After juggling the UV-5R and TH-UVF9 for a few weeks, I became aware of the VX-6R. It is a "tri-bander," programmed for 2 meters, 1.25 meters, and 70 cm. It became readily apparent that it would be much more convenient to carry one radio, under normal circumstances, than two (as mentioned previously, I had bought the other two radios so that I could have access to the three bands). I got hold of a nice secondhand VX-6R for a very reasonable price on eBay. It is very rugged (and submersible). It is also very small, which is not obvious from the photo.
I use a Diamond SRH320A tri-band antenna with this radio.
For the time being, I am keeping the other two radios as backups. I may soon sell them, though, to offset the cost of another radio I'm considering--a Wouxun KG-UV5D which is programmed for the 6-meter band (50 MHz), in addition to 2 meters. With that purchase, I would have the capability to operate on four bands with only two handheld radios.
I'll start thinking about base and/or mobile radios after I get my General Class license.
