Great story, John. At the risk of flagellating an already deceased obsolete mode of personal transport, I'll point out that even the "here today, gone tomorrow" types would likely come out ahead by buying new radio gear. If you spend the $70 or so that it'll cost the OP to get his old radio ready to go, that's just lost money. But if he buys a $200 new system he probably will be able to get $150 back out of it if he decides the hobby isn't for him. Of course, that scenario is far less likely with good radio gear as they do make flying easier and more fun.