3pv futaba

[john v]

Thinking about buying a new radio, saw the 3pv.
Anybody using this for boats?

 

[Wally Duarte]

John , it’s on the low end and not very user friendly - maybe go with the 3pm as I have and it’s been great

 

[john v]

I believe that the 3pm is obsolete, I currently have the 3pm with the 603fs receivers, looking to eventually upgrade

 

[Wally Duarte]

Correction - I meant 4pm

https://www.amazon.com/Futaba-Syste...mzn1.fos.c3015c4a-46bb-44b9-81a4-dc28e6d374b3

 

[john v]

Will have to check it out, thank you

 

[Jeff Barnes]

4px is the way to go there are still a lot of them out there

 

[Daniel's Racing]

3PV has no steering speed. One of the last features you would want to give up in a modern radio.

Pretty much worthless for a marine radio. Most boats are going to require the steering speed be reduced to drive smoothly. Surely would not want to own a radio without it.

 

[Grimracer]

I do know a few racers that use the 3PV. ZERO issues.. not as feature rich as higher end systems but dependable none the less.

 

[Martin Law]

I agree with the Mike's statement and respectively disagree with some of the statements made here about the 3PV radios. I have 2 of them and they work perfect for the price point. Not everyone can afford a $500+ radio. Most don't use a fraction of the features on those high end radios anyway. The steering rate CAN be adjusted and the ease of use is like any radio, it takes getting used to it. I can make any adjustment in seconds. The telematics feature in this radio works great also. I have no issues what so ever with mine.

Marty

 

[Daniel's Racing]

Yea if your for looking a cheap radio surely the radio link itself is solid.

I do not own one. If the dual rate does the same thing I did not realize. Futaba usually refers to the setting we use as steering speed. Rates would be reducing your travel. That is not the way to be slowing down the steering. Oh it will work alright to make it easier to drive similar to steering speed because in effect it slows down the speed alright but now you have nothing left in travel to make a sharp turn if needed.


Analogue servos and Nicads are fine for some people too. We know and get that but some one may not need modern conveniences and can get used to anything if it saves money especially.

Not a feature I would want to do without. Most people I know use that feature on every model.

Dual rate is just what I thought. Not steering speed. It reduces the total travel which would not be the same at all. Not many willing to give up steering speed. Dual rate makes it easier to drive by taking away throw and reducing your endpoints. Yea every decent radio has that as well but it is not steering speed.

 

[Grimracer]

Dual Rate is an adjustment that allows TWO defection settings during operation. Endpoint Adjustment (EPA) is an electronic end stop to the deflection.

Daniel is correct.. Servo speed is neither of those. Higher end systems do allow servo speed adjustments.

BUT

One can also adjust servo speed IF
One has an Sbus 2 servo
CIU-2 or CIU-3
and a laptop

Not common but it can be done.. works with ANY radio..



Grim

 

[Martin Law]

There is nothing "cheap" about the 3PV it is a quality and reliable product.
The feature that controls steering speed is called EXP. This takes the steering wheel input from a lineal movement and alters it to slow down or speed up servo speed exponentially depending on the desired setting. This is what I use to control steering servo speed achieving smooth cornering with no issues.

Thanks for the servo tip Mike!

Marty

 

[LibertyFrancis]

One thing that is nice about the 3PV is that it is light as a feather.
If you have fatigue after holding a radio up for a while that light weight can be a nice perk.

I found the trigger to be small. If you have sausage fingers you might want to watch out for this...

 

[Daniel's Racing]

There is nothing "cheap" about the 3PV it is a quality and reliable product.
The feature that controls steering speed is called EXP. This takes the steering wheel input from a lineal movement and alters it to slow down or speed up servo speed exponentially depending on the desired setting. This is what I use to control steering servo speed achieving smooth cornering with no issues.

Thanks for the servo tip Mike!

Marty

Very familiar with expotential. I do not like the feel of any exponential at all one way or the other in the steering. Experimented with that so many times. End up turning that worthless setting right back off. Weird having steering speed change as it travels.

Still not steering speed as it makes your steering speed change continuously throughout the travel. You can make it slow at the end or slow at the beginning. Slow at the beginning is kinda nice but to get that means the rest is going to get way too fast as you get near your end points which makes for a horrible setup for a boat IMO. The starting fast and slowing at the end doesn't help because around mid travel centered is where you really need it most so to get that you have to live with mega speed as it travels toward the endpoint.

I would not mind a slight slow down with the exponential if my steering was already turned down really slow but surely would never be able to deal with using as the only way to get the servo slowed down at all. It needs to be slowed end to end yea then maybe a hair bit of exponential could work. I guess I should not have called it worthless setting as it is a tuning aid as well. Just worthless as a way to slow down total travel because it can't and doesn't do that. Using it to slow down your servo speed it counter productive when you have to deal with it catching up before the end of the travel to mega speed. That wouldn't be good.

Of course using it using it helps as it is all you have on that radio and surely everyone needs it slower around center so there you go. But paying for it in rest of the travel not so good.

I absolutely prefer 100% linear steering. Linear slowed down steering on turn speed to at least 50% slowed down. Return I may turn down a bit too like maybe 90% speed. I also set up my pushrods and servo horns so it gets almost full servo travel to get the throw needed which is slowing steering speed down a bunch from the typical setup where people are turning down their EPA to less than 50% throw to limit rudder deflection angle but in doing so you have also lost half of the servos torque, doubled the steering speed and wearing out a small little section of the servos gearing essentially wearing out the servo gear train as it gets near the final gears because they are not using but a small section of the gears and they will get sloppy sooner. Metal geared servos actually wear faster than nylon gear trains.

I prefer my steering speed to be the same from end point to end point but definitely not at full servo speed as that would be just crazy almost impossible to drive setup.

No big deal if you don't need steering speed cool beans but a person should be aware that it is lacking this most useful and most used setting there is on most people's radios after your end points.

Having a radio you can tune makes the driving expirience hugely better. Steering speed is the most used and important feature the computer radios gave us.

Been doing this since I was 12 and almost 61 now so I have driven many a boat without being able to low down my steering servo speed . Pretty sure our servos were slower then and you just learned to drive it however it was as you had no choice.

You didn't know what you were missing. Same here I think.

 

[Grimracer]

Martin,

Thank you and your welcome.

EXPO is a nice adjustment but its not quite the same as servo speed..(it can kind of feel like it however) and it CAN HELP as you stated. (so in the end its a win!)

But let me expand...

EXPO is the amount of deflection at the given input of the wheel. NEG EXPO, In other words it is LESS at the start of the wheel input and MORE at the full rotation of the wheel. (its a handy tool for tuning for sure).. (BTY... it can be the oposite of that too.. POS EXPO, MORE at the start.. less at the end!


I also feel the 3PV is more then up to the task.. again.. just not as feature rich!

Grim

 

[Samuel Hagan JR]

The 3PM had servo speed adjustment. I wish Futaba would’ve made the 3PV with the same features as the 3PM. And that radio was nicely priced.

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

Such an intense thread about a simple radio.
Some features are just not as important to some as it is to others. PERIOD!!
I personally have not adjusted servo speed on any of my radios. Haven't felt the need for it.
I have owned & used the 3PV.
Never an issue.
Daniel, you always get so passionate about this one feature, and that's fine for you. The point has been made.
Others, me included are not going to decide "not to buy" for that single reason.
The radio works for its intended purpose and is a solid, budget friendly radio.
I was going to put "entry level" but I'm not entry level. And I would buy another if needed.
Rick

 

[john v]

All good info, thank you everyone

 

[Daniel's Racing]

Such an intense thread about a simple radio.
Some features are just not as important to some as it is to others. PERIOD!!
I personally have not adjusted servo speed on any of my radios. Haven't felt the need for it.
I have owned & used the 3PV.
Never an issue.
Daniel, you always get so passionate about this one feature, and that's fine for you. The point has been made.
Others, me included are not going to decide "not to buy" for that single reason.
The radio works for its intended purpose and is a solid, budget friendly radio.
I was going to put "entry level" but I'm not entry level. And I would buy another if needed.
Rick

Yes I know and every time you guys are there to tell the person no one needs that steering speed setting which is pretty much not true. It is good to know the radio can still be useful for some though that way too so no worries.

Of course like I said smart enough to know that no one had the feature before the advent of computer radios. But at 4.8 volt and 68 oz in of torque they were pretty slow and weak already so not such a big deal. Then came computer radios with features we learned to love.

It is the most important thing I can think of you should know when buying that radio so that is why I think people should realize that before they buy something that could really suck for them if it is something they really need. For most it is.

Many are coming from 3PM or 3PM-X which was previously the lesser priced( I won't dare I use the word cheap again, lol) 2.4ghz pistol radio. It had it. Most used it.

Most I know too use it so it is important to someone asking about that radio in particular should know it will not have the same features as the 3PM it kinda replaced. That one big feature called the steering speed.

The ones that use it surely would not want to do without it. That is the majority. I seriously know people that run it at snail speed and one friend that uses 1%. He drives and wins with it set to 1%. He could not drive one iota if his radio didn't have steering speed and the radio would be worthless. Every boat he runs is set like that. I do not know how he does it personally.

Yea some may not use it. Can't use it if you don't even have it especially.

I believe the majority do use it if it is on the radio so what is big deal about telling them it does not have that. There was one here this time that says he don't need it but goes on to tell how it has a way around it with that radio. He posted proof of that saying he slows it down with exponential. He too would surely be better off if he had the steering speed as well because forced to use expo for slowing down around neutral you pay the price before you make it to the end point when it dumps full rudder all of a sudden as your slow speed turns to twice maximum speed and I am positive doing it that way is detrimental to the drivability of the boat. Just isn't what you want happening for sure. Your looking to slow the entire travel. That is what you live with.

 

[Grimracer]

For me.. the most important thing is Multi Model Memory.

Grim