HD, Mine didn't come from a Pilot shop but from ML&S which is a dedicated Ham Radio shop and the ICOM from another pilot who no longer needed it. I'll try to contact ML&S and find out a bit more as they are usually very much on the ball when it comes to such matters.
Just had a look at his logbook entries on QRZ - most wierd. Many out of sequence, only two contact entries made with individual persons during the period when the hurricane was still a tropical storm and these before the date of the alleged incident.
I too, am beginning to hear squeaking.
