Everything is much more standard than it use to be.  Each brand of radio had their own plugs as late as the 80's; each very different and unless you loped it off you could not switch brands and then the signal pulses might be incompatible.  The mind set of modelers have standardized which is a bad thing.  The consistency that you seek has turned this into a consumer hobby rather than a experimenters hobby.  It use to be like a mix between ham radio, hotrod cars, aerospace engineer, test pilot, home built airplane builder, machinist and so on.  Not that every one built a radio or machined an engine, but they had to understand the workings  to make it work; you had to learn which gave a intellectual feeling to success.  All well rounded.  Now Wally World" want it now with my price" is taking a toll even at this level.