Which RC Car Transmitter Should I Buy

Once you have decided which car your going to buy, (click here. for that guide) It's time to decide which transmitter a.k.a remote you need. There are two types to choose from, the standard stick transmitter or a pistol grip transmitter, the pistol grip is the best for cars, although a lot of people can use the stick transmitters to amazing effect, and you can always use the sticks to fly a radio control helicopter or even radio controlled boats

What are channels and how many do I need?

A channel is a line of communication from your transmitter to the receiver in your remote control toy. It allows for one range of motion, most radio controlled cars use 2 channels, one for acceleration and brake, and one for left and right. A third one could be used to turn your lights on and off for example. the 1 in 8 size cars use two channels for brakes, one for the front and one for the back brakes, you can even set the brake balance. radio controlled helicopters and radio controlled planes normally use three to four channels, for roll, yaw and pitch (a forth can be used to set off their smoke). If your going to get an RC car then you'll need at least 2 channels on your transmitter.

Will someone else be able to use their control to take over my car?

This is considered very bad form, when ever you arrive at an event or a meeting where other people are using remote control toys, before you switch on you equipment you need to make sure no one is on your frequency. If you don't and there is a clash the car will glitch or even worse it'll go full throttle in what ever direction it was last pointing. This can be very bad, not only are RC cars very expensive they also weight between 1.5 and kg's, and when you lose control they can do a lot of damage to someone's property or person. There are some failsafe devices available to prevent run-aways.

Frequencies

Frequencies are controlled by crystals, if you pull the crystal out of your transmitter you will see a number written on it, something like 27.995 or 40.552, as long as no one is using your frequency you should have a problem free day, somethings do cause glitching, I have noticed near cell phone towers and power cables there are problems, but normally this just makes the car turn erratically for a few seconds, but it can be much worse.

A set of 72.910 crystals

Spectrum

Spectrum is the latest technology in transmitters, when you use a spectrum system you channel is block from interference, not only that but the transmitter hops frequencies about 5 times a second, so even if your channel does become compromised it'll only be for a fifth of a second. These transmitters cost a lot more than the standard crystal remotes, for beginners the crystal remotes will be perfect, for the addict well.. ;)

What is the range of a radio control transmitter?

I started out with some very simple transmitters, nothing compared to even the basic units that come with RTR kits today, and even back then by the time you start to have range problems you can't really see which direction your car is pointing, so it doesn't really matter because it'll be far enough.