Frsky has recently released a couple of new radios, their Taranis X9 Lite, and X-Lite Pro. The X9 Lite looks to be their lowest cost model and the X-Lite Pro is a gamepad style transmitter with some upgrades over the original X-Lite. Both of these models abandon the ACCST protocol for Frsky’s newer and supposedly improved ACCESS version. Was that a good move on Frsky’s part? I’m not so sure.
Frsky Taranis X9 Lite
The Taranis X9 Lite is a decent budget radio. With a price tag of $89, it will save you $10 if you opt for it instead of the popular QX7. It has a smaller form factor and feels good in your hands. There aren’t quite as many switches, but still plenty for most applications. The X9 Lite doesn’t have the high-quality look or feel that the QX7 does and I’m surprised that only $10 separates the two models. The QX7 is a better transmitter in most regards. The sensors on the QX7 are Hall sensors, the X9 has standard potentiometers.
The module bay on the back of the X9 Lite is the smaller version found on the X-Lite. While I do like the smaller size your current modules will not work with it. You’ll have to pick up new ones. Frsky hasn’t been super clear on what modules will be supported yet. Supposedly they will accept multiprotocol modules but they also throw out a disclaimer that some modules may not work.
Ersky Operating System on the X9 Lite
The new X9 Lite can ship with either the familiar OpenTX software or Frsky’s Ersky operating system. Unfortunately for my I opted for the Ersky. While it is most definitely based on OpenTX it isn’t the same. I didn’t find it super intuitive and I’ll be switching back to OpenTX in the near future. There is so much support for OpenTX that I have a hard time recommending anyone make the switch to Ersky.
ACCESS Protocol
The biggest issue with the transmitter is that it utilizes the ACCESS Protocol. Unfortunately, ACCESS isn’t backward compatible with ACCST so you can’t use this radio with any of your current Frsky models. You’ll need new receivers or have to flash software on them in order to get them up in the air. That is incredibly frustrating. Frsky has been making some odd decisions, including their recent war with Jumper.
While the lack of backward compatibility is a huge negative there are some positive aspects to this new protocol. It is supposed to be faster and more secure. You will be able to bind a drone to multiple remotes and supposedly you can even bind wirelessly without having to search for bind buttons. All of these things sound good. Time will tell if the ACCESS protocol is worth your time and money.
| Order a Taranis X9 Lite | Order a Taranis QX7 |
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