You cannot talk over long distances with your Two-Way Radios in a Radio-to-Radio Mode. The range depends on the output power and the environment you are going to use them in.

In a city, for example,  the most powerful UHF Portable Two Way Radio, (usually 4 watts of power) will give you an approximate range of  a few city blocks. This is because the buildings block the radio signal. Out in the open with no obstacles you can expect more distance.

Don’t be fooled by low price FRS Radios that claim “18 Mile Range”. These are marketing tools used for consumer radios. The claim of 18 mile is based on two radios with “Line of sight” of each other and only free space and air between them. This would have to be on two mountain tops because the curvature of the earth will obscure Line of sight within 5 miles….

To get extended range you need a Repeater system. The repeater helps you to cover larger areas or really tall buildings in cases that you have dead spots or even problems to cover the desired area.