The most used 2 way in my neck of the woods for electricians is the Nextel 2 way feature on Nextel's cell phones. Next in line are the FRS/GMRS radios. I have got some real nice ones, Audiovox, from Home Depot for 27 dollars a pair. Investing in NiMh rechargeable batteries and a decent 1 hour charger is a big plus.
The Nextels are very popular among most folk in the construction trades around here. I even got my boss to buy one for me when I worked for G3 and he paid the phone bill, too, as long as I didn't go over my alloted time. They worked very well. The exception was when we were out in the boonies and not near a cell tower.
I have never seen any FRS/GMRS radio able to communicate as far as they are advertised. I didn't try them during an Es or tropo opening though as I would rather use such propagation to play ham radio on. Es openings in the UHF range are very rare. Tropo is more common but usually tops out in the VHF range.
Wire nuts are also useful when you are up on a lift and want to get the crane operator's attention. Just bounce them off the roof and use hand signals after that. It does take a bit of skill, especially when it's windy, but at least you can get them to stop playing crossword puzzles long enough to do a pick for you. They are reusable, too.
