~$250 for a quality, indispensable piece of gear isn't what I consider expensive. Especially for the amount of radio you get. Sure for $100 you can get a single band mobile or HT, but chances are you'll soon outgrow it.
Also think about the mount and coax that you'll need for a mobile rig. That's maybe another $100. Now you've spent $200 and your first and only radio is limited to being in the vehicle. For ~$50 more you get a radio you can use in the rig, on the trail, on hikes, on walks, in town and just about everywhere else. It can hear and key repeaters surprisingly far away and will work just as good if not better doing simplex on trail rides. With the HT you can get out of the vehicle and still have communications.
You don't need much power. For it's intended usage, 5 watts is plenty of power. If you think you're going to talk to China on 5 watts with an HT then you don't know what you're doing. But with the right setup, you can do a lot with 5 watts.
Listen to some of the local repeaters and you'll find out that a lot of guy/gals are using their HT on the repeater. They come in just as good as mobile and base rigs with 50-100 watts. The key here is that they know their limitations and aren't 200 miles from the repeater.
Well, I'd have to take issue with some of these statements.
I have both, and they really are for quite different purposes.
Yes, the HT is very versatile, portable, convenient, and all that. But it is limited to 5w, and that can and will make a BIG difference on many trail runs.
If your group is tightly-bunched all the time, the HT will suffice. But if you find yourselves getting spread out a bit, like the leader is a couple miles up the tight, twisty canyon and you're the tail gunner in a 15 or 20-rig train, still stuck way back in the flats, you'll find that you won't be able to commmunicate with the HT, but the dedicated mobile will most likely be able to punch through. (this is all assuming simplex operation) There is, quite simply, no comparison between the two "in this type of situation". Again, it really depends upon what you want.
Best to have both, really, but now that I've had both, I'd highly recommend the dedicated mobile unit as a start. Yes, my tri-band HT with it's 12" rubber-ducky antenna can, under ideal conditions, trip a repeater 70 miles away, but you'll find that the mobile unit will outperform it under pretty much all conditions.
And, believe it or not, the antenna is more important that the rig. I've been in several groups in the last couple years where some members bought nice dedicated mobile units, and then decided they hated those cumbersom 40" long whips, and opted for the small 18" whip instead. Big mistake. they found themselves unable to be heard in many situations, while all around them, those with the larger antennas were able to be heard quite clearly. There is a difference.
As far as a mount and antenna costing $100. I bought a Wilson brand magnetic mount antenna because I don't use the radio much except for trail runs, so I didn't need a permanent mount. This antenna works fantastically, and it comes with 18' of coax and the proper PL259 connector. It cost me $35, maybe they're $50 now? And the radio comes with a mounting bracket.
Final comment. If you do decide on an HT as your first/only rig, for trail use I'd strongly recommend an external, roof-mounted, full-size antenna. IF you use that arrangement, you'll be on a par with a dedicated mobile rig at it's lowest power setting, and that is enough for most trail scenarios.
Dana
Nobody is going to answer this?
