The reason you get conflicting reports is because HF handhelds exist but not that are any good for aviation needs.
Ask the same question on a HF or radio ham site will probably net you a fair bit of abuse too
The ones that do exist are old technology that had limited use.
Your best bet if you need a temp install would be to use something like an Icom 706MkII with a smart tuner and have either a trailing antenna or a fixed one which usually goes from wing tip to tail then into the cabin.
Hope that helps