ORIGINAL: phazelwood
Thanks all for the advise, the main reason I am getting a futaba is they have a cable where I can still use my old transmitter as a buddy box to teach my son to fly.
Don't let that be your criteria.
You can EASILY find a super cheap, used radio to use as a buddy box. Futaba also used to sell "buddy boxes" that had no built in transmission circuitry.
There's a number of things you can do.
Opt for the best radio you can afford.