I'm curious to hear the pros and cons of Spektrum vs Futaba for MoVI with Wookong M flight controller. I want to use same brand radios for both flight and gimbal control. I want to be able to sometimes operate single pilot and have tilt control for when I cannot bring a separate operator. I want to have telemetry - preferably through the radio as I'm not crazy about all that info cluttering up the screen in iOSD. Is that too much to ask? :0) I was all set to go Futaba 14SSG for flight control when it was pointed out that it is not possible to use the telemetry feature of this radio AND also do single-pilot flight/gimbal control. So now I'm wondering if there are any weird limitations I should know about regarding Spektrum radios with Wookong M and MoVI. Just wondering what other people have chosen and why.
If I where mean I would say Spektrum is cheap and Futaba is reliable. Since I am not mean I say I use Futaba ;-)
Spektrum v Futaba is a continuing massive debate in the RC world and it really is similar to PC verses MAC in terms of fan base however I will now be as objective as I can. In general the above is probably not far off. However for setup only I would say Spektrum offers the cleaner setup IF you are not going to use a remote trigger as all you need on the Movi is 1x Spektrum satellite and these tend to be smaller with shorter antenna than the Futaba equivelents. If however, you want to use a remote trigger on the Movi things get a bit more complicated with Spektrum: you will need 1xSat plugged directly into the Movi and 1x receriver AND another satellite to operate the remote shutter trigger. If you are using Futaba then you use the SBus port to plug into the Movi and one of the channel ports to remotely trigger thus this is the cleaner setup and the one to go for. If you are not sure about using a remote trigger then in setup terms I would go with the Futaba. So far all I have talked about is setup. Important for sure, but there are two other areas that are also important. Smoothness of gimbals and ergonomics. Taking gimbal smoothness first. I see a lot of both Futaba and Spektrum as I build MRs for other people and I train a lot of people how to fly them. Whilst the Futaba gimbals are perfectly smooth, the Spektrum ones (less the DX18 oddly) have some of the smoothest gimbals I have come across. The difference is not massive by any means, it is very close but there is a perceivable difference none the less. This is an important factor for camera control I am sure you will agree. As for ergonomics, there is only one to find out about this and that is get one of each transmitter you are considering in your hand and have a play. Your local RC shop, is more than likely to have both Futaba and Spektrum so get on down there and compare. Programming wise, I prefer the Spektrums but as with all ergonomic or human/machine interfaces, this is a pretty personal thing. Ultimately, which ever you choose, Spektrum and Futaba are both great systems and you will not regret either so don't worry too much over it. it would not be an unwise decision to let your budget decide for you!
I have to go with Angus here too, I've been flying spektrum DX18's for years now. Just bought a new one the other day. All happened by chance and budget, I was going to go for a Futaba 18MZ but at $4k the DX18 was 1/4 the price and for a single op setup it works great. Easy to program and reliable. (Not to say Futaba isn't, it's actually slightly more precise but for the extra $3k?)