NIM, from my limited knowledge, I would recommend talking to the personnel here: http://www.aesham.com/. They can make recommendations after listening to your needs and they have deals going on all the time with a variety of equipment.
I have visited their LV store and have purchased a few handhelds from them.


I would also recommend getting some training from a local HAM club or SAR group to learn capabilities and "tricks".

hth