RE: What type of Radio
I personally use the Futaba 3PK Black Version.
There is a new 3PK Black Version with synth module that you might want to look at.
I love the 3PK. It works great. Nice feel and has all the features I need.
If that's too much money look for the Futaba 3PM-FS with synth receiver (hard to find.. most places have the 3PM-TFS which only has a synth tx but not rx)
The imidiate advantage, if you race, of the 3PK is that you can swap out the TX module with the new spektrum module and never have to worry about readio frequenies again.
If you really like the bleeding edge. You may want to look into the Nomadio Sensors radio.