I still have my Hitec 7 and it works just fine. Before that it was a basic 4 or 5 ch. I got my 7 and was building more and more advanced planes and the 7 was still fine. Only problem was it would only hold 3 planes at a time so I wanted to be able to program more planes in it. I got a super deal on a Futaba 9-C and at that time it was the number one radio on the market. I looked at new radios a couple years ago and didn't find anything I liked better so just bought the Hitec 2.4 module for it. I have had the module for a couple of years but have only changed over to 2.4 slowly as money finds it's way into my pockets. I still have a couple planes on 72 and 72 still works as well as it ever did. The only advantage to 2.4 is the lack of the need to use the frequency boar and walk the line. Not having to pull out the antenna is also a big plus for me. I lost two planes by forgetting to do that, my stupid though. Other then that 2.4 isn't a big deal for me. When it's time for a more advanced radio you will know it and by then have a good idea of the type and brand you want. Everyone you meet at a club/field will be telling you that you should change though. Just the nature of the beast. The loudest advocates will be newer pilots too. I'm told I really need a cell phone too. Why, I can always borrow someone eases??