I'll ask it again ... What are all of you looking for a "survival radio" to do?

Do you want to find something that will replace landline systems in the even of a local disaster that takes down the telephone lines?

GMRS - or most any other radio? - won't go far enough to do that unless you use repeaters, and it seems to this marginally knowledgeable person that if landline systems are taken down so would radio repeaters.

I've heard of people bouncing amateur radio signals off of the atmosphere, the moon, UFOs, etc... but it would seem that is not the norm.

Maybe a group of amateur radio operators can get temporary repeaters up faster than the telephone company can repair systems.

Actually the global satellite phone system might be the best bet??