JR 9XII or Futaba 9C Super?

I use the JR PCM 9X (not the 9XII), I have not used the futaba so am not qualified to give an oppinion on how well it works, but I have held both and find the JR set to be better ballanced and somehow more 'solid'.
I really like the intuative way in which JR set is programed and hardly ever have to refer to the manual.
In the end I think you need to go to a store (or you club) and have a good look (and feel) of both sets side by side and make a personal choice.

IMO, you'd be better off with the JR. I'm a LONG time Futaba guy and I own a 9CHP, but it's soon to go bye bye and will be replaced with a JR X9303 rig.
I love my 9C, but the CCPM mixing is notoriously slow when compared to the JRs and even the DX7 (Which is basically a JR 7202 if memory serves) radio. My DX7 equipped helis seem more "connected" to the radio and I don't have the odd CCPM interactions I see with the 9C sometimes.
Programming the 9C is a bit quirky and the manual SUCKS. The JR programming seems a bit more straightforward (I've only played with the XP9303 my neighbor owns) as well.

I have had both Futaba and JR. I just plain don't like JR. I have the Super 9C and love it. It does everything I could ask for. I don't do Heli's so can't comment on other postings. If the 9C has one fault its in the number of mixes. It only has five and I have a twin engine where I needed six. No matter, I worked around it and only used three. I have the model with 18 memories and that is overkill as I only have about six or seven flyable planes at one time. If you go with the 9C I recommend you buy Harry Quiqley's book on programming. You can get it on Amazon. It is idiot proof and much easier to understand than the manual. Don't know if there are any other books like for the JR. JMHO.
Ted

I expect you mean Harry Higley ?
Trefor
If you go with the 9C I

Just posted my 9C and a TON of stuff for it (5 receivers etc..)for sale in rec.models.rc.helicopter

Hi Ted, Both JR and Futaba make excellent radios but I'm curious as to why you "...just plain don't like JR." Could you give us some reasons? BTW, I'm a JR fan because I prefer the way my JR radios feel in my hands and the comparative ease of programming. Currently using a JR 9303.

Ed:
I would guess that for the same reasons you like the JR, Ted likes the Futaba. People sense things differently and see things differently. What you feel makes the JR easy to program for you may be the very things that Ted doesn't like about it. Besides, once you get comfortable with apiece of equipment, its sometimes difficult to get comfortable with another similar piece of equipment.
Harlan

I can't agree about the programming, but yes, the manual sucks. I have AnnMarie Cross's manual for it, and would say that it's a "must have" for 9C users. She explains everything properly, so you understand how the radio works, and then the programming becomes simple and intuitive.
Download it from .
See also for information about the book she went on to write about this radio, which was published by Traplet. I haven't read it, so I can't comment on it.
-tih

Thanks for the link. Been meaning to look this up for too long a time.

Thanks for the link, I've downloaded it for my customers. Good stuff! Dave eastrc.org

I am starting to lean that way.
That raises another big question: Wait for 2.4GHz?
The Euro version of the X9303 (named DSX9) is due in Feb./March. I can borrow a working radio until then, so waiting is possible if it is worth it.
I've been googling a bit, and I have (of course) found a lot of conflicting information. Some say the Euro version will have very low power, so effective range may be poor. Some say Futaba's 2.4 system is better, because it can switch frequencies "in flight" and has much better range.
The Australians already have the DSX9 available, but they have different regulations and therefore different power levels than the Europeans. Any Australians who have tried one?
I'd think the balance of the radio would be upset, since the long, heavy antenna has basically been removed, but the hook has not been moved.
I could get a 9XII now (with a synthesizer module), and then buy a 2.4GHz module when I decide I want or need one, but then I'd be stuck with the antenna out the back of the transmitter, which I think I wouldn't like.
I understand everyone is different, and it essentially boils down to a matter of personal preference, but I still feel other people's opinions are valuable, so please comment if you have any thoughts.

heavy antenna? I would have though the 2.4 is heavier but shorter > I could get a 9XII now (with a synthesizer module), and then buy a > 2.4GHz module when I decide I want or need one, but then I'd be stuck > with the antenna out the back of the transmitter, which I think I > wouldn't like. >
> I understand everyone is different, and it essentially boils down to a > matter of personal preference, but I still feel other people's > opinions are valuable, so please comment if you have any thoughts.

And after years (and I mean YEARS) of using both JR and Futaba, (along with every other make that's been available) I prefer the reliability of JR, the feel of JR and the programmability of JR. I only ever use my Futaba gear on sims these days.

JR = reliability, easy programming and stick feel. Futaba don't even come close in ANY of the above. Well not anymore. They USED to, but they lost the plot somewhere. Futaba.. Too "fiddly" and totally unintuitive on the programming front. The sticks have more "spring" the further you go away from the centre position and they lack reliability. I'd recommend JR every time.

Just a couple of comments to express the other side of the coin (IE: my opinion!) with no intent to put down or insult anyone else........
With over 25 years of RC under my belt, flying helicopters "almost" exclusively, I've not found that either JR or Futaba have any significant reliability advantages over the other. I've met "many" people through the years that have deserted JR for Futaba because of perceived reliability issues. I've also seen "many" go from Futaba to JR for the same reasons. Overall, I can't see that either one has an issue. Both have had problems with receivers and/or servos when they were relatively new to the market. Both took steps to correct these issues. Long story short, you can't really go wrong with either one.
On the programming side, I don't have a lot of experience with the 9303, although I do have some, but I do have quite a bit of experience with the 9C so I can't really comment on how they stack up against each other. I have had quite a bit of experience with the 10 series JR radios vs the Futaba 9Z. Based on that, I'd have to agree that the JR is more intuative to program in the beginning than the Futaba is. The opposite side of that coin is that, once learned, the Futaba is a much more capable system, offering a lot more flexibility than the JR program offered. Whether or not that applies to the radios at the 9303/9C level, I can't say from personal experience. I only bring it up because JR fans "always" use the "ease of programming" argument against Futaba and my experience has me believing it's not as big an issue as some claim. Again, JMO! :-)
I can't argue with the spring pressure point. Futaba does tend to spring their control sticks a bit tighter than JR does. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. It's just a matter of personal preference. I've flown Futaba equipment almost exclusively since I've been flying RC and I'm used to how their radios feel. To me, JR offers very little feel or feed back to my control inputs. In other words, they're sprung too light! I bought a new 12Z last spring and love it but I thought the sticks were sprung too lightly out of the box on that radio too. I tightened them up a bit. As I said, it's a matter of personal preference.
I curious Beav, that reliability issues have you had with Futaba that would make you say they have a reliability problem? As I said, I've been flying them almost exclusively for over 25 years and yes, I've had an occasional servo failure and maybe a receiver failure (unable to confirm that as an absolute but suspected) through the years. I know a number of devout JR pilots and they haven't done any better as far as I can tell. I don't care what system you fly, sooner or later you'll have a failure one way or the other. Just wondering! :-)
I fly Futaba and as such, tend to recommend Futaba over other brands but I've never discouraged anyone from buying JR equipement if they were seriously looking at them. Both are first class radio systems as far as I'm concerned! In fact, these are the only two manufacturers I will recommend. I simply haven't seen enough of anyone elses radio (Airtronics comes to mind) to even consider them in the running!
Fly Safe, Steve R.

I dont remember a Futaba failure in any of my crashes, brain failure yes and two times I have lost a model due to radio failure both were possibly due to crystal failure but hard to prove but the crystals never worked after the crash

Interesting! It's certainly possible for a crystal to be damaged in a crash which would make it impossible to know if it failed before that. Back when I flew fixed frequency systems, I don't remember Futaba routinely replacing the crystals during an inspect and repair when I sent the radio system in. That doesn't mean they didn't, it's just that it's been so long, I don't really remember.
I bought my original 9Z back around 1994 or 1995. I bought the synthesized version and to my knowledge, have never had a problem with the transmitter or receiver. I did have one crash with it during the 12 years I flew it before buying my 12Z this year that might have been a receiver failure but I can't know for sure. It may have been a legitimate interferrance and the system simply went into hold mode. I'll never know for sure as most of the flight control systems were toast after the impact and replaced with new equipment.
FWIW! :-)
Fly Safe, Steve R.

I have crashed a few models but those two where I lost control the gear never worked afterwards until the crystals were replaced and I flew the gear again after wards, but I could have been shot down or I damaged them on previous "arrivals" I have never had a TX break apart from me snapping switches/aerials off and never had a RX fail apart from some really hard arrivals that re-kitted the models

Take a look at the Extreme Power Systmes 2.4Ghz modules/receivers combos. If you love your existing radio, you can upgrade it to 2.4Ghz with their products. IMHO, they are hands down way better quality than what is put out by JR, Futaba, etc.