Airtronics Stylus PCM w/Aero card (811)

I bought the Airtronics Stylus to replace the JR 8103 I had been flying, basically I wanted more functionality in a better quality box.

The JR-10sxII was considered as was the Futaba 9ZAW, but with my like of trying things slightly off the beaten track, I got the Stylus with the "Aero(811)" card.
My thought was, "If I don't like the Stylus, I'll can always sell it and get one of the others".

The first thing I noticed when I got the radio was how solid the TX felt, feels built to last.
The second where the sticks, the center feel is really well defined with out having heavy springs.

Upon opening the radio for inspection, I noticed the screws that hold the back cover on screw into metal, there is a lot of metal in this radio, like I said, it seems built to last.
All the wiring looks to be well thought out, as well it should.

So, enough of that, what's it like to program ?.

Well, if you like freedom and like to do things your own way, you wont be disappointed.
This radio is very free in the way it lets you assign rates (triple), switches, mixes, you really can do just about any thing you want any way you want.
It's not a JR as far as ease of programming goes, but it really isn't difficult either once you get the hang of it.

As far as features go, it has to many to list them all here, but the basics are:

FM, FM inverted and PCM transmission.
Triple rates on the elevator and aileron's.
Dual Rate on Rudder.
All switches, pots and slides are user programmable.
Virtual Switches.
Expo and VTR.
Trim Authority ( My Favorite ).
Cross trim.
The ability to program with out transmitting.
10(?) mix's with user movable points.
Low receiver ( the one in the plane ) battery warning.
Loads of other stuff.

The Airtronics web site has a feature list.

Flying:

I installed this radio in the new Aeroworks 202 powered with the Quadra Q100 gas motor.
The range check was done with the motor running and not running, no loss of range noticed.

As far as glitching in the air goes, I haven't felt any yet and have flown at a field that's notorious for glitching, again it seems very solid.

The battery life is good, I can fly 8 flights of 15 minutes each with out having to recharge which is nice, expected on a TX though.

Conclusion:

My initial thought of "If I don't like it, I'll sell it" wont be needed, it's not for sale.

I truly feel that for Aerobatics, this is a good alternative to the JR-10sxII or the Futaba 9ZAW and it costs substantially less, some $400.00 less if memory serves me.

Can it be compared to the JR 8 or the Futaba 8 channel offerings ?, no, it's far above them in both quality and features, nipping at the heals of the JR 10 and the Futaba 9.