You seem to be the only poster in this NG w/o a sack of crap under the
skull. Could you please answer my question. I just posted it on a uk ng. I
am in the US though.

I need to establish an absolutely reliable line of verbal communication
between two stationary points separated by about a quarter mile. It takes me
under 10 min to walk the distance. The place is located downtown a middle
size US city. I have tried to communicate via a Microsoft messenger. It
works but so far I haven't been able to make it reliable. The conversation
breaks down. I am sure I will fix the problem eventually but I need a backup
system anyway.

I have tried a walkie-talkie T5950 by Motorola. It is the most powerful I
could find at Radio Shack. It is advertised as capable of maintaining
communication over 5 miles. In fact it barely covers my distance because of
the interference by residential and industrial structures. It operates at
its limit capability, there is a lot of static and as a result it is also
unreliable.

I turned my attention to CB radio. There are hundreds of systems on the
market. I have NO background in the business. The money is no object but I
don't want to be extravagant. My needs are simple--to be able to talk on
demand any time. I don't want extra features of any kind.

What power output do I need? What kind of antenna? One office is located on
the fifth floor of a concrete building, the counterpart is on the second
floor of a century old brick building.

I would appreciate ANY suggestions. I speculate that among people who lurk
in here there are dealers promoting their products. I would appreciate them
staying clear. I would greatly appreciate opinions of people with PERSONAL
experience.

Thanks.