On the battery question. They have a shelf life. The only way to be sure of there condition is to cycle them.

If you have a battery charger/cycler charge them fully about 18-20hrs for (600mah at 50-60mah rate average wall charger included with radio). When they are fully discharged the cycler will tell how much capacity in mah were in the packs. do this 3 or 4 times and average the capacity. if the packs are below 75% of rated capacity I personally would replace them.

Cycle them once a month when not in use for extended periods

Note This advice is for NiCad not NiMah batteries