was made "in-house" by HK, and thus I am fearful that it may not bind with all the RX's above without the right module. So I am going to await further information before I purchase a module.

My original FlySky TH9X was purchased to have a 3-position switch in order to fully operate a FY 30 A auto pilot. I did that in order to fly a Spitfire model that I was told was very tricky to pilot. Since my skills are once again just above novice, I planned on this giving me the edge in not turning my pretty new Spitfire into a pile of broken white foam. But I never did figure out how to get the 3 position switch to work with the FY 30 A. So there you have it. My screen name ought to be something like "Chicken of the Skies", or "KFC Pilot". My Spitfire sits unflown. So  now I took another plunge and got the 9XR in hopes that the 3-position switch would be more easily programmed to operate the AP. Hope springs eternal.

I may be suffering some buyer's remorse, but I am wondering if I was wise in buying a "first batch" TX. Seems that there could be some unknown glitches with a new product, and that perhaps I should have waitied until V2 or the reflashed, debugged model appeared. Too late now. In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say.

So I will add to this diary as things progress. Presently my order is on the print queue, indicated by a second green checkmark on my orders' page at HK. As anyone who has ordered from HK knows, it could be days or weeks before I get the 3rd green check mark that it has printed and is being packed, and then the final fourth green check mark that it has been shipped.  While waiting for delivery, I will try to investigate different modules and try to find one that will work for me. I suspect the one I will need is the one that has not been made yet, but appears on the acceptable modules page as the Turnigy one. It will take advantage of the internal antenna, and I'm hoping will be compatible with same receivers the 9X was. I will watch YouTube for any information on the TX once it begins to get in the hands of the users around the globe. Hopefully Josh and Josh will do a video on it, or perhaps Bruce Simpson on RCMODELREVIEWS.

Wish me luck----here goes.

Part 2,

Checked HK today and the 9XR shows as shipped.12/27 Pretty quick for HK. Now if it really means "shipped" or if it means laying on the loading dock waiting for someone to pick it up, is another story. I gave in to temptation and ordered a module and 2 receivers (the Orange ones) and they shipped today as well. Still wondering about the battery--and will have to wait until it is listed, so the radio will be quite useless until I get one.

Never having bought an Orange receiver or module I was surprised that they weren't all that expensive. What did surprise me is that the RX was like $6 and it has a satellite port. The satellite RX is $11 something. Doesn't make much sense to me, but that's the price and they're sold out.

I've been reading the forums regarding the radio, and the more I read the more confused I become. No one even has the radio, that I know of, and people are either bashing it or praising it.

I did see one on EBAY just now for $249.00! It included lots of extras, but come on $249.00 for the $50.00 +P&H radio!

Part 3-   Jan. 11, 2013

My 9XR arrived today. Not too bad for the cheapest method of HK shipping. Arrived in very good condition, with no box damage at all.

Since I ordered it I have been reading everything I could on all the forums regarding the radio, and watching the online videos as well.  I must say that I was concerned about the radio based on the negative opions expressed by many. Of course some of them had not even gotten the radio, or seen it close-up and were denigrating it based on conjecture alone. There were a few videos once people started to receive them, and while most were good, some had negative things to say and demonstrate. The gimbals on one of the radio sounded as though it had sandpaper for ball bearings. He eventually found the problem and at last note had it corrected. I was fearful that mine would be one of the "bad" ones with the "cracks" mentioned. It is not. Looks OK to me.

Powered it on, and became instantly lost in the menus.  My gimbals are smooth and quiet, and buttons all work. The radio has a good feel, as the plastic seems to be of softer rubbery type. It looks much better in person than in the photos, not as chromed and shiny. Seems a bit smaller than the TH9X, and maybe a tad lighter. Succeeded in calibrating my sticks and pots---I think.  I can see I've got a new learning curve to go through as I did with the TH9X.

First blush, it looks good, it feels good, and the quality seems to be as good if not perhaps a shade better than the TH9X. I am anxious to get my Orange module and receivers to try it out. At the moment they are both vacationing in Zurich, as I screwed up and put some Lipo's on the same order, and  of course they got the around the globe tour with Swiss Post. As a cost saving idea, I ordered a FlySky module from Hong Kong so I can keep all my rx's in my current models and still use the new 9XR.

Ok, so so far so good. I am now going to try to do some "programming" of a model or two, and see how it goes. Old dog, new tricks----we'll see how this goes. Wish me luck.

Part 4 Jan 14, 2013

Recieved the Orange DSMX/DSM2 Orange Module today, along with the two R 610 receivers I ordered for the 9XR. The tracking report went from Zurich to my local PO with no ISC at all.  Unexpected luck.

Put the module in the slot, no problem it was a perfect fit. The antenna sticks out the rear of the TX, and poses a problem when setting the TX on it's back. But if I'm careful to stand it up it should not be a problem. Powered up an rx and attempted to bind it to the 9XR. No go. Got a steady light on the RX, but went out very quickly. Tried several times with no success. Finally put it aside and worked on something else. Later I gave it another try. This time I was in a different room, away from my computer and WIFI router. No problems at all, both RX's were done in minutes. Tested both on a new partially finished model, and they both worked like a charm. Could it have been interference from the router? I don't know enough about electronics to answer that.

Additionally I used the 6ch template, and the radio set up everything for me including gear and flaps. What a time saver. Also selected a switch for auto trim feature so that when I fly this new model, once I get it trimmed out and flying straight and level, with a flip of this one switch all the trims be set and the values returned to zero. Again, not unique, but a feature that is not on all Tx's, and overlooked on many.

So far I am loving this 9XR. People are reporting sticking buttons, noisy gimbals, and flawed plastic. I have a few superficial marks where the color of the case is just a shade lighter, but you really have look to see them, and they are not cracks.  I have experienced none of the other issues reported. I have not used it to fly yet, and some are reporting that the buttons are sticking when the TX gets very cold.

If I get outside I will see if that happens to mine. IMHO this is an excellent TX for $50, even with the $21 shipping charge, and $$ extra for a module. I have no complaints. I've sent a note to HK to send one of these to Flite Test and RCMODELREVIEWS in order to have some evaluations done by experts. Hopefully I will not be alone, and others will petition HK to free up 2 9XR's for testing. 

Very good TX, Very good price.

Part 4-Final Recap Feb 13, 2013

Ok now I've had this TX for a month or more. Would I buy it again----Yes.  Is it all I thought it would be--Yes. Have I had issues with it--Yes.

My reason for buying the 9XR was to give me an easier method of putting an Auto Pilot, or flaps on the 3 position switch. It does that, in fact with the 6ch template--the flaps go there automatically. Brilliant! With two settings. I was impressed.

My second  reason was that it would have backwards compatibility with all the old Turnigy/FlySky receivers I have. It does tht as well. Although this has required me to purchase a FlySky TH9X-B module on EBay from RCMODELPARTS for $20 + shipping. from China. The first module I got did not fit the pins in the 9XR. So I had to modify it by removing the cover, cutting the pin slot in the module case 2mm wider towards the case wall, and then trimming the board so it would slide that direction and then be hotglued in place while connected to the TX. Went great until I broke the antenna wire off of the module board. I tried my best to separate the wires and resolder them, but too small for me to see. So 1 module down the drain. Ordered another, knowing what I needed to do. First thing I did was hot glue the antenna connection in place. Then I proceeded as before, and having gone to school on the first one, this went easy. Got it moved, replaced the cover, plugged it in and it worked with all the old rx's. Great! One TX, all the rx's, all my past and future models.

Experimented with the Orange Module and rx's. Binding seemed a bit different from what I had experienced with the 9X. But I got the hang of it and all went well. Then I plugged the Orange Module in after having used the FlySky, and the 9XR let out 3 short beeps, and one very long beep, and would not bind, nor connect with any orange rx's. FlySky still worked, so it was not the 9XR, it had to be the module. I plugged the Orange module back in, and pressed a little button to change the channel. Worked like a charm again. So it was my own lack of knowledge that caused this problem.

So I am very happy with my 9XR. $50 plus shipping, + module, and it's still a bargain. I'm getting anxious for HK to release their Turnigy module(s). I made that plural because I am led to believe by a response I got back from Tech Support at HK there maybe one module that will be backwards compatible with all the old 9X rx's and one that will not be. We'll see if that is what was meant.  I suspect that perhaps these items may be released after the Chinese New Year, when things return to normal. I'm hoping.

I was happy to see that Bruce Simpson had gotten a 9XR (that he bought himself) and did a 2 part review. The first was not so good--but went towards the ergonomics of radio. That's a pretty subjective thing, so I was not too put off by it. Part 2 was very complimentary, and related to the technology, and functioning of the TX itself. Made me feel better about it having Bruce sing its praises. I'm now anxious to hear Flite Test do a review to see if they agree.

In my opinion and with the albeit limited experience I've had so far with the 9XR, it's a no-brainer. It's a great radio, at a great price, and I would not hesitate to buy it again, or advise a friend to get one.