Whatever you do get something with a remote head, it makes installation so much easier and potentially cleaner. Of course, today that field is pretty open, as many (most?) mobiles have remote heads. And avoid the temptation of trying to do primary mobile with an HT, for most people with any real commute that simply does not work all that well.
Once you step up to remote head then it is only a few dollars more to get dual band, 2m/70cm mobile. For example the Yaesu FT7900R is only about $320. While I am not a fan of multiband antennas the fact is they have been doing dual band 2m/70cm antennas for so long there are some pretty decent ones out there, so you can get away with only one antenna. Something like the Diamond 770 family is not obtrusive, can be had in multiple configurations and colors, and works pretty well. Yes, single band full sized antennas will work better, but only you can decide if the improved performance is worth it in light of the increased cost, installation effort, and aesthetic impact.
I have HF in all of my off-road vehicles. I cannot recommend it enough if you actually go off-road in a vehicle. I have done the “all-in-one” rigs, like the Icom 706 series and the FT-8x7 series. In general I do not really like that kind of setup. Today I have shifted over to mostly separate HF rigs and VHF/UHF rigs. 2 of my off road vehicles have the Kenwood TS-480SAT combined with a Yaesu FT7900R. I find the separate rigs work out the best for me, I can monitor a VHF/UHF freq, or scan many frequencies in that range, while setting on an HF freq or scanning several HF freqs. Again, remote heads are a must in my opinion.
I said I have shifted over mostly to separate HF / VHF-UHF rigs, however one of my off-roaders still has an all-in-one rig, the TS-2000x, with the RC-2000 remote head. Because it has dual receivers in it it allows me to monitor HF on the main band while scanning/monitoring VHF/UHF on the sub band. And because it does cross-band repeat very well I can get to a remote location, get out for a walk, and still monitor whatever freqs I want (including HF) by remoting them to UHF and carrying my HT.
In all three of my off-road vehicles the rigs are mounted out of sight in the back cargo area. I built MDF boxes to contain and protect the rigs back there, that way throwing gear in the back does not turn into “lets see how I can get this in here without damaging the rigs”. And looking in the back you don’t see radios, all you see is a low, felt covered, box standing to one side against an inner panel. In two of my daily drivers the radios are installed behind the panels of the interior, so that only the remote heads can be seen inside the car.
For mobile HF there is no easy or cheap antenna answer. For a 4x4 application (anything that might go off-road) you need well constructed. The swaying and jouncing over even moderate dirt roads can, over time, cause mechanical failures in a cheap or lower cost HF antenna. In my opinion there is no single answer HF/VHF/UHF antenna worth a darn (there are a couple that work, but work does not necessarily mean work well), so you will probably end up with multiple antennas if you want those ranges. The fewest antennas I can see anyone getting away with, with acceptable performance, is about 2. My primary off-road vehicle has 5, but that is because I have 900 MHz and 1.2 GHz in that vehicle also.
T!
