In practical terms, walkie talkies are fine, as it is unlikely that in an emergency, you would not want to chat with people further than 30 miles away.
However, much more important is Communications Security, aka COMSEC. If you are communicating, there is a good chance that you don’t want eavesdroppers nor jammers to mess with you. So it’s important to obey a few rules.
1) Keep it short and in code. Use random written down three alphanumeric characters instead of whole words or sentences “in the clear”. “Zulu Bravo Two” could mean anything. Use new codes every 24 hours.
2) Change frequencies and times for routine contact. For example, at 3:47pm, use channel 31. Then as soon as you have had your say, both users automatically switch to channel 17, for the next communication at 8:02pm.
3) If possible, the majority of the data should be sent by someone who is moving, with just a brief acknowledgement at the beginning and the end by the receiver. If you have good communications, at near that location, and nobody has fouled up, you might even skip the ‘ack’. If somebody misses a scheduled communication, their ‘ack’ at the start of the next traffic should be the code for “retransmit previous message”.
4) Don’t become over reliant on electronics. Signal flags and hand mirrors can be seen from far away, most of the time, and they attract little notice.
4) Don’t become over reliant on electronics. Signal flags and hand mirrors can be seen from far away, most of the time, and they attract little notice.
Implied again, this time the knowledge of Morse Code. There was a movie called "Cheaper by the Dozen" (household of 12 kids) and one thing the father did was put up a Morse Code chart in the bathroom to memorize while answering the call of Mother Nature.