1) Dunno why everyone's so stuck on 'name brands' when people seem to be thrilled with their Turnigy/FlySky 9-ch units. Rx are about $10 EACH, and you can get the Tx/Rx setup for about $65-75 delivered. They're on backorder, but they're s'posed to be very nice FOR THE MONEY. As good as JR? No, but probby as good as Hitec, and better than Tactic

2) The Spektrum DSM/DSM2 basic technology is such that it doesn't afford great speed or super-precision. That's why JR has just abandoned it altogether for DSMX (which is fundamentally/completely different). They talk about 'grumbling Spektrum owners' a lot @ rcmodelreviews.com .

3) Why on earth is a discussion about 7-9 ch radios in the 'Beginners' forum?