Since the unit is a ham radio, it is very easy to program from the front panel. As to the battery packs, I had already purchased a V82 and an extra battery pack from HRO back in June, so I already had the charger. Setting the banks is done when you program the channel info such as PL, offset, etc. There are ten banks in all. You can only put a channel in one bank at a time, unlike the F43/F33, where a channel can be programmed in different banks or scan profiles. The radio will scan by bank. Not sure of the scan speed, but seems fairly fast. It does feel like its constructed more sturdily than the F43. I already had the AD119 charger(for an F30 radio) and plan to get a cup to convert it to the V82/U82 batteries. Whether you can use the sport radio as is, is up to you. For $80, what can you say. Some of the bubble pack GMRS stuff is more pricey.