DX7S SPEKTRUM’S
Telemetry, new software, a flash
card and the latest spread spectrum technology in a sport radio.
By Frank Fanelli I 28
t was the Spektrum line of radios that first introduced the American radio control hobbyists to 2.4 GHz spread spectrum technology not so very long
ago. It didn’t take long for it to catch on, to the point that a mere two years after it had been introduced it seemed almost everyone was switching over to 2.4 GHz. Now Spektrum has introduced a main-
stream 7-channel radio, the DX7s, that con- tinues the new approach for the Spektrum transmitters first seen in the recent DX8. Of course the DX7s has an LCD screen, and the rolling selector bar that have become staples for Spektrum and JR transmitters for years. But there’s something different, the revised menu structure first seen in the DX8, and
probably the single most important upgrade from the original, popular DX7 of four years ago. It’s a product of what Spektrum now calls their AirWare software. And by the way, that small “s” after the
“7” simply distinguishes it from the earlier Spektrum 7-channel and denotes it as more of a sport radio with somewhat lesser— though not many—capabilities of the DX8. Both radios use the “X”, or third generation DSM technology to just about guarantee se- cure operation at large events, like the Joe Nall, where there are 1000 pilots and up to 80 aircraft in the air at some times. Best ex- planation for it can be found on Spektrum’s website,
www.spektrumrc.com. When you get to the home page, click on the Technolo-
gy head and you’ll see the various subjects that can explain it. There are some very in- teresting videos that accompany the text portions. The review radio provided, SPM7800, is
the only version that is currently available. It comes with the transmitter, transmitter power supply, the 8-channel AR8000 X re- ceiver, a neck strap, a 128 Mb SD flash card, the manual, and the receiver/transmitter bind plug. The transmitter features a 20- model memory, and can be set up for a fixed wing or a helicopter model. There is no sep- arate selection for a glider as in other radios. No servos are provided. As before there are two main menu trees, the System Setup menu and the Function
APRIL 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68