When an RC is being operated, the only piece of equipment that is physically being touched is the radio. For this reason, this is a very important category. There’s a lot to think about when purchasing a radio; number of channels, how many models can it support, does it come with receivers? When picking a radio, do your research, starting right here. These are our top picks for radios, organized by budget.

Economy Gifts

FlySky GT2 ($20) – The FlySky GT2 is a budget friendly 2.4 Ghz radio. It requires 8 AA batteries, and has trim adjustments for throttle and steering. It also has dual rate adjustment for steering. When the batteries run low, it’ll let you know with LED lights. This is an extremely entry level radio, but it will certainly me enough to get you going to get a kit up and running on the cheap.

Spektrum DX2E  ($60) – The Spektrum™ DX2E transmitter is the perfect choice for sport-level car, truck and boat drivers. Everything you need to bash around your backyard or local track. Proven performance, reliability and range from the Spektrum brand make the DX2E transmitter great for someone looking to get involved in RC surface or a great grab-and-go transmitter for the expert. This would be a good upgrade for a RTR that came with an AM radio.

Middle-of-the-Road Gifts

Futaba 4PLS ($250) – Built on the success of the 4PL, the 4PLS adds the ability to read and display four critical racing data as you drive. You can also record them for later reference. Telemetry is the biggest racing advantage the 4PLS offers. Others include user updatable software, 40-model memory, and more — all at the same affordable price as the original 4PL!

Airtronics MT4 ($250) – The Airtronics MT-4  radio control system provides telemetry, industry leading latency, SSR (narrow pulse-width, super fast servo response) compatibility and 4 channels with advanced programming, all in one ultra-lightweight, comfortable case. It’s a great choice for racers, bashers, and crawlers alike with it’s feature list.

Bottomless Budget Gifts

Hitec Aurora 9X ($429.99) – In todays world of extremely expensive Transmitters the Hitec Aurora 9 is a fantastic alternative. This radio has all of the functionality of the more expensive radios at near half the price! A touch screen interface is the highlight of this option packed transmitter. Programing is a breeze with large very intuitive menus and buttons. You can be up and running very quickly with your Hitec Aurora 9X, and have all of the features you will ever need in a 9 channel radio!

Airtronics M12 ($480) – Used by top tier drivers like Ryan Maifield and Ty Tessman, this radio is one of the best offerings in the industry. The M12 is newly-equipped with a 4x higher spec CPU compared to the industry-leading M11X. One cool thing about this top shelf radio is that it offers telemetry.

Futaba 4PKS-R ($549) – Futaba’s top tier offering is no slouch of a radio. It has a 40-model memory, super FASST operation, and is one of the best feeling radios in your hand. The feature list is quite impressive. If you are a Futaba guy and looking to upgrade from an older model, this is probably the next upgrade you’ll want to make.

KO Propo KIY ($550) – The KO PROPO Kustomize It Yourself (K.I.Y.) is an interchangeable transmitter that brings simplicity to customizing and upgrading within a modular system. The transmitter is composed of 3 modular units: Steering, Throttle and Master units. The three separate modular units can be easily put together, no screws required. Just push the safety lock of the joint, pull the lever and pull or push to insert or remove the modular unit. It’ s that simple! You can use the K.I.Y. to unlock your next system and bring more enjoyment to your hobby.

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