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Spektrum iX12 Transmitter

Spektrum's’ transmitter technology goes vertical

Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz

Posted – 7-10-2019

This Review has been too long coming, in part because I have been trying to substantiate at least some of the trash-talking about it on the Internet and to a lesser degree, at the flying field. I have been flying the Spektrum iX12 for several months now, including five new giant scale planes, all without issue. OK, no radio-related issues. There was a catastrophic wing failure that the Spektrum iX12 did not magically save. Surely someone, on the Internet no-doubt, will conjure up a connection between lousy glue joints and the Spektrum iX12. After all, anything is better than accepting responsibility.

The Basics

The Spektrum iX12 looks very normal on the outside. Its size, shape and overall appearance are all familiar to Spektrum radio users. Switches, knobs and sliders are consistent in their location and function as compared to earlier transmitters like the DX9.

The Spektrum iX12, 12-channel transmitter incorporates many IPhone-like functionalities that can have unexpected utility in the RC flying world. Access to those features is through the new touch screen that replaced the familiar LCD version. This new screen responds to touches and swipes, just like our cell phones so once we get by the knee-jerk drama of change, the Spektrum iX12 interface is familiar, simple and quick to use.

The touch screen responds to short and “long” touches, with good reason. The designers of the Spektrum iX12 use the long touch as a sort of safety when we make changes in the transmitter that can affect how the model flies. The long touch is only a few seconds long, but it does make sure you are serious and paying attention.

The Spektrum iX12 looks and feels (left) like most recent Spektrum transmitters with switch layouts remain familiar. The gimbals are fully adjustable (right) for end points, tension and even centering. Click images to enlarge

The Spektrum iX12 has on-board room for 250 different models and while that dwarfs the needs of most users, there is more for overachievers. You can use the SD slot to cycle other models in and out of the on-board memory.

Start-Up Time

The slider-style power button is gone, replaced with a simple push button. To prevent accidentally “bumping” the Spektrum iX12 on and draining the battery in the trunk of your car this button must be pushed and held for several seconds power it up.

This button does more than just power the Spektrum iX12 on. It allows us to control power usage in a big way with a “sleep” mode and shutting off the touch screen when not needed, which is most of the time.

The most prolific but erroneous knock against the Spektrum iX12 I was hearing before buying mine concerned the approximate 2-minute boot time. It does take around two minutes for the Android system to boot up completely, but the rest of the transmitter, the part that controls the plane, is functional in the same time radios like a DX9 wake up. The caveat is you had already bound the Spektrum iX12 to your plane and were in that model when you last shut the Spektrum iX12 off. Smart as the Spektrum iX12 is, it cannot predict what plane you might want to fly next. If you are putting another flight on the same plane, the Spektrum iX12 “wakes up” almost immediately when turned on, just like the older transmitters. As we should be doing before every flight, check to be sure the controls are working properly before attempting to fly.

Battery Life

The second most common complaint about the Spektrum iX12 was poor battery life. Lots of people said this made the Spektrum iX12 unusable, few looked at why it might be discharging so much faster than older transmitters. The reality here is a bit different than the conjecture.

The Spektrum iX12 comes with a 3.7V, 6000mAh Lithium Ion battery which is substantial on its own. Also, the Spektrum iX12 comes with a USB charging system that gives us a bunch of charging options at or going to the flying field. Yes, it will charge from that USB port in your car!

The 6000mAh battery (left) is stout for any radio but you can wear i down if you don't read the manual, or pay attention. The On/Off switch (right) also shuts the touch screen off with a single push, or brings up the Sleep mode with two taps. I have yet to have the battery come close to wearing out before I do. Click images to enlarge

The Spektrum iX12 introduces a color touch screen which is a power hog if left on all the time. The touch screen has virtually no function when flying the plane, so the designers provide a way to shut that screen off when not in use. When not using apps or adjusting the model, a simple quick push of the power button puts the touch screen to sleep. It stays asleep, waiting for another quick touch to wake it up when needed. There also is a “sleep mode accessed by double-tapping the power button. In my months of using the Spektrum iX12, turning the touch screen off gives it a longer battery life than my DX9’s. Also, I can find no reason to leave the touch screen on when not being used directly.

Touch Screen

A major hitch in some new Spektrum iX12 user’s git-a-long is interacting with the touch screen. The Spektrum iX12 frequently has multiple screens like our cell phones, accessed with the same swipe motion we use unconsciously on those phones. I'm not sure why this is so difficult to grasp but it is one of the more common complaints I get in my email.

There also is a sort of tool bar on the right edge of the screen, accessed by sliding a finger off the frame of the touch screen and onto its surface. This bar lets us go back to the previous page/screen or to access the screen with the apps currently on the Spektrum iX12. The square icon at the top of that bar brings up all the currently open pages and allows us to close the ones that we do not need.

Again, none of this is overly difficult but some users still have a tough time recognizing these phone-like features on their transmitter. Once you get used to the concept, the Spektrum iX12 gets way easier to operate.

On-Board Manual

The computerized backbone of the Spektrum iX12 allowed including a digital instruction manual. We can touch/click an Index topic and the relevant page pops up. Plus, the pages can be enlarged to make reading the content easier.

The on-board manual (left) lets you touch the subject you want and it takes you there. It also can be updated via WI-FI. The text-to-voice capability (right) can be fun, or it can get you in lots of trouble when your radio says inappropriate things in mixed company. Click images to enlarge

The manual is also updated through the Spektrum iX12 Wi-Fi utility when necessary, another nice feature. Having the manual with us all the time is way handier than leaving the print version in the shop.

Telemetry

The Spektrum iX12 has wide-ranging telemetry capabilities that are compatible with Spektrum telemetry-infused receivers like their new PowerSafe line and sensors. Real time updates on info like engine RPM, battery voltage, engine temperature and more through the receiver telemetry ports are now available with the proper sensors.

With the plane powered up hit Auto-configure and the Spektrum iX12 looks for available inputs. My 12-channel Powersafe receiver provides basic telemetry like TX and RX battery usage. The data can even be arranged to your liking on a “dashboard” on the touch screen. Swipe the touch screen left to right once and the monitor screen appears. Swipe the screen again and the Telemetry Dashboard appears.

For many of us telemetry might be a “future” thing but having that capability in place expands the usefulness of the Spektrum iX12 now and our options later.

Text to Voice

Another cool feature of the Spektrum iX12 is being able to teach it to say whatever you want. The Spektrum iX12 lets you customize audio events with built in support for WAV and MP3 audio. It has a text to voice converter to generate a stereotypical computer-voice speaking the words you enter. Of course, an un-throttled text to speech capability opens the door to transmitters saying things that probably should not be uttered in a public place, like our flying fields. I thought of programming a few unmentionable words into my Spektrum iX12 but could not convince myself 100-per-cent that background Artificial Intelligence would report such a transgression to the word police, or my high school English teacher. Play at your own risk.

Spektrum also included a bunch of “macros” or pre-packaged alerts. Like many of you I have not played with that seeing as how it is more fun typing in unusual responses to see if the guys at the field are paying attention.

The main screen (left) can be tweaked to show an actual photo of your plane. It also serves as the gateway to all of the familiar adjustments. Of course this screen hogs power so shut it off when you don't need it, which is most of the time. Telemetry is available (right) with compatible receivers and you can arrange this "dashboard" to your liking. Access this screen by swiping the main screen, like on a phone. Click images to enlarge

On-Line

The Spektrum iX12 can log onto your wireless network and use many apps, including those not obviously related to RC. The Spektrum iX12 can create its own “hot spot” to work with many apps. So far, the only app I have added is “Shareit” an app that allows wireless transmitting of images (in my case) from my IPhone to the Spektrum iX12. That lets us personalize the home screen for each plane with a photo we take ourselves. Spektrum provides a basic selection of photos, all Horizon-sold planes and heli’s but using our own images of the actual plane we fly gives the ego a little shot in the pants.

More importantly, the Spektrum iX12 can update things like its operating system and instruction manual using the network. As fast as Internet technology is exploding, the usefulness of this capability cannot be fully understood. There is likely to be more utility to this on-line capability than I am seeing so far. I will investigate other apps later but for now am focused on flying planes with it. Later I can find a teenager who can explain the rest of the possibilities to me.

Flying the Plane

When it comes to flying the planes the Spektrum iX12 feels like most other Spektrum transmitters. So far, I have not adjusted the springs in the gimbals to change the feel of the sticks but that is available, allowing you to fine-tune the Spektrum iX12 to feel the way you like.

Once you get accustomed to using the touch screen, adjusting your models is easy. I like how the touch screen makes getting a single “click” of adjustment simple. I also like the “Cancel” feature included in most adjustments. When finished making an adjustment you must select “OK” to finalize/save it. If you decide that is not what you want, hit “Cancel” and that adjustment returns to where it was when you began making changes.

Remember, one of the most important things to learn about the touch screen is that you can turn it off when not needed.

After everything else, I like flying this radio. It lets me tweak my plane as I want, is update-able without a teenage-interpreter and is capable of lots of things I can use later on. Click image to enlarge

Get Educated

The folks at Spektrum apparently realized the potential educational curve some of its customers might encounter when switching to the Spektrum iX12. To their credit, they put together an extensive list of videos (link in Resources below) that walk new or potential users through using the Spektrum iX12.

Conclusions

I am sure I have missed more than one capability of the Spektrum iX12 but am not going to act like I fully understand all the technology built into this radio. Like many of you, I will take my time exploring what the Spektrum iX12 can do, between days at the field using it. Nothing beats using a new radio to identify capabilities that apply to your style of flying.

The Spektrum iX12 12-Channel DSMX Transmitter cost $629.99 (5/8/2019) and while that is not cheap, it is cheaper than I expected. The ability to essentially update itself should mean the Spektrum iX12 is going to remain “current” much longer than previous RC transmitter technology.

The cyber world tainted the Spektrum iX12 with unwarranted Internet-based rumor and hyperbole. Something that is far too commonplace. Those who get the Spektrum iX12 in their hands are finding this is an easy-to-use, dependable radio system with a bright, expansive future. With the basic architecture within the Spektrum iX12 designed to enable future enhancements it is unlikely that we know how advanced this system will get.

Technology in any field tends to evolve, occasionally in giant steps. I think the Spektrum iX12 represents such a leap in the technology of radio control flying. The fact that I have been around this hobby for 40-some years likely means I’ll have to study this more than the technology-savvy younger set, but I look forward to that challenge and how it benefits my time at the flying field.

Resources

Spektrum ix12 Transmitter web page

Spektrum iX12 How-To videos

Shareit site

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