Why would anyone want a Spektrum Android radio?

[Jerold]

Way above my pay grade and miles away from my attention span. What was the verdict?

For me it's a do not buy. The interface is fancy and looks nice, but it's too much stuff and completely unnecessary.

 

[Chubaka]

For me it's a do not buy. The interface is fancy and looks nice, but it's too much stuff and completely unnecessary.

Anything that has an internet connection snd needs updates in the same way. They have too much control over this.

He'll I know someone with a printer for a pc. Cancel the subscription for ink and it doesn't work. Aftermarket inks are no longer working on it. I'm about to start using berries for ink.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Certainly not in my home. I have searched and searched for an example of an android "playin- nice". Everything I can find says its after someone has cleared it <ompletely and started with a different OS. I'm pretty sure we aready have a FOSS radio now right? M12?

RIGHT!!! They have control and we don't. I'm pretty positive thats EXACTLY opposite of how a transmitter/receiver system is designed to work.

Its this idea that we have any say over what this thing does that makes it so dangerous.

I'm still leaning towards the NB4 radio at this point. It seems like all the tech without big brother wanting to drive too!

 

[Jerold]

Certainly not in my home. I have searched and searched for an example of an android "playin- nice". Everything I can find says its after someone has cleared it <ompletely and started with a different OS. I'm pretty sure we aready have a FOSS radio now right? M12?

RIGHT!!! They have control and we don't. I'm pretty positive thats EXACTLY opposite of how a transmitter/receiver system is designed to work.

Its this idea that we have any say over what this thing does that makes it so dangerous.

I'm still leaning towards the NB4 radio at this point. It seems like all the tech without big brother wanting to drive too!

NB4 is a solid choice.

 

[DavidB1126]

NB4 is a solid choice.

I second that

 

[22SSragtop]

just bought the mt12 ... and quite honestly I am amazed. Still new to this but I see so much possibility with and open source radio. Honestly I think Spectrum has already lost this race before it started.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Ok but you can't just leave us all wondering!!!

I'd LOVE to know all about that radio and your experience with it! The MT12 looks awesome but I have reservations. How much of the programming requires an internet connection, or a computer?
Did you do a review on it or can I just ask you a million questions @22SSragtop ??? Lol!!!!

 

[WickedFog]

Ok but you can't just leave us all wondering!!!

I'd LOVE to know all about that radio and your experience with it! The MT12 looks awesome but I have reservations. How much of the programming requires an internet connection, or a computer?
Did you do a review on it or can I just ask you a million questions @22SSragtop ??? Lol!!!!

It uses EdgeTx software (open source), and that is a software you install on your pc to alter the radio's firmware yourself. You set all your stuff up in the software (and there's a lot of things to tweak), then you upload it to the radio. Similar to OpenTx for my Taranis X9D, you can even load in your own custom boot screen and audio clips I believe. So when you turn the radio on it could show a pixellated image of whatever you like, and the radio could blurt out "Snap into a Slim Jim!" in Randy Savage's voice

There are commands in the radio, and stuff like program routines that can be built in the radio to alter things as well. Like what the radio does when you first boot it up. Like by default, the radio might say "Switch Warning", meaning the throttle trigger isn't at zero. You can remove that check at power on. You can also alter the LED lighting and such on it. But it does of course have a lot of control commands and such built into it to change what buttons do, how the throttle and steeting knob functions, etc. It's a bit overwhelming in a 16-32 channel air Tx when you first get into it. And I can imagine the MT12 isn't much different.

But if you want a radio that allows you to play with a lot of the things like that, it's a good one from what I have seen. It also works with a lot of different brand receivers.

 

[Doom!]

I just want to drive my cars, don't have time for all that nonsense.

 

[22SSragtop]

Ok but you can't just leave us all wondering!!!

I'd LOVE to know all about that radio and your experience with it! The MT12 looks awesome but I have reservations. How much of the programming requires an internet connection, or a computer?
Did you do a review on it or can I just ask you a million questions @22SSragtop ??? Lol!!!!

so... my 1st car to hook it to will be my little power wagon crawler... hicup has been I want to put a low profile rx on it for packaging reasons plus I have been busy taking my leftover parts from it an building another one. So the reason I want to use it on it, is for 4ws, watched a cool yt vid of setting it to do all 4 4ws modes from 1 toggle , i.e front only, crabwalk, reversed (shortest turning ratio) and rear only. Nothing I have seen looks hard, some differences in verbiage... the gt5 forced me to learn new concepts and this one introduces the concept of mixing... you can assign any channel to any switch, button, toggle, wheel, etc... as far as needing the internet, no. Unless you want to keep it current firmware wise. It can handle 16 channels plus with an option piece another 16 channels. I will never need that. The fms fcx10 K5 I just bought uses 11 so who am I to know what I will need in the future. In some ways it will be tedious at 1st since I have to learn how it does things, so far tho I have realized I never needed to change out the rx on my koyosho when its controller was a little flakey from the start, I could have just rebound it to the mt12 and been done with it. It comes in a great case and once you put rechargable batterys whether 18650's or lion or lipo, you can charge it from the usb-c so not more switching out batteries and putting them on a charger.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Awesome info! Thanks guys!
This radio does look like it has a steep learning curve.
I feel like I have learned easily this depth of "programming" ability on my current phone.
Frankly, it doesn't look impossible at all.
The screen they show for the MT12 looks identical to my Spektrum DX4C from 10 years ago. I feel like some of the UI might already be familiar.
For the money, it seems like maybe worth the roll of the dice.

How does the RadioMaster feel in hand? My DX4 feels awkward to me.
I'm still not even sure why. It may just be the steering wheel diameter.

 

[CertifiedMike]

A fair estimation of what my first week of programming might look like.

 

[22SSragtop]

Awesome info! Thanks guys!
This radio does look like it has a steep learning curve.
I feel like I have learned easily this depth of "programming" ability on my current phone.
Frankly, it doesn't look impossible at all.
The screen they show for the MT12 looks identical to my Spektrum DX4C from 10 years ago. I feel like some of the UI might already be familiar.
For the money, it seems like maybe worth the roll of the dice.

How does the RadioMaster feel in hand? My DX4 feels awkward to me.
I'm still not even sure why. It may just be the steering wheel diameter.

It feels very good to me. I also have a flysky gt5 with a replaceable backstrap (much like my XDM40) an it was my fav until I realized I needed 2 remotes that could be used for multiple rigs since I often shared my rigs with my adult son ... The mt12 feels even better than the gt5 with a nice choice of switches and rotary knobs to choose from. As an aside I am making progress learning it, being an it guy I am used to seeing all types of scripting and programing languages from python to bash shell scripts. The LUA scripting language looks to much to be based on python, however that is optional to get into as most anything can be done by just picking options in the menus. That being said while I have the transmission working and the truck driving very well, the example I tried to follow in the yt vid is still not working correctly but just assigning channel 3 to one of the rotary knobs gave me complete control of the rear steer much like a 2nd steering wheel. I have even seen and example where I can flip a switch and it will redirect the steering wheel to control the rear steer. Have not set that up, but think it would be fun to have since you can basically create any model you like with any set of features. The amount of models they say is the limit is 60, however you can save an unlimited number to your sd card! As I edge closer to retirement, I am kind of encouraged to know there will be challenges similiar to my old life in IT(the challenge of learning new skills) in my renewed interest in a childhood hobby. Sorry for all the excess verbiage here.

 

[CertifiedMike]

I have to tell you, I'm sort of lening towards to MT12 right now.
I am hesitant because the MT12 does look like a LOT to learn BUT it ALSO looks like I'll never need to buy another radio if I can figure it all out!
The price is cheap enough to think about rolling the dice.
My DX4C cost about the same 10years ago.
I watched some videos about it too.
Josh Bardwell did one where he kept calling the timer "stupid".
It was funny AND educational!
The radio does look like its too difficult to figure out.
Thanks for the input about it!
I'm curious to know more as your experience grows! PLEASE update!!~

 

[WickedFog]

Josh Bardwell did one where he kept calling the timer "stupid".
It was funny AND educational!

So you learned something today huh?

I like Josh's vids. He is a bit of a weirdo, but he does give a lot of really good info in his vids.

I think if I buy any other radio's, it will be the MT12. It has so many features that you can tweak, it looks like it will be a lot of fun to play with.

 

[22SSragtop]

I seem to be collecting RC's at an alarming rate at least according to my credit card statement... that being said, I have a buggy a truggy a short course truck a road car 3 crawlers and 4 boats... (2 sail, 1 tugboat and 1 jetski!) If I can use my 2 relatively cheap aftermarket radios(fs-gt5 and mt12) to manage a majority of them, it will be a win. The gt5 handled 4ws well using its crawer mode or just assigning it to a rotary knob, the crawler mode was chunky as you had to go in and out of the menus... the mt12, assuming I can get the programing correct, (i'm really close) offers the aformentioned rotary knob option or flip a switch and use the steering wheel for rear steer or assign a switch to toggle up and down throuh the modes, front rear crab and traditional (to me but mirror as the yt guy calls it) where if you turn right the fronts go right and the rears go left...giving you a very short turning radius. To me the best use case for 4ws. All the options quickly. It looks like the ones I have with 2 in 1 esc's can be supported by my mt12 where the others can have the rx swapped with a cheap gt5 compatible rx. Anyway that is my plan.

 

[CertifiedMike]

I agree. I have a bunch of old stuff that I plan to resto and shelved so not a lot of reason for 15 transmitters to be sitting around for that!
For my bashers, I have the DX4C and a couple RTR (slt3,2 maybe?) So I have a couple to run for guests who might want to give an r/c a blast.
I feel like the mt12 price and the "can do" feel is much nicer than hearing about all the radio's limitations and now bloatware to worry about too!
I just bought a Reefs 500 and a bunch of parts so the r/c budget is sort of over extended at the min. Still, I think the mt12 is going to be one of my next "upgrade".
If I feel like I don't like it, the NB4 is still a good shot for me.
I think if the NB4 was a bit cheaper, I would have bought that over the Reef's and it would already be in the mail!
I'm glad things worked out like they did!