same old gripes nothing works right and someone else has something better. Back in the day we had the same probs, we all called our radios 25 sets and some griped that the US was using PRC 77s not realizing that if you opened them up they were 77s.
Point 2 the prob with the 521s is DND tried to make it an everything radio its a squad radio and does not need a long range if your section is spread out over 1/2 a klick you're in deep crap troop, also it only needs about 10 preprogrammed freqs for section use ie. PRC 68 (still in use as PRC 126) your sect. does not need freq hopping just encryption. Range on a manpack VHF is about 5 Km on a good day & if you are that far ahead of your next higher HQ & support you are ahead of me and you're in deep crap troop, (Recce 1st to die) high power usage gives away your position to direction finding & eats batteries like crazy the weaker the battery the lower your tx/rx power, you do not need all those extra bands are you a FAC that needs to talk to zoomies, are your Recce that sometimes needs HF, are you Spec-Ops that needs a Satcom no not your job. You need to keep in mind the KISS principle the more complicated the kit the easier it breaks, the easier it is for someone to screw up under stress, and it sounds like that's the prob with the 522s, overly complicated, at least partly. Check & maintain your gear, I used to carry a small tube of dialectic grease for use on antenna, audio, & battery connections, it does wonders for stopping corrosion & keeping out moisture, use a tester to check your batteries, keep them fresh. Check & recheck your gear, make sure it works before you leave on the mission, if it doesn't work once you're across the FEBA its to late & your in deep crap troop. Fancy kit with features you don't need is not the answer, using what you have the way it was meant to be used is.