[Marc]

The cordless phone set I have now reaches easily to my mailbox, maybe 150 ft. away, but I haven't tried going down the street. My previous one reached over 100 yards before fading out. This is on a pretty woodsy street, but my house is up a small hill. Terrain has a big effect on range.

I did a quick Google search on long-range cordless phones and they have some that'll reach over 5 miles. But they're pricey - around $600. You can run a lot of phone wire for that. Home Depot has it for $200 for 1000 ft.

Personally, I would prefer anything connected directly to my phone line over a 2-way radio or even a cell phone. Like Mr. Bluegrass, I spend enough time alone at home that a 2-way radio would have nobody on the other end. And cell phone coverage is not reliable. And as for cell phones, I'm not sure what the status of wireless 911 is in my state, NH. A call to 911 from a cell always works to get to emergency services, but if I can't talk, can they locate me?

This is one of those things I don't really lose sleep over, but it is worth the few minutes to think it through. And since the phones were essentially free, it's a no-brainer. All I need to do is remember to clip it on my belt. I'm just at the point where the safety glasses have become habit most of the time.