Flysky Nirvana Radio Review
The Flysky Nirvana is one of the most distinct drone radio on the market. When I took it out of the box, it felt like the highest quality product I have ever had. It is great for both thumbing and pinching and the only place where it lacks is that you can’t put a stand on so you have to lay it flat on the ground.
Radio build quality is awesome, switches are rigid, beautiful and there is plenty of them. It has two large grips, a color touchscreen, module support, back switches, integrated charger, high-quality gimbals, and a retractable antenna.
The position of the switches is a bit weird and the learning curve is different than we had with our other radios. It weighs around 650g with batteries which is a bit lighter than your standard Frsky Taranis X9D and same as the Taranis QX7.
The metal hardware is alloy 6061 and according to UndergroundFPV, the color effect is done using the electroplating process. Every piece of metal looks different and that means that every radio has a special touch to it!
Nirvana is equipped with quality and precise digital hall sensor gimbals. For most pilots, they’re too loose, but you can tighten them by replacing 2 small screws after you disassemble it. For us, they were perfectly fine loose as they are out of the box.
| Image | Name | System | Channel | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Flysky Nirvana ★★★★ | 2.4GHz | 14CH | 603g | Check Price |
THE SCREEN
The huge color touch screen on the front of the radio is the first thing you notice when you look at this beautiful radio.
The screen is big, bright, and we had none problems using it outside. Touch sensitivity is great and it was really easy to type, move through menus, and change settings.
Even the firmware is still a bit buggy and sometimes weird, it’s still the most enjoyable user experience we ever had with OpenTX devices. Now the latest firmware updates are supporting all of the important capabilities like LUA scripts to setup crossfire or BetaFlight PIDs…
Now we recommend you update your Nirvana to FlySky firmware. UndergroundFPV disappointed its customers and FlySky took over the control. They have newer and more powerful firmware out now. Which is better for new Nirvana buyers as the price is lower and support is probably better with FlySky.
SWITCHES, POTS, AND TRIMS
On the front of the radio, there are 2 power buttons which you have to hold for about 5 seconds before the radio turns on or off. Above the gimbals, there are 4 switches, 2 potentiometers, and 2 joysticks for trims. SWA and SWD are 2-positions switches, SWB is a 3-position switch and SWC is a momentary.
On the backside, there are 4 more switches. Two momentary and two 3-position ones. I don’t find them useful because when I pinch I can’t even reach them. The switches on the front are more than enough for everyone that flies mini quads.
As you can see, the radio has plenty of switches and that means that Underground FPV didn’t only target quad pilots but also those who fly planes and wings who may need more functions than us.
GIMBALS
These gimbals look the same as on every other Flysky radio but they are not. They are actually high-quality digital gimbals equipped with hall effect sensors which will make them last a long time. The first question I had is why they left the plastic material clear and the answer is that they had better results with plastic that has no color mixed in. The gimbal sticks have adjustable height as expected and they go from 20mm to 27mm.
As you might have already guessed, the radio was designed for thumbers exclusively.
Thumbers are pilots who hold the sticks with only their thumbs but I had no issues pinching the radio either. Pinching is when you hold the sticks with both your thumb and index finger.
It took me around 10 minutes to figure out how to hold it but after, I ended up really loving it. The only problem is that you won’t be able to reach the back switches while pinching but I don’t see that as a problem because the ones on the front are more than enough. While pinching, a neck-strap would be useful because you’re not holding the radio as secure as you would while thumbing.
ANTENNA
One more cool feature is the retractable antenna. When you are storing the radio or using an external module, you can simply fold it back in so it doesn’t get in a way and possibly gets broken by hitting something.
CONNECTORS
On the top, there are two connectors: a micro USB and a 3.5mm jack. Micro USB is used for charging the two 18650 cells, and for connecting the radio to a computer.
The USB can be used both for file transferring and using your radio in a simulator. Next to the micro USB connector, there is a 3.5mm jack. It is a trainer port that is used to connect two radios togather. Many other radios have this connector in a weird position which can be frustrating sometimes.
MODULE BAY
Most pilots nowadays use some kind of external module, in most cases it is TBS Crossfire. The radio comes without a module bay but there are two brackets included that can be simply screwed in so you can connect your module of choice.
The radio is also Crossfire compatible out of the box and you don’t have to do any mods like on the QX7. One bad thing about the module bay is that it doesn’t stop applying the voltage when you switch to a different model in which you set the external TX to off. The crossfire will remain powered off the whole time until you turn the radio off. The crossfire was also powered on while charging…
Grips
The radio has 2 grips on the bottom which can be easily removed or switched with different ones. Grips are held with two screws and there a lot of custom models on Thingiverse which you can print and put on your radio. I found them very useful while pinching.
MICRO SD CARD SLOT
When I got the radio I had a lot of trouble finding the Micro SD card slot. The slot is hidden under the neck strap holder. You have to remove the two screws on the back and the neck-strap holder simply slides off.
Some people who don’t use neck-straps may prefer to leave the radio like this but I always use a neck strap so I have the holder on all the time. Under one of the screws for the neck-strap holder, there is also a bootloader button.
BATTERIES
Radio holds two 18650 cells, one in each grip. Make sure that you are using high-quality cells and do not ever get them for cheap from eBay or AliExpress because they will blow up!
Grips have a screw-on caps that hold the batteries in. The coolest feature is that you can charge them through the USB port so there is no need for you to ever take them out.
| Image | Name | System | Channel | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flysky Nirvana ★★★★ | 2.4GHz | 14CH | 603g | Check Price |
CONCLUSION
Flysky Nirvana is an awesome radio for people who are okay with having no stand. The radio is built like a tank and feels fantastic in hands. Everything is solid and nothing rattles around when you shake it. It has awesome features like an inbuilt charger for 18650 cells, the screen is one of the biggest features, the gimbals are really good and the only thing that I personally don’t like is that crossfire stays turned on although I turned the external module off in the menu.
- Drone Pipeline Inspections in Oil and Gas Industry - November 23, 2023
- Wind Turbine Inspection using Drones - November 16, 2023
- Agriculture Drone Mapping: Data-Driven Decisions - October 29, 2023