You could go to the local club members and see if anyone has a spare transmitter. Since 2.4 has gotten so popular, lots of folks (myself included) have extra 72 Mhz radios laying around. I've donated a couple to friends who needed parts. If you are staying in the hobby, I agree you should get the best radio you can barely afford. Also see what others in your area are using, but ultimately get what pleases you. Nothing worse than owning a plane/radio/gf that you can't stand to look at.