RE: Antenna wire
I have not noticed a reduction in range either. I have thoroughly range tested these setups and and while it might "seem" you would get a range reduction with the straw coil, you do not. It is imperattive to tape it in a few places to keep it from passing over itself, as I saw a guy with one that folded over during intall and he could not get a safe range check.
Despite another impression, our pylon racers are flown quite a ways away when we are not on the course. Especially when we loiter before landing after the race. It is hard to keep anything going over 160 mph close. Also if this was not a viable solution, we certainly would not trust it to such high performance aircraft.
Obviously you can just hang the antenna out the back, but it has always been a pain to me, and they are fairly fragile and get damaged over time.
Yes, 2.4 is the final solution on this matter. I guess it is a matter of choice as to whether it is worth it or not to drop a few bills for a new radio. The antenna is almost a minor benefit to 2.4. It is the greatest thing to hit our hobby since super glue!