The manufacturers of irrigation controllers have all caught on to the importance of a remote for irrigation service. Rainbird, Hunter, Irritrol, and Toro all sell remotes that are specifically to be used on their controllers. They provide a remote port and the need for a remote connector or pigtail is not required. If an irrigation service technician is servicing one brand of controllers only this is might be a good way to go in your irrigation remote needs. I have not personally used any of these remotes so I cannot attest to their range, reliabilty, and sturdiness. The irrigation remotes I can discuss fall under the term of universal. With the connection of a remote pigtail on any 24 volt controller they can be used on all brands of controllers. This makes them ideal for the service technician that deals with multiple brands of controllers. The two companies that manufacture remotes for this purpose are Rain Master Irrigation and TRC Irrigation Remotes. The RainMaster Promax is now being marketed as the Irritrol Promax as well but I believe they are the same remote. This post will focus strictly on the RainMaster Promax.

Rain Master refers to their universal remote as the Promax UA. The receiver with the antennae can be plugged into any Rain Master controller with a 9 pin port using the 3' cable that is provided in the remote case. With other brands of controllers it uses a second receiver box that is connected to the main receiver with the 9 pin cable. The cable has locking screws which are very helpful to allow the receiver to be hung on the controller door when in use.

It is beneficial to use a long male pigtail that can be plugged directly into the receiver. If shorter female pigtails are used then a male x male 37 pin extension will be needed. If a TRC permanent housing unit has been installed on the controller then a female x male 37 pin extension will be needed. I will not cover wiring in a pigtail except to say that the pigtails when properly wired can be used on both the TRC remote and RainMaster Promax. The RainMaster is limited to 32 zones so if a controller with more than 32 zones is encountered then multiple pigtails will be necessary. The transmitter is a very sturdy piece of equipment intended for the abuse of a service technician. Though I would not consider it waterproof it is very water resistant. I would read my blog on Prolonging the life of your receiver. It uses a CR-P2 lithium battery that can last from 3-6 months depending on usage. It can be a difficult battery to find so a spare kept in the remote case is wise.

The feature of a Rain Master Promax UA

• The range is a mile depending on obstacles. It goes through building walls very well. Pointing the transmitter in the direction of the receiver is rarely necessary.

• It has an independent master valve and pump start.

• It can operate multiple zones at once making it ideal for winter blowouts of irrigation systems.

• The communication between the transmitter and receiver is very quick making short flush cycles very easy to perform.

• It has many features that can be used with the Rain Master controllers including installing a communication card eliminating the need for controller access to install the receiver.

• The price can range from 1400.00-1100.00 depending on your supplier.

Rain Master service gets overwhelmed with service work during peak irrigation season. My own approach was to have a back up remote to avoid lowering the quality of my service when my remote was being repaired. For the abuse it received from my service technicians I found it to be an excellent piece of equipment and service issues with Rain Master would not prevent me from purchasing it. I would recommend you go straight to Rain Master for service rather than through your distributor. The Rain Master repair or service form can be found at this link. Rain Master Service Form

The next and in my opinion only other universal irrigation remote to consider

besides the Rain Master Promax is from TRC Irrigation Remotes. TRC focuses on

irrigation remotes only and have been doing so since 1982. The TRCs can be broken

down to two models. The COMMANDER and the SIDEKICK. If price is not an

issue and there is a need for commercial applications on different brands of

controllers then the COMMANDER should be your remote of choice.

An option the Commander has is the ability to add receiver cards to certain brands of controllers. 
This is a great feature for hard to access controllers or the need to 
exceed 32 zones 
which is the limit on an irrigation remote connector.

As of now the controllers that TRC has receiver cards for are:
• Rain Bird ESP LX
• Rain Bird ESP MC, ESC
• Irritrol Dial and MC
• Superior Sterling
• HIT Logic 2 & 3
• Hunter ICC

Be sure and read the troubleshooting guides at the TRC site for each of
these controllers before purchasing the controller if the plan is to use a
receiver card.
The COMMANDER portable receiver can be used with any irrigation remote
connector provided by Remote Pigtails. The only difference between the Rain
Master and the TRC remotes as far as cables go is zone 32 on the 32 station pigtails.
The pin for zone 32 is in a different location for each company so the TRC will only
use 31 stations on a Rain Master pigtail and the Rain Master will only use 31 on a
TRC pigtail. Remote Pigtails can set your connectors for either remote to assure 32
stations. Be sure and let us know your remote type before ordering.
Read the blog on installation of pigtail.

The receiver is fairly light compared to the Rain Master so plugging in the
connector and keeping it stationary requires a way to firmly mount it. TRC
provides a permanent housing which Remote Pigtail sells
that gives the receiver a port to plug into and sit on. It does require drilling an entry
hole into the controller. This is an excellent option for an outdoor mount and can
still be used with the Rain Master with the use of an extension. It is a little more
time consuming than just installing a pigtail to hang outside the controller. A
solution to this is to use a velcro mount similar to what the Rain Master does to hold
their two receiver pieces together. Install a strip on the back of the receiver and the
stick to strip on the controller or wall to allow the receiver to be held firmly. Velcro
can be purchased in bulk through hardware stores.

This is an excellent option for an outdoor mount and can
still be used with the Rain Master with the use of an extension. It is a little more
time consuming than just installing a pigtail to hang outside the controller. A
solution to this is to use a velcro mount similar to what the Rain Master does to hold
their two receiver pieces together. Install a strip on the back of the receiver and the
stick to strip on the controller or wall to allow the receiver to be held firmly. Velcro
can be purchased in bulk through hardware stores.
Another remote option from TRC is the SIDEKICK. It comes in 12

and 24 zone
models but does not allow for the use of receiver cards. TRC has available controller
specific receivers that use the remote ports available on certain controllers.
TRC provides a specific receiver for each of these companies controllers if a remote
port has been installed.

• Rain Bird
• Hunter
• Superior
• HIT Logic
• Irritrol
• Weathermatic
If one of these brands of controllers is the main controller that is serviced
then buying the brand specific receiver might be a good way to go to avoid
installing pigtails. If several different receivers are needed it might be a
better option to use the universal receiver and install a pigtail on the
different controllers.
The SIDEKICK is not receiver specific. The transmitter can be used with any
receiver regardless of whether it came with the original transmitter or another
transmitter. The COMMANDER transmitter can only operate the receivers it is
programmed to.
The SIDEKICK receiver can use the same mounting procedures as described above
for the COMMANDER. The SIDEKICK does not have a master valve or pump
start as a separate feature so it may not be the best choice for winterizing or
blowouts. The pump or master valve are automatically powered when the receiver is
plugged in. Still this remote may be a better more affordable option for the
contractor that deals mostly in residential or smaller irrigation systems. TRC
provides antennae upgrades to improve range and communication between the
transmitter and receiver.
I have not used TRC for service and have had very little feedback on their customer
service. If anybody has had good or bad experiences please share them with me in a
private email.