Return of the Spektrum DX7! New and improved even!

[firemanbill]

Didn't see this one coming... Looks nice!

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=SPM7800

[rcers]

I wondered since there was oo much price gap between the 6i and 8.

Looks nice!

[simibill]

A 7 channel Tx with an 8 channel Rx?

[weathervane]

OOOhhhh, I like it. I already have an older one. But I really like this one.
-Andrew

[kenchiroalpha]

Hi Bill
That is nice
Theres more info on the Spektrum site
http://www.spektrumrc.com/Products/D...ProdID=SPM7800
Take care dear friend
Yours Hank

[Wildflyer]

Originally Posted by simibill

A 7 channel Tx with an 8 channel Rx?

I may have stumbled into the answer for this one.

I met a friend of mine at the field yesterday, we got to talking about radio systems, kind of normal for a bunch of RC nuts.

He has a DX7 system, and mentioned that a friend of his put it on a scope, and they noticed it was actually transmitting 8 channels. We were not aware of this new system that comes with a 8 ch RX.

If the DX7 is really putting out 8 ch, one must be fixed to a neutral position, if so, a good tech should be able to make it active.

[NJSwede]

Originally Posted by Wildflyer

I may have stumbled into the answer for this one.

I met a friend of mine at the field yesterday, we got to talking about radio systems, kind of normal for a bunch of RC nuts.

He has a DX7 system, and mentioned that a friend of his put it on a scope, and they noticed it was actually transmitting 8 channels. We were not aware of this new system that comes with a 8 ch RX.

If the DX7 is really putting out 8 ch, one must be fixed to a neutral position, if so, a good tech should be able to make it active.

That doesn't sound right. Ask your friend to ask his friend how he could distinguish the channels on an oscilloscope! First of all, the signal is CDMA-modulated, which essentially means that it's mixed with noise. All you'll see on a scope is noise. Second, even if you could see the signal, a channel isn't really distinguishable the way it is on FM. With a digital radio, the channels just a string of bits (10 or 11 per channel on a spektrum TX if I remember correctly). So adding a channel is just matter of sending another 11 bits in a frame (a frame is what the TX sends out something like every 10-20ms and contains the digitized values of the positions of all sticks and switches).

Bottom line is that you wouldn't see an extra channel without some VERY advanced and expensive equipment.

My bet for the AR8000 is that the AR7000 was getting too old and needed to be retired and that the folks at Spektrum figured it would be cheaper to just sell the AR8000 instead of having to develop and maintain a new 7-channel RX. But that's just my personal speculation!

[firemanbill]

I don't know why they put an 8 channel in with it but they have a new and improved (DSMX) AR7010 7 Channel out... Seems like that would be included with the radio. And it's $40 cheaper than the AR8000 too.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...odID=SPMAR7010

I just ordered a couple for my recently upgraded JR 9303 DSMX Transmitter!

[NJSwede]

Originally Posted by firemanbill

I don't know why they put an 8 channel in with it but they have a new and improved (DSMX) AR7010 7 Channel out... Seems like that would be included with the radio. And it's $40 cheaper than the AR8000 too.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...odID=SPMAR7010

I just ordered a couple for my recently upgraded JR 9303 DSMX Transmitter!

Bummer! There goes my theory!

[firemanbill]

Originally Posted by NJSwede

Bummer! There goes my theory!

LOL, Not really a bummer though! I was happy to see the 7 channel at $40 less!

[rcers]

Finally had time to look into this. No backlit screen and no sliders - bummer again Spektrum.

[Wildflyer]

NJSwede

I don't know at what point in the system they put a scope on it. I didn't mean to say they were looking at the RF output itself. they might have scoped the encoder or picked out the signal at the RX. I have a device that will measure the pulse widths of each channel at the trainer jack.

He was very certain the had seen an 8th channel, but I wasn't there to see how they did it. Now I am curious, I will have to put my scope on my radio (not DX7) and see what it looks like at different points.

[crxmanpat]

Sorry, but for that price point (actually, for $50 cheaper) I'll stick with waiting on the new XPS 16-ch TX with all the bells and whistles. Should be out sometime within the next 60-90 days.