Post by Brain on Jul 24, 2020 5:50:15 GMT
In this brief article, we will look at the FrSky Taranis QX7 Review. We shall see what its pros & cons are, its specifications and features, and finally decide to see if it is indeed a great value purchase in 2020.
Impressions
At first glance, the QX7 is unlike any other radio in the market. With a bold edgy look and a broader profile, this radio definitely sets itself apart from the crowd. This has new design feels more firm in the hand (partially due to the rubbery grip for resting your fingers on the back of the radio) and is more suited for ‘thumb-ers’ than ‘pinch-ers’
The switches on the radio are positioned in an okay manner. The two switches at the back might interfere with your hand position while you are holding the radio. Quality isn’t too bad either. It gets the job done fairly well.
The scroll wheel is a much better execution than the switches in X9D and other radios. The display is also sufficiently large enough to read well
Coming to the Gimbals, they are of decent quality. They have the standard throw rate and is good for all types of users but mainly suited for thumbers because of the edgy ergonomics of the radio; for pinchers, it might be hard to reach the corners of the sticks.
The Back
The back of the radio has a battery compartment (with a tray that holds 6x AA batteries that aren’t shown in the above picture) along with the JR module bay that holds your external modules such as the FrSky R9M radio or 4in1 Multiprotocol module or even the TBS CrossFire (which needs some modifications to the radio to make it work correctly)
The Bottom
The bottom of the radio has the SD card slot, Mini USB for connecting to your PC and SmartPort connector to update your receivers and such.
The Insides
The insides of the radio are also neatly built. The connecting wires are all silicon wires (except the daughterboard connector). All the wiring is neatly tucked with holders in place. Soldering jobs on the switches are covered with individual heat shrink that protects it from short circuits.
You can also see the tiny vibration motor on the bottom right part.
At the top, you can see the RF board with ACCST firmware capability and two 3.5mm jacks - one for connecting to an external speaker or earphone and the other for trainer port or ‘buddy-boxing’. One unfortunate pointer is that on some models, the 2.4G antenna is directly soldered onto the RF board. This is usually not an issue for most people, but in case you need to change out the antenna, you will need to solder it directly onto the board.
The good thing about the internal RF module is that it is the same XJT compatible module that is found in the X9D radio, therefore you would get the same range as the X9D.
Specifications
16CH output up to 32CH
Operating Voltage Range: 6~15V (2S, 3S Lipos are acceptable)
Operating Current: 210mA maximum (both RF module and backlit are on)
Operating Temperature: -10~60℃
Backlight LCD Screen: 128×64 outdoor readable LCD
Model Memories: 60 (extendable by SD card)
Compatibility: FrSky X series, (D series and V8-II series receivers if running D8 mode plus other receivers if an external module is used)
Mode 2 by default
Features
Quad Ball Bearing Gimbals
Receiver Match
Audio Speech Outputs (values, alarms, settings, etc.)
Real-time Flight Data Logging
Receiver Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) Alerts
Super Low Latency
Vibration Alerts
Model files are compatible with TARANIS X9D/X9D Plus/X9E.
Open source firmware OpenTX installed.
Pros & Cons
Pros
A cheaper alternative to Taranis X9D
Internal XJT module is same as X9D which gives you the same range as well
Can be switched between Mode 2 and Mode 1 easily
Lighter and smaller as compared to most other radios
Good build quality
Bold and edgy new design
The antenna can be replaced in some models
An improved speaker compared to the X9D
Much more user-friendly menu navigation buttons and scrolling wheel
Rubber grip
Comes with cheaper quad bearing gimbals instead of hall-effect gimbals
The LCD screen is of low resolutions and smaller. Only one backlight colour that cannot be changed
The battery cover is a bit flimsy and difficult to remove, especially when you have 18650 cells inserted
The Mini USB is outdated and the location (bottom mounted) is not that great
No battery charging facility
Cons
In this FrSky Taranis QX7 Review, we have checked out the initial impressions of the radio, its features, and pros & cons. This radio is great for pilots on a budget and is still available in a lot of stores as such HorusRC. But with the new QX7S with ACCESS firmware, it would be best to get that instead of the legacy QX7 radio as ACCESS brings forth a lot of new features and also because FrSky has stopped development for ACCST firmware.
www.horusrc.com/
Impressions
At first glance, the QX7 is unlike any other radio in the market. With a bold edgy look and a broader profile, this radio definitely sets itself apart from the crowd. This has new design feels more firm in the hand (partially due to the rubbery grip for resting your fingers on the back of the radio) and is more suited for ‘thumb-ers’ than ‘pinch-ers’
The switches on the radio are positioned in an okay manner. The two switches at the back might interfere with your hand position while you are holding the radio. Quality isn’t too bad either. It gets the job done fairly well.
The scroll wheel is a much better execution than the switches in X9D and other radios. The display is also sufficiently large enough to read well
Coming to the Gimbals, they are of decent quality. They have the standard throw rate and is good for all types of users but mainly suited for thumbers because of the edgy ergonomics of the radio; for pinchers, it might be hard to reach the corners of the sticks.
The Back
The back of the radio has a battery compartment (with a tray that holds 6x AA batteries that aren’t shown in the above picture) along with the JR module bay that holds your external modules such as the FrSky R9M radio or 4in1 Multiprotocol module or even the TBS CrossFire (which needs some modifications to the radio to make it work correctly)
The Bottom
The bottom of the radio has the SD card slot, Mini USB for connecting to your PC and SmartPort connector to update your receivers and such.
The Insides
The insides of the radio are also neatly built. The connecting wires are all silicon wires (except the daughterboard connector). All the wiring is neatly tucked with holders in place. Soldering jobs on the switches are covered with individual heat shrink that protects it from short circuits.
You can also see the tiny vibration motor on the bottom right part.
At the top, you can see the RF board with ACCST firmware capability and two 3.5mm jacks - one for connecting to an external speaker or earphone and the other for trainer port or ‘buddy-boxing’. One unfortunate pointer is that on some models, the 2.4G antenna is directly soldered onto the RF board. This is usually not an issue for most people, but in case you need to change out the antenna, you will need to solder it directly onto the board.
The good thing about the internal RF module is that it is the same XJT compatible module that is found in the X9D radio, therefore you would get the same range as the X9D.
Specifications
16CH output up to 32CH
Operating Voltage Range: 6~15V (2S, 3S Lipos are acceptable)
Operating Current: 210mA maximum (both RF module and backlit are on)
Operating Temperature: -10~60℃
Backlight LCD Screen: 128×64 outdoor readable LCD
Model Memories: 60 (extendable by SD card)
Compatibility: FrSky X series, (D series and V8-II series receivers if running D8 mode plus other receivers if an external module is used)
Mode 2 by default
Features
Quad Ball Bearing Gimbals
Receiver Match
Audio Speech Outputs (values, alarms, settings, etc.)
Real-time Flight Data Logging
Receiver Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) Alerts
Super Low Latency
Vibration Alerts
Model files are compatible with TARANIS X9D/X9D Plus/X9E.
Open source firmware OpenTX installed.
Pros & Cons
Pros
A cheaper alternative to Taranis X9D
Internal XJT module is same as X9D which gives you the same range as well
Can be switched between Mode 2 and Mode 1 easily
Lighter and smaller as compared to most other radios
Good build quality
Bold and edgy new design
The antenna can be replaced in some models
An improved speaker compared to the X9D
Much more user-friendly menu navigation buttons and scrolling wheel
Rubber grip
Comes with cheaper quad bearing gimbals instead of hall-effect gimbals
The LCD screen is of low resolutions and smaller. Only one backlight colour that cannot be changed
The battery cover is a bit flimsy and difficult to remove, especially when you have 18650 cells inserted
The Mini USB is outdated and the location (bottom mounted) is not that great
No battery charging facility
Cons
In this FrSky Taranis QX7 Review, we have checked out the initial impressions of the radio, its features, and pros & cons. This radio is great for pilots on a budget and is still available in a lot of stores as such HorusRC. But with the new QX7S with ACCESS firmware, it would be best to get that instead of the legacy QX7 radio as ACCESS brings forth a lot of new features and also because FrSky has stopped development for ACCST firmware.
www.horusrc.com/