RE: 2nd Radio?
Yup, the Futaba 7C appears to be the best bang for your buck in 6 or more channel computer radios. I have the 9CAP and I think the programming is the same for the 7C. I was a bit bummed when the 7c came out cause it's cheaper, has pretty much all the functionality of the 9C (just two less channels, a few less memory slots, and a few less characters for plane name) and it's black. That gold housing of the 9C makes it look kinda cheap, IMHO. We all know it's plastic and not real gold - why not just keep it black?
If you think you're going to be in this hobby for more than a few months and have more than one plane, a good computer radio like the 7C will last you for a long time and work for many planes. It's great to have dual rates, expo, adjustable travel length and other features only found on computerized radios.
Rarely will you need more than seven channels, unless you get into serious scale planes, or jets, or wacky RC stuff like mounted cameras with pan&scan control, drop boxes or machine guns and rocket launchers.