I would say to keep it simple.....
A HT is nice to have,and they do have their place in the radio world,but their range is very limited for general chatting. ( I have not heard alot about the HT you mention in your post...but keep in mind that you get what you pay for,for reliability and warrenty stay with the bigger makers such as Icom,Yeasu,Kenwood,Alinco)
Rather than get a HT spend a few more dollars get a mobil radio such as an Icom IC 2200H and set it up in your car or house. Get a 15 amp power supply to run radio in the house....Mobil radios can be bought in the same price range as the HT.... good single band mobil radios start around $160 and go up to about $250.....about the same price as a decent HT
For an antenna you can build a J- pole for under 20$ put it together yourself with just basic soldering skills and you have a good antenna.
Now I did find a nice base antenna to buy from Jetstream for under $50
Just a couple of weeks ago I actually made contact with the International Space Station with my 65 watt mobil radio rigged up in the house with the above mentioned J-pole antenna at just 30 feet off the ground...keep in mind that how high antenna is off ground does not effect talking to the ISS
If you want a write up for an antenna try this link and just enter the frequency you want ..I used 146.000 mhz
J POLE ANTENNA DESIGN CALCULATOR by K4ABT
side note: I just spotted this thread .......and dont be discouraged on a lack of replies.....