So Motorola offers the really cool DTR series radios with true VSELP digital modulation and FHSS but the units are pretty pricey. TriSquare offers their line of fairly cheap FHSS 900MHz radios but they are not digital or very robust.
So I was thinking that the Sprint/Nextel phones with the Direct Talk feature offer the same Motorola digital spread spectrum technology as the DTR series radios, are very robust, have higher capacity batteries and the older ones can be had for next to nothing. No subscription is required for the off network Direct Talk function. $30 on ebay will get you a couple of i355s which is less than half the price of a pair of TriSquares, they are easier to program than the Moto units, and you can also plug an external 900MHz roof-mount into them to get some really sick range.
So I was thinking that the Sprint/Nextel phones with the Direct Talk feature offer the same Motorola digital spread spectrum technology as the DTR series radios, are very robust, have higher capacity batteries and the older ones can be had for next to nothing. No subscription is required for the off network Direct Talk function. $30 on ebay will get you a couple of i355s which is less than half the price of a pair of TriSquares, they are easier to program than the Moto units, and you can also plug an external 900MHz roof-mount into them to get some really sick range.