sportster 64,
I think that rlmcnii has given you a very sage piece of advice on getting a little more radio to begin with, especially if you think that you'll continue with the hobby. I use Futaba and I can tell you there are some significant capability differences between the 7C and 9C without a whole lot of difference in the prices.
You've also gotten some good input from other posts on what is basically kind of a Ford/Chevy/Dodge preference question, or which brand is your favorite as they'll all get the job done, but using what others at your flying site use should maybe be more of a consideration than you might think. Someone who has the radio you choose can probably show you how to do things in a few minutes as opposed to spending a few hours going over the manual and manufacturers online FAQ's. As for my choice, it mostly came down to the fact that my buddy who taught me the basics used Futaba, so that's what I bought...
