Fascinating. These brands just must not be popular in Quadcopter FPV circles. I've only been flying for a year, but I haven't heard of them. I'm very happy with my Radiomater Boxer and would likely only buy an EdgeTX radio until things change. But again, most of my exposure is in the Quad FPV community and I see you fly 3D Heli.
these brands predate drone age. and mostly designed for traditional Radio Control airplanes and helicopters. Graupner, JR Propo and Futaba were the big names in RC electronics.
I do NOT fly multi-rotors, quadcopters, or FPV. I fly exclusively 3D RC aerobatic helicopters, so all my RC videos are from the point of view of these 3D RC aerobatic helicopters. The Mikado ecosystem is very popular in the world of RC helicopters. Although it can be used for fixed wing, this Mikado system is generally considered the only RC helicopter-centric ecosystem in our side of the hobby. Jeti is more popular in the fixed wing side of the hobby, but it can be configured to work with helicopters, multi-rotors and other RC disciplines. The Open Source systems are gaining popularity in the 3D RC aerobatic helicopters side of the hobby, but the interface and ease of use is not considered as mature as that of Mikado.
Good video and it was good seeing you again at the Spring Fling. I would suggest doing a basic video on the teflon mod for the gimbals as I'm sure most watching this would like to hear more. Regarding the comments on Radiomaster: Vbar is obviously the most common with Futaba and Jeti being not to far behind in the RC helicopter world. Radiomaster is becoming a cheaper alternative for those who can't afford 1K for a radio. That being said the learning curve on EdgeTX is steeper. Personally I love my Futaba 18sz (I got a great deal on a used one). Even though I have a Radiomaster TX16S that i use for flying my quads, Im staying with the 18sz. It boils down to whats comfortable in the hands, ease of programming by the individual and what a person can afford. Hopefully you can make it out to the fall event - Greg
I appreciate the video but the future is EdgeTX and EthOS. Sure they'll be holdouts but as far as active development, these two OS are the most active. RotorFlight will only accelerate their adoption in the heli space.
There is a growing enthusiasm for Open Source technology. I do envision Open Source transmitters gaining a bigger piece of the pie over time, but we are just not there yet, at least not in the 3D helicopter discipline of the general RC hobby. At the present time, both the VBC and Jeti radios are quite popular in the 3D helicopter hobby as seen at any given fun fly in the US.
Hi John, are you going to be getting a spirit wave? Im currently a Jeti/Spirit GTR user and I'm thinking of changing to the Vbar Evo system but im also highly tempted by the spirit wave. What are your thoughts? I love the hard deck rescue which is pushing me towards the spirit side. But I also love the look of the Vbar. What do you find has the best inflight characteristics?
Yes. I preordered a red Spirit WAVE radio and a Spirit W1 units to start with. As far as overall flight performance, I cannot distinguish much difference between VBar Neo/EVO units vs Spirit units AFTER proper tuning. Both the Neo/EVO units and Spirit units default values are quite tame, so you really need to take your time tuning them to reach their potential. I enjoy the interface of the Mikado VBC Touch and EVO radios with the Neo/EVO unit much better than the Jeti/Spirit interface. I actually do not currently have any Spirit units in my helicopters mainly due to the clunky Jeti/Spirit interface, especially in comparison to the VBC Touch/EVO with Neo/EVO interface. Both the Jeti/Spirit and VBC/Neo/EVO have their own pros and cons. The Spirit WAVE/W1 has the potential of concentrating the best features of Jeti/Spirit and VCB/Neo/EVO with none of the disadvantages of each. The WAVE radio come stock with the coveted AG01 gimbals. The VBC Touch/EVO radios have built in WiFi, but it is limited to the 2.4GHz band. The WAVE radio's WiFi is the more modern 2.4GHz/5GHz dual band. The WAVE radio also features BlueTooth. Whereas the Mikado VBC is mostly a 100% close system, the WAVE radio allows for community created Lua apps, similar to Jeti. All three radios (VBCT/E, Jeti, and WAVE) feature internal motion sensors. Mikado does not currently allow for use of these internal motion sensors. Unlike Jeti which charges to unlock these internal motion sensors, the WAVE radio will allow use of these motion sensors, and at no additional cost. The list goes on and on for the WAVE radio.
@ thanks for the detailed reply. I think I might got for the spirit wave. I'm in the UK so could have it next day delivery for the Red standard version! One thing that still tempts me with the VBar is the new mikado cap pack. That's seems so simple. Hopefully Tomas will follow with that
@@atcoflyer1756 I've had a pretty good performance experience with VBar since my first VBar Silverline in 2012. Neat bells and whistles and convenience features have been added since. However, Mikado hardware has room for improvement. I did run into issues with one VBar Silverline where the sensor malfunction during flight leading to a minor crash. I had to send the the unit to Mikado in Germany for warranty repair. Mikado mentioned that the sensor was damaged due to the crash. I explained that the sensor malfunction is what led to the crash. Mikado ultimately sent me a replacement unit, but the bad taste remained. I left Mikado VBar for a few years and went back to VBar in 2018 with the release of VBC Touch radio. Not even Jeti/Spirit can rival the convenience and intuitive simplicity of the Mikado ecosystem. However, Mikado hardware continues to lag behind. For instance, I've had way too many Neo/EVO plastic cases with broken retaining tabs, that I consider a replacement aluminum case worthwhile. Then one needs to consider hardware limitations. Even though the VBC Touch radio was released in 2018, the internal memory was limited to about 266 MB; contrast that memory to other radios especially in that price range where memory is measured in GB terms. The new VBC EVO radio does have memory in the GB range, but this should have been the case with the 2018 VBC Touch as well. Same goes for the Neo flight controller. The Neo cannot support 760µs center pulse for cyclic servos because of hardware limitations. Contrast the Mikado hardware with Spirit. Starting with the original Spirit flight controller from around 2015, all Spirit flight controllers feature an aluminum case which fasten the PCB board firmly. All early Spirit units can handle 760µs center pulse cyclic servos. Except for the Spirit units with integrated Jeti receivers (RS and GTR), all Spirit units can handle a 3S LiPo, so they have been ready for 12V servos even before 12V servos became a thing. Consider Brain2/iKON2 as well; the hardware is >8 years old, and they are capable of handing 760µs cyclic servos. The point here is that Spirit and Brain2/iKON2 have pretty reasonably future-proof hardware, whereas Mikado generally require purchase of new hardware (and accompanying costly firmware "upgrades") to keep up with advancing technology. This brings up another point; cost of firmware upgrades. All Spirit and MSH Brain2/iKON2 units come with all features unlocked and they have never charged for firmware updates or upgrades. In contrast, Mikado flight controllers come with a basic firmware which requires payment to upgrade. A recent Facebook poll demonstrated that 98% of VBar pilots upgraded their Neo/EVO units to either Pro or Pro/Rescue. As far as the Mikado capacitors, I applaud Mikado for this effort. These capacitors are 12V capable, and use similar circuitry and XGuard RC capacitors, and they have simple plug-n-play integration with VBC radios. I am not sure it may be worth it for Spirit to create their own capacitor buffers. It may be more time efficient for Spirit to create an app for similar plug-n-play telemetry integration with exisiting XGuard RC capacitors, or just have a knowledgeable community member to create a Lua app for the WAVE radio for XGuard RC capacitor integration. Truth be told, I just use the XGuard RC capacitor buffers with my VBC EVO without utilizing its 3rd wire integration capabilities, but I am aware that some folks really like the configuring the radio to take advantage of the XGuard RC capacitor integration.
@ thanks John. It's such a difficult decision to choose between the two! I really appreciate you explaining your view and the facts on both. I think the wave will take first place due to the hard deck and better tech. Also I think the customer service is better too. Tomas replies very quickly on the forum or via email. I emailed mikado Germany directly a week ago and haven't had a reply, to me that speaks volumes!
@@atcoflyer1756 The Mikado developers only respond the Mikado forum. I've never seen them respond in Facebook, HeliFreak, or any other social media. Tomas tends to respond not only on the dedicated Spirit forum, but also on Facebook and HeliFreak. My experience with Mikado's responses in the Mikado forum is that they tend to respond mostly on weekdays. They occasionally respond on weekends, but it is certainly not as likely as weekdays. The Spirit WAVE is in a similar category as Mikado, meaning both ecosystems are helicopter-centric. Mikado is a pretty much a 100% close system in that all functionality is 100% dictated by Mikado. This has its advantages and disadvantages. The Wave radio shares similarities with the Jeti radio in that the operating system is proprietary, but the system allows for community-generated Lua apps. These Lua apps add functionality beyond the developers' imagination. This is important to me. There are many features I would like Mikado to add to the VBC radio, but Mikado generally refuses to add them, as they believe such features are either unnecessary or they feel there are already existing solutions to solve these concerns. For instance, Mikado took away the ability to center the tail servo arm around version 5.2 of the VBar firmware, and they refuse to bring it back, as they consider it unnecessary. Another example is how VBC announces the battery capacity remaining; the VBC radio announces the battery capacity remaining in 10% increments. I asked Mikado to allow for an option to announce the battery capacity at 5% or 3% remaining as well, as this would allow me to do an autorotation and land at exactly 0% capacity remaining (0% announcement generally means 3.74V/cell the way I configured it). Mikado refuses to offer this option. In comparison, other systems including Jeti and WAVE allow for customization of battery capacity remaining. These are just 2 examples.
I have the DS-12, don't like the plastic case. Bought the DS-14 shortly thereafter with the aluminum case. I see the DS-14 line discontinued. The EVO radio looks nice. Reminds me of JR Propo! Never did like the module system Jeti uses. Overpriced to begin with. But I guess you buy the options you need!
I don’t like wearing a neck strap. I felt I needed to wear a neck strap (actually a body strap) with the DS-14, DS-16, and specially the DS-24 radios because they were noticeably heavier. I don’t like how the aluminum shell feels pretty cold on my hands during the winter months. That’s why I sold all my other Jeti DS radios and settled for this light weight DS-12 radio. I also fly only helicopters, so the DS-12 has all the functionality needed for the 3D helicopter discipline.
i suppose mostly for old men now who have money but Radiomaster is taking over due to open source and its low price. I have just dumped my futaba for radiomaster.
I have seen a fair number of pilots "with money" switch to open source systems like RadioMaster and FrSky. Besides the attractive price, Open source does offer capabilities only limited by the collective imagination, whereas with more closed systems, capabilities and features are limited by the imagination and preference of the few developers. I am very interest to learn Spirit's approach with its upcoming WAVE ecosystem. This is more a semi-close (or semi-open depending on point of view) system, where the operating system and firmware is closed, but it still allows for community generated Lua apps (similar to Jeti and other systems) that serve to enhance the overall experience beyond the developer's imagination.
Looking at US market, the VBC EVO radio is currently sold exclusively by Mikado USA. shop.mikadousa.com/VBar-Control-EVO-Pick-Your-Color_p_3021.html The current list prices for a standard black VBC EVO radio is $1,299.99. There are options to purchase the radio in certain colors that bring the list price to $1,399.99, and some special colors bring the price to $1,499.99. Once you purchase the radio, you have the option to upgrade the radio's software to a "Pro" version for an additional $50.00. For the Jeti DS-12 radio, the base model lists for $650.00 and the carbon edition (the one in this video) lists for $975.00. To unlock features, Jeti has you pay additional money for modules. You can purchase those modules individually a la carte, or you can purchase them as package deals. A fully unlocked base model DS-12 radio lists for $1,025.00 and a fully unlocked DS-12 carbon edition radio lists for $1,375.00. www.espritmodel.com/jeti-duplex-radio-systems-ds-12-2-4ghz-900mhz-line.aspx
I too have felt that way since the VBC Touch came out. The Neo and now EVO units are good to very good, but they are not excellent. I find the Spirit units, specially the GT/GTR next level compared to Neo/EVO. However, to get the optimal experience with Spirit, Jeti radios are arguably at the top of the list. Jeti radios pack a lot of features (after you unlock the paid modules), but a lot of these features are best suited for fixed wing, and do not really apply to helicopters. The VBC Touch and now EVO radios are good to very good, but again not excellent. However, when you pair the Neo/EVO flight controllers with a VBC Touch/EVO radio, that's where I feel the whole is much more than the sum of its individual parts. I prefer the overall general experience with Mikado as a whole than with Jeti/Spirit. I really look forward to the Spirit WAVE system, as this will be the first competition of its kind that Mikado will face. I am also intrigued about the JR flight controller still in its testing phase, but as good as JR radios are, just like Jeti, JR is fixed wing centric. It seems Open Source radios and flight controllers are gaining in popularity, for what I assume is the very affordable price and and the features and possibilities limited only by the programmers' imagination, but I would need these Open Source systems to have improved user interface before I tackle something like that. I do see me trying open source equipment in the future, like in maybe 2 or 3 years from now, but I am not ready and/or willing to take on that challenge at this time.
Fascinating. These brands just must not be popular in Quadcopter FPV circles. I've only been flying for a year, but I haven't heard of them. I'm very happy with my Radiomater Boxer and would likely only buy an EdgeTX radio until things change. But again, most of my exposure is in the Quad FPV community and I see you fly 3D Heli.
these brands predate drone age. and mostly designed for traditional Radio Control airplanes and helicopters.
Graupner, JR Propo and Futaba were the big names in RC electronics.
@@davidjacobs8558 Makes sense. I watched RC from afar over the years. I discovered a year ago that FPV acro quad flying is my happy place.
I do NOT fly multi-rotors, quadcopters, or FPV. I fly exclusively 3D RC aerobatic helicopters, so all my RC videos are from the point of view of these 3D RC aerobatic helicopters. The Mikado ecosystem is very popular in the world of RC helicopters. Although it can be used for fixed wing, this Mikado system is generally considered the only RC helicopter-centric ecosystem in our side of the hobby. Jeti is more popular in the fixed wing side of the hobby, but it can be configured to work with helicopters, multi-rotors and other RC disciplines.
The Open Source systems are gaining popularity in the 3D RC aerobatic helicopters side of the hobby, but the interface and ease of use is not considered as mature as that of Mikado.
Good video and it was good seeing you again at the Spring Fling. I would suggest doing a basic video on the teflon mod for the gimbals as I'm sure most watching this would like to hear more.
Regarding the comments on Radiomaster: Vbar is obviously the most common with Futaba and Jeti being not to far behind in the RC helicopter world. Radiomaster is becoming a cheaper alternative for those who can't afford 1K for a radio. That being said the learning curve on EdgeTX is steeper. Personally I love my Futaba 18sz (I got a great deal on a used one). Even though I have a Radiomaster TX16S that i use for flying my quads, Im staying with the 18sz.
It boils down to whats comfortable in the hands, ease of programming by the individual and what a person can afford.
Hopefully you can make it out to the fall event - Greg
Hello Greg. It was nice seeing you at Spring Fling as well. No Fall Mowdown for me this year, but I'll make it to this IRCHA 2024 next month. 😀
I appreciate the video but the future is EdgeTX and EthOS. Sure they'll be holdouts but as far as active development, these two OS are the most active. RotorFlight will only accelerate their adoption in the heli space.
There is a growing enthusiasm for Open Source technology. I do envision Open Source transmitters gaining a bigger piece of the pie over time, but we are just not there yet, at least not in the 3D helicopter discipline of the general RC hobby. At the present time, both the VBC and Jeti radios are quite popular in the 3D helicopter hobby as seen at any given fun fly in the US.
Hi John, are you going to be getting a spirit wave?
Im currently a Jeti/Spirit GTR user and I'm thinking of changing to the Vbar Evo system but im also highly tempted by the spirit wave. What are your thoughts? I love the hard deck rescue which is pushing me towards the spirit side. But I also love the look of the Vbar. What do you find has the best inflight characteristics?
Yes. I preordered a red Spirit WAVE radio and a Spirit W1 units to start with.
As far as overall flight performance, I cannot distinguish much difference between VBar Neo/EVO units vs Spirit units AFTER proper tuning. Both the Neo/EVO units and Spirit units default values are quite tame, so you really need to take your time tuning them to reach their potential.
I enjoy the interface of the Mikado VBC Touch and EVO radios with the Neo/EVO unit much better than the Jeti/Spirit interface. I actually do not currently have any Spirit units in my helicopters mainly due to the clunky Jeti/Spirit interface, especially in comparison to the VBC Touch/EVO with Neo/EVO interface.
Both the Jeti/Spirit and VBC/Neo/EVO have their own pros and cons. The Spirit WAVE/W1 has the potential of concentrating the best features of Jeti/Spirit and VCB/Neo/EVO with none of the disadvantages of each. The WAVE radio come stock with the coveted AG01 gimbals. The VBC Touch/EVO radios have built in WiFi, but it is limited to the 2.4GHz band. The WAVE radio's WiFi is the more modern 2.4GHz/5GHz dual band. The WAVE radio also features BlueTooth. Whereas the Mikado VBC is mostly a 100% close system, the WAVE radio allows for community created Lua apps, similar to Jeti. All three radios (VBCT/E, Jeti, and WAVE) feature internal motion sensors. Mikado does not currently allow for use of these internal motion sensors. Unlike Jeti which charges to unlock these internal motion sensors, the WAVE radio will allow use of these motion sensors, and at no additional cost. The list goes on and on for the WAVE radio.
@ thanks for the detailed reply. I think I might got for the spirit wave. I'm in the UK so could have it next day delivery for the Red standard version!
One thing that still tempts me with the VBar is the new mikado cap pack. That's seems so simple. Hopefully Tomas will follow with that
@@atcoflyer1756 I've had a pretty good performance experience with VBar since my first VBar Silverline in 2012. Neat bells and whistles and convenience features have been added since. However, Mikado hardware has room for improvement. I did run into issues with one VBar Silverline where the sensor malfunction during flight leading to a minor crash. I had to send the the unit to Mikado in Germany for warranty repair. Mikado mentioned that the sensor was damaged due to the crash. I explained that the sensor malfunction is what led to the crash. Mikado ultimately sent me a replacement unit, but the bad taste remained. I left Mikado VBar for a few years and went back to VBar in 2018 with the release of VBC Touch radio. Not even Jeti/Spirit can rival the convenience and intuitive simplicity of the Mikado ecosystem. However, Mikado hardware continues to lag behind. For instance, I've had way too many Neo/EVO plastic cases with broken retaining tabs, that I consider a replacement aluminum case worthwhile. Then one needs to consider hardware limitations. Even though the VBC Touch radio was released in 2018, the internal memory was limited to about 266 MB; contrast that memory to other radios especially in that price range where memory is measured in GB terms. The new VBC EVO radio does have memory in the GB range, but this should have been the case with the 2018 VBC Touch as well. Same goes for the Neo flight controller. The Neo cannot support 760µs center pulse for cyclic servos because of hardware limitations.
Contrast the Mikado hardware with Spirit. Starting with the original Spirit flight controller from around 2015, all Spirit flight controllers feature an aluminum case which fasten the PCB board firmly. All early Spirit units can handle 760µs center pulse cyclic servos. Except for the Spirit units with integrated Jeti receivers (RS and GTR), all Spirit units can handle a 3S LiPo, so they have been ready for 12V servos even before 12V servos became a thing. Consider Brain2/iKON2 as well; the hardware is >8 years old, and they are capable of handing 760µs cyclic servos. The point here is that Spirit and Brain2/iKON2 have pretty reasonably future-proof hardware, whereas Mikado generally require purchase of new hardware (and accompanying costly firmware "upgrades") to keep up with advancing technology. This brings up another point; cost of firmware upgrades. All Spirit and MSH Brain2/iKON2 units come with all features unlocked and they have never charged for firmware updates or upgrades. In contrast, Mikado flight controllers come with a basic firmware which requires payment to upgrade. A recent Facebook poll demonstrated that 98% of VBar pilots upgraded their Neo/EVO units to either Pro or Pro/Rescue.
As far as the Mikado capacitors, I applaud Mikado for this effort. These capacitors are 12V capable, and use similar circuitry and XGuard RC capacitors, and they have simple plug-n-play integration with VBC radios. I am not sure it may be worth it for Spirit to create their own capacitor buffers. It may be more time efficient for Spirit to create an app for similar plug-n-play telemetry integration with exisiting XGuard RC capacitors, or just have a knowledgeable community member to create a Lua app for the WAVE radio for XGuard RC capacitor integration. Truth be told, I just use the XGuard RC capacitor buffers with my VBC EVO without utilizing its 3rd wire integration capabilities, but I am aware that some folks really like the configuring the radio to take advantage of the XGuard RC capacitor integration.
@ thanks John. It's such a difficult decision to choose between the two! I really appreciate you explaining your view and the facts on both. I think the wave will take first place due to the hard deck and better tech. Also I think the customer service is better too. Tomas replies very quickly on the forum or via email. I emailed mikado Germany directly a week ago and haven't had a reply, to me that speaks volumes!
@@atcoflyer1756 The Mikado developers only respond the Mikado forum. I've never seen them respond in Facebook, HeliFreak, or any other social media. Tomas tends to respond not only on the dedicated Spirit forum, but also on Facebook and HeliFreak. My experience with Mikado's responses in the Mikado forum is that they tend to respond mostly on weekdays. They occasionally respond on weekends, but it is certainly not as likely as weekdays.
The Spirit WAVE is in a similar category as Mikado, meaning both ecosystems are helicopter-centric. Mikado is a pretty much a 100% close system in that all functionality is 100% dictated by Mikado. This has its advantages and disadvantages. The Wave radio shares similarities with the Jeti radio in that the operating system is proprietary, but the system allows for community-generated Lua apps. These Lua apps add functionality beyond the developers' imagination. This is important to me. There are many features I would like Mikado to add to the VBC radio, but Mikado generally refuses to add them, as they believe such features are either unnecessary or they feel there are already existing solutions to solve these concerns. For instance, Mikado took away the ability to center the tail servo arm around version 5.2 of the VBar firmware, and they refuse to bring it back, as they consider it unnecessary. Another example is how VBC announces the battery capacity remaining; the VBC radio announces the battery capacity remaining in 10% increments. I asked Mikado to allow for an option to announce the battery capacity at 5% or 3% remaining as well, as this would allow me to do an autorotation and land at exactly 0% capacity remaining (0% announcement generally means 3.74V/cell the way I configured it). Mikado refuses to offer this option. In comparison, other systems including Jeti and WAVE allow for customization of battery capacity remaining. These are just 2 examples.
I have the DS-12, don't like the plastic case. Bought the DS-14 shortly thereafter with the aluminum case. I see the DS-14 line discontinued. The EVO radio looks nice. Reminds me of JR Propo! Never did like the module system Jeti uses. Overpriced to begin with. But I guess you buy the options you need!
I don’t like wearing a neck strap. I felt I needed to wear a neck strap (actually a body strap) with the DS-14, DS-16, and specially the DS-24 radios because they were noticeably heavier. I don’t like how the aluminum shell feels pretty cold on my hands during the winter months. That’s why I sold all my other Jeti DS radios and settled for this light weight DS-12 radio. I also fly only helicopters, so the DS-12 has all the functionality needed for the 3D helicopter discipline.
@@johnahamelv makes perfect sense.
i suppose mostly for old men now who have money but Radiomaster is taking over due to open source and its low price. I have just dumped my futaba for radiomaster.
I have seen a fair number of pilots "with money" switch to open source systems like RadioMaster and FrSky. Besides the attractive price, Open source does offer capabilities only limited by the collective imagination, whereas with more closed systems, capabilities and features are limited by the imagination and preference of the few developers.
I am very interest to learn Spirit's approach with its upcoming WAVE ecosystem. This is more a semi-close (or semi-open depending on point of view) system, where the operating system and firmware is closed, but it still allows for community generated Lua apps (similar to Jeti and other systems) that serve to enhance the overall experience beyond the developer's imagination.
Which one is more cheaper?
Looking at US market, the VBC EVO radio is currently sold exclusively by Mikado USA. shop.mikadousa.com/VBar-Control-EVO-Pick-Your-Color_p_3021.html The current list prices for a standard black VBC EVO radio is $1,299.99. There are options to purchase the radio in certain colors that bring the list price to $1,399.99, and some special colors bring the price to $1,499.99. Once you purchase the radio, you have the option to upgrade the radio's software to a "Pro" version for an additional $50.00.
For the Jeti DS-12 radio, the base model lists for $650.00 and the carbon edition (the one in this video) lists for $975.00. To unlock features, Jeti has you pay additional money for modules. You can purchase those modules individually a la carte, or you can purchase them as package deals. A fully unlocked base model DS-12 radio lists for $1,025.00 and a fully unlocked DS-12 carbon edition radio lists for $1,375.00. www.espritmodel.com/jeti-duplex-radio-systems-ds-12-2-4ghz-900mhz-line.aspx
Mikado Vcontrol all the way for Helis, it's just the best for them.
Jeti is suited more for planes.
I too have felt that way since the VBC Touch came out. The Neo and now EVO units are good to very good, but they are not excellent. I find the Spirit units, specially the GT/GTR next level compared to Neo/EVO. However, to get the optimal experience with Spirit, Jeti radios are arguably at the top of the list. Jeti radios pack a lot of features (after you unlock the paid modules), but a lot of these features are best suited for fixed wing, and do not really apply to helicopters. The VBC Touch and now EVO radios are good to very good, but again not excellent. However, when you pair the Neo/EVO flight controllers with a VBC Touch/EVO radio, that's where I feel the whole is much more than the sum of its individual parts. I prefer the overall general experience with Mikado as a whole than with Jeti/Spirit. I really look forward to the Spirit WAVE system, as this will be the first competition of its kind that Mikado will face. I am also intrigued about the JR flight controller still in its testing phase, but as good as JR radios are, just like Jeti, JR is fixed wing centric.
It seems Open Source radios and flight controllers are gaining in popularity, for what I assume is the very affordable price and and the features and possibilities limited only by the programmers' imagination, but I would need these Open Source systems to have improved user interface before I tackle something like that. I do see me trying open source equipment in the future, like in maybe 2 or 3 years from now, but I am not ready and/or willing to take on that challenge at this time.