This thread right here ended up having alot of good info in it, and helped me quite a bit when I was learning:

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...p-on-Chest-Rig

Definitely get Tech license at least. Not that hard, and worth it to get on the air and practice your comms craft NOW, so you know what you're doing.

You can do alot with little. We regularly get 3.5 mile range simplex with 5 watt hts w/ good 1/4 wave whips.

I regularly get 50 mile range to a repeater with a rollup J-pole, made by N9TAX labs, with a 5 watt ht.

My primary is a TYT MD-UV380.

Land mobile type digital radios are capable of encryption of various types. And they do DMR, which is a way to have pretty wide area communication over the country and the world via in-place infrastructure.

Baofeng UV-82 is a decent 2m/70cm radio for the price. I don't care what the naysayers say. We have 2.

Don't go single band, it reduces your options. UHF is better in built up areas/dense foliage, VHF gives you better range in the open. Around me, repeaters are 50/50 mix of those.

It IS all about who you want to talk to though, and why. Mission. Purpose.