When it comes to Walkie Talkies, many people are confused by the range claims made by manufacturers. It would probably help if someone cleared this up, to help those trying to resolve the ridiculously high range claims on many Walkie Talkies. Note that challenging radio environments will quickly reduce your range to a minimum of about 300 yards, or about a mile in slightly better conditions. Buildings block or reflect signals, like a mirror. Steel cars are even worse and tinted windows are only slightly better. Only a lot of height will get you to the highs claimed by the manufacturers. In any case, manufacturers test their radios in decidedly unrealistic conditions, using facilities on the unobstructed plains of Florida, using elevated test platforms.
Talk about 2-way radio power:
First of all, always buy a radio that says GMRS, or General Mobile Radio Service. This service is licensed for the maximum amount of energy the government allows; about 4 watts. FRS or Family Radio Service radios are automatically limited to only 1/2 watt; barely enough to go down to the street. So stay away from FRS, unless you want to buy toys and don’t need them for real communications and security. Most of the best radios are billed as combined GMRS/FRS, but the walkie talkie automatically cuts power to 1/2 watt on GMRS channels.
Walkie Talkies are not mobile phones
A GMRS radio (on a GMRS channel) can do a lot with 4 watts. This is a lot of power, considering that most digital mobile phones today run on 500 milliwatts or less most of the time. However, cell phones use a nearly invisible network of “cellular” sites all around us, on corners of tall buildings, hills, and mountain tops, so they rarely have to reach more than a few hundred meters. Cell sites use height and power to increase the range of your tiny cell phone signal. A walkie talkie has to do things the hard way, without the help of a cell site. However, four watts quickly depletes a battery and requires slightly more expensive, larger, and heavier internal components to handle the extra power.
Having said that, anyone who has spent time in the field with these things knows that reliable communications are key. Some configurations, such as using car-to-car radios, on urban streets, or in heavily wooded areas, will reduce the range of even the most powerful radio from miles to a few hundred yards. The “line of site” is the rule for radios like this, so if you have height, your range will be greatly extended. With obstructions, signals can be absorbed or reflected.
The general rule of thumb, even for someone just having fun with these radios, is the more power the better. That’s why I always recommend spending the extra $20 or so and getting something that uses the legal maximum. These are found in radios that claim ranges of “25 miles” or more, and all put out about 4 watts on the GMRS channels. Those extra watts will help pierce your signal through tinted car windows, through wood-framed homes, and around concrete structures. In the wild, trees and rocks form similar barriers to radio signals, but as an outdoor security device, radios really need to work reliably, so full power gives more peace of mind when tracking down children and fellow hikers. You can always reduce power to conserve battery juice for when you need it.
So unless you really need the small size of the Cobra LI5600 5.5-inch radio, you may want to go for the higher power of the seven-inch LI7020 or LI7200 (including antenna) from Cobra.
Radios are inexpensive fun for the whole family. However, when it comes to range, keep your expectations realistic. Read your instruction manual, keep the setup as simple as possible, and do it in the real jungle as well as the urban one!