Suggestions for Two-Way Radios

Unfortunately I wouldn't expect much beyond 5 miles from handheld radios, two factors. Limited power, limited antenna height. You could achieve this with a neighborhood repeater but the repeater would need to have a high antenna location.

PS: a third factor, transmitter frequency also plays a big role

My experience is that hand held radios are basically line of sight radios and you will not cover 12 mile operating on simplex, (radio to radio). A repeater would help with this but it would need to be set up properly. Don't think you are going to find 3 radios for $200 to meet the requirements that you have outlined. If you don't have your ham radio license yet see if there is a radio club in your area and they will help you get your first license and be a wealth of knowledge to help you determine the best radio set up to accomplish your goals and needs.

I have a couple baofeng uv82Hp‘s and can talk to each other a couple miles away with trees in the way. That’s with regular antennas only. I recently added cb antennas to my trucks with an adapter cord but haven’t tested the distance yet. I also added an antenna to the roofline of my shop. With this I can receive from two different repeaters about 50 miles away. The radio puts out 8 watts but the antenna makes the difference when receiving.

Honestly, search ebay for a couple of handheld CBs. 12 miles might still be pushing it, but as has been mentioned already, the antenna makes all the difference.

12 miles isnt gonna happen without a Repeater. sorry

I have a handful of UV-5Rs but I'm researching to purchase a better "primary" radio and push those UV-5Rs into a backup role (or as spares if I need to hand them out). But I'm not looking to spend $150 on a radio. Currently I'm leaning towards the TYT UV8000E. It seems like a good "budget" radio ($80). It has cross band repeater functionality. If you could set one up between you and the people you want to talk to, you could probably get 12 miles with proper antennas and stuff. The Retevis RT23 also has cross band repeater and its like $60... no idea how good it is though.

Using walkie talkies across urban terrain is a challenge but most often is not the fault of the radio if you can't make contact. However, there are solutions to help improve your communications across a distance.

Try to climb up onto a high spot, roof of a house, building, a tower, etc.

[img]https://cdn6.dissolve.com/p/D26_14_367/D26_14_367_0004_600.jpg[/img]

Elevation literally helps you to overcome ground level obstacles that block signals. This is why you'll see antennas mounted up high on a mast or tower.

[img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/be/29/41/be29419fa28cc5338d858fb4631a12f8.jpg[/img]

Improve on the antenna supplied with the walkie talkie. This can be achieved by replacing the small screw-on antenna with something better which means it will be longer and can make handling the radio awkward. You have to be careful to buy one with the correct connector and tuned for your frequency range of interest.

[img]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/VM0AAOSw60NbNzbu/s-l1600.jpg[/img]

If you are in a car you can use a better antenna on a magnetic mount. There is no substitute for quality but if you are on a tight budget even Home Depot has a line of antennas from Tram. Gigaparts is another good web site. (see below)

[img]https://www.radiolabs.com/images/mag-mount-antenna-large-1.jpg[/img]

Again be sure of having the right connector and correct frequency range.

Home Depot

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tram/N-5yc1vZg3h

Gigaparts

https://www.gigaparts.com/

Just a note that a lot of lower priced antennas are manufactured for the hobby frequency ranges so I would urge you to consider applying for an Amateur or "Ham" Radio license.

example

https://www.mometrix.com/academy/ham-radio-technician-class/

A ham license opens up many avenues to legally improve on your comms capabilities. There are many ham operators and ham organizations who are really into "EmComms" and can lend a hand if you want to explore those options. Some of them will offer quite an increase in range as well as connect you with a very interesting hobby community.

The simplest and potential cheapest way to accomplish that goal without a repeater or getting HAM license would be to go with the GMRS service. No testing for license and have potential to use existing repeaters in your area. Everyone made some very good points and recommendations, so I would like to know more info before I offer any other ideas. In layman's terms you will need a minimum of 10 Watts of power and clear line of sight to make a 12mi contact on about any frequency. (I am simplify the antenna height requirement). There are also other license free services/frequencies you could use but the rules of use can be confusing at first.