A fixed radio is the ONLY safe choice. 25 watts vs. 5 watts makes about a 5x difference in range when coupled to a higher mounted antenna as well. Portables are for convenience and dinghies!
Sailnet has a specail on the Uniden solara w/ DSC for $93 bucks which is an excellent deal I think.
UNIDEN SOLARA DSC BLACK Shop.Sailnet.com - sailing resources, shopping, sail, blogs
The Icom422 is $195 here but is all you want is a good radio and DSC...why pay double the price unless some of the other features are important to you.
On the GPS front...I'd definitely stay with Garmin these days for either a basic or chartplotting model. If you plan to add radar later...be sure to get a chartplotter that is compatible.
As to tiller pilots...I'd suggest the Simrad lineup in whatever model is appropriate for your displacement.
Tillerpilots | Simrad Yachting
The TP22 sells here for $474 by way of a price range.