Uh, a $1200 radio is simply that, a radio... with a fancy spectrum analyzer and digital internet connected stuff for all your hobby geeking glory. If your planning SHTF, your priorities will need to change. 1.) If transmit distance is utmost (or low wattage), you will need to invest in a LARGE, stationary land, quality antenna that is tuned for a specific frequency range and transmit in low frequencies that carry voice in the category of "potato". A radio is purchased for its SNR (signal to noise ratio) that is its quality of both transmit and receive for a given antenna and the environment. Think of photography, you go out and buy a $3000 camera and nothing else, thinking you are the most badass photographer, but your not. Photography is not about the camera, its about the lighting and the subject. Without light, without a subject, there is no photography and the camera is useless. 2.) All that internet connected stuff and computers will not be available if power company is shutoff. Also there are radio directional finders to pinpoint your location, the FCC literally has triangulation monitors in the US if they get a flag of some guy just blasting music over the airwaves. You will also cause interference, and may need to monitor how you are transmitting to keep your noise down from your neighbors (at least, this was really bad in the old days of AM radios and analog TV)