Regarding the antenna issue, RC transmitter antennas are (to the best of my knowledge) a modified dipole antenna which is one of the simplest and most robust types of portable antenna. One of the downsides to this antenna type is that its radiation pattern is toroidal, or doughnut shaped. This means that it's strongest transmission is at ninety degrees to the antenna mast and its weakest is from the top or bottom of the mast. This applies equally to the old, telescopic type found on the 27/25/26/72 Mhz equipment, and the new "rubber ducky" types found on 2.4GHz radios. As BelAirBob pointed out, the older pilots learned quickly that using the antenna as a finger to point at the plane didn't work, and this is exactly why the new types of antennas have hinges. It doesn't matter if you have your antenna bent so it's vertical, horizontal, or somewhere in-between as long as the side of the mast is pointing at the plane, not the end!

I've included a picture of a toroid to represent signal strength - you have to imagine the antenna mast sticking up through the middle of the "doughnut".


Something most people forget is that the receiver antennas are also dipoles, and have the same reception pattern as the transmitter's signal. With the Spektrums there's two (or more) antennas - you should always orient one vertically and one horizontally so that at least one antenna is going to be close to ninety degrees to the transmitter at all times.