Time for a quick reality check here. There are 3 price points for a beginner to look at for their first radio. At the lowest is a basic 4 channel, middle is the 6 channel computer, and then there's 7-9 channels.

Let's start at the top. Personally, I see very little need for anyone other than those with an unlimited budget to consider the 7 to 9 channel radio for their first plane. My reasoning is simple, it's hard for a beginner to know what they want to get out of the hobby. If you go to nearly any field over time you will discover that somewhere around 70 to 80% of the fliers never use more than 4 channels. Of those who do use more, many never get into the complicated mixes that those who would have a beginner buy a $350 plus radio say they need. So, given these issues, it's better for a beginner to save their money in the beginning and upgrade once they know they like the hobby, and are sure that the direction they want to go actually requires an advanced radio.

Next choice is one of the 6 channel computer radios. If you make note of my AMA number you can reason that I've been around the hobby for a while. While I'm far from the best pilot, I've flown in lots of situations, and a bunch of planes. In all these years, I've rarely needed more than 4 channels, and I've never had to rely on the advanced mixing that some people think is so important. I'm not saying these frills are not valuable, however, for most they are not necessary. I have a basic 6 channel computer radio, the 6EXA. I think it's great for the typical sport flier, but I wish it had memory for more than 6 planes. It's a good mix of features at a reasonable price. Similar offerings from Hitec and JR are also good values. Which one you choose is up to personal and perhaps local preferences. The advantages of this class of radio have already been mentioned.

And finally we are at the often maligned basic 4 channel radio. I personally think these are a good choice for a beginner. They are much simpler to operate, present few complications when buddy boxing, and cost significantly less money. I've already talked about the fact that many fliers never need more than 4 channels. What about the loss of those nice to have functions such as EPA that one can get with the 6 channel computer radios? In many ways, a beginner is better off without them. Things like EPA should be used for fine tuning, but the beginner doesn't know this. So, instead of learning to get the mechanical setup right and then fine tuning, EPA is used as a hammer. This just adds complexity to the poor instructor who has to figure out whether the plane is ready to maiden or not.

What about the theory that if one buys a 4 channel and then upgrades later that they have somehow wasted their money? To resolve this dilema, one merely needs to consider the cost of a typical flight pack. For a basic setup it's going to run from $90 to $150 depending on servo, receiver, and battery. The 4 channel setup, which includes one of these flight packs, typically runs $100-130. So, the beginner who starts out with a 4 channel setup wastes no money. If they don't like the hobby, the money down the drain is lower. If they do like the hobby but decide to upgrade, the flight pack they bought with their 4 channel setup can be reused with the more advanced radio they upgraded to. The 4 channel transmitter can be used as a backup in case that fancy 9 channel has a problem and needs service.

So, the bottom line is it's not a bad thing to watch the beginning budget and buy a basic 4 channel, or perhaps a basic 6 channel computer radio. Each path has it's pros and cons, it's up to each person to decide which is best for themself.