The removal antenna was the main reason we picked up these baofengs. Wattage make the most sense to a newbie like me, more power = more range, especially because antenna are super complicated to understand.
It would be nice if that was the solution. Unfortunately it isn't. Proper antenna selection will make more of a difference.
Like others said above, it's a two way street. High power might get your signal out a bit better, but you also need to be able to hear. A radio with a sensitive receiver that is able to pull weak signals out of the noise is one of the keys to a good communications system. Antennas play into this, too.
We're planning on purchasing a Rzr this fall and the FT-857d looks like a perfect companion for that coupled with a large antenna. But will not work on sport quads as the radio must be attached to the person and not ATV.
857 is a good choice if you have your amateur license. To get the full functionality out of the radio, you are going to need an awkward antenna set up. They make mobile antennas that will work well with these radios, however they won't like being beat around on the trails and smacking low tree branches.
You might be better of just using the 10 meter, 6 meter, 2 meter, 70 centimeter portion of that radio. That will let you use a simpler antenna that will likely stand up to the abuse a bit better. Anyway, if you are going to be using it to talk to riders on ATV's, they'll have a hard time finding a portable radio that will cover all the same bands. You'll likely find that using 6 meters (VHF Low) or 2 meters (VHF High) will do what you want and keep the portable radio/antenna requirement reasonable.
I used a similar headset when I was riding quads. Worked really well. Take the time to do a good install in the helmet, make sure all the wires are well routed and not dangling down where they'll get caught.
They usually have some sort of disconnect near the helmet, often a mini-DIN connector, that makes taking your helmet off easier.
I can also tell you that getting the portable radio off your belt helps with coverage quite a bit. The human body can absorb a lot of RF. If you wear a backpack or hydration pack while riding, it's a good idea to stick the radio in there. This gets the radio/antenna up a bit higher and away from the body. This will help coverage a bit. I usually had mine with a higher gain antenna sticking up over my shoulder.
Other option would be to get one of the radio chest harnesses. They'll do the same task with the benefit of being able to see the radio controls.
Other word of caution:
Make sure you set the radios up with a "key lock" function. It's -really- easy for keys/knobs to get bumped when you are riding. This often results in someone getting off on another channel/volume turned down, etc. and not being able to hear anyone else.
Other other word of caution:
The type of plugs they use for these headsets are notorious for coming lose while riding. Two things can happen there, 1. headset becomes disconnected, can't TX can't RX. 2. Some radios, especially the Yaesu FT-60 with the single pin connector, have this horrible tendency to have plug back part way out, which results in the radio getting keyed up without the user knowing. Really a pain in the butt since you have to track down who it is and get them to fix it. We've found taping the connectors in place is very helpful!
