Very nice, I wonder what the Mk3 TX16s will be like.. hopefully it will be ergonomically totaly overhalled, a top screen would make it hard to resist replacing my current Mk2.
I mostly fly line of sight planes and glider and only occasionally FPV so I was hoping and expecting this new compact boxer style radio will come with color touch screen. When I watch your EdgeTx tutorial I just love the the TX16 interface but the radio it self is to big for me. So was waiting for the RM response to Jumper T15.
I want a Tx16s mk3. But size of boxer with top screen. But something crazy looking like this. This is a nice sexy radio. Wish it was a bit bigger but not as big as tx16s. And wish it was color screen. I really want a mk3. But a high end flag ship from RM. Rm is doing fantastic but leaving us plank/heli flyer behind but this is actually something I really like though because it was a move for to get us plank/heli flyer attention. :)
@@GlobalSourcing M3, use whatever stick ends you like. If they are super fat and low, they might not fold down all the way flat, but that's not really a huge issue. I have been using the sticky360 Radiomaster ends since release and really like them. Cool that they come stock on this radio.
Nice delivery ! WOW that TX is sic! ! a monochrome screen ! I could see it outside now ! Dear Santa! ..please! please ! I'm a good boy ! I have to crawl under my truck to see my TX16s screen 😪 Please RM, come out with a mono replacement screen kit for the TX16s 🤪
Surprised they didn't come out with a better dual band receiver lineup before offering a dedicated transmitter for it. Cased receivers and PWM receivers would make this system a lot more attractive for different target audiences. Personally I'm hoping for the TX16S equivalent with better ergonomics.
I wonder what would have happened if they released a bunch of receivers without a transmitter able to use them. FWIW I don't want a Nomad hanging off the back of my radio. So perhaps this is a chicken-egg issue.................
@RCVideoReviews the module was already available, from the comments here and on other videos I doubt most people using TX16S for applications that would benefit from dual band would be interested in a GX12 just for the dual band because it's seen as a downgrade in other aspects. Sure having an extra module is not ideal for everyone but I stil find this form factor radio an odd choice to sell this system.
I don't know who makes the software, but it's got a Radiomaster logo on it. Radiomaster will distribute the software. I'm not familiar with the specifics.
During the video I purposely held it while pinching to show the reach wasn't a problem. That said, I'm not a pincher, so I couldn't evaluate how it would feel compared to what I already know.
Great review as all ways. RadioMaster should have made two options Gemini and regular ELRS. I am not gone change all my receivers to Gemini protocol and hardware.
I can confirm, its all compatible, nothing to change. And heck, this adds the ability to use 915Mhz receivers too! ELRS is the most compatible system ever.
One reason I like your channel so much is I know you fly a lot of helis. I fly almost exclusively helis but will be getting into some FPV drones as well and am considering this radio for mostly FPV. I have dumped thousands of dollars into Vbar and their FBLs. I would like to experiment with a Nexus with this radio but can I change things on the radio like Vbar? Or will I just have to carry a laptop with me when I go out to the field like the old iKon 2 days?
RotorFlight has a LUA script that allows you to change not only FBL settings, but also ESC settings. Unfortunately, after I made this video, the first thing I did was try to set it up for a heli but the RF Programming LUA and RF2TLM LUA do not work on this radio. I've opened a ticket with the EdgeTX team as I expect it's an EdgeTX issue. I KNOW they will fix it, but full disclosure--current firmware some important scripts do not work. Not only can you change features from the radio, you can also do in-flight PID tuning: ua-cam.com/users/livePg4DiXRQZcI
Special coating on the outside case plastic? On the internal PCBs, yes, (for electronic components water resistance,) but on the outside case plastic, too? Color me skeptical on that point.
I crossed my wires with the explanation in review notes: "With thicker plastics and a hydrophobic PCB coating" I noticed a difference in the surface texture of the plastics and mentally concluded that was the coating they referred to without granting recognition to the fact they said "PCB" in the notes. It never occurred to me there would be a coating on the PCB as they described the reason for the coating as designed to withstand hot/cold/dry/humid conditions. I assumed it was a reference to the outer surface. My bad.
@@RCVideoReviews Thanks for the clarification. Thicker case plastic is tougher and _a good thing._ Pre-order placed with RM. This radio may be the killer app that finally lures some die-hard OTX fans (such as myself) over to EdgeTX. Very good review --- I just watched about ten others and this is the best/most thorough one. +1 I am quite disappointed about the loss of the uSD card, however. I have a music player Lua app (TaraniJuke) and my TX doubles as my music player --- I routinely fill up a 32GB card with my collection; no more I guess :(
You are one of the few use cases where a larger card is reasonable. Absent music, it would take a very long time to fill one of these cards even with aggressive logging. Appreciate the kind comment on my review. Thank you.
@thatonebeone well if it was an option it would be a cost I'd gladly pay for aswell as many others . Not to mention the monochrome screens are $7 and the tx 16 screen is $ 35 an extra $28 isn't gonna break the bank .
@@gr8n8 yeah its not bad i had this brand radios they are good plus you are not looking at the screen 90% of the time lol... what blows my mind is how much they cost and they work very well compared to more expensive radios... plus i kinda dig the retro old school screen look lol...
I'm a big fan of the monochrome screen. Much easier to read especially in light. Not as flashy, but we should be looking at our planes anyway not the radio! I do wish the gimbals were higher up on the radio or the radio was taller. Radios where the gimbals are low down feel weird to me. I couldn't figure out why some radios felt weird for the longest time till someone pointed that out to me. I may get one of these for a secondary radio / buddy box. I do hope they offer a 4 in 1. Or a very compact 4 in 1 module for it that uses the internal antennas.
Thanks! Going to watch this a few more time, might be the right size point for the Wife. TX16s to large for her by a landslide and Pocket was too small for her to pinch fly, so wasn't a good fit for her. Waste of money/time getting it and converting her helicopters to ELRS tbh but whatever. This might be that third bowl of porridge! Two standout questions that others might have as well: 1. Are these gimbals a better feel than the AG01? It's nice they have adjustments, but are they an upgrade/downgrade/even? 2. No SD card...how fast is it to format/flash? USB flashing/updates ect on TX16s is horrifyingly slow, I always remove the SD card and do it.
1. I can't answer. I think gimbal feel is a highly subjective issue. 2. Given I haven't formatted an SD card in one of my radios more than once (outside of the testing I did to make the SD card blocksize video) I didn't see a need to check. As with the other radios, it's not the speed of the card, it's the data channel between the card and the interface that is the gating factor. I expec as this is the same CPU, it'll have the same gating factor.
When radio manufacturers put the screen at the top, they invariably move the gimbals down which puts them too close to the bottom of the case. I never look at the screen while I'm flying. I like that SE and SF can easily be changed to 2-position switches, but I think S1 and S2 would be difficult to use. I don't follow the logic of pink being off, but perhaps that's to let you know that it's configured to do something. Somebody needs to put EdgeTX in a Spektrum iX14 case.. 😎
@@malte9999 The audio in my transmitter tells me if any of the telemetry values are out of spec. And, I can tap anywhere on the screen to clear the message. About the only thing I use the screen for at the field is to switch between models. When I'm at home, I connect my transmitter to my PC which displays the transmitter screen on my monitor. I use the PC's mouse and keyboard to edit the model and gyro settings and occasionally install updates. This also makes it easy to create how-to videos for UA-cam. I don't have to point a camera at my transmitter.
@@RCVideoReviews Not even the trayless prebuilt packs? Most of their other radios with tight fights will take the pre-built 21700 packs or 18650's in a tray, the two configurations are similar in size.
It's pretty clear to me non-ELRS protocols will become a thing of the past. Kind of like the transition from 72MHz to 2.4Ghz. Some will hold on for dear life, but the market will leave them behind. ELRS is here to stay.
UPDATE: In the video I said the transmit power is 1000w....of course that's incorrect. It is 1w (1000mw) per TX. Apologize for any confusion.
@@RCVideoReviews It would be pretty hot in our hands 😁
@@nikosystem1 Winter warmer :)
lol, definitely. And some pissed off club members when their planes dropped out of sky every time a GX12 fired up.
@@RCVideoReviews Wow it can actually cause interference? Due to power? You should do a video. That be a eye popping popular video. HA
Waiting for the GX16s ;-)
Absolutely love the compactness of the radio. And the fold over gimbal sticks, very cool. Very travel worthy.
Very nice, I wonder what the Mk3 TX16s will be like.. hopefully it will be ergonomically totaly overhalled, a top screen would make it hard to resist replacing my current Mk2.
As always, great video!!!
Thank you :)
I mostly fly line of sight planes and glider and only occasionally FPV so I was hoping and expecting this new compact boxer style radio will come with color touch screen. When I watch your EdgeTx tutorial I just love the the TX16 interface but the radio it self is to big for me. So was waiting for the RM response to Jumper T15.
I want a Tx16s mk3. But size of boxer with top screen. But something crazy looking like this. This is a nice sexy radio. Wish it was a bit bigger but not as big as tx16s. And wish it was color screen. I really want a mk3. But a high end flag ship from RM. Rm is doing fantastic but leaving us plank/heli flyer behind but this is actually something I really like though because it was a move for to get us plank/heli flyer attention. :)
I"ll temp some RC buddies with this! LOL. Great vid.
Nice transmitter. folding sticks very interesting.
Yeah the sticks are pretty neat and they are easy to put away.
Thanks for this great review! Let's hope that CE is coming soon so we can use it legally within the EU :)
How do the gimbals unscrew? Do you lose the folding if you replace them with custom ends?
@@GlobalSourcing M3, use whatever stick ends you like.
If they are super fat and low, they might not fold down all the way flat, but that's not really a huge issue.
I have been using the sticky360 Radiomaster ends since release and really like them. Cool that they come stock on this radio.
Nice delivery ! WOW that TX is sic! ! a monochrome screen ! I could see it outside now ! Dear Santa! ..please! please ! I'm a good boy ! I have to crawl under my truck to see my TX16s screen 😪 Please RM, come out with a mono replacement screen kit for the TX16s 🤪
I figured that OLED screen would be a difference maker for some.
Hell no color screen is the most important for me. U want black and white again? Like other transmitter manufacture fk that
Looks nice. Hope the fan only runs as needed. I'll don't need 1000mw, more like 100mw, would be good for the fan to be low on that setting.
@RC Video Reviews When covering the radios at 8:10 you stated the radios are 1000w instead of 1000mw maybe get a correction in there?
Yes of course--1w.
Surprised they didn't come out with a better dual band receiver lineup before offering a dedicated transmitter for it. Cased receivers and PWM receivers would make this system a lot more attractive for different target audiences. Personally I'm hoping for the TX16S equivalent with better ergonomics.
I wonder what would have happened if they released a bunch of receivers without a transmitter able to use them. FWIW I don't want a Nomad hanging off the back of my radio. So perhaps this is a chicken-egg issue.................
@RCVideoReviews the module was already available, from the comments here and on other videos I doubt most people using TX16S for applications that would benefit from dual band would be interested in a GX12 just for the dual band because it's seen as a downgrade in other aspects. Sure having an extra module is not ideal for everyone but I stil find this form factor radio an odd choice to sell this system.
I'm going to wait for its bigger brother with a coloured touch screen.
Thanks for the review! Can anyone tell me, does it mean that the regular Elrs receiver HappyModel EP1 will not work with this remote?
Ep1 will work as it normally does with this radio. Will just not do the Gemini feature set.
11:30 who makes the calibration software and where can I get it.
I don't know who makes the software, but it's got a Radiomaster logo on it. Radiomaster will distribute the software. I'm not familiar with the specifics.
@RCVideoReviews thank you. I was curious, because I already saw half a dozen people remove the gimbals from the board.
How are the ergonomics for hybrid-pinchers?
Button layout seems a bit problematic.
Is this a thumber only radio like the Zorro?
During the video I purposely held it while pinching to show the reach wasn't a problem. That said, I'm not a pincher, so I couldn't evaluate how it would feel compared to what I already know.
Great review as all ways. RadioMaster should have made two options Gemini and regular ELRS. I am not gone change all my receivers to Gemini protocol and hardware.
You do not have to. You can use existing receivers, just not all modes
I can confirm, its all compatible, nothing to change. And heck, this adds the ability to use 915Mhz receivers too! ELRS is the most compatible system ever.
One reason I like your channel so much is I know you fly a lot of helis. I fly almost exclusively helis but will be getting into some FPV drones as well and am considering this radio for mostly FPV. I have dumped thousands of dollars into Vbar and their FBLs. I would like to experiment with a Nexus with this radio but can I change things on the radio like Vbar? Or will I just have to carry a laptop with me when I go out to the field like the old iKon 2 days?
RotorFlight has a LUA script that allows you to change not only FBL settings, but also ESC settings. Unfortunately, after I made this video, the first thing I did was try to set it up for a heli but the RF Programming LUA and RF2TLM LUA do not work on this radio. I've opened a ticket with the EdgeTX team as I expect it's an EdgeTX issue. I KNOW they will fix it, but full disclosure--current firmware some important scripts do not work.
Not only can you change features from the radio, you can also do in-flight PID tuning: ua-cam.com/users/livePg4DiXRQZcI
Special coating on the outside case plastic? On the internal PCBs, yes, (for electronic components water resistance,) but on the outside case plastic, too? Color me skeptical on that point.
I crossed my wires with the explanation in review notes:
"With thicker plastics and a hydrophobic PCB coating"
I noticed a difference in the surface texture of the plastics and mentally concluded that was the coating they referred to without granting recognition to the fact they said "PCB" in the notes. It never occurred to me there would be a coating on the PCB as they described the reason for the coating as designed to withstand hot/cold/dry/humid conditions. I assumed it was a reference to the outer surface. My bad.
@@RCVideoReviews Thanks for the clarification. Thicker case plastic is tougher and _a good thing._ Pre-order placed with RM. This radio may be the killer app that finally lures some die-hard OTX fans (such as myself) over to EdgeTX. Very good review --- I just watched about ten others and this is the best/most thorough one. +1
I am quite disappointed about the loss of the uSD card, however. I have a music player Lua app (TaraniJuke) and my TX doubles as my music player --- I routinely fill up a 32GB card with my collection; no more I guess :(
You are one of the few use cases where a larger card is reasonable. Absent music, it would take a very long time to fill one of these cards even with aggressive logging.
Appreciate the kind comment on my review. Thank you.
I can't believe it's almost 2025 and we're still using monochrome screens. I like the radio but color screen would've been better imo.
cost cost cost cost lol.. get what you pay for
Nah, the b&w ui is better (for me as primarily a quad pilot, and a bit of fpv+fc planes, minimal los)
@thatonebeone well if it was an option it would be a cost I'd gladly pay for aswell as many others . Not to mention the monochrome screens are $7 and the tx 16 screen is $ 35 an extra $28 isn't gonna break the bank .
@xer125 color touch screen just makes it more user friendly when you do have to interact with it .
@@gr8n8 yeah its not bad i had this brand radios they are good plus you are not looking at the screen 90% of the time lol... what blows my mind is how much they cost and they work very well compared to more expensive radios... plus i kinda dig the retro old school screen look lol...
I'm a big fan of the monochrome screen. Much easier to read especially in light. Not as flashy, but we should be looking at our planes anyway not the radio!
I do wish the gimbals were higher up on the radio or the radio was taller. Radios where the gimbals are low down feel weird to me. I couldn't figure out why some radios felt weird for the longest time till someone pointed that out to me.
I may get one of these for a secondary radio / buddy box. I do hope they offer a 4 in 1. Or a very compact 4 in 1 module for it that uses the internal antennas.
Thanks! Going to watch this a few more time, might be the right size point for the Wife. TX16s to large for her by a landslide and Pocket was too small for her to pinch fly, so wasn't a good fit for her. Waste of money/time getting it and converting her helicopters to ELRS tbh but whatever. This might be that third bowl of porridge!
Two standout questions that others might have as well:
1. Are these gimbals a better feel than the AG01?
It's nice they have adjustments, but are they an upgrade/downgrade/even?
2. No SD card...how fast is it to format/flash?
USB flashing/updates ect on TX16s is horrifyingly slow, I always remove the SD card and do it.
1. I can't answer. I think gimbal feel is a highly subjective issue.
2. Given I haven't formatted an SD card in one of my radios more than once (outside of the testing I did to make the SD card blocksize video) I didn't see a need to check. As with the other radios, it's not the speed of the card, it's the data channel between the card and the interface that is the gating factor. I expec as this is the same CPU, it'll have the same gating factor.
When radio manufacturers put the screen at the top, they invariably move the gimbals down which puts them too close to the bottom of the case. I never look at the screen while I'm flying. I like that SE and SF can easily be changed to 2-position switches, but I think S1 and S2 would be difficult to use. I don't follow the logic of pink being off, but perhaps that's to let you know that it's configured to do something. Somebody needs to put EdgeTX in a Spektrum iX14 case.. 😎
I like the screen at the top, so that you can take a quick glance at the telemetry while flying.
A screen at the bottom is harder to read
@@malte9999 The audio in my transmitter tells me if any of the telemetry values are out of spec. And, I can tap anywhere on the screen to clear the message. About the only thing I use the screen for at the field is to switch between models. When I'm at home, I connect my transmitter to my PC which displays the transmitter screen on my monitor. I use the PC's mouse and keyboard to edit the model and gyro settings and occasionally install updates. This also makes it easy to create how-to videos for UA-cam. I don't have to point a camera at my transmitter.
Can you fit 21700 cells in the battery bay?
No. Not close.
@@RCVideoReviews Not even the trayless prebuilt packs? Most of their other radios with tight fights will take the pre-built 21700 packs or 18650's in a tray, the two configurations are similar in size.
@@adam_mawz_maas I tried fitting my 5000 pack and it did not fit.
@@RCVideoReviews Hey on the Radiomaster website it says 21700 is compatible. Under the Specifications Section of the website.
How does this compare to the boxer?
I guess the highlights would be:
ELRS Gem-X
OLED Screen
Integrated Flash
GX01 Gimbals
@ thanks.
mmmm ok call when gx16 coming 😂
Will do. ;)
@RCVideoReviews 🤩🔥
I want a bigger high res full color screen
Nice radio but need the 4 in 1 need the 4 in 1.
It's pretty clear to me non-ELRS protocols will become a thing of the past. Kind of like the transition from 72MHz to 2.4Ghz. Some will hold on for dear life, but the market will leave them behind. ELRS is here to stay.
Sexy controller!
I like it.
1000 Watts, no way.
My mistake. 1w. Of course it's not 1000w :(
I understand why you make mistakes.... your watch shows that it's after midnight when filming this video....😂
I'll tell you what, if it weren't for late night, there would be fewer videos that's for sure.
Too small for my liking