firefighter56

I am relatively new to the sport. I have a futaba 4 channel radio and receiver. I need to purchase a new receiver for another plane I built.

I see on Ebay these universal receivers, one brand is a "Blade". Says that they are compatible with a futaba. Can anyone give me some info on these receivers? Prices are good.

I have had good luck buying off of Ebay. I find that RC people are fairly honest and straight forward.

Thanks Rick

strato911

Sorry, I've never hear of that brand. Are you sure it's not the model name instead? Some RC manufacturers give their receivers names instead of numbers.

Things to ask the seller - AM or FM? How old is it? Has it been crashed? Verify it is on 72Mhz band (other countries use other frequencies). If it proves to be incompatible, will he take it back (and refund the $$) if you pay the shipping?

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Sounds typical of some of the silly names given to surface radio equipment. I would be very suspect that this is even on the 72Mhz air band.

Firefighter assuming your Tx is FM do yourself a favor pop for a Hitec flight pack for a Futaba Tx. (negative shift) you will get price, reliabilty as well as everything that goes in the airplane as well as a selection of type servos, batterys etc. You add all this up and those E bay deals begin to look decidedly unattractive.

John

ec121k

What he said/ Also you might want to check out FMADirect.com. I've been using their products and am very happy with them. Both have excellent reputations and much better receivers than that 127DF that Futaba forces on their customers.

Capt Jim

My Feedback: (168)

I am not a tech' type, and I have been using Futaba gear for years without any problems. Am I missing out on something significantly better? How so? Thanks for your comments.

aksmithrc

My Feedback: (2)

To give some clarity on the "Blade" issue......If I am not mistaken, I belive that "Blade" was a model name used by DAD (Dave Abbe Developemnt products) for a relatively thin, small receiver and I think it certainly was a 72 mHz unit...most likely dual conversion. However, DAD stopped production years ago due to various reasons.

Rodney

Yes, it is a DAD. I have one and it still works well. I bought quite a few DAD products and had good luck with them all. I was sorry to see the company fold. And, yes, it is compatable with Futaba transmitters.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

AK and Rodney thinks for the clarifacation on the existence of that Rx. However the Dad's Rx's seem to have had a spotty reliability history which was certainly the case with the three I purchased perhaps nine years ago but they were not called Blades. At any rate I still maintain even if they are fine that it is a poor investment and you will be far better off with a Hitec or FMA flight pack and select the proper servos, batterys etc. for your needs. In the long run you will save money.

John