Topic: multitrack field recording - MR8-HD - need advice and opinions

[sailcat]

I'm trying to put together a very compact, inexpensive, easy-to-use rig to record West African percussion groups in indoor and outdoor settings. Much of the work will be in the US, but some will be in Africa, so power can be an issue -- it will need to be able to run on some kind of battery setup.  I need to be able to record at least 4 simultaneous tracks for mixing and mastering, which could take place on a computer.

Has anyone had any experience with the Fostex MR-8HD?  It's the lowest-cost muiltitracker that can do 4 at once, and I've had good experience with Fostex before. I need to keep the cost down to afford to do the work, so I realize there will be compromises, I'm just tring to minimize them.

Any suggestions anyone can offer are welcome.