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Decisions, Decisions...
OK, so if most new hams purchase a handie-talkie (HT) as their first radio, why is it that they end up mostly using a mobile radio, whether in the car or at home?
First, it's not like this is a had thing. The handie-talkie is a very important part of amateur radio, especially the part that does public service and emergency communications. These events, not surprisingly, often force us to get out of our cars and take a walk. It's also true that when you are new to ham radio, you might want a very hands-on radio to experiment with and a talkie fulfills that desire. (No, we don't call them walkie-talkies in ham radio).
It's probably best that new hams accept the fact that if they get seriously interested in amateur radio that they have several radios in their future, including at least one talkie, a mobile rig in each car, and another at home. You don't have to buy them all at once, but you should probably accept the idea that real hams have multiple radios at their disposal.
I actually don't remember that last time I used a talkie for more than occasional talk. Usually, it's because I hear someone calling me on the repeater (on the scanner radio) and grab the nearest radio to respond. I am fortunate enough that a talkie inside my house "hits" the repeater almost as well as a high-power mobile rig. Further, most of my talkies (yes, I have a collection) aren't ham radios, but commericial radios that include ham frequencies in their programming. (See "Ham or Commercial" elsewhere on this site).