RE: 2 Way Radio's....What's your preference?
I agree PA. I have the scan feature and all too. My range is supposed to be 8 miles but my effective range in my area (hills and rocks, thick woods) is about 2 miles. Thats quite a bit of range out here. Its about as effective as a unmodified mobile cb. About the wattage, I agree there is not much of a difference in effective range in bad terrain but for every time you double your stregnth you are getting around a 50% signal reinforcment meaning clearer for a longer range. A .5 watt can be heard but scratchy at .75 miles here. A 3 watt is clear at .75 miles and doesnt get scratchy till 1.5 or more. If you look at the signal being doubled twice that is about right for range. If it was a 6 watt it would be more effective up to 2 miles or so. These numbers are theoretical and really do still depend on your area but the range you get at one power level will only be increased by half if power is doubled. This also depends on the tuning of the radios lol. Its about as close as you can get though without in depth testing.
Stryker777