KO Propo??

[Maxx_A_Million]

well... i NEED a new radio and i know ko propo makes good stuff... fully digitally adjustable, adaptable to numerous servos, etc... but i want to knwo formt hose who use it...

durability? comfort? ease of use? ease of using the digital functions? do i need the instruction manual to do all the simpel stuff? should i opt for the sythesised stuff? 3 channel or 4? (im deffinitely going with FM) and will its receiver handle fast digi race servos?

thanks...

[Grizzbob]

Well, the answer to that depends on a few things, like your experience level with computer radios, how many features you want, & which ones are more understandable to you(it's a preference thing, really, some people have an easier time with an Airtronics than KO, & others may understand a KO easier). I can say this, though, I've been racing for over 14 1/2 years, & I've been using KO radios the entire time, & they've hardly EVER let me down(even when I've made a mistake in setting one up in my car several years ago, when KO was just switching over form their own reciever plug wire pattern to being the same as Futaba's & I didn't know it) You can be sure that you'll be getting very high quality, in durability & performance. As for which one you might want though, that's up to you. If you wanna start easy(& especially if you're on a bit of a budget), then I'd get an EX-11 Presto, I think it's by far the easiest to understand & remember how to use without the manual. I for one, though, prefer my EX-1 Mars(original one, not the Mars 2000 or Mars R, but I still keep a Presto as my backup), it is more difficult to get used to(in its menus I mean), but it does have more functions than I'll ever need, & I also like having a replacable transmitter RF module(so I can switch from running on 27MHz to 75MHz whenever I need to). As for the Helios, I honestly have no first hand experience with it, but I'm sure it's every bit as good as the Mars series radios. The best thing I'd suggest is for you to see if you can play around with an example of each, see if the local shop guys will let you hold one & look over the manuals, maybe ask the guys at your local tracks, & choose whichever one feels best to you(which pretty much applies to all top level radios, it really is a matter of comfort for the individual)......:cool:

[Railman]

Well put Grizz!:D
We (me & two sons) had 3 Mars since they 1st came out... maybe 6 years ago? They have been outstanding, with no service issues. The receivers are also top notch. I recently purchased a used Presto for my youngest son, & it seems to perform well also. The presto actually seems to fit large hands better than the Mars. I have pretty big hands, & I have no problem with the Mars, but some people do complain about that issue. One thing that helps dramatically is to wrap the handle with some tennis raqquet (sp?) ahndle wrap. I found my hand much more comfortable, with less sweaty hand issues with the wrap. The presto has quite a few features, but not as many as the Mars. Most people never get around to using all the Mars features, but it's better to be able to pick & choose than not to have them.

As far as servos, Ive not had the need to use them. I have never heard anything but good things about them. From all Ive read, & heard, they are as fast, powerfull, & dependable.
Just my $.02
Joe

[Grizzbob]

Oh, yeah, KO's servos are certainly very high quality, but I just wish they were more easily available here, like Airtronics is. That's why I've been leaning more towards Airtronics servos the last several years, much more of them that are easy to find at most any shop, as well as replacement parts for them(& it doesn't hurt that they seem to be all but bulletproof from my perspective, never had one fail on me), but I do consider KO's to be just as good......:cool:

[Fantom 15 gt]

will a ko propo servo fit in a futaba reciver?

[Grizzbob]

Yes, it should plug right in. Now several years ago, you would've had to change the order of reciever plug wires from the servo to make it work, but by about '97 or so, KO(& most others) began to change their wire patterns to be identical to Futaba's "J" plug, so today it's pretty much the standard. That's also why you no longer see many new speed controls come with a bunch of different reciever plug housings(we used to need them to adapt the ESC's reciever plug to fit the reciever you had). Nowadays, it's just plug in & go play.....:cool: