I am taking the holistic stance. My current handheld functions superbly with the supplied RD. So good that I find no need to seek marginal gains that risk increase in wear-and-tear and reductions in water-resistance and convenience.
No provocation intended.
I wonder what you mean by âsuperblyâ, Tom? Probably that it reliably allows you to qualify the summit with a number of contacts that satisfy you.
Speaking as a chaser, I find handheld activations frustrating, to me, anything that extends the range of a handheld can only be a good thing. From my fairly average location and using a three-band colinear with a claimed 6dB gain on 2m I can expect to work activations using handies on just eight or so summits, with several more that need lift conditions before I can hear a handy. This presupposes that the activators arenât down a little on the opposite side of the summit, Iâve been unable to work activators on my nearest summit if theyâve dropped down a little on the far side. Yes, Iâm sure that some of you are thinking âwhatâs he talking about, I have worked chasers over 100 km awayâ, but you need a clear path. VHF DX has always favoured those with good locations, this is the core reason why so many abandoned VHF after the end of the âBâ licence. The âhavesâ stayed, the âhave-notsâ left.
I worked Frank MW0OFA in Pembrokeshire a few times with the handheld and rubber duck, on 2m FM, from The Cloud G/SP-015. That goes into the âsuperbâ category AFAIAC. Iâve worked across to Grantham like that, got Phil OBK in North Yorkshire, the South Lakes and the IOM. Fair enough, condx might have been âa bit upâ for those, but HH+RD does me a 80 mile radius in flat condx, and a healthy logbook. You must be the only remaining amateur in the West Midlands not to have worked me on it Brian 
Exactly the reply I was expecting, Tom!
Of course HH+RD gets you an 80 mile radius in flat condx, but I bet that none of those that you worked at 80 miles were living in valleys or the wrong side of hills! It comes down to the basics. With a HH+RD you cream off the best located and the best equipped stations at 80m, add some output, more power or a gainier antenna, and those with poorer locations or less gainy antennas will hear you within that 80m, while âbeaconâ stations further away will now get you. IOW, because you can work 80m it doesnât mean that you can work everybody within 80m. As I say, basics, it isnât the virtue of the HH or RD, its just the way things work.
Both activators and chasers need to make a bit more of an effort if they want/need more/further/better contacts. As an activator, I regularly get really good results operating with HH and RD. But if I want even more, I use the 817, a beam, mixture of modes (FM, C4FM, CW, SSB, FT8) and/or operate during contests.
As a chaser, I donât do particularly well from the home QTH. When I was much keener on SOTA chasing back in the early days, that âbit more of an effortâ was driving up to a local high point for some /M operating. Nowadays, Iâm more likely to actually head for a summit if thereâs activations Iâm keen to chase, and try to get them S2S.
A VHF handie is such an obvious and natural option for a hillwalking amateur, so theyâll always be these kind of activations.