TBS Crossfire vs TBS Tracer – What’s The Difference?
Team Blacksheep recently announced the newest lineup of RC link products known as Tracer. The new Tracer system is designed not to replace Crossfire, but to co-exist for pilots wanting to lower their latency.
The new Tracer system is made up of some very familiar looking components including the new Micro TX module, coupled by a Nano diversity receiver and range of 2.4GHz antennas.
Let’s compare the specifications of each Micro TX Module:
| TBS Crossfire Micro TX V2 | TBS Tracer Micro TX Module | |
| Frequency Range | 868/915MHz | 2.4-2.5GHz |
| RF Power Output | 25mW – 1W | 25mW – 100mW |
| RC Channels | Up to 12-channel serial stream outputs | Up to 12-channel serial stream outputs |
| Maximum Range | 40km | 25km+ |
| Antenna Connector | SMA | SMA |
| Operating Modes | 50hz – 150hz | 250hz |
| Latency | 6-8ms (150hz mode) | 3ms |
| Price (NZD) | $124.99 | $119.99 |
Most interesting of the above specs, show that the TBS Tracer operates at twice the speed than its Crossfire counterpart in 150Hz mode, which also has limited range. This would make the Tracer a fantastic upgrade for FPV racers and freestyle pilots not using the full range capability of their Crossfire system.
It is worth mentioning however, that Tracer does not use LoRa for it’s link technology, which means that Tracer would not be as versatile and have the advantages of improved signal stability that LoRa grants.
TBS are known for releasing hardware first, software later and have suggested this is just the beginning for Tracer. With it’s current latency of 3ms, they expect to half that with future software updates. This is similar to the Crossfire system on release, which originally shipped with only a 50Hz mode.
Our Conclusion:
The Tracer system is an exciting new radio link with much to offer for pilots wanting extremely low latency and those who don’t plan on flying very long range. However, if you’ve already got a Crossfire TX, we wouldn’t recommend switching just yet.
Check out the full range of new Tracer products here:
https://www.kiwiquads.co.nz/product-category/radios/tbs-tracer/