I don't have a problem with the screen on top but if I can't program which piece of telemetry will give me a talking alarm at whatever threshold I set with whatever I want it to say, then it's mostly useless. As for the number of channels, this seems to be just another 18mz with 16 proportional channels and two on or off channels. If that's what it actually is, I don't know why Futaba even bothered. Why should I have to spend $90 for an mpdx-1 to get more channels out of an already overpriced radio when all the other top manufacturers give you more channels for less? Unless there is some real magic under the hood with upgradability and third party intergration via downloads, this will be just another overpriced pig with better lipstick slapped on it. If my 18mz starts to have issues, Futaba will have made it easy for me to jump ship.