If you’ve ever looked at the selling points on various types of long range walkie talkies you’ll probably be baffled as to the claims of distance compared to the price range of the walkie talkie options. Most long distance two way radios sell themselves by stating that they have a working radius of many miles with some ranging close to 20 miles. What is strange however is that you can look at two different sets of walkie talkies which claim to range for 20 miles but one is less than half the price of the other? Is it worth it buying the more expensive model? Is it worth trusting the range claims at all?

This is a hard question to answer as many devices are just as good as they claim to be, however, many devices are not. Most walkie talkie radios which claim to offer you a working radius this great actually only achieve this radius under only the best of environments. These environments unfortunately are almost impossible to recreate in the real world.

It’s a good idea to take all claims of long range distance with a grain of salt. Unless you are buying a high end, expensive walkie talkie you are going to be unlikely to achieve these results. It would probably be better for you to pay a lot more money on a long range radio if you really do need the distance because the fact of the matter is that most walkie talkies simply aren’t powerful enough to transmit vast distances without being in optimal conditions.

If you are looking for hands free walkie talkies then always underestimate how far the transmittal will travel. These devices are not like a CB radio; the fact that they are compact and hand held places limitations on the power they can transmit. Especially as you ratchet down the price scale expect a lower quality transmission. Are they worth it? This is highly dependant on your needs and means but you shouldn’t expect bargain two way radios to always live up to their radius claims.