Horizon Hobby/Spektrum DX18
18 true proportional channels and a powerhouse of programing make the DX18 Spektrum’s best radio yet!
PHOTOGRAPHY FRANK FANELLI E 50
ighteen channels: that’s the first thing that grabs your attention, but there’s a lot more that proves this is a very capable new radio with some extra, new, very useful features. That’s right on all counts but add to that the fact that this radio also has a pretty economic price tag for all that capability and you have a system that demands a pretty close look. For any modeler who flies a far more complex air- plane, be it scale or aerobatic, the DX18 should satisfy the wish list of not only what’s needed but also what’s icing on the cake. Obviously the eighteen channels are the first thing that catch anyone’s attention, and that deserves more explanation since Spektrum or any other DSMX or DSM2 sys- tem doesn’t have an 18-channel receiver. Plus a first glance at the transmitter and its array of sticks, switches, levers and knobs looks just like the 8-channel DX8.
So how are all the channels utilized, and where are they on the transmitter? First of all, the DX18 system comes with the Spek- trum 9-channel AR9020 receiver. To add the remainder of channels to the receiver Spek- trum has created the 8-channel X-Plus Mod- ule. It’s not a receiver but works like an ex- tended interface when coupled to the receiver used, whether it be the AR9020 or the AR12020, or the AR12120, which is the Power Safe version of the receiver. These are currently the only ones that can extend their channel capability with the X-Plus module.
That doesn’t mean that only those men- tioned above can be used with the DX18 transmitter. Any DSMX or DSM2 receiver from JR or Spektrum will work with the DX18. And the number of channels doesn’t affect operation either. Whether it be the small indoor models or larger models from
E-flite or Park Zone, the DX18 will work with them. The only limit is the number of channels available on a non-X-Plus capable receiver.
Since the DX18 builds on the earlier DX7
and DX8 radios, the 18 incorporates very similar menu systems and features first in- troduced on these radios. However some of the menu features of the new radio have been expanded and additional features added. With the huge capability of the radio this article will highlight the new and most outstanding features. Back issues of FM that contain the reviews of the DX7s (April 2012) and the DX8 (March 2011) will fill in the features not mentioned here or go to the FMwebsite
www.flying-models.com to read those reviews.
It’s the optional X-Plus module that draws out the full capability of the system. It’s comparable in size to the AR9020 receiver
DECEMBER 2012
By Frank Fanelli
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