ORIGINAL: erik valdez
I would not Leave out the used market when it comes to buying a transmitter. I also wouldnt buy into the whole 2.4 is the only way to go thing. We flew 72mhz for years and years just fine, and I still do. You can find a once very expensive radio and receiver setup on 72 now for very cheap. Alot of sailplane guys used to fly 50 mhz as well. If you check out the buy/sell section you can find some great deals on good equipment, a real quick sheach found this one which has a sailplane mode and is more than capable of doing everything you could ever need.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=855961
I purchased an older JR 7202 72Mhz transmitter (7 channels, 20 model memory, and 2 aircraft modes) off of FeeBay about a year ago. It does not have a module in the back and therefore cannot be converted to 2.4Ghz via the module method. I did however change it to 2.4 with a FrySky module with telemetry. The change over is very easy as the JR modulator board is located on stands just under the back, and the 3 wires that connect to the new FrySky moduleare clearly marked on that board. My range is just under 1.5 miles, and Ihave all my airplanes and helicopters on this one radio (15 currently flying).
The receivers are very inexpensive, and seem to be quite durable. I have never had a problem with any brownouts or out of range situations.
This setup gives me all the model memory Ineed, and can be setup to perform just about any mixing I need.
My wife's TFGS F4U Corsair will require another radio though, as we are incorporating an operating canopy and simulated guns.
Bryan