I've purchased three radios since I've been flying for 8 plus years now. I'd first ask you how deep do you see yourself getting into the hobby again? When I first started flying I had no idea how 'addicted' I'd become. I quickly outgrew my radio due to needing more model memory and more functions. I then outgrew my second radio so I bought a second identical radio, wanting more memory. I then ran out of functions and needed a radio that supported dual elevator servos, more channels and I liked the idea of taking only one radio to the field.

So I'd recommend buying at least a computer radio 7 channels on up. That should be a great starting point. Radios like the Hitec Eclipse 7 or the Futaba 7 cap are great for the money and won't break the bank. I can't comment on Airtronics and JR as I have no experience with them. I personally fly with FM (Futaba 9cap made the recent move from a Hitec Eclipse 7). Spectrum is nice, but I don't fly with many others and frequency channels has never been an issue in 6+ years that I've been flying with this latest group. As the above said, FM will still be around a long, long time.

Good luck...