THE Cub Report – Time To Get Rugged!
Ya, so last week I had planned on doing a write-up on the all new Spektrum DX5 Rugged, but due to a snafu on the press release front, that turned into this week! Any which way, this is THE Cub Report, thanks for joining us, lets jump right in shall we...?
Ya, so how about that all new DX5 rugged? Have you seen it yet? If not, Here Is A Link to some pics as well as some of the specs. Now, radios and transmitters generally don’t make the “big” news around here, but the latest radio from Spektrum is a HUGE departure from a traditional radio. And while the DX5 Rugged may have been designed for the hardcore scale/rock crawling crowd, a bunch of its features are absolutely perfect (and longggggg overdue) for the backyard bashing scene. In case you have not seen it, here are some of the new innovative features that make the DX5 Rugged perfect for the hardcore off-road hobbyist-
1. Water resistant- Needless to say, a true off-road warrior knows all about wet conditions, the DX5 Rugged makes sure you don’t have to pack up and leave just because it started raining or because conditions are simply too wet for your electronics.
2. Durable overall design- As you long time off-roaders already know, life can get tough out on the trail. Whether it be a huge mountain, a soggy river bottom, or a hardcore trail at your local park, just walking an off-road trail can be a hard enough time in itself. Modern transmitters can suffer a lot of abuse, the new Spektrum was designed to be tough to enough to shrug off all the dumb stuff.
3. Front chassis guard- Perfect for keeping brush off your hand, or for mounting a camera/LED lighting/hand warmer/sponsor board/etc. I am sure all you guys in tree country realize how handy a brush guard can be when breaking new trail.
4. One handed, thumb lever steering- So, being a media type, I am an expert at one-handed driving. Working in the media, you are often times taking pictures with one hand, all the while driving with the other. However, all you hard-core off-road guys often times use one hand to help get your body up over a hill or through heavy brush. Making one-handed driving easy is a HUGE plus for the general off-road driver.
5. It doesn’t cost too much- Do you really want to take your high-end $600 transmitter out in the woods or high desert? Nope, me neither. The DX5 Rugged comes in at $199, a price point where if you should happen to lose it in the river you won’t be nearly as heart broken compared to a DX6R. Just say’n… oh and, the 199 price point makes it affordable enough for pretty much everyone.
6. Lightweight design- While having some weight to a transmitter gives it a feeling that it is “worth more”, the scale/rock crawling crowd is a different world. In the crawling world you may be on the trail for 8, 10, heck, even 14+ plus hours in one day. A lightweight transmitter is much easier to hold over the course of a long trail weekend.
7. Dual landyard mounts- All you guys that have done hardcore off-road events know that the going can get REALLY tough sometimes. So tough that both hands need to be taken off the transmitter to climb over an obstacle. The Spektrum crew gave the Rugged two different landyard mounting spots, they were thinking ahead to help make your life easier!
8. Rubber bumper chassis protectors- Knowing that the DX5 Rugged is only going to see the worst of the worst, the Spektrum designers implemented rubber protectors to help soak up some of those g-forces so that your radio lives to see another day out on the trail.
9. High end radio features- While the chassis on the DX5 Rugged was designed for the worst you can throw at it, it also features a number of the high-end electronic features that you definitely want on a crawling/bashing radio. The Rugged has 5 channels for accessory lighting, a winch, etc, but also has Spektrum’s AVC, as well as various mixes for 4 wheel steering/MOA, plus telemetry, etc. While it might be a radio designed to be tough, they didn’t skimp when it came to higher-end electronic features.
10. Well, there’s more, lots more on tap for the Rugged. Radio sales have been way down ever since the RTR revolution took off, but this one is going to change things. The innovation and overall burly designed of the Rugged really sets it apart from the crowd, and makes it one of the few radios on the market designed for serious off-roading. Plus, it has the perfect blend of features and price point to make it “the cool radio to be seen with” in 2019. I think we can expect pretty much all the super hardcore off-road guys to make the switch, and why not, the DX5 Rugged looks awesome and sports high-end performance features.
So there it is for this week ya bunch of raving lunatics! As always, get out and support your local hobby shops and bash spots when ya can!
YOUR Cub Reporter
