I recently bought my first quad. I went with a Jumper T-Pro ELRS and can't fault it. The bricking issue was more hype than reality. I followed another TH-camrs recommendations when flashing it and didn't have any issues. Also it's pretty cheap for the features packed into it. The downside is how hot it gets if you run ELRS at more than 50mw.
I just bought one as a backup and a more portable alternative to my tx16s. Another great thing about it is that the modules are interchangeable with the tx16s. I was thinking about the zorro, but the form factor isn't even that much different if you add the external battery to the zorro and it takes a different style module. Although I'll likely switch to hall gimbals at some point, the potentiometer ones are just fine for me right now.
Kinda silly saying frsky has horrible range... we are kidding ourselves if we think most people in the hobby are regularly flying farther than 100 meters/ yards or bands bashing. TH-camrs as with most hobbies, only make up a small fraction. And most freestyle and race video are within 50 meters... I do agree expresslrs is the way to go as for more range, better latency, more hardware is available and software moves faster than most can adopt. Got frsky and expresslrs, but have not had the urge to dump my xm+ or rXsr, on existing well flying quads... but new rigs get expresslrs. Keep up the great content.
Hey I’m super new to this. I have dji goggle v2 with the dji v2 controller / receiver. So my question is what receiver do I order because I want the beta Pavo pico…the options are crossfire or elrs…which will work with my gear?
@@DarrenAllatt yea right, i didn't need your help was just supporting your content, anyways keep up the good work and remember the name its Gaianetx and there is no stopping us now, keyword start , i guess you were born a drone pilot...to the lz, howard bound do and never say die and never back down, then we all say hura.
I'm a student with a budget who's trying to dip my toes into this hobby. I've been meaning to try tryp FPV and some other simulators first before I eventually build my own drone or get something like a cetus lite... So I'm learning towards a budget ELRS one. May I ask what the betaFPV 'fork' entails? Does it mean I would not be able to use that controller if I try to make my own drone or so later on?
If you want those sort of output powers then get the 4-in-1 internal version and whack an external module on to suit. With external power to the module, you can run a unit to fly your toys to the enemy's rear areas and fry your steaks with the exhaust gases at the same time. 😉😊
You gave me a nice teaser, but way too many choices. Ive got 3 radios and 3 drones I’ve bought from the only local drone store that I can’t use because they are no help. I guess because I’m a senior they can sell me outdated equipment and I’ll just keep buying more stuff. But now I just go to Best Buy and buy DJI and go fly.
Each set of goggles is already locked in to its protocol, ie DJI goggles only do DJI, Walksnail only do Walksnail, HD-Zero only do HD-Zero. Analog goggles are not protocol specific but open; and you can get Video Receivers to go on some goggles
I had the TX16S (you didn’t mention the touch screen) but the switches break really easily (mine broke when transporting). Then I got the Tango 2 and am very happy with it
Yes, some of them are a little too long and easy to knock. Touch Screen only works if you upgrade to EdgeTX which I think I mentioned at the end of the video.
@@DarrenAllatt speaking of breaking things off, I just received the dji goggles v2 and the antennas seem extremely fragile. This is my first setup so maybe all antennas are fragile lol Can I paint or vinyl wrap my antennas or will this cause reception issues?
@@DarrenAllatt the heatshrink idea is brilliant! Ima cheapskate everywhere I can be lol plus I got all sorts of colored heat shrink for my car audio builds!
I have been running a tired old QX7 with iRX4, CRSF Lite, and ELRS 2.4 modules. TX16S is still the king if you want to be in 'buy once cry once' territory if the form factor works. I think the Zorro type radios are going to need a couple of iterations to really get good, but I think the second wave of those will finally be excellent units that can compete with the Tango2 for value. They'll need to run bigger batteries, sort out the other battery stuff, and some better switchgear will probably become the 'right' answer.
For me the Zorro is better than the Tango2 yes the battery life is an issue and I don’t believe you’re going to see a version two with bigger batteries you’re just gonna have to make do. Radio master included the ability to add an external battery to give you longer life, and with aG01 mini gimbals coming it will be the best game pad radio handsdown
@@DarrenAllatt Jye already hacked his to take some bigger cells - I do think a modification to hold bigger batteries (and swappable ones) from the get-go would be a pretty big hit there. I think the combined AG02 gimbals and optionally larger battery setup would probably be what pushes that over the line to be 'the' default recommendation is pretty huge. Especially given how TBS seems to be fumbling the AgentX rollouts, on software, the stability argument for keeping with CRSF is increasingly lost on me, so I suspect I'll just keep buying ELRS Rx units and calling it good (at 58 and counting there)
@@tehllama42 hacked is not the right word… butchered like a serial killer is more appropriate. He had to cut part of the gimbal, so if you put in AG01 Mini, you won’t want to be chopping those up to squeeze in larger batteries
@@DarrenAllatt Yeah, for sure - it's something a different molding, ideally one with a tray, could actually fix really quite easily, and I don't think it would have very negative impact on how compact, affordable, or portable they are. One of the reasons I'm convinced the next generation of those will be drastically better
@@tehllama42 There wont be a "next generation" for around 5 years. If you look at the TX16S, it was at the end of year 2 when they started to bring out mods. They are going to want to get as much life out of this as possible. So I dont expect a 2023 Zorro will have an improved case
@@DarrenAllatt Thanks for the reply. I would like to know more about transmission controllers I suppose, and laws/regulations around such, for custom builds, or other options. Obviously DJI is under a lot of scrutiny lately, in relation to Russia-Ukraine war. Love it or hate it, drones are most likely here to stay for military weaponry & strategy. I mean we all played Black Ops 2 right? Would prefer it to stay a sport, but unfortunately its uses as a tool are much like a firearm now. So this gets into Electronic Warfare & Cybersecurity , but I’d like to mitigate threats & insulate myself from any potential bad/state actors.
Hey man, I'm wondering if you'd recommend the BETAFPV to start practicing in the sim, or if it's too bad that makes you to do not want to practice anymore? And if you have one that you're not using and wants to sell, let me know. I'm also in Sydney (long shot I know, but gotta ask...). Thanks!
I wouldn’t buy a BetaFPV Radio, they’re cheap for a reason and don’t last. Make the investment into a decent radio - if you are on a budget, go the Radiomaster Pocket or Jumper T-Lite v2
When you could only choose between FRSKY and Crossfire - Crossfire at 900mhz would give you range and penetration for days, while FRSKY at 2.4ghz would barely get you to the end of the park. The technology behind ELRS, at 2.4ghz gave you crossfire like range but with faster packet rates for higher performance meaning unless you needed 900mhz for a particular reason it was pointless. Not to mention the antenna size difference where a 900mhz antenna is HUGE! So unless you specifically need to be on the 900mhz frequency, like you are flying a cinelifter with a $10,000 camera on it and the 2.4ghz band is flooded - you get more benefits like faster packet rates with similar range and penetration on 2.4ghz
Hey, I’m trying to decide wether or not it would be worth it to buy the expensive tx16s instead of the radio master zorro. What would you say the limitations of the zorro are, and what does the tx16s have that the zorro doesn’t. Thanks
I am going to through a spanner at you, Radiomaster Boxer. Both the Zorro and TX16S have ExpressLRS limited to 250mw, but the Boxer has 1w. They all come with the JP4in1 if that's your thing. The biggest limitation with the Zorro is the battery life and I am not a fan of adding stuff on the side just to get more battery life. I think the TX16S has too many switches and on my personal one I have removed them, but the Boxer has the right amount and placement.
I like my new Jumper T18 Pro V2. Now it has the USB charging and EdgeTX and touchscreen. The built in multi module is nice and I have an expressLRS module in the external bay. It has the ALPS RDC90 type gimbals, too. I like it better than my original Jumper T16. A lot better.
Dusting off my fpv drones. Thinking of moving away from my futaba 14sg to a Mambo. Good option for flying around the park? Is the mambo a good tx for kids to learn on the simulator?
Thanks for the video. Just curious, why are you changing from the Mambo to Zorro? Both are on my short list but Mambo seems to have disappeared from both You Tube and retail. Another question. If you buy a Zorro with ExpressLRS and ELRS has just changed to V3. will that work with your V2 Zorro? Would you be smarter to buy a TX12 and use plug in protocols that could be replaced when needed? Thanks for your time Darrin. Chris
First question: The Mambo on FreedomTX (was was supposed to be a temporary fix until TBS could get OpenTX/EdgeTX support, 2 years later and it’s still not done nor looking to be done) this limits it’s ability to transmit at a 500hz packet rate on ExpressLRS. The gimbal sampling rate is also slower so the stick inputs aren’t as cleanly transmitted to the FC for processing. Zorro while it has its flaws (battery life) can support the full features of ExpressLRS and any other protocol you add to the back. With ELRS V3, it’s just a new firmware so will be able to update the internal module by USB. ELRS v3 will also be backwards compatible with V2 (unlike V2 to V1). The Zorro has the ability to plug in modules at the back it uses Nano Modules while the TX12 uses Micro Modules. Only difference is size. There is no point using plug in protocols (or modules) if you can get internal ExpressLRS. That will serve almost all of any pilots needs.
@@DarrenAllatt 3:33 you said “weird and wonderful protocols” which reminded me of Elton Johns song Benny and the jets. Which made me think of express lrs. I guess just how my brain works. Nice video! Quality is stepping up. Keep it up
Giveaway time! I haven't done a giveaway in such a long time, but I need your help with something. Can you please take the survey, link below and by doing so you go into the draw to win a $100 Gift Voucher to either GetFPV, PhaserFPV, Quadcopters.co.uk Terms & Conditions apply and of course, are subject to TH-cam Community Guidelines. Link to Survey! fs18.formsite.com/SKxGmR/xo2kxxo7gt/index.html
hi darren, i want to congratulate you on your very clear way of explaining something so complicated. As someone outside the hobby wanting to start, the simple fact of deciding which control to buy has cost me work. Your video has made it possible to reduce the variables to a couple of options but I have a question that I still don't fully understand. Which protocol should I start with? crossfire, cc2500, elrs, multiprotocol? my intention at the moment is just to acquire a control to start practicing in the simulator, but that this will help me to use a drone for beginners and later I can jump to a cinewhoop that I can use with dji goggles or whatever the forefront at the time. I hope you can answer me and make me understand what my intention is, maybe there is no easy way for this but I appreciate any information that helps me to continue progressing. Thanks a lot!
Thanks for coming over from Twitter! I have a video coming to answer this question... in short, get the Internal ExpressLRS version. Crossfire is only available through an external module anyway; the CC2500 and Multi-Protocol are effectively useless today as you should be either flying ExpressLRS or Crossfire... Get the Internal ExpressLRS and if you want to down the track, add Crossfire via the module. You get the best of both worlds!
A radio is not something you really “upgrade”, as you’d only be able to add new gimbals… I’d go with the Radiomaster Boxer which you can add the AG01 Gimbals to
Great video it was beneficial. I ordered the radio master zorro 4 in 1. My question do they have a module for ELRS and crossfire all in one or do I have to buy them separately ?
How come you went with the 4in1 version? You will need a seperate Nano TX for both ExpressLRS and Crossfire. ELRS is an open source system (Android) and Crossfire is closed sourced (Apple)
@@DarrenAllatt Thank you for the fast response. In Canada, I'll be indoors more than outdoors and I'd like to stay under the 250g registration. I see whoops and maybe the odd mid to long-range fpv in my future over the freestyles.
Mambo is limited to 250hz refresh rate on ExpressLRS and you can't add the full cnc gimbals to it, I love the form-factor of it though. Lite 3 Pro was released after the video, however they are still sorting out issues with the ExpressLRS version.
For a long range setup I keep seeing people use the tango 2 but I also keep seeing that people like elrs. So is there elrs controller that's long range capable?
People buy the Tango 2 for Crossfire for long range. Any ExpressLRS radio is long range capable, however you probably want to get an external module anyway to have the maximum power output available.
As starting my obsession in fpv, could you please mention which of these radios connects with simulators and can be charged with normal phone charger, would be great help for beginners like me.
@@DarrenAllatt that won't work if batteries aren't rechargeable will it ? Best is to have rechargeable batteries and charge it with a charger unit that came with it.
Total newbie here and I was gifted a mobula 6 (FRsky) to get started in FPV, and need to get a radio. If I get the tx16s with built in ELRS, then I can’t use FRsky, correct? I need to exchange it for a Mobeetle or some other ELRS whoop, yes?
Hi Darren do you have any give aways or selling any radios that you don’t use? I’m looking out for radiomaster boxeer or Zorro whatever you have. Please let me know.
I love my x9 lite with elrs in the nano bay, but I'm looking to upgrade to something smaller for a "take anywhere" kit. I've been tempted to get the zorro, but does it have an expansion bay for nano modules if I want to fly using my crossfire nano?
@@DarrenAllatt betafpv lite radio 3 has potentiometer gimbals which they have advertised to be better than most others, and a guy also posted video of 10 hours stress test on those gimbals and it still worked fine. The question is, I'm deciding to stay in FPV for long but current budget won't let go above betafpv radio, and I'm not so programming type that I need open/edge tx. So will betafpv radio be good for me?
What protocol do you run? OpenTX or EdgeTX are not complicated to program for a basic setup. Very easy plus heaps of tutorials. You’ll have more programming issues trying to get the LR3 to work. Spend the extra money, and get a Zorro or a Jumper T-Lite
@@DarrenAllatt I wish to use the elrs protocol. I donno if the programming are really that important to use. I'm thinking to simply fly cinematic or freestyle but not fiddle programming on radio. Simply connect and fly.
Turn your radio on, then plug into USB, then plug into the SIM. Make sure the radio is showing up in Windows Device Manager. In the Sim, you need to go to the controller setup screen and assign all the stick commands
and the fpv.ctrl from orqa?, yeah, plasticky and meh but it has ghost built in for 119 bucks. Idk, seems to me that im bewteen ctrl or mambo for the price, though both are closed but better built imo. Zorro doesn't apeal to me, I know it's a great radio, but I guess the design and the awkward screen position just didn´t appeal to me.
If you’re already on ghost then the orqa control makes sense. I one of the guys in my flying crew has one and I got to play with it on the weekend. It’s really nice in the hand and the gimbals are juicy. The dealbreaker for me is that it uses a proprietary module, and it only runs ghost. I assume that it uses the ghost protocol to communicate from the TX module to the radio and it’s running orqa proprietary firmware. What protocol do you run
@@DarrenAllatt just starting but honestly everything is price inflated or out of stock. The mobile simulator/Bluetooth also sounds good for flying on the way to work. Yes, the lock down on ghost only due to proprietary interface, sucks, but honestly ghost offers most, race performance and long range distance all in a little package. I'm more inclined towards the tango honestly but yeah out of stock + 40 DLLs on importation fees hurts.
@@leonardocastaneda904 are you going to be building your own drones? Because there are no BnF that come with ghost, you to have to buy a receiver and wire that in yourself. Ghost hardware is very expensive as well so if you’re happy to pay for it by all means but it is power output limited compare to express LRS.
for the record, i recently brought the jumper t pro, and it now comes with a latching switch, also i just filled out your survey from your most recent video, and one bit of advice, renaming your 2022 video for 2023 would be to me, unacceptable click bait, because a lot can change in a year that you might not even realise, such as jumper listening to the community and now shipping the controller with a latching switch installed, making it a FAR better radio for the money, its cheaper than the zorro in australia, proper 18650 batteries and high power output if you want it. and you cant get the jumper t lite anymore as its discontinued.. and the ag01 mini gimbals also fit the jumper t pro with only slight modification .. as i mentioned in my survey, when i get clickbaited to a video such as this where you have changed the year in the title and the info is not really valid and you havent bothered to check if its still valid, makes me not trust clicking on your videos in the future because i feel like i got tricked into clicking this one and i dont like being tricked, and unfortunatly it only takes 1 time to break that trust where now i will suspect every single one of your videos that i see from now on and i will think twice about clicking
Hey Chris, Thanks for the feedback and for doing the survey. Appreciate your position, which has prompted me to remove 2023 from the title, it now doesn't have a year. I will be doing a true 2023 one shortly when my Radiomaster Boxer arrives. As for the T-Pro, even with the latching shoulder button that Jumper now includes, I still wouldn't recommend it because: - Incompatible with ELRS Backpack - Still, if you brick it during a flash, you can't recover it without pulling it apart. So fixing one superficial thing doesn't negate the other glaring issues with it, unfortunately. The T-Lite is still available, however, it's now the "T-Lite V2" and not the original. The V2 comes with internal ELRS. FPV Faster are selling it for $135, which is currently in stock. All the best!
@@DarrenAllatt fpv faster unfortunately screwed me over when I brought a moblite7 and the uart1 with the spi receiver on it died, they made me msg happymodel in china to get help, and china have still not responded and fpvfaster refused to do anything about it on their end, so I ended up having to attack an external receiver to uart2 that made smart audio not work therefore the video stopped working, so I had to put a tinyhawk AIO that had a dead esc in on-top of the moblite AIO so I could use the video feed from the tinyhawk and the flight controller from the moblite to fly, it made the moblight go from 19grams to 33grams so you can imagine the loss of flight performance, but atleast I had something to fly because at the time I had nothing else to fly, but now I refuse to use fpvfaster and I hope you do to because F them A holes man, mantis buzz and phaser, rising sun and custom quads have all been great to me with great service so if I can only get it at fpv faster I basically refuse to acknowledge that. And the t pro has been a great radio, the only complaint I have about it is the fact that the charging port is annoying to use, if it's plugged in and charging and you try to turn it on nothing happens, but if you unplug it then turn it on then plug it back in it will run from USB but not charge while on, I use smart audio for my vtx settings so I don't see why not having elrs backpack is even a thought on your radar since who uses that over smart audio? Idk and the flashing thing is like what something that might effect 1/20 users or something like that? Either way the only legit reason given by most receivers is that it has no latching switch, and it actually does now, it's literally never acknowledged by anyone that they actually changed it and they continue to say don't get it, when with the other options I had for the money I honestly think it's a far better choice, fair enough If you don't but elrs backpack and flashing things may not be as big of a deal breaker as not having a latching switch for most fpv pilots, I was super happy and surprised when I got mine and it had the latching switch I had 0 expectation it was going to be like that and I actually ordered along side it the optional back and switch kit they sell to retrofit older models with a latching switch, but because no one mentions it comes with that from the factory now I ended up wasting my money on it, so the form factor to me (plus 1w capability) made it worth buying this radio and the extra cover that I was willing to pull it apart from new to modify it to have a latching switch, if I'm willing to go through all that then obviously it's benifits must far outweighs the minor inconvenience of not having elrs backpack for some people, it fits my hands well, has dual 18650 cells and can do 1w output with no modifications, no need for external modules for long range, no need to run external batteries and all that BS just turn it on and fly happily lol. I even dropped it onto concrete upside down and it's still fine so durability is decent aswell. End of the day perhaps to some people it's actually the most appealing and the company listened to initial criticism and changed what they are shipping, so I would t be surprised if they have actually fixed the elrs backpack thing and flashing thing and you simply don't realise just like you didn't realise they have been shipping them with latching switch for the last 12+ months
@@DarrenAllatt im totally beginner and i dont know where to start, most people says that beginners should start with simulator, and thats why im here looking for controller. I need recommendations please 🥺
$500 for a TX16s, jesus they saw you coming a mile away. The whole point of a TX16S or zorro or any multi protocol radio is that you arent stuck with one protocol. I dont know where you shop but I got my TX16s, with a elrs module for less than $200. Buy a good radio and not worry. Last thing people need are a buncha TX's they cant sell when it comes time to get a real radio.
$500 is for the top of the line TX16S Max, with AG01 and CNC faceplate. Not the base model. 2023 you don’t need Hubsan, Flysky, DSMX, Bangyang, Frsky or all the other weird and never used protocols. Don’t need a multi protocol radio.
I love my x9 lite with elrs in the nano bay, but I'm looking to upgrade to something smaller for a "take anywhere" kit. I've been tempted to get the zorro, but does it have an expansion bay for nano modules if I want to fly using my crossfire nano?
Learn to Build a 5" Freestyle FPV Drone 🎓 www.darrenfpv.com/buildmasterclass-5freestyle
You're answering all the beginner questions that I don't see anyone else doing, well done mate
I recently bought my first quad. I went with a Jumper T-Pro ELRS and can't fault it. The bricking issue was more hype than reality. I followed another TH-camrs recommendations when flashing it and didn't have any issues. Also it's pretty cheap for the features packed into it. The downside is how hot it gets if you run ELRS at more than 50mw.
Got a tx16s standard when I started which has been fun upgrading along the way but if i started again the zorro would be my go to for sure
I think TX16s is still the best choice. 👌
I still really love frsky hardware. It’s their protocols that I’m done with. For me it’s the X9 lite with ELRS module.
I got their receiver with vario. That's pretty awesome.
I'm very happy with my tx16s. I have one crossfire module and one elrs and it serves me well. Thanks for the great informative video.
Eyy nice to see the tx12 reccomended it is definitely underrated. I have an elrs module on mine and couldn’t be happier
I just bought one as a backup and a more portable alternative to my tx16s. Another great thing about it is that the modules are interchangeable with the tx16s. I was thinking about the zorro, but the form factor isn't even that much different if you add the external battery to the zorro and it takes a different style module. Although I'll likely switch to hall gimbals at some point, the potentiometer ones are just fine for me right now.
Tx16s is my first real radio aside from my old usb rc controller came included with fixed wing sims.
Kinda silly saying frsky has horrible range... we are kidding ourselves if we think most people in the hobby are regularly flying farther than 100 meters/ yards or bands bashing. TH-camrs as with most hobbies, only make up a small fraction. And most freestyle and race video are within 50 meters...
I do agree expresslrs is the way to go as for more range, better latency, more hardware is available and software moves faster than most can adopt. Got frsky and expresslrs, but have not had the urge to dump my xm+ or rXsr, on existing well flying quads... but new rigs get expresslrs.
Keep up the great content.
🙏
Hey I’m super new to this. I have dji goggle v2 with the dji v2 controller / receiver. So my question is what receiver do I order because I want the beta Pavo pico…the options are crossfire or elrs…which will work with my gear?
love your insight , im starting a drone company, need advice on the best ppm radio for my base radio...
I wouldn’t start a drone company if you don’t know how to choose a radio.
@@DarrenAllatt yea right, i didn't need your help was just supporting your content, anyways keep up the good work and remember the name its Gaianetx and there is no stopping us now, keyword start , i guess you were born a drone pilot...to the lz, howard bound do and never say die and never back down, then we all say hura.
I'm a student with a budget who's trying to dip my toes into this hobby. I've been meaning to try tryp FPV and some other simulators first before I eventually build my own drone or get something like a cetus lite...
So I'm learning towards a budget ELRS one. May I ask what the betaFPV 'fork' entails? Does it mean I would not be able to use that controller if I try to make my own drone or so later on?
Could you give the same advise for 2024?
I thought T8 pro external module bay was only to attach the screen... That was the one selling point for T lite in 2021.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. Does the Radiomaster tx16s MK2 with elrs have up to 1 watt of power
No it has 250mw
If you want those sort of output powers then get the 4-in-1 internal version and whack an external module on to suit. With external power to the module, you can run a unit to fly your toys to the enemy's rear areas and fry your steaks with the exhaust gases at the same time. 😉😊
You gave me a nice teaser, but way too many choices. Ive got 3 radios and 3 drones I’ve bought from the only local drone store that I can’t use because they are no help. I guess because I’m a senior they can sell me outdated equipment and I’ll just keep buying more stuff. But now I just go to Best Buy and buy DJI and go fly.
What’s the issue. Drop me a DM on Facebook or Insta and we can get you sorted.
What about radiomaster boxer?
Thank you your video definitely clarified some questions. is it the same for goggles? Are they different type of protocols?
Each set of goggles is already locked in to its protocol, ie DJI goggles only do DJI, Walksnail only do Walksnail, HD-Zero only do HD-Zero. Analog goggles are not protocol specific but open; and you can get Video Receivers to go on some goggles
I had the TX16S (you didn’t mention the touch screen) but the switches break really easily (mine broke when transporting). Then I got the Tango 2 and am very happy with it
Yes, some of them are a little too long and easy to knock. Touch Screen only works if you upgrade to EdgeTX which I think I mentioned at the end of the video.
@@DarrenAllatt speaking of breaking things off, I just received the dji goggles v2 and the antennas seem extremely fragile. This is my first setup so maybe all antennas are fragile lol
Can I paint or vinyl wrap my antennas or will this cause reception issues?
Use heatshrink it’s easier
Or get 3rd party antennas like the TrueRC Stubbies
@@DarrenAllatt the heatshrink idea is brilliant! Ima cheapskate everywhere I can be lol plus I got all sorts of colored heat shrink for my car audio builds!
I am pretty darn happy with the Jumper t-lite with the Happymodel ELRS module
That’s a solid radio,
Really good video. Explained a lot of things I did not know .
I just bought the radio master boxer CC 2500, is that going to work well with the Tbs crossfire module
Yes. Plug it in the back
I have been running a tired old QX7 with iRX4, CRSF Lite, and ELRS 2.4 modules. TX16S is still the king if you want to be in 'buy once cry once' territory if the form factor works.
I think the Zorro type radios are going to need a couple of iterations to really get good, but I think the second wave of those will finally be excellent units that can compete with the Tango2 for value. They'll need to run bigger batteries, sort out the other battery stuff, and some better switchgear will probably become the 'right' answer.
For me the Zorro is better than the Tango2 yes the battery life is an issue and I don’t believe you’re going to see a version two with bigger batteries you’re just gonna have to make do. Radio master included the ability to add an external battery to give you longer life, and with aG01 mini gimbals coming it will be the best game pad radio handsdown
@@DarrenAllatt Jye already hacked his to take some bigger cells - I do think a modification to hold bigger batteries (and swappable ones) from the get-go would be a pretty big hit there.
I think the combined AG02 gimbals and optionally larger battery setup would probably be what pushes that over the line to be 'the' default recommendation is pretty huge. Especially given how TBS seems to be fumbling the AgentX rollouts, on software, the stability argument for keeping with CRSF is increasingly lost on me, so I suspect I'll just keep buying ELRS Rx units and calling it good (at 58 and counting there)
@@tehllama42 hacked is not the right word… butchered like a serial killer is more appropriate. He had to cut part of the gimbal, so if you put in AG01 Mini, you won’t want to be chopping those up to squeeze in larger batteries
@@DarrenAllatt Yeah, for sure - it's something a different molding, ideally one with a tray, could actually fix really quite easily, and I don't think it would have very negative impact on how compact, affordable, or portable they are. One of the reasons I'm convinced the next generation of those will be drastically better
@@tehllama42 There wont be a "next generation" for around 5 years. If you look at the TX16S, it was at the end of year 2 when they started to bring out mods. They are going to want to get as much life out of this as possible. So I dont expect a 2023 Zorro will have an improved case
Can you do a video about encryption?
What would you like ot know?
@@DarrenAllatt Thanks for the reply. I would like to know more about transmission controllers I suppose, and laws/regulations around such, for custom builds, or other options. Obviously DJI is under a lot of scrutiny lately, in relation to Russia-Ukraine war.
Love it or hate it, drones are most likely here to stay for military weaponry & strategy. I mean we all played Black Ops 2 right?
Would prefer it to stay a sport, but unfortunately its uses as a tool are much like a firearm now.
So this gets into Electronic Warfare & Cybersecurity , but I’d like to mitigate threats & insulate myself from any potential bad/state actors.
Hey man, I'm wondering if you'd recommend the BETAFPV to start practicing in the sim, or if it's too bad that makes you to do not want to practice anymore? And if you have one that you're not using and wants to sell, let me know. I'm also in Sydney (long shot I know, but gotta ask...). Thanks!
I wouldn’t buy a BetaFPV Radio, they’re cheap for a reason and don’t last. Make the investment into a decent radio - if you are on a budget, go the Radiomaster Pocket or Jumper T-Lite v2
Noob question. Why wouldn't you recommend ELRS 900MHz?
When you could only choose between FRSKY and Crossfire - Crossfire at 900mhz would give you range and penetration for days, while FRSKY at 2.4ghz would barely get you to the end of the park.
The technology behind ELRS, at 2.4ghz gave you crossfire like range but with faster packet rates for higher performance meaning unless you needed 900mhz for a particular reason it was pointless.
Not to mention the antenna size difference where a 900mhz antenna is HUGE!
So unless you specifically need to be on the 900mhz frequency, like you are flying a cinelifter with a $10,000 camera on it and the 2.4ghz band is flooded - you get more benefits like faster packet rates with similar range and penetration on 2.4ghz
@@DarrenAllatt thank you very much!
Hey, I’m trying to decide wether or not it would be worth it to buy the expensive tx16s instead of the radio master zorro. What would you say the limitations of the zorro are, and what does the tx16s have that the zorro doesn’t. Thanks
I am going to through a spanner at you, Radiomaster Boxer.
Both the Zorro and TX16S have ExpressLRS limited to 250mw, but the Boxer has 1w.
They all come with the JP4in1 if that's your thing.
The biggest limitation with the Zorro is the battery life and I am not a fan of adding stuff on the side just to get more battery life. I think the TX16S has too many switches and on my personal one I have removed them, but the Boxer has the right amount and placement.
Thank you so much. This really helps. I really appreciate you taking the time to check your comments and spend the time writing this and help me out.
I like my new Jumper T18 Pro V2. Now it has the USB charging and EdgeTX and touchscreen. The built in multi module is nice and I have an expressLRS module in the external bay. It has the ALPS RDC90 type gimbals, too. I like it better than my original Jumper T16. A lot better.
Dusting off my fpv drones. Thinking of moving away from my futaba 14sg to a Mambo. Good option for flying around the park? Is the mambo a good tx for kids to learn on the simulator?
I would go with the radiomaster boxer instead of the mambo. You can get JP4in1 or ExpressLRS and the gimbals are longer lasting.
@@DarrenAllatt thanks Darren for making the choice easier!
Now with TX12 MK 2 with internal ELRS module - we have a flawless RC, as you mentioned that the only downside for original TX12 was a lack of ELRS?
Yes. TX12 is under rated.
Thanks for the video. Just curious, why are you changing from the Mambo to Zorro? Both are on my short list but Mambo seems to have disappeared from both You Tube and retail.
Another question. If you buy a Zorro with ExpressLRS and ELRS has just changed to V3. will that work with your V2 Zorro? Would you be smarter to buy a TX12 and use plug in protocols that could be replaced when needed? Thanks for your time Darrin.
Chris
First question:
The Mambo on FreedomTX (was was supposed to be a temporary fix until TBS could get OpenTX/EdgeTX support, 2 years later and it’s still not done nor looking to be done) this limits it’s ability to transmit at a 500hz packet rate on ExpressLRS. The gimbal sampling rate is also slower so the stick inputs aren’t as cleanly transmitted to the FC for processing.
Zorro while it has its flaws (battery life) can support the full features of ExpressLRS and any other protocol you add to the back.
With ELRS V3, it’s just a new firmware so will be able to update the internal module by USB. ELRS v3 will also be backwards compatible with V2 (unlike V2 to V1).
The Zorro has the ability to plug in modules at the back it uses Nano Modules while the TX12 uses Micro Modules. Only difference is size.
There is no point using plug in protocols (or modules) if you can get internal ExpressLRS. That will serve almost all of any pilots needs.
You just have to flash the gear to the right version. ELRS is simple to deal with once you understand what your doing.
Benny and express lrs? Is that where the weird and wonderful comes in?
🤔 what do you mean?
@@DarrenAllatt 3:33 you said “weird and wonderful protocols” which reminded me of Elton Johns song Benny and the jets. Which made me think of express lrs. I guess just how my brain works.
Nice video! Quality is stepping up. Keep it up
@@JonE5FPV ah right, I am with you now!
Thanks Jon, appreciate it!
Giveaway time!
I haven't done a giveaway in such a long time, but I need your help with something.
Can you please take the survey, link below and by doing so you go into the draw to win a $100 Gift Voucher to either GetFPV, PhaserFPV, Quadcopters.co.uk
Terms & Conditions apply and of course, are subject to TH-cam Community Guidelines.
Link to Survey!
fs18.formsite.com/SKxGmR/xo2kxxo7gt/index.html
hi darren, i want to congratulate you on your very clear way of explaining something so complicated. As someone outside the hobby wanting to start, the simple fact of deciding which control to buy has cost me work. Your video has made it possible to reduce the variables to a couple of options but I have a question that I still don't fully understand. Which protocol should I start with? crossfire, cc2500, elrs, multiprotocol? my intention at the moment is just to acquire a control to start practicing in the simulator, but that this will help me to use a drone for beginners and later I can jump to a cinewhoop that I can use with dji goggles or whatever the forefront at the time. I hope you can answer me and make me understand what my intention is, maybe there is no easy way for this but I appreciate any information that helps me to continue progressing. Thanks a lot!
Thanks for coming over from Twitter!
I have a video coming to answer this question... in short, get the Internal ExpressLRS version. Crossfire is only available through an external module anyway; the CC2500 and Multi-Protocol are effectively useless today as you should be either flying ExpressLRS or Crossfire... Get the Internal ExpressLRS and if you want to down the track, add Crossfire via the module. You get the best of both worlds!
Which one would you suggest for a beginner who wants to buy one radio and make upgrades to it from there!
A radio is not something you really “upgrade”, as you’d only be able to add new gimbals… I’d go with the Radiomaster Boxer which you can add the AG01 Gimbals to
Great video it was beneficial. I ordered the radio master zorro 4 in 1. My question do they have a module for ELRS and crossfire all in one or do I have to buy them separately ?
How come you went with the 4in1 version?
You will need a seperate Nano TX for both ExpressLRS and Crossfire.
ELRS is an open source system (Android) and Crossfire is closed sourced (Apple)
@@DarrenAllatt Thank you for the fast response. In Canada, I'll be indoors more than outdoors and I'd like to stay under the 250g registration. I see whoops and maybe the odd mid to long-range fpv in my future over the freestyles.
@@DarrenAllatt It's literally the same price on amazon.
How comes you are switching from the mambo? What about BetaFPV lite 3 pro?
Mambo is limited to 250hz refresh rate on ExpressLRS and you can't add the full cnc gimbals to it, I love the form-factor of it though. Lite 3 Pro was released after the video, however they are still sorting out issues with the ExpressLRS version.
What about the Boxer?
Video was made before the boxer, however that’s my favourite right now.
For a long range setup I keep seeing people use the tango 2 but I also keep seeing that people like elrs. So is there elrs controller that's long range capable?
People buy the Tango 2 for Crossfire for long range. Any ExpressLRS radio is long range capable, however you probably want to get an external module anyway to have the maximum power output available.
As starting my obsession in fpv, could you please mention which of these radios connects with simulators and can be charged with normal phone charger, would be great help for beginners like me.
They all connect to the pc or Mac for simulator use, and all have usb charging.
@@DarrenAllatt that won't work if batteries aren't rechargeable will it ? Best is to have rechargeable batteries and charge it with a charger unit that came with it.
@@Python-FPV All of these radios are powered by a Lithium battery wither a lipo or li-on which are all rechargeable. Most use 18650’s
Total newbie here and I was gifted a mobula 6 (FRsky) to get started in FPV, and need to get a radio. If I get the tx16s with built in ELRS, then I can’t use FRsky, correct? I need to exchange it for a Mobeetle or some other ELRS whoop, yes?
Yes that’s correct. You can possibly add a ELRS receiver to the Mobula 6
Hi Darren do you have any give aways or selling any radios that you don’t use? I’m looking out for radiomaster boxeer or Zorro whatever you have. Please let me know.
No giveaways or radios that I dont use at the moment sorry.
I love my x9 lite with elrs in the nano bay, but I'm looking to upgrade to something smaller for a "take anywhere" kit. I've been tempted to get the zorro, but does it have an expansion bay for nano modules if I want to fly using my crossfire nano?
Yes it does. Nano Module bay
@@DarrenAllatt betafpv lite radio 3 has potentiometer gimbals which they have advertised to be better than most others, and a guy also posted video of 10 hours stress test on those gimbals and it still worked fine. The question is, I'm deciding to stay in FPV for long but current budget won't let go above betafpv radio, and I'm not so programming type that I need open/edge tx. So will betafpv radio be good for me?
What protocol do you run?
OpenTX or EdgeTX are not complicated to program for a basic setup. Very easy plus heaps of tutorials.
You’ll have more programming issues trying to get the LR3 to work. Spend the extra money, and get a Zorro or a Jumper T-Lite
@@DarrenAllatt I wish to use the elrs protocol. I donno if the programming are really that important to use. I'm thinking to simply fly cinematic or freestyle but not fiddle programming on radio. Simply connect and fly.
@@AfafPrinceOSH once it’s set up. That’s all you need to do… fly
Where does the Boxer stand here?
When Radiomaster send me one, I can tell you!
But I will be revising this shortly!
This video is 10 months so I assume you changed your title
Yes but still relevant today (for now) I’ll be doing another in a month or so.
Hey so I did what u said and got a sim and the betapfv se 2 but the inputs won’t detect in the sim, help :(
Turn your radio on, then plug into USB, then plug into the SIM.
Make sure the radio is showing up in Windows Device Manager.
In the Sim, you need to go to the controller setup screen and assign all the stick commands
and the fpv.ctrl from orqa?, yeah, plasticky and meh but it has ghost built in for 119 bucks. Idk, seems to me that im bewteen ctrl or mambo for the price, though both are closed but better built imo. Zorro doesn't apeal to me, I know it's a great radio, but I guess the design and the awkward screen position just didn´t appeal to me.
If you’re already on ghost then the orqa control makes sense. I one of the guys in my flying crew has one and I got to play with it on the weekend. It’s really nice in the hand and the gimbals are juicy.
The dealbreaker for me is that it uses a proprietary module, and it only runs ghost. I assume that it uses the ghost protocol to communicate from the TX module to the radio and it’s running orqa proprietary firmware.
What protocol do you run
@@DarrenAllatt just starting but honestly everything is price inflated or out of stock. The mobile simulator/Bluetooth also sounds good for flying on the way to work. Yes, the lock down on ghost only due to proprietary interface, sucks, but honestly ghost offers most, race performance and long range distance all in a little package. I'm more inclined towards the tango honestly but yeah out of stock + 40 DLLs on importation fees hurts.
@@leonardocastaneda904 are you going to be building your own drones? Because there are no BnF that come with ghost, you to have to buy a receiver and wire that in yourself.
Ghost hardware is very expensive as well so if you’re happy to pay for it by all means but it is power output limited compare to express LRS.
@@leonardocastaneda904 Express LRS will also allow you to Bluetooth connect to your computer for simulator which you can use with the Orqa sim.
@@DarrenAllatt that's really nice to know. I'll reconsider my choice. Thank you!
for the record, i recently brought the jumper t pro, and it now comes with a latching switch, also i just filled out your survey from your most recent video, and one bit of advice, renaming your 2022 video for 2023 would be to me, unacceptable click bait, because a lot can change in a year that you might not even realise, such as jumper listening to the community and now shipping the controller with a latching switch installed, making it a FAR better radio for the money, its cheaper than the zorro in australia, proper 18650 batteries and high power output if you want it. and you cant get the jumper t lite anymore as its discontinued.. and the ag01 mini gimbals also fit the jumper t pro with only slight modification .. as i mentioned in my survey, when i get clickbaited to a video such as this where you have changed the year in the title and the info is not really valid and you havent bothered to check if its still valid, makes me not trust clicking on your videos in the future because i feel like i got tricked into clicking this one and i dont like being tricked, and unfortunatly it only takes 1 time to break that trust where now i will suspect every single one of your videos that i see from now on and i will think twice about clicking
Hey Chris,
Thanks for the feedback and for doing the survey.
Appreciate your position, which has prompted me to remove 2023 from the title, it now doesn't have a year.
I will be doing a true 2023 one shortly when my Radiomaster Boxer arrives.
As for the T-Pro, even with the latching shoulder button that Jumper now includes, I still wouldn't recommend it because:
- Incompatible with ELRS Backpack
- Still, if you brick it during a flash, you can't recover it without pulling it apart.
So fixing one superficial thing doesn't negate the other glaring issues with it, unfortunately.
The T-Lite is still available, however, it's now the "T-Lite V2" and not the original. The V2 comes with internal ELRS. FPV Faster are selling it for $135, which is currently in stock.
All the best!
@@DarrenAllatt fpv faster unfortunately screwed me over when I brought a moblite7 and the uart1 with the spi receiver on it died, they made me msg happymodel in china to get help, and china have still not responded and fpvfaster refused to do anything about it on their end, so I ended up having to attack an external receiver to uart2 that made smart audio not work therefore the video stopped working, so I had to put a tinyhawk AIO that had a dead esc in on-top of the moblite AIO so I could use the video feed from the tinyhawk and the flight controller from the moblite to fly, it made the moblight go from 19grams to 33grams so you can imagine the loss of flight performance, but atleast I had something to fly because at the time I had nothing else to fly, but now I refuse to use fpvfaster and I hope you do to because F them A holes man, mantis buzz and phaser, rising sun and custom quads have all been great to me with great service so if I can only get it at fpv faster I basically refuse to acknowledge that. And the t pro has been a great radio, the only complaint I have about it is the fact that the charging port is annoying to use, if it's plugged in and charging and you try to turn it on nothing happens, but if you unplug it then turn it on then plug it back in it will run from USB but not charge while on, I use smart audio for my vtx settings so I don't see why not having elrs backpack is even a thought on your radar since who uses that over smart audio? Idk and the flashing thing is like what something that might effect 1/20 users or something like that? Either way the only legit reason given by most receivers is that it has no latching switch, and it actually does now, it's literally never acknowledged by anyone that they actually changed it and they continue to say don't get it, when with the other options I had for the money I honestly think it's a far better choice, fair enough If you don't but elrs backpack and flashing things may not be as big of a deal breaker as not having a latching switch for most fpv pilots, I was super happy and surprised when I got mine and it had the latching switch I had 0 expectation it was going to be like that and I actually ordered along side it the optional back and switch kit they sell to retrofit older models with a latching switch, but because no one mentions it comes with that from the factory now I ended up wasting my money on it, so the form factor to me (plus 1w capability) made it worth buying this radio and the extra cover that I was willing to pull it apart from new to modify it to have a latching switch, if I'm willing to go through all that then obviously it's benifits must far outweighs the minor inconvenience of not having elrs backpack for some people, it fits my hands well, has dual 18650 cells and can do 1w output with no modifications, no need for external modules for long range, no need to run external batteries and all that BS just turn it on and fly happily lol. I even dropped it onto concrete upside down and it's still fine so durability is decent aswell. End of the day perhaps to some people it's actually the most appealing and the company listened to initial criticism and changed what they are shipping, so I would t be surprised if they have actually fixed the elrs backpack thing and flashing thing and you simply don't realise just like you didn't realise they have been shipping them with latching switch for the last 12+ months
Demn. . I thought im gonna learn something, at last I don't understand a single thing 😭
This isn’t Bardwell.
Happy to help, What didn’t you understand?
@@DarrenAllatt what type of controller that suit the most for beginners?
@@ilhamismail2908 Do you have a budget in mind, and from the video is there any radio you are leaning towards?
@@DarrenAllatt im totally beginner and i dont know where to start, most people says that beginners should start with simulator, and thats why im here looking for controller. I need recommendations please 🥺
@@DarrenAllatt i only understand that even radio have operating system like elrs, 4in1, crossfire and etc
that moving am over parts that u show is bs horrible , holt that thing still an show it total
Sorry what do you mean? What moment did the occur ie 0:00
$500 for a TX16s, jesus they saw you coming a mile away. The whole point of a TX16S or zorro or any multi protocol radio is that you arent stuck with one protocol. I dont know where you shop but I got my TX16s, with a elrs module for less than $200. Buy a good radio and not worry. Last thing people need are a buncha TX's they cant sell when it comes time to get a real radio.
$500 is for the top of the line TX16S Max, with AG01 and CNC faceplate. Not the base model.
2023 you don’t need Hubsan, Flysky, DSMX, Bangyang, Frsky or all the other weird and never used protocols. Don’t need a multi protocol radio.
I love my x9 lite with elrs in the nano bay, but I'm looking to upgrade to something smaller for a "take anywhere" kit. I've been tempted to get the zorro, but does it have an expansion bay for nano modules if I want to fly using my crossfire nano?
Yes it does
@@DarrenAllatt awesome thanks!