If you had Futaba, you would not have to go through all that as long as your frequency change remained on one side of the high or low band.

I do not know how JR works on this but is a waste of money and time and its a hassle for some. As far as being illegal, you have a better chance of being hit by a 1 inch meteor than having the FCC come knocking on your door. Compare the legalities to this, its also illegal to go 31mph in a 30 mph zone.

Whatever you do, make sure you do a range check