In reality, handheld radios will talk line-of-sight up to 2 miles. When talking in and around buildings, the range can be reduced to as low as 1/4 to 1/2 mile. For optimal range, be certain to hold your radio with the antenna pointing straight up (perpendicular) to the ground. Height and placement of antenna determines range.

All that being said, many radio manufactures make claims of 5, 10, 18, 25 miles. These claims would be true if one radio can see another, such as talking from a mountain top to a valley. In the real world, we deal with curvature of the earth, hills, buildings, etc.

TalkAbout radios and the other FRS radios operate on 1/2 watt FRS, and 1-2 watt GMRS frequencies. Business radios on the other hand operate on up to 4 to 5 watts of power. The power does not always equate into extra range, it does however, provide much greater clarity in the fringe areas.

Hope this answers your question.