I haven't tried too many but I went for price & bought a GME TX3200 & a 1' spring base with a 4' long, 6db gain arial. I believe 6db is about all the gain you'll get out of most 2ways like this. In the city with repeater stations etc I can talk to people more than 30Km away, but in tall forest, about 2km is the limit. If you know someone who can or will do it, the 3200 can be programmed to have a private sub channel unique to yours & another 2way, as well as a local police channel of your choice but as I said, you need to know someone as it's not exactly legal, just possible.
It's simple, easy to use & cheap @ around $350 w/out arial. I paid about $60 for my arial but I can't recall what the spring base cost but it was worth it. I've used arials without it & they usually get swiped by a tree. There are different size srings so make sure you get the 1 that suits the weight & height (it matters @ 100kph) of you arial. Don't be fooled by arial size. Bigger isn't always better if your unit can't receive or put out signal to that magnification if I can call it that.........can't think of the right word right now.