Review

Review: Futaba 3GR 2.4GHz Radio Control System

By Paul Williams.
Article posted 08th April 2008.

The radio set that is the subject of this review is, with the exception of using the 2.4GHz part of the spectrum, exactly the same as the Futaba 3GR reviewed here.

Futaba 3GR 2.4GHz

Futaba's 3GR 2.4 GHz three channel computer radio.

Unfortunately, I cannot proceed with this review for the good and simple reason that the set I purchased from Totem Hobbies here in Plymouth died after about ten minutes runtime in my H1 outrigger. The boat stopped after the receiver and transmitter lost their pairing, and they point-blank refused to re-pair. RTFM tells me the flashing red LED indicates EEPROM failure in the receiver.

UPDATE: Ok, got a new receiver replacement under warranty. Unfortunately, the new RX also failed, leading to this:

UPDATE:
Well, this review concludes on an unhappy note. I sold the 3GR 2.4GHz set on ebay together with a brand new RX, as I've come to the conclusion that 2.4GHz is simply not reliable enough to bother with. Frankly, it has the feel of a half-finished technology. The problems I encountered with trying to get 2.4GHz to work in a boat have made me give up and go back to 40MHz.

There are many people running 2.4GHz who are very happy with it. Equally, there are many people who've tried it and been disappointed, like me. It's not just the fact that the first time I tried 2.4GHz in a race I nearly lost the boat due to radio failure, it's also the hassle I've had getting 2.4GHz to run on the bench in my workshop.

My experience of FASST is that it's a lottery whether an rx/tx combination will pair - some do, some don't. Also, if the rx/tx loses pairing, the fail-safe system is re-programmed to the position the sticks are in when the combo re-pairs. If you happen to have the throttle wide open when the set re-pairs and then the fail-safe kicks in, you get to watch your boat disappear at full speed across the lake until it hits something. The stupidity of this design I find simply unbelievable.

Conclusion

To say I'm disappointed in 2.4GHz is an understatement. I specifically chose Futaba's FASST system as it had a much better reputation on the interweb than Spektrum, and on paper appears technically more advanced. The reality I'm afraid is a poor quality product that simply did not work.

Recommendation: Avoid!

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Last modified: 08th July 2010 @ 09:05