2-way radio communication at >4 mi?

[Brad96]

My brother lives 4.1 miles away from me, "as the crow flies". I was thinking, if we had a disaster that took down the cell towers and internet service, it would be handy to be able to communicate between the two houses using some other method, like 2-way radios. But, there are a lot of tall trees and a few houses in between us. Is there some sort of an inexpensive radio that could communicate across that distance? Preferably without having to erect a tower or get a special license. TIA!

[BrianL]

Might have to look into HAM radio to get that kind of distance

[andre3k]

Technician class amateur radio license is the way to go. The test isn't hard, but its still a test and scares people away.

GMRS will get that distance done. Two base units with Yagi antennas pointed at each either will work. Two handhelds with stock antennas will be iffy.

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[MetalMan2004]

Or see if there is a GMRS repeater close by.

[Farmdog]

KL 8811... my personal call letters required to start all my conversations on the 2way. Had all kinds of businesses in the RGV that used services of Rio Radio. You probably need a tower nearby as mentioned. Feels like a lifetime ago. No cursing allowed but the occasional bombs flew. Before cell phones. It eventually felt pricey too but we used it at least 10 yrs

[Dale Moser]

We had 2 way radios in all the company vehicles when I was a kid. WC8-700 through WC8-710 I believe.

[andre3k]

GMRS might definitely be the way to go. I didn't know they had 40 watt radios on the market.

https://midlandusa.com/products/mxt400-micromobile-2-way-radio

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[MetalMan2004]

GMRS might definitely be the way to go. I didn't know they had 40 watt radios on the market.

https://midlandusa.com/products/mxt400-micromobile-2-way-radio

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I believe max wattage for GMRS is 50 watts. Only reason the handhelds are limited to 5w and less is for battery life.

[Bassdeer]

What about the old school Social Media-- CB radio? Or get the HAM and skip the license, If all heck breaks loose nobody is going to care if you have a license or not.

[Death from Above]

Baofwng 5r

Get an antenna and watt booster like they run in off road rigs.


My son and i bought aftermarket antenna (that just screw in) and can reach 3.1 miles if we are both outside.

[Walker]

Get a couple of handheld vhf radios. They will work.

[Atfulldraw]

Get a couple of handheld vhf radios. They will work.

Ten million pilots and sailors can't be wrong....

[stickerpatch59]

a good cb will get you out there, just get them pumped up.

[91cavgt]

I’ve got the modern walk-in talkie radios, a UV5R, and have had numerous CB radios. For ease of use a CB radio is going to work the best. For keeping things more private, a HAM radio is hard to beat but is going to be harder to use if they don’t practice prior to SHTF. Hand held new walkie talkie radios just don’t have the range, reliably, especially if there is ANY interference regardless of what they state on the packaging. I’ve got some nice Motorola radios that claimed 30 mile range, but struggle at just 1 mile when there is any interference in the area.

[MadHatter]

My brother lives 4.1 miles away from me, "as the crow flies". I was thinking, if we had a disaster that took down the cell towers and internet service, it would be handy to be able to communicate between the two houses using some other method, like 2-way radios. But, there are a lot of tall trees and a few houses in between us. Is there some sort of an inexpensive radio that could communicate across that distance? Preferably without having to erect a tower or get a special license. TIA!

Simple answer is no, but tall trees and a few houses leave a lot to interpretation.
Tall trees and you can see under them, who cares it won't matter.
What is the topography like.., hilly and you are looking through tree canopies a mile away, houses, a barn, top of a hill, etc..., or are you deadpan flat?
Line of sight is line of sight, it don't matter the radio wave at 4 miles if there is dense obstruction.
Any of the better walkies Academy sells could work if you can get on a roof, get out in a field, get on a barn in a field, etc.., and he can do the same on his end.
The cheapest pair they sell will work just fine in a wide open, level 4 mile field, the best pair they sell won't work 1\4 mile if the conditions are right, same could be said for any radio, HAM, SINCGARS, etc..
You would just have to test it from various locations, and see.
Otherwise, just like the HAM guys, cellular services, and the rest of the world using radio waves to communicate, you're gonna have to get up over the top of all the clutter in some way.
Even a license will do you no good if you're below the clutter line.
I've been playing with licensed and unlicensed frequencies for years, professionally and unprofessionally, and there is no magic solution except a tower.
Now you could string a 4 mile morse code line, hooked to a hand crank power source and go completely analog
We haven't even made it to interference yet, but it can be adjusted unlike a hill.