I was at a swap meet yesterday and I had a gentleman ask me if the Futaba 7 channel
FP-R-127DF would operate on both PPM and PCM. Couldn't answer his question. Can It?

No. Receivers are either PPM or PCM, but never both.

I just looked the manual that have for an old Conquest radio that I had. It lists 2 transmitters, 1 PCM and 1 PPM, but only lists the FP-R-127DF or the FP-R-124DF (4 channel) receivers. This leaves me thinking that the rx's would work with either system. I sold my FM stuff last week, so I can't test it anymore.

When I look the RX how do I know which one it is. Looking at one now and it does't say.

What MikeL said.

If the receiver doesn't say on it you can look it up on Futaba's website. Tower will say it as well as long as the receiver is still being sold.

Ken

Good morning gentleman I did not sell the unit because I was not sure. I have probably 10 of them and never give it a thought about ppm or pcm. He flys, I guess on the PCM mode.

Boy, lots of people at the swap meet, but not many big buyers. Seemed like mostly small stuff. Maybe the economy has raised it's ugly head.

Dittos the 127's are PPM Rx's only. Probably the most common Futaba Rx out there. I beleve out of production now. It may have come packaged with certain Tx's in the past that had dual modulation capability PPM or PCM but the 127 is PPM only. If one wanted to utilize PCM with the Tx then a Futaba PCM Rx needed to be purchased.

I am going to go out on a limb as I suspect no manufacturer has ever produced a dual modulation type PPM and PCM Receiver.

John

Good morning John. Thanks for the information glad I didn't sell that unit. I would have felt bad if it would not have worked. Have a great day.

You know Gorish you have sparked an idea this morning. I remember well the swaps that used to occur in some of the old clubs I belonged to years ago mostly in the LA area and they were fun but for some reason since I retired here in 94 we have never had one and not sure why, perhaps we are all getting senile

Last year we got a lot of new flying activity strangely from our series of wingless trainer races but we need something now during our cold and windy season to keep folks fired up and heck why not a swap would fit right in, I know for a fact that for every flyer in this town there are twenty people that never make to the field for whatever reason and there is a mountain of 'stuff' to be sold or bartered. Heck I,d love to trade some of my mountain for someone elses just for a different view of the ridgeline

I am gonna push this at a club meeting tommorow thanks.

John

Hey GO for it John. Lots of fun just looking and talking with other flyers. One can get some really neat ideas on how someone else has found an easier way. I did buy 3 rolls of 25' monokote for 7 yankee green backs a piece. I didn't even have a gun on the guy.

Futaba's receiver models end in either a P or F . The P is PCM and the F is FM/PPM.

Futaba's web site is all but impossible to navagate anymore, but under the covers, there is a lot of good info.

Here is a chart of discontinued receivers.
http://www.futabarc.com/radioaccys/old-receivers.html

Don

Thanks Campgems guess I don't have anything current. But I have learned something about futaba rx's

I did not know that. Thanks Campgems.

Learn something new everyday!!!!! .............................................wheth er I want to or not!!!!!! [X(]

Ken

See Ken we are both a little smarter today than yesterday.

That's not hard to do considering that I've spent the last two days covering E-Fest in Champaign. I've been on my feet for two days and I'm pretty brain dead right about now!!!!! [sm=bananahead.gif]

Ken

Ken I have to laugh I think my brain is on the other end. Not very big, but on the other end. How was the E-Festnever been to one.

It was my first time at one. It was really a great event!!! I saw a lot of stuff I've never seen before. The electrics these guys were flying was incredible. I had a blast, even though I could barely move by the end of Saturday. They wanted us there at 7 am to shoot some interviews with Don Anderson and the AMA, and the last event of the day was at 9:30 pm!!! Made for a very long day on my feet.

Ken

Ken, when you get my age, you get to learn something over every day[]

I also discovered that their 2.4 receivers all end in FS, The number just befor the sufix is the number of channels. I'm guessing the numbers between the R and the number of channels is sequencial in the order of release.

Don.

D means Dual Conversion F = FM (PPM really) and the P is PCM

The last number is the channels, so a 127DF is a 7 channel, Dual Conversion FM reciever.

E-Fest was a blast, but tiring, coverage coming soon!

Were you brain dead like Ken, because he was on his feet so long?

Hey Gene,
I'm not sure this applies to most Transmitters, but at least my 6EXAP is PCM/PPM selectable. I think if they do fly PCM, they should be able to switch that off to PPM.
Curtis

My feet hurt, my butt hurt from sitting on airplanes and airport chairs on Sunday but my brain was good to go.


Even if you can switch the transmitter, you have to have a compatable reciever, recievers only do PPM or PCM, not both.

Andy,
After I got back to the hotel on I started downloading video from tape and fell asleep at the keyboard because I was so tired!!!!! [:@]

Ken

That's very true, but usually when someone says they only fly PCM they would be very unlikely to buy an PPM gear. Not because it won't work, but because they don't believe it's right for their applications.

RxxxDF is PPM
RxxxDP is PCM

<<Edit: Answered before reading all replies. Sorry for duplicating.>>