FrSky X10s -Horus

[Jerry Carducci]

Has anyone here tried to use or is using the latest FrSky Horus x10s Express radio? It uses OpenTx and is said to be quite the radio system...

Jerry

[Adrian Harris]

I thought the Horus came with its own firmware but could be flashed with OpenTX ?

OpenTx is the mutts nuts, once you've learned how they do things.

Adrian.

[Jerry Carducci]

I have 2 Turnigy 9x transmitters and a 9x Super that are all on ERTx and I love the flexibility to make any control interface do anything you want. My trainer switch is a light selector switch for a Benedini Mini. I have a FrSky Taranis which is on OpenTx... I've downloaded and modified versions of the erTx code to suit my peculiar wants but nothing too wild. I have yet to modify a copy of OpenTx.

The Horus is several steps above my existing stuff.

I was a long, long time Futaba fanboy beginning with my first 4 channel AM system in the mid 1970s and ending with my 9ZAP. The flexibility and price point of the newer systems can't be beat. I still use my later Futaba equipmnt but do so knowing that their days are numbered.

Jerry

[Stephen White]

Jerry, I missed your post first time around but yes, Horus X10S Express is it. I have a couple of Taranis, one on Mode 1 for aircraft and one on Mode 2 for tanks. The Horus is just so much better. The Hall Effect gimbals have such a precise feel. The colour screen makes viewing the telemetry so much easier and being able to configure the main screens to present all the info you want, as you want, is powerful. If I were to use my Horus for tanks rather than aircraft, I don't think I'd bother any more with a rotary encoder, just allocating sounds to the available switches and making combinations in OpenTX. It's not cheap but as an investment set against the cost of the models, it makes a lot of sense.

FrSky obviously heard people claim OpenTX was too complicated and for good commercial reasons developed FROS, which is really OpenTX with less flexible menus. Given that FrSky were the principle adopters of OpenTX, I think it's surprising they started to move away from it. Clearly it hasn't worked for them and the Horus X12 was a bit of a flop. I gather they've had another go with the X20 which ships with yet another new operating system, ETHOS. I saw a lot of cautionary tales on YouTube about the possibility of "bricking" your TX if you cocked up flashing OpenTX onto the Tx but after a bit of research and a lot of care, it was really easy for me to put it onto the Horus X10. I'm very pleased with the result.

I'd go as far as to say that in the model aircraft world, FrSky are now the dominant supplier of radio systems, certainly they seem to be doing most of the innovation. Spektrum and Futaba have been really left behind in the analogue radio world. The new software defined radios are very much the present and future. I'm just getting to grips with putting my Centurion onto the Taranis and doing things with the setup which just wouldn't be possible with my old Spectrum DX8.

[Jerry Carducci]

So far I really like my Horus X10s, it does have a good feel to it and making model profile changes with OpenTx Companion is good.

I'm waiting for another system to arrive: The Jumper T18 Pro- dual frequency 2.4ghz / 915mhz. Also on OpenTx yet less expensive than FrSky;
I wanted to see how/if the dual freq capabilty works for me. Don't really need the longer range or the 915mhz aspect but still...

Really waiting for the FrSky X20HD system running Ethos OS ( I recall a FRSky fork of OpenTx) also using dual frequency AND
two way Rx-Tx communication including FPV right to the transmitter screen...

Ah the toys of the trade...

Jerry

[Tim Page]

I am looking at the Horus X10S Express to replace the Spektrum DX9 that will go when i sell my Panzer 3.
It does not come with a receiver and I am not sure which one(s) to go for - Any suggestions?

Also, from what i can see the latest Horus now ships with Ethos installed which i understand is better than FROS.

Lots of videos to watch now.
Cheers
Tim

[GlenStenhouse]

I used to run the Horus X12. I ran it on OpenTX and it was a great transmitter. I sold it as a complete setup when I sold a boat. Now I'm funning a FLYSKY PALADIN PL18 and it's also a great transmitter (at a cheaper price). Can do all the same linking of channels. Only real difference is not having the ability to load a photo of your model to it.

[Stephen White]

Tim, for Rx, use the X8R. Brilliant bit of kit with the X10S Express. If you want to make use of the ACCESS protocol, which should give even better signal reliability, you could upgrade to the Archer R8Pro.

First thing to do with it is flash OpenTX. ETHOS and FROS are really just OpenTX with menus. You lose the flexibility of OpenTX and the upgrade path is less certain, plus there is a lot more reference material out there for OpenTX. I’ve used both FROS and OpenTX and am sold on the latter.

[Jerry Carducci]

I have a FrSky Tandem X20S on order. I like to tinker with these....I really like these new systems.

Just received a FrSky SBUS to PWM decoder and I've set it up to support channels 9- 12 off a 8XR so now for my M3 Lee so I should have enough
to control every bit on the model including lights.. All the Pots, slider, switches and what not on the latest transmitters is fantastic. By creatively
mixing bits and bobs together you can set conditions to activate certain features when a particular switch is in position 0 and pot p1 is at 37%....

Ain't technology grand!

Jerry

[Adrian Harris]

FlySky have just announced the Paladin PL18EV, which I believe is the first transmitter designed specifically for "Electric Vehicles", hence the EV.

Mainly aimed at the construction crew drivers, but it does have a tank in the menus

All the usual knobs and switches but also has twist-able three axis joysticks. Haven't worked out how they would work in practice yet

Adrian.

[Stephen White]

Adrian, looks superficially good. The programming of the operating system is probably quite intuitive for our use and that's a very good thing for users who are new to the game. Like FrSky, they've developed their own operating system, imaginatively named FlySkyOS. That to me is a negative, it means you're in their hands for bug fixes and development and it doesn't have the wide user base that OpenTX has.

The joysticks are nothing new. The Hall effect simply replaces a physical wiper with a magnetic detection of stick position. It's more accurate and therefore more sensitive but is widely available. The later Taranis and Horus Tx all come with Hall effect sticks as standard. The so-called multidimensional aspect also adds nothing new, it's still la 2-axis stick but instead of displacing laterally, the X-axis is controlled by the rotating knob. The switching option on top is useful, although it's available on high end conventional 2-axis sticks. You could easily substitute a rotating knob stick for the conventional sticks on a Taranis or Horus, they're interchangeable.

Flysky don't have the reputation for quality and customer support that FrSky, some German manufacturers and Spektrum have. They were originally marketed as an "affordable" clone of FrSky but this offering takes them a bit further up-market.

[Tim Page]

Th Paladin certainly looks interesting and I hope it takes off so that other manufacturers include other model support in their units.

I dont think the FlyskyOS will be a patch on the FRSky Ethos or Open TX and I agree with Stephen that the quality and support is probably not as good either.
Not being able to add your own pictures seems like a big thing to leave out which is a shame.
The price point is good though.

I still think that the X10S Horus is the better choice but i think a few more hours of reviews are required before i take the plunge.

Many thanks

Tim

[Jerry Carducci]

Going back more than 6-7 years most users in our tank 'community' wouldn't have touched FrSky with a 10 foot pole. "....trust such a costly complex model to a relatively inexpensive system? Hrrrrrumpf!. No way!"

For years since I started Futaba was it, best transmitters, best receivers and servos to fit every need. Why would I look to anything else? I had everything from a 4PN to a 9ZAP. Then as 2,4Ghz began to take over I recall asking Futaba reps if I could use their systems in my armor models. At the time I was running my 1/10 stuff- heavy gas pwered models with relatively thick (6mm and up) cast aluminum hulls and parts. Futaba swore up and down "no you can't". And then I asked if they would consider support for non aircraft models and the response was "no we won't".

So began my transition off of my once loved Futaba systems. I see no point in spending USD 2500 for their latest system no matter how nice it looks, feels and operates when I'll always feel like an unwanted orphan child playing with fancy toys not meant for me...

The Paladin PL18EV is how reputations begin. That FlySky is willing to out_of_the_box support profiles, even superficially, for other model types means they are paying attention. If they follow up with support both with consumers directly and via community based forums they'll be successful. The world has changed and manufacturers need to adapt or fail. Perhaps it isn't up to the standard of FrSky's current systems yet and 5+ years ago FrSky wasn't at their current standard either. I've not had one to hand but I believe it's worth a second look... and if it gets them developing the next generation then even better. Competition in this way is rarely bad.

Jerry

[Tim Page]

Agree 100% Jerry, maybe the next model in 2-3 years will have everything we need but not quite there yet.

Tim

[GlenStenhouse]

The current PL18 model has a setting for tracked construction. It works very well. Anything not there as standard can be easily configured within the menus also. I'm sold on it. The gimbals are really nice in there also.

The other reason I switched was the ability to by additional receivers cheaply.

The new PL18EV does look fizzy.