I had the same concerns as you when I started and I got so many words of advice I was dizzy. I bought an Accu-Cycle for $69 on sale at Tower Hobbies and it has been a lifesaver. I can charge a rcvr battery (in or out of the airplane) and a transmitter battery (in only) at the same time. It charges for 15 hours at 50 MAH and then goes to trickle (green charge light blinks at trickle). It is nice for a dummy like me. You can also charge NiMH battery's if you use them. Good clear instructions and user friendly. You can also discharge and cycle your batteres also. You can't do that with the transmitter battery on most transmitters since they install a diode to prevent external discharge. What I did was install a Futuba male and female connector in-line so I could remove the battery every few weeks to cycle it.