Mikado Vcontrol/Vbar VS Spektrum/iKon! Which one is better?
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- In this video we go over a question I get asked a lot! Which radio/FBL system should you go with? I got my two favorite systems and what I like about both! I prefer Vcontorl/Vbar but if I’m not running Vbar I fly iKon! You can’t go wrong with either systems.
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Jeff, the differentiator between the Neo / Evo with or without receiver is called "VLink" The non-VLink is the one you'd use with other radios. As for the price difference? Yes, VBar costs more, but it's made in Germany NOT CHINA. Spektrum may be a US brand, but all their stuff is made in China, if that's a factor in your shopping. I really didn't want to spend the money to go VBar, but I'm glad I did. The setup and tuning could not be more simple. It just works.
Yes, Vlink! I could not think of it at the time lol I agree, German, engineering and quality is far superior than anything China could ever make, and all spektrum products are made in China. I personally don’t mind spending the extra for quality.
I had tried the frsky X20 didn’t like the software. So I went back to Futaba. But I wish I would of waited and got the VControl . And I found out if I forgot my Radio I can use another VBar radio in less the 2 minutes I can fly my helicopter with another VBar radio .
@@stevealoia that’s one of the best things about Vbar. Everything is done in the FBL. The radio is just there for inputs. So you can take any Vcontorl and fly your heli that’s setup to your liking. Really cool stuff. I had a Frsky X20S and while it was a really cool radio the setup and software was a pain!
@@westhobbiesrc8051 once I start 3D flying I may get a VBar I have futaba 16IZ nice radio
But nothing like VBar .
Another excellent informative video!
Thank you Tony. I appreciate that.
Awesome Video !!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
I am literally sat here looking at both and this pops up!! Great work as always! One thing holding me back from the vbar is I believe no small receivers for the likes of the Goosky s1
I’m glad this video came in time! I hope it was helpful, so technically, yes! You can buy a Satellite and use it on an S1 for Vbar. It’s expensive in my opinion for a little Heli. But I’m going to get one and make a video with it.
That will be an interesting video for me!
I will wait to see that before making a choice then! :)
I might buy one of these ix 14
It’s like comparing Android and IOS, each work wells, but you get way better ergonomic and integration on VBAR
I agree, at the end of the day it’s user preference, and what you enjoy.
Personally I think having to pay extra for software for your fbl unit is pretty rude. It's like having to pay extra for your seat warmers to work in your car *cough * BMW *cough *
I agree I’m not a fan of that but because of every other feature and part that the system offers I don’t really mind it. It’s the most featured pack system on the market to date!
That's why we have..."Choices".
Jeff you didn’t mention the wireless updating or the auto on function when turning on the heli, also another positive to the vcontrol is how if you didn’t remember to bring your radio or bought a new radio all your model stuff is stored in the FBL so you can literally bind to someone’s heli and fly with your radio in seconds…..
Also the resale on a Vcontrol or Vbar neo is much higher if you decide to get out of hobby.
No, I did not. That is actually going in a separate video. This was just a quick side-by-side video. And I believe I covered it in the original set up video for Vbar. I’ll have to go check. Those are actually some of the best features of Vbar! Love that!
Hi Jeff, Another Fantastic Video!!! I really enjoy the iKON2 FBL & I have the ix12 Transmitter. I bought mine Used but $450 CDN Compared to $1,300 for the VBAR TOUCH may be a better TX as far as Programming but... I would rather have $950 in my pocket for another SAB KIT Down the Road... Cheers and as Always, My Best to You and your Family!! I hope you all had a Wonderful Easter and your Family is all doing well.
Take Care, Jeff and keep putting out your flawless Builds, My Friend!!!!
❤️🙏🙏🙏❤️
Thank you Larry! There is nothing wrong with the spektrum and iKon setup. I’ve flown that setup for many many years and still do. It’s the best bang for your buck setup. There is nothing wrong with saving a little money and having a good system. I still have my IX12 as a backup radio. I hope you and your family have a wonderful week and you get some flying in!
I used spektrum for years then I tried Vbar and saw the light, you cant beat vbar control, vbar neo/evo simplicity quality all the way the FBL and Radio on the market, I would recommend Vbar to anyone I've been converted now for the last 6 years or so and would not go back to specktrum even if they offered all the kit for free. great video as always keep up the good work.
Thank you! I greatly appreciate it. I agree! I put Vbar off for a long long long time, I thought it was over priced and just stuck with my Spektrum/iKon setup. But after switching a few helis to Vbar I’m not switching all of my helis over! It’s a super easy and simple system that flys great and works even better. Highly recommend Vbar.
for me Vbar with Vcontrol ist the non plus ultra. Changing the settings of nearly every ESC with the Radio and Flight Parameters during flight is perfect. I wish they would make more Plane stuff like Vario for Gliders, but if you fly Heli, nothing is better than Vbar for me.
Greetings from Bavaria/Germany :)
For me as well! It is a fantastic system, and I have really been enjoying it lately. I have yet to mess with V Plane. But I’m going to get a few Vbar RX to play with it. Vario would be nice for gliders for sure. Thanks for watching!
I vote for vbar with spektrum dsmx satellite set up on pc, once you get a heli dialed in there’s not much use for all the fancy field set up and programming of the v control
That does work very well but you lose a lot of the features which to me is the whole point of Vcontrol. ESC integration battery finder etc. and the biggest one is being able to have all of your models are done in the FBL and not the actual radio so you can use any Vcontrol radio and fly your helicopter.
Oops! you f'n forgot your radio at home and you drove all that distance and now you can't FLY!!!! VControl users ....hey man lemme borrow your VControl when you're not flying,wow what a concept! Also VControl has automatic "Model Match" so you never have to scroll for the correct model,plus you can't turn off the VControl first before unplugging your Vbar first...wow! what a concept! a safety feature!
@@westhobbiesrc8051 it would be interesting to watch a video on binding to another radio if I forgot mine at home, would it work with a vcontrol classic ? so the parameters of esc and flybarless don´t change for binding to an old vbar control not touch
Making one comparison with vbar control and one of the frsky with ethos. Brain integration with ethos is very impressive.
You should do same thing with Jeti radio!!!
Really glad you mentioned the USB cable for the Ikon2. I just got one and didn't even think about it requiring a specific cable. Do you happen to know what kind of USB cable to use for IKon? What should I look for?
I tried a NX8 couple months ago but soon returned it due to OS and feeling in hand, I think if I wanted a VBar/Control style setup I'd just go Futaba 16IZ + 760R, or if didn't mind extra work Rotorflight + EdgeTX based radio
The NX Series radios are absolute crap. In my opinion they feel terrible. They look terrible, and they are over priced. Vcontrol can do more than any other radio/FBL on the market. There is so many different features that no other system offers.
Mikado announced the "VBar Evo Max" at Rotor Live 2024 which should have a dedicated power plug!
I did see that! But the only issue I see is the size. It’s basically two EVO side by side so it’s a big FBL Unit. It will be nice on big scale and or speed helis. I’ll be getting one.
Great content. I give cyclic to vbar and tail to ikon
Thank you! Have you tired the Vbar EVO FBL yet? The tail performance on that is insane!
Well im on Radiomaster, flying microbeast with a spectrum xrsl2. I want a Vbar for my next radio. I know they are made in Germany but the pricing is super high and no one has stock of the radio in our country.
I can promise you, you will love the upgrade to V control. Yes they are more expensive than others but it is a small company with very few people actually working there and everything manufactured in Germany not sold out to China like every other system.
Spektrum is stuck in the past with their software, integrations, and telemetry features, the same values on different screens, with no way to permanently disable them to avoid duplicates, integration with brain is just useless, they added that feature years ago, but never revised to make it user friendly, releasing fancy transmitters with powerful CPU's, fancy screens, wifi etc but minimal updates in important software things. No logs, no cloud it's just a transmitter as it was 10 years ago. Vbar control is just day and night in everything. One of the advantages of Spektrum - is that you can choose a transmitter for your budget. All mentioned by me about Spektrum is valid for helicopters and based on my experience, and might differ for other model types due to different expectations. Thanks for the video.
The IX series transmitters have definitely take spektrum to the next level but their biggest problem in my opinion is they are catered more towards the airplane side not really the helicopter side so we just rely on the integration that the FBLs will give us. They also are made to be by themselves to work the best with all the integration and telemetry. Meaning using a Smart, ESC, Spektrum FBL and etc.. I do think that Vcontrol is far more advanced and better for helicopters.
@@westhobbiesrc8051 maybe it's brain/ikon fault that they made such a bad API to set up fbl, so the Spektrum team is unable to create a more user-friendly UI, don't know. Anyway, I asked Andy from Spektrum RC about 2-3 years ago if it is possible to remove duplicated params from telemetry screens and add a timer feature like in Vbar control to tell battery usage percentage alerts in flight, but time passed and nothing has changed. Duplicated screens still exist, some parameters are impossible to remove, no advanced alerts, fbl integration is the same.
Vcontrol integration is perfect and practical, but as a radio it should be more flexible by being able to use another FBL even with no integration. Sometimes you buy an used heli and the vbar neo/evo costs more then the entire heli, specially here in Brazil.
I've been using Ikon 2 with Frsky x20s and totally satisfied with the integration and esc telemetry from hobbywing, everything works very easily and cost 1/5 of a mikado complete system. Also find the ethos integration with ikon via luascript more user frendly then the spektrum ix14, theres no need to use control sticks to navigate the menu.
Technically speaking, you can use other FPL systems with a VSAT and still use a Vcontrol. But personally, I don’t see why you would want to. To me the whole point of the Vcontrol/Vbar is the integration and set up straight from the transmitter which as of right now there is no other system out there that does it. I had an X 20 S it is a very nice radio. I never got the integration to work properly. This was a while back. But as far as simplicity goes, it’s definitely more involved, but a good option as well. It’s really whatever makes the user happy and brings simplicity.
@@westhobbiesrc8051 very nice to know that can use another units with vcontrol, i will search more about it. About the integration between x20s and ikon, now works so much good, with all components updated... i had problems with fbus protocol last year, discovered it was a bug in ikon firmware, but switched to inverted fport and all works sweet
Just bought my Vbar Evo a Month ago and im very happy with it. Still thinking about to get a Spektrum aswell for my Plane models.
It’s a fantastic system! You can get a neo RX they make 7ch and 9ch and use them in planes with Vcontrol. The software is Vplane.
Would be great to see the Spirit fbl added to this. I know the Spirit radio is not out yet, but even so it would be good to know how the fbl stacks up
Spirit is my second favorite behind cgy 760
nice one thanks. i really want a vbar control but im still not sure if the price is worth it. the newest dji fpv goggles dont cost that much 😂😂 of course you can say its made in germany but still only have 2 years warrant. hard decision. thanks for the content
Thank you! I always appreciate it. Yes, Vbar is expensive but well worth it. You can find Vcontorl touch used for good prices. I always thought they were over priced but after buying and flying them I see the money now. There warranty is two years but they great with it even after. They will fix anything that goes wrong and most of the time not charge (unless it’s something you do)
@@westhobbiesrc8051 hmm i think you got me 🤣 appreciate the input :)
A day to late! I just bought a NX8 to replace my old DX 6
It’s definitely an upgrade from a DX6!
I would love to hear your thoughts on Spirit FBL's
I’ve got one I’m setting up now! So I’ll let you know soon!
The Mikado interface looks like and sounds like it's from the windows millenium era.
I agree! It’s definitely older, but it works so good lol
Ooops!!!! But you can update the multiple sounds for the interface to your liking!
Another important thing people need to know about vbar Neo is if you plug power into the wrong plug you can fry the circuit board! 😢😢😢not sure if they fixed that in the evo or not? Also not sure if ikon2 has this same flaw.
Hmmm! What do you mean? Power into any open servo port? I’ve personally not seen that happen unless it’s reversed polarity but definitely interesting. I’ll have to look into that.
If you plug power into the sensor port or where you plug in the sats on the side it will fry the unit I personally don’t know why anyone would plug power there but they have and it’s not good
Can you use a Vbar for plates too ? Or is it heli specific
Yes you can! It’s called Vplane. Are you by the neo RX. They make 7ch and 9ch. and you can tie as many of them together and have up to 80 channels. I’m going to get a few and do some testing in planes. Cheaper than spektrum RX too!
When are you going to do that tuning video and data reading on the ikon?
The iKon tuning video will be out next Monday!
I'll be looking forward to it.
I maiden my new Tron a couple days ago. Only issue I've found is a slight wobble from the rotor head on idle 2.
I used the supplied double sided tape to mount the iKon2. I'm going to change it out with the 3M tape I've been using for years, with no issues. I tried lowering cyclic gain, it helped but a slight wobble is still there. Thanks to your helpful videos, I'm getting telemetry from my Hobbywing esc. Love that.
@@drummerdeacan awesome! I’ll be building a Tron very soon! Can’t wait to build and fly one. I’ve only ever used the supplied double sided tape and never had any issue but every brand/mount system is different. On your wobble is back/forth or side to side? It could be because the head is tight but normally the higher the head speed the less it wobbles. I would go into advanced menus and adjust the gain for either elevator or aileron. I’m going over all that in the iKon Tuning video.
It would be interesting to see ikon with a vbar satellite
Hmmm! That’s a idea!
I have the Ikons and my IX12 is basically dead
Futaba gyro 755 or 760 are there also
I’ve heard they fly good! Never flown or messed with them.
So I fly the Futaba 16IZ . With ikon2 and a ZTW ESc . The futaba CGY 760 is the same as the VBar setup . The guys few guys at my field fly CGY and everything can be setup from the radio. From what they tell me . But Jeff another great Video .
@@stevealoia Oops!!!! ....But.... the Vcontrol is sooooo "User friendly" as compared to a Futaba and flies just as well as the Futaba 760!! Futaba is a great system but there are too many sub menu's that you have to navigate through in order to fine tune your heli to your liking,whereas the Vcontrol and Vbar are easily accessible/navigation through menu's,again made for user friendly in mind!
@@maxmalinao1430 that is very true about the Vcontrol . The guys were I fly most of them have the VBar . And what I found out that you can use another radio if you forgot yours. I been a fan of Futaba for a long time .
I just got back into flying after a15 year break.
Vcontrol was a bit out of my price range. It would be nice to see futaba to update the radio systems .
Jeff I’m just getting into flying bigger then 200 size . Just jumped up to building a raw 420 . You think the v bar is worth the investment . Coming from dx9 and looking for simple setup . But I’ve never fully set a he he helicopter up . I’ve programmed and tuned a ton of drones . Just trying to see if it’s worth going v bar since I’m looking into a new radio as well .
Definitely! Vbar is super simple, easy and user friendly. Everything is done right from the radio! You can even setup your ESC from radio. The helicopter flys great and the radio feels great in your hands. I flew a DX9 for many years. Since they came out. I had a hard time liking any other radio even spektrum because of how good the DX9 felt in my hands. If you want to stay spektrum then hands down the IX14 and ikon but it’s more involved then Vbar. There is a ton of of great features in Vbar that no other system offers.
@@westhobbiesrc8051 thanks brother ! I’ve flown spektrum for about 18 years . Just looking to try something different . Since they aren’t making anything in a forward movement . But that’s just me . But the ix14 has had my eye but the vbar seems better then carry a laptop with you .
Why did not you use a Spektrum FC6250HX instead of the Icon when comparing to VBar?
Because I’m not personally a fan of the 6250 I’ve had, and witnessed too many issues with them
I'll answer...cause the Spektrum FC6250HX flies like...."SHIT"!!!! I've seen it for myself from others who have owned them.Guys with many years flying heli's know this....there's no comparison!But if you're still in the beginner stages,hovering,circuits,inverted hovering you're not going to really notice the difference.I've actually tried to help others with their Spektrum and the one thing that was a common problem was their tail using the Spektrum,all of their tails would wag no matter what tail servo they used!Finally one of the Spektrum users switched over to the Vbar using the same tail servo,cyclic servos and ..........presto chango!!! the tail problem was solved! and it was a lot more user friendly for him to set up using the Vbar system,he couldn't believe how easy it was!
Ei Jeff, when you'll be testing a rotorflight fbl? I've just flown mine yesterday and it was great
Which unit did you get ? I heard it works well
@@Mrh168 Got a Flydragon f722 v2 with RF 2 RC1 firmware with frsky FPort... all worked very nice just need more tunning on tail pids.
I’ve been thinking about it the last few weeks. I need to order one and do some videos on it! I’ve heard a lot of people like it. What radio are you flying it with?
@@westhobbiesrc8051 X20s with a archer rs receiver, tried the ELRS built in receiver from the f722 but didn't work well with the telemetry sensors, even overridind all crossfire sensors on RF, they wer not recognized correctly on ethos, i believe that edge tx may work better with the telemery... besides that, integration works fine, and with a frsky receiver telemetry worked very nice
@@Mrh168 got the flydragon f722 v2, using with a frsky archer rs receiver
All the VBar stuff is too expensive..I will stick with Spektrum,Ikon and my laptop.😊
Spektrum is nice but mostly I use my Taranis X7- a computer radio that will do anything you want
@@skypilot23 I have a RadioMaster TX16 but it's just too much trouble setting things up and went and bought a Spektrum NX8 and much easier and faster to set my helis and airplanes..all my stuff except for my OMP M1 is on my Spekrtrum.
@@user-mb4wh2xf5cI got the nx 6 and the nx 8 and the ix 12 love the ix 12, I have a radiomaster tx16s,I just need to figure out how to set it up,I like the radio but I don’t have a clue how to set it up.
They charge the price of a decent laptop just for the v control, I fly a vbar neo with a dx6 set up on pc it’s a compromise
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that! I flew the same set up with spektrum and iKon for 15 years.
J'ai installé le logiciel brain dans ma IX14 et avec un module bluetooth cela est plus conviviale pour modifier sur le terrain, mais pour l'ESC hobbywing le logiciel HW LINK V2 ne fonctionne pas sur la IX14 (c'est un problème de localisation) si quelqu'un a une solution merci d'avance !!
I’ve heard that works really good if you have a Bluetooth unit. I need to try it. Hmm! I’m not sure on the Hobbywing. I’ve never messed with the Bluetooth module.
did you give up on the edgetx completely?!
Yes, I had three crashes on three different helicopters from my TX16S and Radio loss. I no longer trusted him radio and never used it again. If I get any other radio it will be a Frsky X20S.
isn't that because you are using spectrum receivers that are known for their signal losses?
@@jwdrone512 been flying spektrum since the came out and never had any signal loss. I have had issues with the fake spektrum RXs but never with genuine receivers.
@westhobbiesrc8051 haha.. I use my radiomaster for over 3 years now with a variety of receivers (not spektrum) and also never had an issue.
@@westhobbiesrc8051thank you for replying! i actually bought the tx16s max mk2 after watching your videos and i love it so much, but i understand that feeling
why dont you guys use ELRS?
A lot of guys do. It’s just a lot more involved in setup and not the same feature of packed system.
sorry not a radiomaster user, what does mean ELRS¨? what features does it have?
@@RotoRCol its an open source thing not just radiomaster. based of crossfire protocol. can do ridiculous ranges on 25mw
@@highwaltage how much output transmission power normal radios do? Like futaba, spektrum or vbar
@@RotoRCol no idea. got sick of failsafes with dsmx sats. elrs rx's are tiny and i prefer to use the surface mount ceramic antenna, ie no external anternna wires. also i use wifi and my phone to setup new rx's with binding phrase and flash new firmware versions.
i think by the next few years all of these expensive radios will be toast and radiomaster will have taken over....i personally cannot wait to get rid of my futaba as i am now currently on radiomaster and am still needing to program old models on radiomaster so my futaba tx still lives...and now with their new radiomaster nexus flybarless controllers and cheap RP3-H recievers its a no brainer.
I wouldn’t go that far. Radio master is good and fun for small stuff but I would never put it in anything expensive. I could be wrong but going by experience with my TX16S crashing three different heli and breaking two different gimbal springs I lost all trust in them. I’ve got a Nexus FBL on the way to try but I won’t put it in anything over a 450. Price as a lot to do with electronics and quality of build and components used. That’s why more expensive radios feel better and have better chips and such in them. You could not pay me to use a Futaba anything.
FC6250HX all day long with a Spektrum.
I’ve use the 6250 and personally not impressed with it. It definitely works but not the best.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@westhobbiesrc8051 My Kraken 580, Buddy 380, and Oxy 3 TE are rock steady. I have no issues with any of mine. Open Stock v5.6 NXT Beta 3 firmware released December 2023.
Can't buy a iKon2 HD Bluetooth even if you wanted to. No one including Brain makes them anymore. Can't even get the Bluetooth dongle either.
I’ve seen that. I’m not sure what’s going on. I hope MSH continues to make them.
Neither! TX16s and Rotorflight!
Can’t comment on rotor flight but I can in the TX16S. Nice radio but not the easiest to setup.
i have a boxer for fpv flying and for drones its easy. but i tried to set up omp m1 and m2 and its a pain😂😂 maybe im just to dumb for that stuff lol😂
@@turionb1408 it’s extremely difficult to setup for helis. I know once you learn it it’s easy but man! It’s not the easiest to learn.
Bro alles Teuer.
So many missed vbar control features in this video.
There is, that’s what other Vbar videos I made are for.
@@westhobbiesrc8051 I would argue that that is what comparison videos are for. ;)
Sorry but this is comparing apples and oranges.