Creating a New Model on the RadioMaster Pocket

The RadioMaster Pocket is a powerful entry level transmitter that allows for learning the EdgeTx operating system while maintaining portability.  However, learning a new transmitter can be a bit of a daunting task!   Let’s look at creating a new model on the RadioMaster Pocket!  Whether you are flying a fixed wing plane or a multirotor, setting up that new model is simple!

Channel Order

One of the first major obstacles is understanding what model order the transmitter is setup for.  Each of the transmitter brand has its own preferred order, and RadioMaster is no different.  What is channel order?  It is the order in which the transmitter and receiver expect certain control surfaces to be.   On the RadioMaster Pocket, that order is AETR.  Aileron, Elevator, Throttle, Rudder.  

That means when hooking up your servos on a fixed wing plane, Aileron will be on channel 1, Elevator on channel 2, Throttle on channel 3, and Rudder on channel 4.  If these get mixed up when plugging in the servos and ESC, this can lead to the control surfaces not responding to the correct inputs on the transmitter.  If you are having trouble with your control surfaces, this would be a great place to start.

On a multirotor, this order for the controls translates to Roll, Pitch, Throttle, Yaw.  However, note that in Betaflight, it still considers this AETR to be contiguous with references on the transmitter.

If you are used to another format, it can be changed in the radio.  We will cover that in another section below.  Just keep in mind the default order when first working with the RadioMaster Pocket.

Changing the Default Channel Order

Changing the default channel order is easy and will help speed up manual model creation.  Reminder that this is not a necessary step, but if you are used to a different channel order from a different radio system, this will help to eliminate confusion.  

To do this, from the home screen, press the “SYS” button on the left side of the speaker.  Press the “Page >” button two times to move to the “Radio Setup” menu.  Use the scroll wheel to find the option “Def Chan Order” and press the scroll wheel to enter edit mode.  Here, you can select the default channel order that will always be used by the RadioMaster Pocket.

For the purposes of this article, the default order of AETR will be used to eliminate any confusion.

Note: If models were created before this change was completed, they will not be updated.  You can edit the channels on the pre-existing models or re-create them.

Creating a New Model

The RadioMaster Pocket has a few different ways to setup a new model, however it all starts with either selecting one of the existing models that the radio comes pre-loaded with or creating a new one.  Keep in mind, whatever model you are currently on, that is the one that will be affected by any changes you make going forward.  For this tutorial, we will be creating a new one from scratch, and then we can go through how to make changes where needed.

To create a new model, press the “MDL” button on the right side of the speaker to enter the model selection screen.  Here you will see several pre-loaded models and the one that is currently selected will have an asterisk (*) by it.  

The menu can be navigated by using the scroll wheel to move up and down the list.  By pressing down on the scroll wheel (the enter button) you can bring up a sub-menu that will allow you to backup, copy, or move an existing model.  If you press the enter button on an empty entry, you can create a new model or restore an existing from backup.  For now, scroll to any empty entry, press the scroll wheel to bring up the sub-menu, and press again to create a new model.

Now, anything we do will be done to this new model.  

Model Creation

Before we get too into the weeds on setting up a model, go ahead and name our model so we know which one we are working on.  EdgeTX will automatically assign a generic name “Model#” with the # being whatever number on the list the new model is.  To rename it from this menu, press the “Page>” button once to get to the “Setup” menu.  The very first option is “Model Name”.  Press the scroll wheel to edit the entry and use the scroll wheel to move through the letters, pressing the scroll wheel on each letter to confirm and move to the next letter.  Name this model “Test”.  Once all the letters have been entered, press the “RTN” to lock in the name.  

While in this menu, scroll down to “Internal RF” and ensure that the internal module is on.  If the transmitter is the Express LRS version, this will need to say “CRSF”.  If the transmitter is the C2500 version, this will need to be set to “Multi”.  Press the “RTN” again to exit out of the menus and return to the home screen.

Model Wizard

There are a few different ways to get your model setup.  One way is to use the built in model wizard.  While it is not necessary to utilize this feature, some are more comfortable going this route based on previous transmitter they may have used, such as Spektrum.  This can be helpful as EdgeTX will ask you a series of questions as to what controls your model has and allow you to select a channel to place that control on.  This will override the standard, or any channel order selected.

To use the Model Wizard, first make sure that model “Test” that you created is your current model by pressing the “MDL” button and checking to make sure that the asterisk is beside it.  If it is not, scroll to model “Test” press the scroll wheel, and press again on “Select Model”.  Press “RTN” to exit back to the home screen.  Press the “SYS” button on the left of the speaker to enter the “Tools” menu.   Scroll down to the bottom of the list to the “Wizard Loader” tool and press the scroll wheel.

The Model Wizard will load and present you a screen with four options: Plane, Delta, Multi, or Heli.   For the purposes of this tutorial, we will be sticking with Plane and Multi, however, take note of the other option in case you would like to use this for other types of models.

Plane

Select the Plane option using the scroll wheel to highlight “Plane” and pressing the scroll wheel.   The tutorial will ask you if you have an engine.  The default is “Yes” however if you do not, press the scroll wheel to enter the drop-down menu and select “No’ by pressing the scroll wheel again.  Assuming you do, the next question asks you to assign it to a channel.  Default here is Channel 3 (remember AETR), but if you would like it on a different channel, use the scroll wheel to highlight the channel then press the scroll wheel to change it, then save your change by pressing it again.  To continue, press the “Page >” button on the left side of the controller.

Do the same for Ailerons next.  If the model has them, the default is putting ailerons on one channel.  If you have them on two separate servos, you can select that as well.  If the model does not have ailerons, that option is available as well.  Do not forget to check the channel(s) as well.   Default is Channel 1.  If you have dual servos for ailerons, default is Channel 1 and Channel 6.  Press the “Page >” button to advance to the next screen.

Here is where we can assign flaps if the model has them.  Same as ailerons, they can be assigned to one or two channels, with default channels being Channels 7 & 8 (only Channel 7 if on one servo).  Again, if you do not have them leave it on the default of “No”.  Press the “Page >” button to continue.

Next is air brakes with the default being “No”.  If you have them, select whether on one channel or two channels.  The default channels here are Channels 9 and 10.   Press the “Page >” button to advance.

The last prompt screen is the tail configuration.  There are 4 options here, with the default being Elevator 1 + Rudder 1.  The other options are Elevator 1, Elevator 2 + Rudder 1, and V-Tail.  Select the option that matches your model.  The nice thing here is that if the model is a V-Tail, it will setup your mixes to help get the model in the air quicker.  Make sure and confirm your channels here as well, especially if doing Elevator 2 + Rudder 1 or V-Tail.  Press the “Page >” button to move to the confirmation screen.

Here, check over your channels and make sure everything is correct.  If you need to fix anything, use the “Page <” button to move backwards through the prompt screen and make any edits.  Once everything is correct, go back to the confirmation screen and long press the scroll wheel to complete the wizard.  After that, the model should be all set!  The RadioMaster Pocket should return to the “Tools” menu, and you can press the “RTN” screen to return to the home screen.

Multirotor

The process for a multirotor is very similar, however the prompts are slightly different.  While using the model wizard for a multirotor is not necessary, again some pilots are more comfortable going through it no matter the type of model.  It will also allow you to quickly assign Arm, Mode, and Beeper switches without having to assign them manually.  

Again, ensure that the “Test” model is selected by pressing the “MDL” button and checking to make sure the asterisk (*) is next to the model name.  Press “RTN” to return to the home screen and then press the “SYS” to enter the “Tools” menu.  Scroll down to the Wizard Loader and press the scroll wheel to enter the utility.

As before, you will be presented with the type of model type to setup.  For this example, select the “Multi” option using the scroll wheel.   

The first prompt will ask what channel the throttle will be on, with the default being Channel 3.  If you wish to change this, press the scroll wheel to enter the selection, then scroll through to the channel needed, and press the scroll wheel again to confirm.  Press the “Page >” button to advance through the next few screens, assigning channels to Roll, Pitch, and Yaw respectively.

After assigning the controls, the arm switch option is presented.  Keep in mind, Arm is an on/off operation, so only a two-position switch is needed here.  Both SA and SD are two position switches, but if another switch is desired, that is also an option.  Switch SA is the default option here.  Use the scroll wheel to select the desired switch, then press the “Page >” button to continue to the next prompt.

Mode is the switch used to select what flight mode the multirotor will fly in.  In Betaflight, you can select between Angle, Horizon, and Acro.  In short, Angle mode restricts the drone from going past a set angle on the pitch and roll axes and will auto level when the sticks are returned to center.  Horizon mode is similar; however, you will be able to full flips and full rolls.  Acro mode is full control with no restrictions on the multirotor.   Depending on what modes you intend to use, this could be a two-position or three-position switch.  Switches SB and SC are both three-position.  Switch SA is the default option here, so make sure this is actively changed if SA was used previously.  Use the scroll wheel to select the switch needed and press the “Page >” button to continue.

The last prompt will be the Beeper switch.  This option is useful for locating the multirotor when you crash and do not exactly know where it went down.  Like Arm, this is an on/off function and only a two-position switch is needed here.   Make sure the beeper is set to a different switch from the arm function.  Again, SA is the default selection, so ensure that another switch is selected if SA was used previously.  Select your option using the scroll wheel and press “Page >” to advance to the confirmation screen.

The last screen grants the opportunity to see all the assignments together to ensure nothing has been entered incorrectly.  If something needs to be changes, utilize the “Page <” button to go back to the relevant screen to adjust the entry.  Once done, use the “Page >” button to return to the confirmation screen and long press the scroll wheel to exit the wizard loader.

Manual Channel Setup

Learning how to do manual channel setup on the RadioMaster Pocket will not only help you setup new model quickly but allows for making changes to existing models.  The problem with the model wizard is that it does not pull the current configuration of an existing model, but just starts back at the beginning and overwrites current settings.

For this, create a new model and name it “Test 2” so there is a clean new model to work from.   Remember, from the home screen, press the “MDL” button, scroll to an open spot on the model list, press the scroll wheel, and select “Create Model”.  Press the “Page >” button to enter the “Setup” screen and use the scroll wheel to enter the model name.  Remember, to scroll down while in this menu, scroll down to “Internal RF” and ensure that the internal module is on.  If the transmitter is the Express LRS version, this will need to say “CRSF”.   If the transmitter is the C2500 version, this will need to be set to “Multi”.

To start setting up channels, press the “Page >” button three times to get to the “Inputs” screen.   Notice here that the RadioMaster Pocket has already assigned the first four channels based on the default channel order AETR.  Reminder, that this default order can be changed, and was covered above.

Once in the “Inputs” screen, the scroll wheel can be used to select the channel that you want to edit, and a long press will bring up the options menu.  Do this on the “Ail” channel.  Select the “Edit” command and press the scroll wheel to enter the channel edit screen.  Here you can rename the “Input” (limited to only three characters) and add a more descriptive name under “Name” (limited to six characters).  The “Source” is where we will assign what this channel really does.   Using the scroll wheel, you can change this source to whatever you would like it to be.  This could be a command input like Aileron, or it could be a switch.   When in the edit mode for source, you can move the control sticks or flip a switch, and the RadioMaster Pocket will auto-detect the input and shift it.  You can do this as many times as need to get the right input selected.

While in this screen, if Expo is need on the input, that can be added here.  The impact of the expo is visualized on the curve graph and can be tested by moving the input selected.  There are many more options here, but for the sake of this article, we will stop here.  To exit this edit screen after making your changes, press the “RTN” button once.

If an additional input is needed, such as an Arm switch, scroll to an empty input and press the scroll wheel to enter the edit screen.  Do not forget to add a name to eliminate confusion.  Go ahead and add an Arm or Flap switch on Input 5 for example purposes.  When done editing, press the “RTN” button to return out the “Inputs” screen.  Press the “Page >” button to move to the “Mixes” screen.

In the mixes screen, you will see the standard AETR channels that were created by the system when a new model was made, but if you added any additional inputs they will need to be added here.  Scroll down to Channel 5 and press the scroll wheel to enter the Edit Mixes menu.  You will notice that the RadioMaster Pocket has already selected the source from the Inputs screen due to it being on the same channel.  You can add a name here if you like, but once done, a simple press the “RTN” button will exit you back to the “Mixes” screen.

Again, there are a lot more options here but for now, we will stop here.  Next, let’s look at reversing an output to take care of a servo that might be reversed as well as setting throws on your control surfaces.

Reversing an Output

Now, the control surfaces on the aircraft can be tested, and if one or more of them need to be reversed, we can do that in the next screen.  From the “Mixes” screen, press the “Page >” button to move to the “Output” screen.  Here, the RadioMaster Pocket is showing how the inputs are being output the receiver in your aircraft.  As you scroll through each of the outputs, you can move that corresponding control and see the change.

To make an edit, press the scroll wheel and select the “Edit” option.  To reverse the direction of a servo, scroll down to the “Direction” option and press the scroll wheel.  Notice that the direction changes from “---” to “INV”.  That channel has now been reversed.

Setting a Throw

While in the edit screen, the throws can be adjusted here as well.  Scroll to the “Min” or “Max” option and press the scroll wheel to begin editing the range.  This is translated into percents, and ranges from -100 to 100 with 0 being center.  While adjusting, you can move the corresponding input as you are setting it to see the change in real life on the model if a battery is plugged in.  

Note: Make sure the prop(s) have been removed before plugging in a battery.

Once the throws have been set, press the “RTN” button to exit the edit screen.

Conclusion

With that, the basics for setting up a model on the RadioMaster Pocket has been covered.  While there are a ton of power options left to cover, this should get the model in the air and functioning. Remember to test all your control surfaces before flying to make sure everything is moving the right direction and that your throws are set effectively.