Congrats on getting your license, ditch the battery holder and get the power cord and build your own battery pack/holder, you'll be better off.

73's
Lee

Congratulations on your General.

A VX-7R is central in my long distance commuter EDC. I carry a Diamond SRH320A antenna, for better receive and transmit.

We put a cheap mag-mount with SMA connector in our commuter van because AM and CB are pretty weak inside a vehicle. It is nice to be able to listen to the truckers and find out what is going on when we suddenly find the Interstate becoming a parking lot.

I've also got a Diamond SRH999 which is nice for listening to AM and the HF bands.

AAs are almost always available no matter what the disaster, so that's a good move. NiMHs are good for rechargeable if there's still power. The problem is that the radio won't transmit at 5W; it drops to 0.5W or less.

I bought some 7.2V 1.2Amp Hour batteries from a toy store that sells R/C model airplanes and made a connection with a Radio Shack plug that lets me plug the battery into my DC-in socket on the radio. The radio still works at 5W, and the external battery charges the FNB-80LI if you leave it in.