Hello all, I am fairly new to the electric hobby scene. I just bought a traxxas summit monster truck and would like some advice on batteries and charger. and as well of course...... my new summit!

I understand the basics of batteries;

mah = power/running time of rc
nicad vs nimh batteries = nimh is newer technology and don't have memory yaddy yadda
amps = charging rate - higher the rate, the quicker it charges but also kills the batteries lifetime.

Okay, now for some questions;

1) whats a good charger? something not too complicated, but easy to operate and understand.
2) what do most people use for amp rate to charge batteries and how long does it take to charge them? (say like a 3000 mah battery) is there a chart comparison somewhere?
3) I need 2 batteries to operate my summit, is there any decent charger out there that is capable of charging both at the same time?
4) I have been reading that timer chargers are no good and overcharge batteries. So if no timer, would do you know when its peak charged?
5) what is the first upgrades I should do to my summit when I get it? I used to own a tmaxx and quickly found out how fast it ripped through those crappy plastic drive shafts. So I want to be pro active and know the weaknesses of it.

anything else I should know about batteries/chargers/summit in general?

thanx