I think if you're going to spend $300 for your second radio, you need to take a look at where you're going. What types of models interest you, and what areas of the hobby do you plan to explore? If you know where your interests lie, it's not too hard to do a bit of research to find the best buy for you. Everyone has different interests and tastes, and I think a lot of the radio recommendations made come from those sorts of personal preferences rather than what really is best for the person asking for advice.

When I started out I had a 4-channel Airtronics. When I decided I wanted a computer radio, I bought what I believed to be the best 6-channel computer radio out there at the time. It did most of what I wanted. It was an Airtronics RD6000. After seeing what friends had in their Futaba and JR sets of the same vintage, I sure was glad I did my research and bought the Airtronics. When I needed more channels, I got a JR 783. That was a mistake, as I soon needed an eighth channel. I got a JR 8103. That was the older analog trim version, and I did love the digital trims from the RD6000. I ended up getting the digital trim 8103. Somewhere in there I picked up a JR 421ex for $25 to use as a buddy box.

I did most of my buying and selling of radios here on RCU, so all my changes didn't end up costing me much. Sometimes I sold a radio for more than I bought it for. If I'd been buying new radios, I'd have spent a lot more than I needed to with all of my switching in and out of models.

Take some time to figure out where you want to go, and then find out what those models need. 7 channels? A crow function for the wing? Helicopter programming? Dual elevator servos? Is 2.4ghz important where you fly, or is 72mhz problem-free? What sorts of extra features appeal to you? (An integrated timer/stopwatch is pretty important to me.)

Once you figure all of that out, you can narrow your choices pretty easily. If 2.4ghz is important to you, it may well be that your best option right now is to wait for more product offerings to hit the market. At the rate that new radios are coming out, I'd imagine there will be 2.4ghz radios available across most product ranges by this time next year. Maybe your current radio will suffice for this season?

If money is an issue, consider buying used gear. The next couple of months will be particularly good for finding 72mhz bargains as the people with 8 and 9 channel radios move to the 2.4ghz equivalents. There are some great deals in RCU's swapshop and other swapshops at the moment. Play your cards right, and you might be able to buy a very nice radio inexpensively this year, sell it next year for about the same price, and then move into 2.4ghz when there are more models available there.

One thing to keep in mind is that different radios will feel differently in your hands. Try'em out at your hobby shop, or ask someone you fly with if you can see how their radio feels. Some will feel very cheap, with chromed plastic switches and the like, others will feel too heavy to you, have funny balance points (do you hold the radio, fly with a strap, or use a tray?), some gimbals are smoother than others, and some gimbals offer quite a bit of adjustability in terms of stick height and tension. Personally, I find the rotary knob on my 8103 to be near useless--I've got no desire to look down at it while flying, and other than the limits of its travel I can't tell where it is by feel.

Of course, you could just say "%*^$ that's a lot of work!" and just buy whatever. If you find yourself needing or wanting a different radio you can always sell whatever you buy.