your message was a little unclear after the typical range of VHF question.
There really isn't a "typical" range.
How far you can transmit will depend on your power output, your antenna's
gain factor, the height of your antenna, the surrounding terrain, sometimes
layers of moisture near the ground.  Also, the same factors apply, except
for rf output, to the receiving station.
For instance, two HT's, say a pair of TH F6A's, with relatively well matched
rubber duck antennas, and an RF output of 5 watts, can probably communicate
on a 2 meter simplex frequency, say 146.520, at a maximum range of 10
kilometers or about 8 miles over relatively open and flat terrain.  This
could possibly extend to 15 or 20 miles across open watter such as the
ocean.
In a heavily built up urban environment with tall buildings and large
structures containing metal beams and so on, the range would be
significantly reduced...you might get a mile, maybe 2 or 3 depending on the
reflections and several other factors with the same two HT's.
Another example would be to take those same two HT's, hook them up to larger
antennas, say a 5/8's over 5/8's wave ground plane antenna, a very typical 2
meter bass antenna, at a height of perhaps 30 feet, and your range will
extend to something around 40 to 50 miles over relatively flat terrain.
Over water, it could be 100 miles or more.
Again, take those same two examples and add an inversion layer, or layer of
moisture  near ground level, say a few thousand feet up, and you can get
some fairly interesting results.  You could potentially reach a few hundred
miles on an HT with a rubber duck if you were on the top of a high building
or a hill top, or the same with a large antenna at a significant height,
like 30 feet.

All that said, a quick and dirty answer to your question is, that on the
commercial portion of the VHF band, with land mobile stations in an urban
environment on simplex with RF output of 25 watts,, you are probably lucky
to get 20 miles maximum, more likely 10 to 15.
Put a bass station into the equasion with a stationary antenna and the same
25 watts, and the bass will be able to communicate with any of the mobile
stations out to a range of probably 30 to 40 miles.
If you now factor a repeater in, you can nearly double your range, again
over open and fairly flat land.
The reason it doubles is because now you have a mobile station 35 miles to
the south which gets into the highly tuned and sensatised repeater, and then
has its signal repeated and another mobile 35 miles to the north, or 70
miles away from the first mobile, can hear and talk back to the first mobile
through the repeater.
RF output of commercial and amateur repeaters varies slightly from place to
place depending on equipment, geography, license allowances and so on.
If you are hearing a signal, but no audio, your probably picking up some man
made noise from some electronic consumer device or other.  This is common on
the VHF and UHF bands.
You might also be hearing a data repeater with sub audible data
streams...there are also repeaters that will stay open so that stations can
get instant access without having to key it...taxi companies utilize this
quite a bit.
Paging systems will also create open signals sometimes...if you stay on that
carier for a while, you might hear either data or voice...the data will
sound like beeping, buzzing, blipping excetra.
hope this answered your question?
VHF range depends on  so many factors that you really can't pin it down
without knowing some of the circumstances first.
Locally, on an HT with 5 watt output, I can talk back to my bass station
with the 8DB gain antenna at 30 feet, out to about 20 miles.  This is in a
very flat, very urbanized environment.
In other places, with hills and hollows and valleys and other natural
geographical obstructions, i'm lucky to get 10 miles before the signal from
the HT becomes very eradic and difficult to consistently copy.
73
Colin, V A6BKX