new battery and fly it… like everyone said.
As for the new radios, All the brands are awesome, All the brands suck, just depends on who you ask. Futaba and Hitec are still excellent brands with some great radios, Airtronics and Spektrum,Jr, Graupner, Jeti, Tactic have some good stuff too… In general its difficult in the forums to decipher which radios have the most problems, but I think if you stuck with one your first two choices you likely would be happy with your experience.
the biggest thing with newer radios and newer digital servos is understanding the new battery requirements. You have to be careful to supply enough power so that the receiver and digital servos are properly powered, The old 700mA NiCd doesn't always cut it anymore, Personally I fly with 2500mah receiver packs… but I'm way over cautious in that respect.