Are there stronger walkie talkie channels than others?

I picked up a set of Uniden walkie talkie radios that can access up to 22 channels and cover up to 18 miles. However when I went to the opposite end of town about 8 miles away I could not hear my wife nor could she hear me. So I'm wondering if there is a stronger range of channels I should set them to aside from the channel #1 it's default.Are there stronger walkie talkie channels than others?
N_Joyin:



I would venture that the walkie talkies will work just fine at 18 miles provided you are on hilltops and have clear line of sight between the units. Actually you could probably go much further than 18 miles. But put in some buildings and water towers, etc. and some variable terrain and suddenly the best you can do is a couple of miles. The 18 mile number is for marketing to make you think theirs is special. It is not a lie, but .....



Hams regularily talk to each other via one of the ham radio satellites (typically 200 miles up) with a low power (2 to 5 watts) hand held "walkie talkie" and a small hand held antenna. Clear line of sight up and down links are needed.

(It is not well known that hams have built and had launched over 60 satellites.)Are there stronger walkie talkie channels than others?
Nope... the range claims by manufacturers are just marketing hype. Expect no more than 2 miles if you are lucky.

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