I had an F6 for a couple of years -- as others have mentioned, it's a nice radio. I'm not sure how much use you'll get out of the 220MHz band, but the F6 has a lot of other features.

Definitely invest in a "AA" battery pack; it provides very limited power, but it's good to have in an emergency.

$310 isn't a bad price at all; you might check over at Ham Radio Outlet in Oakland. Plus there's nothing like being able to go in an actual store to try the radio (and others) out.

I'll second that using the computer programming is a big plus. What a timesaver!

Whatever you wind up buying, good luck and enjoy!