Radiomaster GX12 with ELRS Gemini: a review

Radiomaster GX12

Once in a while a transmitter comes along which is different and interesting... and the Radiomaster GX12 is surely one such device.  It's small in size, yet packed with novel features including support for ELRS dual-band Xrossband/XGem.

The GX12’s long range capabilities might suggest that it's mainly for drone pilots, however it is  also compatible with regular ELRS receivers, making it a viable option for line-of-sight pilots. 

So, is the GX12 as good as the specs suggest? Well, here is my review - I hope you enjoy reading it!

Full disclosure: RadioMaster provided me with the review unit to keep. They have not imposed any conditions, sought any editorial input, or seen this review prior to publication. All views expresssed are my own.

Style and build quality 

First impressions count, and they are positive... the GX12 comes in a custom carry case, with internal padding and a pocket for accessories. Open the case, and there it is, ready to play!

The first thing which strikes you is the styling - a mixture of rounded surfaces and edgy accents. It looks functional yet also a teeny bit radical. (Does this herald a new direction for Radiomaster, I wonder?)

The GX12 comes in a neat carry case

Fit and finish are good, with the surprising exception of the trims - these are a little rattly and don't have a particularly nice feel.

There's no carry handle, instead there’s a smart strap with the Radiomaster logo. It does the job and keeps the unit compact. One nice detail is that the GX12 is perfectly stable when standing on its base. 

Top view. Centre ports are headphone jack, USB-C and DSC ports

Design and ergonomics

The GX12 is squat and dense - think of it as a mini sumo wrestler, and you have the idea! Compared with the taller TX16S it feels a little less secure in the hand, though using a neckstrap improves stability. 

The sticks are well positioned and stick spacing is generous, being identical to the TX16S. 

The switch legends are engraved in white and are easy to read - a welcome improvement on previous Radiomaster offerings. 

There's a comprehensive selection of widgets, comprising 

• 2 momentary pads
• 2 momentary buttons
• 2 rollers
• 4 switches (swappable). Included are two spare switches. 
• 6 illuminated buttons (configurable)

Programming controls

The programming controls follow the usual RM convention. The programming buttons have a nice feel. The click roller is quite small, though.

Programming controls

Display

A high-contrast OLED monochrome display is located near the top of the case. 

OLED monochrome display

The display itself is small and low resolution (128*64). so any programming is best done using EdgeTX Companion.

The antennas are short and are folded flush when not in use - like the antenna on the Zorro.

Configurable buttons

Along the bottom are six configurable buttons with built in RGB LEDs.  These offer a number of interesting possibilties.

Configurable button array

The buttons are configured in the Model Setup menu:

• A button can act like a momentary, or push-on/push-off. 
• A button may be 'independent', or part of a group where only one button is active at any time. 
• The startup state of an 'independent' is configurable to On/Off/As-last
• The startup state of a group is also configurable
• The LED colours for the on/off states can be set individually for each button. 

Very clever and flexible. Below are some possible applications:

• Arming gesture: push the end buttons together for n seconds to arm.
• Two sets of triple rates (or three sets of dual rates), with a designated default at startup. 
• Flight mode selection

Note that you can't change the state of a switch programmatically, only by physically pressing it. So for example, you can't use their LEDs to indicate the state of something else. 

A full evaluation of the buttons' usefulness will await flight testing.

Switches, buttons and rollers

Now here's another surprise, the clue being the Allen bolts in the switch panels. 

RH panel showing momentary (SH), 3-pos (SF, SC) and roller

Unscrew the two bolts, and lift off the panel, and voila! You now have full access to a bunch of widgets.  These comprise 

• 2 switches
• roller 
• momentary button

These all connect to a small daughter board. 

Swappable switches

The two switches plug into the daughter board. Swapping a switch is just a question of removing one and plugging in another. And you can remove a switch entirely, and replace it with one of the supplied blanking plugs.

All switches are 3-position types as delivered. However, Radiomaster thoughtfully provide a spare 2-position switch and a momentary - these come in a separate bag.

A slight niggle is that no tool is provided for the switch retaining nuts (fortunately I already had one).

Panel removal

Momentaries buttons (SH and SG)

While the switches are swappable, the momentary buttons are fixed. Unfortunately they are located on the front shoulders, just where thumbers would expect to find a 3-position switch. 

It would be nice if Radiomaster could address this with an alternative switch layout. However, it would necessitate a different daughter board so don't hold your breath.

Rollers

The rollers have a beautifully damped feel, with a central detent. These are without question the nicest rollers I've used. For those who don't need or want them, alternative panels are provided with the roller blanked off.

Alternative panels (without roller slots) and extra switches

Pots

The pots near the bottom of the case are commendably smooth, with a positive centre detent. Good for secondary functions like speaker volume. 

Cute little pots!

Gimbals

The gimbals are CNC units with multiple ball bearings and 3D Hall effect sensors. 

The 3D sensors are an interesting development. Gone are those pesky cables from gimbal to motherboard! Instead, the magnet, sensor and electronics are all on the main PCB. No cables means no more risk of fractured solder joints.

There's also a useful mechanical feature: pull smartly on a stick, and a hinged joint is exposed, allowing the stick to be folded flat. Straighten the stick, and a spring pulls it back in position ready for use. No need for gimbal protectors!

Fold-flat sticks!

The gimbals themselves are silky smooth, with a satisfying ‘clack’ on hitting the end stops - rather similar to the excellent AG01 gimbals.

I did however notice a slight asymmetry in spring tension; when moving the sticks outwards the tension is slightly weaker than when pushing inwards, especially as the end outer stop is approached. Holding the lower/inner diagonal is also easier than the higher/outer. I should emphasise that it's a very subtle difference - I suspect that most users won't notice it unless it's pointed out.

Spring tension and throttle friction are adjustable with an allen key through holes under the side cheeks.  Switching between modes 1 and 2 is accomplished in a similar way.

Soft springs and allen key

Each stick's vertical travel can be altered via adjusters on the front face (remember to re-calibrate the sticks after adjustment).

Access holes for gimbal adjustment

RF module with ELRS/Gemini/Xrossband

The feature most touted by Radiomaster is the internal module. This supports a number of transmission modes from single channel ELRS, to dual-band Gemini Xrossband. 

Compared with single band/single-channel ELRS, Gemini Xrossband offers better link quality (but not necessarily greater ultimate range) in areas of high interference. However, it's unlikely to offer any significant benefit for sailplane pilots given the relatively short ranges that we fly. 

If you would like to know more about Gemini, please see the links at the end.

Hello, bunny rabbit!

RF power is 1W max per band. The module is equipped with a heat sink (just visible inside the case) and cooling fan. For line of site flying with 100mW is more than sufficient, and will not trigger the fan.

Battery

A battery box is provided for two 18650 LiIon batteries. Alternatively it will accept a 21700 2S pack. Batteries are not provided with retail units.

Radiomaster stipulate the use of batteries with a nominal voltage of 3.7V and end voltage of 4.2V for compatibility with the internal charger.

Batteries compartment incorporates a reset switch

Charging is via the USB port at the top of the radio. The port is also used for data transfer.

EdgeTX

My set came with a development version of EdgeTX 2.11.0 which is not compatible with the latest version of Companion at the time or writing (version 2.10.5). 

Because of this, a little trickery was required to transfer my F3F setup from my TX16S to the GX12. After extracting the yaml file from the TX16S, I replaced the header and footer with corresponding sections of a setup already resident in the GX12. I also installed my crow aware trim script. It's all working fine. 

If you're an early adopter, I would advise flashing the latest version of EdgeTX.

Technical note: EdgeTX 2.11 promises some neat enhancements which will finally differentiate it from OpenTX. For example Diff, Weight and Offset can be number, or a GV, a channel or various other elements. 

Flight testing

Unfortunately LBT firmware is not yet available for the module (it's planned for ELRS 4) so flight tests will have to wait. When the time comes, I will use my Sting F3F slope racer equipped with Matek 24R P6V receiver (schhhh... it works on the bench!).  

Conclusion

Reviewing the GX12 has been a fascinating exercise - it's not often you get a set with so many interesting features.

Let's get one thing out of the way first: while the dual band capability is nice to have, it's not a 'must have' for line of sight pilots.

That said, there are some cool features for sailplane pilots such as the plug-in switches, configurable LED buttons and the folding sticks. And the gimbals, as one has come to expect from Radiomaster, are very good.

The GX12 isn't perfect though. A bit more height on the case would improve comfort for pilots who are used to the TX16S. The trims are a little rattly. And it's disappointing that the momentary buttons (the ones on the shoulders) cannot be swapped out for regular switches. 

So, will the GX12 displace my TX16S as my competition radio for F3F? In truth, I prefer the ergonomics of the TX16S, especially with the superb AG01 gimbals. For DLG, I'll still be using the Zorro. And for casual foamie flying, the Radiomaster Pocket still reigns supreme. 

In a sense, the GX12 is a jack of all trades but not quite excelling at any one thing. Where I could see myself reaching for the GX12 is on long trips, when I need a radio which can do everything yet which takes up minimal space.

One area where the GX12 excels is its price: just under £170 here in the UK, which is remarkably good considering its capabilities.

Once ETX 2.11 is stable and LBT firmware is available I plan to do some flight testing, and will update this review accordingly.

EU/UK users note: LBT firmware for the RF module is slated for ELRS V4, no release date available as yet.

Radiomaster GX12 specifications

• Size: 183*148*78mm
• Weight: 573g
• Frequency: 2.400GHz and Sub-G 900MHz
• Internal RF: ELRS 2.4GHz / Sub-G 900MHz
• Supported Protocols: Express-LRS
• Cooling Fan: Yes
• Antenna: Dual folding 2.4GHz/ Sub-G 900MHz omni directional
• RF: (Dual 1,000mW | Dual band XROSSBAND ELRS)
• Voltage Range: 6.6 - 8.4V DC
• Current: 390mA - 1000mA (Depending on Rf output)
• Radio Firmware: EdgeTX (Transmitter) / ELRS (RF module)
• Channels: Max 16 channels (Receiver dependent)
• Battery: 7.4V 2-cell Lithium-Polymer / Two 3.7V 18650 Lithium-Ion cells (batteries not included)
• Charging: 2s Smart Balance Charging
• Connectivity: USB-C
• Display: 128*64 Monochrome OLED display
• Gimbal: GX01 1000Hz, 3D Digital CNC Hall Effect Gimbal with folding sticks
• Gimbal Sticks: 3mm
• External Module: Nano / Crossfire compatible
• Upgrade Method: USB / EdgeTX Companion PC software
• Memory: 512Mb Integrated Flash 

Package includes

• 1 * GX12 Radio Controller
• 1 * Signature Carry Case
• 1 * 18650 Battery Tray
• 2 * Replacement Switch Panels
• 1 * Type-C Cable
• 1 * Screen Protector
• 1 * 1.5mm Hex Wrench
• 4 * Low Tension Gimbals Springs
• 1 * 2 Position Switch
• 1 * Momentary Switch
• 1 * RadioMaster Sticker Set
• 1 * GX12 Manual

Links

• Radiomaster 
• ELRS Gemini - explainer
• EdgeTX Clinic - pro quality sailplane templates for OpenTX and EdgeTX