Walkie Talkie experts please help!

[shortbun]

DS wants a set for Christmas that are quality and he can use to talk to his friends who are 6-10 miles away. They are all asking for them because one boy already has some. At least he's not asking to text message, lol, and we can use them at the beach where cell phones don't get a signal!

What do I buy? They must be sturdy and lightweight IF that is a possible combination. They will be his big gift so expense isn't too significant although ...do I know what I'm sayin?

 

[shortbun]

anyone?

 

[Alaska DogCat]

anyone?

It's going to be hard to find a walkie talkie with a true 6 to 10 mile range without it being necessary to have a business band or amateur (ham) radio license. Over flat terrain, with a fairly good antenna, you might be able to get that range on unlicensed Family Radio Service (FRS) walkie talkies. These are fairly cheap, even for a durable set. What are his friends using now?

How old is your son? If he has an interest in communications or electronics, he and his friends might want to be come licensed ham radio operators. They could learn a lot about radio and packet (computer) communications and have access to radio equipment that they can talk 10 miles or around the world on.

 

[Papa Deuce]

OK, walkie talkies only reach that far under OPTIMUM conditions. Realistically, the range is about 1 mile or so. Maybe 2 miles.

What you want is something that has 4 watts per channel, which is, the maximum allowed, IIRC. And even then, more than 2 miles will be a stretch.

My wife and I used 4 watters in Las Vegas and barely reached a half mile..... but there is a lot of RF interference in Las Vegas.