DX9 Black or DX18 Gen1? Please help me decide

[Atlblkz06]

Hello all,

I'm a relative nooby to air and own a Blade 400, Blade MSR, and three other airplanes (Apprentice S 15e, Sportsman S+ and Micro P-51 UMX preordered).

I'm looking for an upgrade of opportunity from my DX6i (which I'm giving to my dad) to something newer.

I can buy a New DX18 (Gen 1) or a DX9 Black (Open box) for pretty much the same price of $450 which I think is a fantastic deal.

I have not used either radio, and I'm really looking for something future-proof. Both come with the RX, but I'm not sure that's a big deal to me.

Appreciate your feedback!

[Xrayted]

This link is a great source for the feature comparisons between the two. Only you can decide what is most important to you.

https://www.spektrumrc.com/Content/M...Comparison.pdf

[Atlblkz06]

Thanks for the link.

I did find that spreadsheet and honestly at this point they're both overkill for me. I was curious if there were any usability related experiences that ought to sway me one way or the other that can't be represented in data sheets.

I'm leaning towards the DX9 mainly because it is a newer product and I can't think of any reason why I would need that many channels and the voice alerts are nice to have.

Originally Posted by Xrayted

This link is a great source for the feature comparisons between the two. Only you can decide what is most important to you.

https://www.spektrumrc.com/Content/M...Comparison.pdf

[ryanha]

From reading the massive table, it seems like the only difference is that DX18 has more sequencer capabilities but the DX9 has voice alerts and wireless buddy boxing.

I have a DX9 which I upgraded from a DX6i and FWIW, I really like the voice alerts and the screen, telemetry, and overally build quality made it well worth the investment.

You might also consider a DX7 (the new one) since 7 channels will do everything you need on a heli. I would have gotten the DX7 but when I got my DX9 the new DX7 was not out yet.

I don't know anything about sequencing other than I think it is useful if you are building scale models with lots of gadgets.

Wireless Buddy boxing could come in handy, but that would require someone with a similar radio, so not sure whether that would realistically be something you would use (I have not used any buddy boxing features so can't comment on that)

--Ryan

[Tapgorup]

I was in your same boat for a few weeks. I'm upgrading from a DX 7 gen 2. I love the radio and voice alerts. The programming is easy & there are a lot of options. However, I run a bavarian demon 3sx on my heli's & now getting in to scale heli's. So I need more channels. Channels for rescue mode, tail settings, & now would like to operate navigation lights & retractable wheels. So 9 channels would have been fine I suppose.

I was toying between the dx9 gen 2, but that did not come with an RX. So also started looking at the black edition. Then noticed the DX18 gen 1. There are a ton of threads about guys who upgraded from their DX18 gen 1 to the gen 2's and then went back. So I ended up getting the DX18. It has the same programming now as all the gen 2 radios with the upgrade software. So the only difference now is the voice alerts & wireless trainer. I just could not pass up getting a great radio that I cannot out grow & a 9 channel rx with 2 sats. So for me it came down to getting the most for my $. I'll have to try to live without the voice alerts, but will keep my DX7 for those, probably will be my airplane TX. Hope that helps with your decision some. I call this hobby my rabbit hole. Never thought I would be into it this deep! : ) But it just keeps growing on ya!

Good luck, Terry