[Espeefan]

You'll see there are a lot of options out there for radios. Everybody runs something different. Personally, I don't much care for Airtronics, but it's a common choice, mostly because I think PMD started selling them along with the truck kits. I'm a bigger fan of Futaba radios, but rather then suggest a specific brand, I will just say make sure you get yourself a radio that uses 2.4 giga-hertz spread spectrum technology. Depending on how many channels you think you need, I'd make a selection based on that too. You'll find 4 to 14 channel radios out there. The more channels, the more they cost. Radios aren't really an item to skimp on. Radio gear and electronics for these models are more of an investment. Get the best you can afford. Even if you sell your models off later, you can keep the radio gear and use it again on another model.

If you are looking for a radio with more then 4 channels, you'll almost be stuck with a stick radio. Nothing wrong with that, unless you are already used to the pistol grip radios, from previous RC experience. Another really good thing to look for in a radio is one that has 3 position toggle switch. Very handy for shifting the gears on a 3 speed transmission. Most, but not all stick radios have a 3 position switch that can be assigned to a channel.

One other thing that is really nice, is a radio that comes with it's own battery pack and charger. Most these days do, especially the radios with more then 4 channels, but buying AA batteries gets old, so keep an eye out for that too. It's a pretty sure bet that any radio you will be looking at will have it's own battery pack, as you'll be looking at the higher end models.

You've got plenty of choices. Futaba, HiTec, Spektrum, JR, and Airtronics are all brands you can consider. It's good to stick with something more mainstream, so that if you run into problems programming the radio, or setting it up, you can ask for help. I would make a selection based on what you feel is more comfortable and easy to use for you. Check out a local shop, so you can feel the radio and decide if it's good for you. Flip the switches and maybe even turn it on, if you can, to check out the navigation of the menus. Trucks don't really make use of most radio programming functions, beyond the basic menus, like model naming, model selection, channel assignments, end point adjustments, sub-trim, switch and stick to channel assignments, and servo reversing, but you may find some channel mixes useful. At this level, a lot of the stick radios have more features then you'll really need, but if you really want 8 channels or more, you get those capabilities with the price, regardless!