diff --git a/src/AppFrame.cpp b/src/AppFrame.cpp
index 41e6e51..84c1309 100644
--- a/src/AppFrame.cpp
+++ b/src/AppFrame.cpp
@@ -338,7 +338,7 @@ bool AppFrame::loadSession(std::string fileName) {
     try {
         DataNode *header = l.rootNode()->getNext("header");
 
-        std::string version = *header->getNext("version");
+        std::string version(*header->getNext("version"));
         long long center_freq = *header->getNext("center_freq");
         long long offset = *header->getNext("offset");
 
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ bool AppFrame::loadSession(std::string fileName) {
             float squelch_level = demod->hasAnother("squelch_level")?(float)*demod->getNext("squelch_level"):0;
             int squelch_enabled = demod->hasAnother("squelch_enabled")?(int)*demod->getNext("squelch_enabled"):0;
             int stereo = demod->hasAnother("stereo")?(int)*demod->getNext("stereo"):0;
-            std::string output_device = demod->hasAnother("output_device")?*demod->getNext("output_device"):"";
+            std::string output_device = demod->hasAnother("output_device")?string(*(demod->getNext("output_device"))):"";
 
             std::cout << "\tFound demodulator at frequency " << freq << " type " << type << std::endl;
             std::cout << "\t\tBandwidth: " << bandwidth << std::endl;
diff --git a/src/util/DataTree.cpp b/src/util/DataTree.cpp
index 1f3cce6..cb91ac2 100755
--- a/src/util/DataTree.cpp
+++ b/src/util/DataTree.cpp
@@ -33,23 +33,29 @@ using namespace std;
 
 #define STRINGIFY(A)  #A
 
-DataElement::DataElement() {
-    data_type = DATA_NULL;
-    data_val = NULL;
-    data_size = 0;
-    unit_size = 0;
+DataElement::DataElement() : data_type(DATA_NULL), data_val(NULL), data_size(0), unit_size(0) {
 }
 
 DataElement::~DataElement() {
-    if (data_val)
+    if (data_val) {
         delete data_val;
+        data_val = NULL;
+    }
 }
 
 void DataElement::data_init(long data_size_in) {
-    if (data_val)
+    if (data_val) {
         delete data_val;
+        data_val = NULL;
+    }
     data_size = data_size_in;
-    data_val = new char[data_size];
+    if (data_size) {
+        data_val = new char[data_size];
+    }
+}
+
+char * DataElement::getDataPointer() {
+    return data_val;
 }
 
 int DataElement::getDataType() {
@@ -84,6 +90,7 @@ DataElementSetNumericDef(DATA_LONGDOUBLE, long double)
 
 void DataElement::set(const char *data_in, long size_in) {
     data_type = DATA_VOID;
+    if (!data_size) { return; }
     data_init(size_in);
     memcpy(data_val, data_in, data_size);
 }
@@ -220,7 +227,9 @@ void DataElement::get(string &str_in) throw (DataTypeMismatchException) {
         str_in.erase(str_in.begin(), str_in.end());
     }
 
-    str_in.append(data_val);
+    if (data_val) {
+        str_in.append(data_val);
+    }
 }
 
 void DataElement::get(vector<string> &strvect_in) throw (DataTypeMismatchException) {
@@ -342,20 +351,23 @@ void DataElement::setSerialized(char *ser_str) {
 
 /* DataNode class */
 
-DataNode::DataNode() {
-    ptr = 0;
-    parentNode = NULL;
+DataNode::DataNode(): ptr(0), parentNode(NULL) {
+    data_elem = new DataElement();
 }
 
-DataNode::DataNode(const char *name_in) {
-    ptr = 0;
+DataNode::DataNode(const char *name_in): ptr(0), parentNode(NULL) {
     node_name = name_in;
-    parentNode = NULL;
+    data_elem = new DataElement();
 }
 
 DataNode::~DataNode() {
-    for (vector<DataNode *>::iterator i = children.begin(); i != children.end(); i++) {
-        delete *i;
+    while (children.size()) {
+        DataNode *del = children.back();
+        children.pop_back();
+        delete del;
+    }
+    if (data_elem) {
+        delete data_elem;
     }
 }
 
@@ -364,7 +376,7 @@ void DataNode::setName(const char *name_in) {
 }
 
 DataElement *DataNode::element() {
-    return &data_elem;
+    return data_elem;
 }
 
 DataNode *DataNode::newChild(const char *name_in) {
@@ -1541,7 +1553,7 @@ bool DataTree::LoadFromFile(const std::string& filename) {
     dtHeader.setSerialized(hdr_serialized);
     DataNode *header = dtHeader.rootNode();
 
-    string compressionType = *header->getNext("compression");
+    string compressionType(*header->getNext("compression"));
     dataSize = *header->getNext("uncompressed_size");
 
     bool uncompress = false;
diff --git a/src/util/DataTree.h b/src/util/DataTree.h
index 49273a9..8220e11 100755
--- a/src/util/DataTree.h
+++ b/src/util/DataTree.h
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ public:
     ~DataElement();
     
     int getDataType();
+    char *getDataPointer();
     long getDataSize();
     int getUnitSize();
     
@@ -224,7 +225,7 @@ private:
     map<string, unsigned int, string_less> childmap_ptr;
     
     string node_name;
-    DataElement data_elem;
+    DataElement *data_elem;
     unsigned int ptr;
     
     
@@ -259,7 +260,8 @@ public:
         
     void findAll(const char *name_in, vector<DataNode *> &node_list_out);
     
-    operator string () { string s; element()->get(s); return s; }
+//    operator string () { string s; element()->get(s); return s; }
+    operator const char * () { if (element()->getDataType() == DATA_STRING) return element()->getDataPointer(); else return NULL; }
     operator char () { char v; element()->get(v); return v; }
     operator unsigned char () { unsigned char v; element()->get(v); return v; }
     operator int () { int v; element()->get(v); return v; }