If the receiver lights are blinking it means that there was a significant malfunction, such as a brown out. In the event of a brown out the receiver will Quick Connect and flash the LED's to let the pilot know that the problem occurred, even though they might not have even noticed it in the air.
Brown outs are not bugs. They are due to problems with the power being supplied to the receiver. Your BEC "should" be able to handle the current levels I would expect, but it seems like it might be dropping out.
Since you are technically minded I would HIGHLY recommend getting a Spektrum Flight Log (SPM9540). It will provide you with voltage and radio signal information. Since you do not need to mount it in the plane (you just plug it into the data port before powering down the plane and transmitter) you can use it on all your planes that have data ports on their receivers. IMHO it is invaluable for positioning antennas and being confident about your RF link performance. Another benefit is that you can share it with other fliers. Or, maybe one of your friends already has one that they will share with you.
Of course a TM1000 telemetry is far better and I have them in most of my planes.
Here is what I would do (My 2-cents)
- Perform a thorough range test
- Make sure that you have the correct failsafe set on the receiver (It amazes me how man people are not familiar with this). You can program the receiver to either hold the last commanded position or to return all of the surfaces to a specific position.
- After the range test, with the transmitter in full power mode, swirl both sticks continuously for 5-10 minutes and see if you get any flashing LEDs. Keep in mind that you want to stress your power system beyond what you would expect in a flight. If you get a glitch or flashing LED's then you have diagnosed a power problem.
Paul