tarm1094,
Welcome to the greatest hobby in the world!! One quick note on choosing a radio. One factor that is huge as to what type of radio you use finding a radio that your instructor can deal with. This is important for 2 reasons, 1) You will need to have a buddy box setup for your training, so it's important that your instructor has the correct equipment to buddy box. 2) Knowledge of the radio. It helps that the instructor knows your radio and how it is programmed (if you get a computer radio) so that he can help you get your plane set, or work out any problems you may have. It would probably help in your decision if you contact your instructor and see what his opinions are before buying a radio. While it's true that some instructors are setup for just about any radio (I have a buddy box for all the major brands of radio), not all are. So it helps to check.

One other thing to think about is that you can get a free buddy box from the AMA when you join. The buddy boxs are either Airtronics or JR, but if you are getting those brands of radio this can be a huge advantage. You can find info on the AMA buddy box program here: [link]http://www.modelaircraft.org/promos/1/default.aspx[/link]

Hope this helps

Ken