After many years of both RC and Electronics experience, there is nothing like a product or part that is OEM.. Original Equipment Manufactuerer. If you have Futaba, stick with Futaba. There are many reasons for this, and the paramount issue is compatibility. Total, undenied compatibility.
The few dollars you save by buying something that is not OEM is not worth the issues posed by potential problems. Consider this.
You are flying your plane, with a possibly defective circuit board, and a non OEM receiver crystal. And, there are, oh, 20 men/women/kids in the area behind the flight line, watching or getting ready to fly. You make a turn, and the plane is now facing the crowd in the background. The RX crystal fails. You now have absolutely no control over your 8 pound plane travelling about 70 miles per hour, towards the crowd. What do you do now besides YELL.
If you think this is NOT a scenario, well I invite you to look into the internet about a crash of a model that happened in Hungary two years ago where a couple were killed over a scenario very similar to what I described. It may not have been an RX failure, but it was a failure that caused the accident. It could have been an RX crystal. Here is a snippet from that internet article:
UPDATE2-Crashing model airplane kills two, hurts three (adds FOUR INJURED, details)
Budapest, May 13 (MTI) - Two people died and four others were injured when a model plane crashed into a crowd of spectators at an international model builders' show at Ocseny Airport, SW Hungary, on Saturday, police reported.
The accident was caused by a 2-2.5 metre-long, remote control model built by a German pilot that went down behind the fence into a group of spectators, organiser Gabor Biro told MTI on site. Two people died, a couple from nearby Szekszard, who had come to see the show with their grown-up children.
Four others were taken to a hospital in Szekszard with slight injuries, the ambulance services said.
It is assumed that the model became uncontrollable due to a technical interference problem or receiver malfunction, Chairman of the Hungarian Modelling Federation Andor Harmath told MTI.
My point is, there is no fooling around with the safety of flight with these planes. You must realize that it is a hobby, a sport, and a dangerous flying apparatus if used incorrectly.
Nope. OEM is the only way to go. If you want to get a Castle Creations RX, then get one. But get the right crystal to go with the receiver. Same for Futaba, Airtronics, JR, and so on... don't rely on saving 10 bucks just to get a cheaper part for your RC Receiver. It just isn't worth it.
CGr.