Harrkev, no worries -- no ruffled feathers on this end! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I think we may have somewhat different attitudes towards emergency gear. I almost never put anything away on a shelf for "emergency use only," except maybe MREs and lithium batteries, simply because they're too expensive to play with all that often. I try to use anything I might rely on in an emergency both to make sure it works and to make sure I know how to work it. I suppose I must be of a suspicious bend (and I like to play with my toys), because I don't trust anything to work until I've tested it. In the process, I've seen random things from knife blades snap to batteries explode to bags fall apart, and I'm glad to have some sense of what I can rely on.

So, once you've started using those crank radios, they are generally on their way downhill, which is why I think paying for their half-assed (am I allowed to say that here? <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />) recharging mechanisms is silly. Although for short-term, single use applications, e.g., distributing them to hurricane or other disaster victims, they may well be the best solution available, so your point is well-taken.

However, I personally plan for longer term and repeated use for my equipment. As I mentioned earlier, I do have a couple of crank operated radios, but they're not what I'd grab if I was running out the door. My primary BOB has a cheap, tiny Sony AM/FM/SW that runs forever on AAs and a 20 foot wire antenna.

I have a separate BOB for radio equipment, including a 12AH SLA battery, with solar/AC/DC recharger. My higher-end ham radios all have wideband coverage for TV, NOAA, etc. and I have a disturbingly large assortment of antennas in there too. Maybe sometime I'll add an FR300 and just save it for actual emergencies, but I'm not sure I could resist the temptation to play with it. (My wife has patiently accepted my radio interests with surprisingly good humor.)

Anyway, I've got a feeling we agree on more than we disagree. By the way, the built-in ferrite bar in your TH-F6a is a great addition. I wish they came on Yaesu HTs.

Fitz