Which FPV Radio Should You Buy? A Budget Breakdown
Which FPV radio should you buy?
There's a radio in this hobby for every budget. I've broken it down into four categories, so you can find the one that fits how you fly and what you've got to spend. Ive also flown justabout every FPV radio that has existed over the last 10+ years.
Before you spend anything
If you already own a radio that works, have a proper look at it first. Is everything still good there? Can it do everything you want it to do? If the answer's yes, don't go and buy a new one.
If it can't do what you want, upgrade and enjoy. If it can, put the money into batteries and get more flights in. It's not about having the best gear, it's about having the best time.
The four categories
Best budget: RadioMaster Pocket. Around $65. Starting out, or you want one radio that lives in your bag and you dont have to worry about. It just works
Best all-round: RadioMaster TX15. Around $140 for the base version. Most people. This is the one that does everything.
High end: RadioMaster GX15 Max. Fixed wing, Gemini, or you're buying one good radio for the long haul.
Gamepad style: TBS Tango 2 or Flysky PA01. If a controller shape is what your hands want.
RadioMaster Pocket
Small, ELRS, folding antenna, and properly hard to kill. Mine has been dropped more times than I can count. Two latching switches, which is something no other RadioMaster radio gives you. The screen is small, but it does everything a drone pilot needs, and it works well on the sim. Just an awesome radio, and a reason it's the most popular.
The stock gimbals are ordinary. You can drop CNC gimbals in later for not a lot. Power output is modest and still more than 99 percent of pilots will ever ask for.
Pinchers with big hands can find it cramped. https://www.diyfpv.com/catalog/radiomaster-pocket-crush-radio-controller
RadioMaster TX15
This is the base version, not the max version.
The base gets the big colour touchscreen, bright enough to read in full glare with sunglasses on. It gets a folding antenna, which I'm glad about after years of screw-on ones snapping off. If you have bigger hands it's great, and if you ever want to fly fixed wing you've got lots of room to grow. It can output more power than the Pocket, so long range really starts to open up. It can also do dual band, 2.4 and the low 900MHz band.(not at the same time though)
The stock gimbals are genuinely fine. The AG02s are luxury. If I was going top end though, I'd get the radio below. https://www.diyfpv.com/catalog/radiomaster-tx15-radio-transmitter-elrs-2-4ghz
RadioMaster GX15 Max
The best radio I've got, and I've switched to it.
The antenna is built inside the body, so there's nothing to snap off in a backpack. The shell is has leather vs just plastic/rubber. so it doesn't turn into a hotplate in the sun the way some high-end radios do. AG02 gimbals, Gemini built in, big bright touchscreen. Gemini means you can have two radio links to your craft.
The thing I keep coming back to is the shape. It's a big chunky radio and it has no business fitting this well. It also has what I think is the perfect size screen at the top. Not tiny like the pocket but also not as big as on the tx15.
All those extra switches on the back are surplus for freestyle and exactly what a wing pilot wants. BUT they'll also snap if you drop it, so it's less forgiving than the smaller radios. And there's still no latching switch where I want one.
It's the priciest RadioMaster option too. And just because something is more $$ doesnt mean more fun. I would have just as much fun with a cheaper radio. This is just a nice luxury I am lucky enough to have.
Would I have spent my own money on it, when I already have radios that fly perfectly well? Probably not. But if I had to buy a radio and I had none already, I'd get this.
https://www.diyfpv.com/catalog/radiomaster-gx15-max-radio-controller-elrs-m2
TBS Tango 2 and Flysky PA01
Some people just want a controller in their hands.
The Tango 2 is compact, simple, two latching switches, small screen, built-in battery. One thing to know before you buy: it's Crossfire, not ELRS. Everything else here is ELRS, so you're choosing an ecosystem, not just a radio. It's been around a long time. It's on 900MHz so it's really good for long range, and it's built like a tank.
The Flysky PA01 is the other one worth a look if the gamepad shape suits you. It feels great in the hand, it's on ELRS, and it looks pretty fancy with all the LEDs. It even has a mounting and charging stand, though that's sold separatelyand I have not tested it.
https://www.diyfpv.com/catalog/tbs-tango-2-crossfire-rc-transmitter
https://www.diyfpv.com/catalog/flysky-pa01-elrs-flysky-radio-controller
How you hold it
If you fly with thumbs, almost nothing is off the table. I fly with thumbs, so gamepad style and smaller radios like the Pocket are no issue for me, and neither are the big ones.
Pinching is the one that narrows it down, especially if you've got big hands. Switches sit closer to your fingers on some radios and you can knock one without meaning to. Just be mindful of how you're going to be flying, and if you can, hold one before you buy.
Important notes
Switches you can find without looking. Latching switches are worth more than another row of dials, and companies keep giving us momentary ones instead. I JUST WANT THE SWITCHES LIKE ON THE TOP OF THE POCKET ALREADY.
Whether it survives your life. Built-in and folding antennas beat screw-on ones. Are you going to be dropping it in your bag, or putting it away in its case each time you go flying?
And most importantly, does it do something your old radio can't. Is that difference worth the cost?
The best bit about all of these is that they're all great. Not a single one is bad and I'd be happy with any of them. So get the one that suits how you fly, not the one with the longest feature list.
Happy flying, Stew
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