The saying is “Shoot, move, and communicate.” I won’t give away the entirety of my communications plan, but here is a partial list of equipment that I have. (The majority of it is Yaesu, for the simple reason that I only want to have and learn one version of the programming software):
Regional Comms:
Yaesu FT897 mobile radio mounted in the house. I also have batteries and antennas capable of taking this radio into the field.
Area comms:
Yaesu FTM-400XDR. This is my only digital radio. It is loaded with features, and I got it for about $400. You are fortunate to find one for less than $550 nowadays. I have it mounted in a vehicle.
Yaesu FT-7900R This is a vehicle mounted radio that operates in the 2 meter and 70cm band.
Uniden CMX760 This is a vehicle mounted CB radio.
Handheld:
Yaesu FT60R- This is a dual band handheld radio that has all sorts of advanced features.
Yaesu FT270R: This is a 2 meter handheld that has the advantage of being water resistant.
Because it does you no good without someone to talk to, I have some radios to share. For sharing, I have about half a dozen Baofeng UV-5r radios with spare batteries. They operate in 2 bands (2 meter and 70cm), are not as nice as the Yaesu radios I have, but do have the advantage of only costing $25 each. At that price, I can afford to give some away if needed.