You did the first thing right--by posting and asking here--continue to ask here if you can't find answers.  Just don't let the naysayers and flamers scare you away--ignore their posts.  There are plenty of good competent hams on this site that will be happy to help you out!

Take care and good luck!  

""and do a bit of hiking and camping in some sparce areas."

QRP HF rigs do well here as you are often out of range of a vhf repeater."

The gentleman did say he just got his Tech license--this advice will be useful to him when he upgrades his ticket, but not right now.  73!

Peter said all HTs are toys--not true.  It is true that you would not want a HT as your primary radio, but HTs are useful and the battery power doesn't drop after two or three transmissions.  If it did, the police HTs wouldn't be as popular--or as useful--as they are.

The one 'secret' is to get a high capacity battery pack for the HT to increase its usefulness--and with some HTs, the RF power output.  As an example, because its the HT I use, the Icom T7H puts out about 3.5 watts with the standard 7.2 volt pack.  I bought mine with the optional 9.6 volt pack which brings the power out up to about 5 watts, but if I use the 12 volt adapter cord off a 12 volt source the power output goes up to near 7 watts.  Some people may say its nothing, but that little extra bit of power can sometimes make the difference between getting a signal through--or not being heard.

A good investment for a HT that is used extensively would be a 12 volt gel cell battery pack available from some suppliers.  A cigar lighter connector can be added to it so the HT can be run off its 12 volt power cord for extended use.

Remember, the HT is usually used for portable work, a good mobile rig is better for use in the car--or in the shack.

As others have said, start out with what you think you need and work your way into the hobby.  Once you get into it, you'll find out what will work better for you.  73 and good luck!

Why is it we always see "Bad idea" or "Buy a power supply"?  This hobby is supposed to be about experimentation.  Converting a computer power supply for use in a ham shack is a form of experimentation--and a great learning experience!

Granted, a converted computer power supply simply does not have the capacity to run a 100 watt HF rig, but it is ideal to run receivers, cooling fans, TNCs, and other auxiliary equipment using 12 volts.

In a pinch, larger converted supplies CAN be used to run 2 meter or dual band VHF/UHF rigs on a low power setting--as long as the supply is rated at least at 350 watts and you don't set it up to run the rig on a long term basis.

An article was printed in the ARRL magazine QST a couple of years ago detailing the conversion process.  As I recall, a low ohmage wire wound resistor was required across the 5 volt part of the supply to keep the supply voltage regulation constant.  

There was an adjustment required inside the supply as well to increase the 12 volt side to as close to 13.8 volts as possible.  The adjustment could be by a small pot on the board or by adding or substituting resistors on the same board.  The work requires a little skill, patience, and the knowledge of how to choose the right resistor to get the results you want.

You really don't want to chance running an expensive rig on a converted supply, but converting a computer power supply can be a good learning experience, a fun project, and the resulting supply can have uses in the shack as well.
 

Just pointing this out--When you start a vehicle, the 'sag' could be considered a reversed spike.  However, when the engine actually starts and the load is removed from the starter, a voltage feedback could occur, causing a real spike.

With that said, turning off the radio is the best way to avoid damage to it--from any spike.

I think this person has the wrong idea of a grounding system--it looks like they are trying to reinvent the ground "plane".  

Ground rods are meant to be driven into the ground vertically, not laid into the ground horizontally.  If you want to lay radials, they have to be longer than 8 feet, and with a tower, radials don't doo much good unless the tower is the antenna.  Better brush up on tower grounding, antanna radials and ground planes, OM.

Yes, its monitored closely.......NOT!

On 2 meters, a quarter wavelength is approx. 19 to 20 inches.  You should be at least that far away from the tower leg, but not any closer under any circumstances.  

Thirty six to forty inches may be overkill if the antenna has any weight to it.  Rule of thumb is if you double the length of the outrigger, you should quadruple its strength.  An outrigger that long (36") should also have a diagonal leg attached at the antenna vertical attachment point extending downward to the tower leg for added support.

One thing I forgot is I once had a problem similar to yours, a drastic drop of voltage when starting the car.  I did all the things I mentioned and the cables were seemed good, but the problem remained.  Finally I found the cause, the end of the negative cable attached to the chassis was badly corroded--inside the terminal end.  I replace the cable, and no more problem--the battery held near 11 volts even when cranking the engine.

Your battery may not be large enough to safely supply both the starter and the radio.  If the battery is a couple of years old, it may be weakening and you may have a starting problem soon.

The first thing I would do is check all the starting and charging connections.  Yes I did say starting, and especially ALL.  One loose or corroded connection point can increase the power needed for starting from the battery by many times.  

Take all the connections apart, check the ends of all the cables--especially inside the cable ends, wire brush them and the terminals to remove oxidation and reassemble them.  Make sure the alternator to engine mount is also clean and tight, although that point is seldom a problem.  Keep checking the battery terminals also, every time you open the hood.  Be sure they're clean and tight.

You may find the vehicle starts faster--and runs better too.  If not, it may be time for a new battery, and/or maybe even a new starter.  Oh, and I do agree, a larger capacity battery may be a good idea.  Just make sure the alternator is good and will keep the battery fully charged--a test that can be done at the battery sales center.

There is some truth in just about all the replies here, but there is also fact.  That fact is the lightning will seek out the shortest, easiest (least resistance) path to ground.  

One of the myths is that grounding an antenna system which drains static charges away to the ground causes the antenna and the area around it to be a less desirable path than an ungrounded object at the same height.  Another is that an antenna which is grounded actually provides the shortest path to ground because of the height of the antenna.  There are many other myths as well.

Although there is some truth to those myths, the actual truth is that ground potentials on objects in an area vary from minute to minute, and there is no way to tell where lightning will strike.  Proof: Just like the truck that was hit near the forest of grounds in the power generation facility.

You can install arrestors and shunts by the truckload, but if actual conditions exist where the lightning charge "sees" an easier path to ground through your equipment, IT WILL TAKE THAT PATH.  Period.  

Installing arrestors and shunts attempts to insure the shortest and easiest path to ground will be through those arrestors or shunts, but it does not and will not guarantee that that will be the case.  It is indeed a roll of the dice.  All you can do is install the arrestors and/or shunts, disconnect your equipment when it isn't being used, and pray.  If it is going to happen, it will--and sadly, there isn't anything you can do about it.    

troll, troll, troll.......

Agreed!  Also, its amazing how many rise to the bait!

Although it may be a little late for this, how about a 1/4 wave whip on a mount you can clip on the train window--if you can find one that will open, of course.  I know there are clip on antenna bases using BNC connectors for car window use, maybe they can be used while on a train as well.  A 19" counterpoise will turn it into a dipole and may help you get out better.  I think these 'adapters' are still available at the local Radio Shack.  A 12 volt adapter and a gel cell or even a 120 volt power adapter (if there are outlets on the train) may help too--instead of running your rig off the batteries.  Be sure to bring either with you if you have them.

These were just thoughts--your handheld will work on the train without them, but it may not work too well.

I believe that the antenna should be tuned for best match in the middle of the band if you want to use an automatic tuner with it.  If you want to be able to transmit throughout the entire band, an ATU is probably the best way to go.

Lon, W3LK, has it correct.  These antennas are preset to the best position (elements-or rods-into coils) already.  This is because of the complexities of the measurements and adjustments FOR BOTH BANDS. When you lengthened them out, you threw those adjustments out the window.

If you installed the antenna and didn't change the adjustment for a while, it may be possible to look for discoloration or the mark of the setscrews on the rods and get the antenna back close to its factory adjustments.  

Keep in mind that although SWR meters are a useful tool, an antenna analyser is much better tool to set up an antenna, and factory adjustment of each antenna is done (although not on every antenna) by an analyser.  

SWR is affected by many things in the field area of the antenna--even a human body.  A 2 meter antenna mounted on a trunk will have its SWR affected by the roof of the vehicle or even the radio antenna, if it is close enough.  SWR is by no means the most accurate means of antenna setup--just the most convenient for most people.