One Futaba Contest 7 Radio in 1977

Then I got a Hitec Prism 7 ch on 36Mhz which was my first computer radio, massive 3 model memory and tiny little screen.

From there to JR 9X on 36Mhz with synthesised Rf module - still have that radio but needs a new 2.4Ghz module as I sold the 36Mhz module.

Then the JR 12X which was 2.4Ghz DSM2 then was converted to DSMX.  Still have that and it is still a good radio.  Kept a few 12 ch Rxrs, sold the rest.

Now I am on the PowerBox Core.  Challenging to learn.  

I started in the 1980's with a brand called Sataba, which was basically a South African branded Futaba. As far I know they were not even "license produced" - simply relabeled for the South African market. I also had a 27 MHz Sanwa radio, but most of my flying was with the Futaba/Sataba. In those years, we were using 53 Mhz mostly for aircraft models and 27 MHz for cars. I can even remember the exact frequency that I used on that precious radio as a high school student: 53.400 Mhz... South Africa later switched to 35 Mhz, but that only happened in the 90's if I recall correctly.

In later years I continued with Futaba almost exclusively, until the 2.4 GHz era arrived. I then converted some of my 35 MHz radios to 2.4GHz using a FrSky module and FrSky receivers. I still have some park flyers and small gliders flying on a Futaba 8UAPS with a FrSky module and it still works perfectly. Several decades now and I haven't lost a single model on that setup due to radio failure. The only other "upgrade" was replacing the old NiCD battery with a LiFE battery.

I have also used various versions of the FrSky Taranis and it is a solid radio. I even got quite adept at programming OpenTX on those radios, although it is not quite as user friendly as Ethos.

I currently use a FrSky Tandem X20S for most of my models. I just love the Ethos programming system and the radio is solid. At my club, we have had several people lose models due to interference, especially with Spectrum radios. I have not seen as much as a glitch over all the years of flying there with my FrSky equipment. Some of my friends have Powerbox radios and they have a lot of praise for those - considering the models they fly with them (for example, 1:2.5 and 1:3 scale GPS-triangle gliders), I strongly respect their opinions. However, I find my FrSky radio fantastic value for money and will most likely stick with that brand for the foreseeable future.