Heads-Up: 2.4GHz RC systems tested

AND SOME FOUND WANTING

When I began investigating 2.4GHz radio systems last year I quickly realized that there were some that were good and some that were not so good.

As a result I categorized them into two tiers (first/best and second).

It will probably come as little surprise to most people that the first-tier includes JR/Spektrum and Futaba's FASST system.

Well now further independent testing has confirmed my own findings and assertions in respect to the performance of the most readily available 2.4GHz systems.

Over at Flying Giants, a member with the user-name of Kiwi has performed some very useful tests as to the ability of four popular brands of 2.4GHz gear to resist interference.

To test these systems, they were all subjected to strong levels of interference that affected just a part of the 2.4GHz band. This is the kind of interference that a powerful video, telemetry or other transmission might create.

The Results:

Both the Futaba and JR/Spektrum systems continued to work without any observable problems -- providing continuous solid control.

However, neither the XPS nor the cheaper Assan 2.4GHz systems could cope with this situation -- both either going into failsafe or simply locking up completely.

After earlier tests had shown that, despite the manufacturer's claims, XPS lacks any kind of robust frequency agility it was no surprise that this system performed so poorly in these tests.

Likewise, the Assan could not be expected to avoid the interference since it has never claimed to have any frequency hopping or redundancy -- a limitation that is reflected in its comparatively low price.

My own tests suggest that the iMax 9X radio system performs the same as the XPS and Assan systems, being incapable of dodging a strong interfering signal that appears on its chosen operating frequency. Once again, this is reflected in the price.

Videos

Here are links to the YouTube video footage of these tests. I recommend that you view them full-screen to better see what's going on.

• Futaba FASST
• JR/Spektrum
• XPS
• Assan

Conclusions

Although Assan and XPS are systems that will perform perfectly well in the vast majority of cases, they simply do not have the ability to dodge interference that might appear after you've taken-off.

If you only fly small inexpensive models that pose little risk to your bank-balance or the safety of the public then these second-tier systems make an economic alternative to the more expensive "brand name" offerings.

However, based on the results of these tests and (in the case of XPS) a growing number of reports from the field, it becomes very hard to recommend a second-tier system for any larger, faster or more expensive model.

However, it's a free world and the choice is ultimately up to you.