Hey all,
I'm in the market for 3 two-way radios for me and my tribe. I'm hoping to find something that will cover a 12 mile distance in flat suburbia. I'd like rechargeable batteries and docks. I'm looking to spend $200ish. What are you all rocking?
Discussion
In communication the more options we have to reach out or gather information on our surrounding areas. CB radio is a HF mode normally using low power AM but a lot of units offer SSB and offer short and possibly long range communications between groups within your MAG.
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.