Tuesday - September 21, 2004

The new JR XP9303 sailplane computer radio

(Click to enlarge)

I received the new JR XP9303 sailplane computer radio (9303) from Horizon Hobby yesterday, and got to start using it right after work.  My first impression is that I want to compare it to my 10x, which is only because that is what I fly now, I am sure it is not meant by JR to compete with this model of transmitter.  Just for history I own or have owned a JR Max, JR 783, JR 8103, JR 10sx (heli), JR 10x, and the JR 9303.  (Actually the 8103 is the only one I don't have anymore).

Before you jump in you have to consider some things, first off the servo mapping is different than previous JR models.  Actually what they did makes more sense, and allows 6 channel RX's to be used for 6 channel models.  But, more than likely this means you will have to change some servo plugs around at your RX if you are changing from another TX.  I turned on my 10x one more time, and marked my stab position with a pencil on the fuse so I could recenter it easily after I fired up the 9303.  In my case, I am moving an ICON Lite from the 10x to the 9303 and I had to pull the left aileron plug from Gear and move it to Throttle, I had to move right Flap from Aux 1 and move it to Gear, and I had to move left Flap from Aux 2 to Aux 1.  You have to give a little to get a lot, this is a template based programming system and the program expects these channels to be at those spots.   I thought about cross mixing the other channels so I could move back and forth from the 10x, but I don't want to mess with the simplicity of the 9303 programming at this time, so I chose to go with the flow of the design and not fight it.

(Click to enlarge)

Shown above is the main menu, you can scroll through it with the thumb wheel on the right side and select by depressing the wheel.  This is really fast, blows the 10x numbered menu system away.  It sounds like a caffeinated cricket when rolling through choices.   This software is the best I have ever seen on a computer radio, it is easily navigated, and if you follow the template design of flight modes, you will get a very sophisticated setup without a lot of effort.  I flew through the setup last night until I tried to find the CAMBER ADJ and CAMBER MIX menus.  Hmm, not there.  Up to the computer and Tom Copp of F3X.com had an email sitting in my inbox asking the same thing and if I was up.  "Ya, I am up, and doing the same thing as you are... give me a call."  So we talked about it a bit, both of us were stumped and fired off emails to John Diniz at JR.  John got back to us first thing this morning, it turns out the manuals need a revision to catch up with the new software on the TX, so instead of CAMBER MIX, use Flaprn MX, and instead of CAMBER ADJ, use FM Delay.  The same functionality is there, the names are just different. 

I just got the answer to that this morning, so I will have to finish my setup this evening.  I did see camber start to work, but I need more time to get it right.  I have not had to design a custom mix to this point, which is really impressive.  There is some fancy stuff I may try do to that I implemented on my 10x, but I want to get basic functionality first.  It looks to me that a full house sailplane can be setup with out using the additional program mixers, which in the end gives me more flexibility than my 10x.

Things that made me smile, general ease of use and ergonomics, Sub Trim adjustment with the thumb wheel, the new tones that the digital trims make, very easy to understand, the additional timer so I can run a countdown and a stopwatch from the TX, and the template design that really makes it simple to maintain the unique flight modes, and the flight screen has more information with a cleaner layout.

More on the 9303 later...