Beyond cell phones

[Oldscout448 697]

I'm planning a trip to Glacier with ex scoutson #1 and his family. Seeing that he now hikes faster than I do and I'm told cell phones are mostly useless up there, any body have a recommendation for communication over 2-3 miles?  I've been looking at radios and after watching a dozen YouTube vids, I'm pretty thoroughly confused.

 

[InquisitiveScouter 1653]

Depends on your intended use.

With ground radios, line of sight is always an issue, particularly in mountainous terrain.

You may consider renting satellite phones for your trip

https://www.bluecosmo.com/iridium-satellite-phone-monthly-rentals.html

[69RoadRunner 375]

I have no experience with these companies, but I'd rather rent a Zoleo or Garmin Inreach Mini than a big satellite phone.

https://www.skycallsatellite.com/zoleo-satellite-communicator/

https://www.outdoorsgeek.com/product/inreach-mini-rental/

They're more appropriate for backpacking and you can set them to send your location every X hours by text to someone.

https://andrewskurka.com/review-zoleo-satellite-communicator-seamless-messaging/

https://andrewskurka.com/preview-garmin-inreach-mini/