Emergency radios

[Calculon]

Any recommendations on emergency radios to keep on hand? Specifically a radio for emergency broadcasts, weather reports and the like not a two way like a Baofeng.

What features do you like (hand crank, solar, ability to charge devices, etc)? Looks like it may be time to pick up a couple as I only have a cheap one that I’m not sure I can rely on. Thanks in advance.

 

[Plater1]

You mean something like this?

ULTRA SOLAR/DYNAMO SURVIVAL RADIO

ULTRA SOLAR/DYNAMO SURVIVAL RADIO | AM FM Weather Channel is a Emergency Must have, you can charge your cell phone with Solar Power or dynamo power

nitro-pak.com

 

[Calculon]

You mean something like this?

ULTRA SOLAR/DYNAMO SURVIVAL RADIO

ULTRA SOLAR/DYNAMO SURVIVAL RADIO | AM FM Weather Channel is a Emergency Must have, you can charge your cell phone with Solar Power or dynamo power

nitro-pak.com

Yes. Generally they’re pretty affordable so it’s not a huge decision. I’m curious if there are features that people consider useful or must have vs gimmicky.

 

[fnfalguy]

I would skip most of the hand crank ones except as a backup to a backup. I like the midland ones personally (the plug in variety but they use batteries for backup power as well)

 

[Plater1]

Yes. Generally they’re pretty affordable so it’s not a huge decision. I’m curious if there are features that people consider useful or must have vs gimmicky.

I have read you have to crank them for at least an hour to get 5 min of use out of the radio. Although if its the only way to get info......

 

[MoMan]

Pretty much any of the emergency radios will do their job.
We need them down here because of tornado warnings, etc.. Our cell phones are always on, and we get the warnings through them, BUT if there is trouble brewing in the skies, I have the emergency radio on.
The 1 we have is similar to the 1 that @Plater1 linked to. I agree on the hand crank being MOSTLY useless (unless it's the only means!!), but most come with it if they are rechargeable. I keep ours charged up, and ready to kick in at any time, most times charged through the USB cable connected to a laptop. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of them, and don't need to spends BIG $$$$ to get what you need.

I will close by saying that IMHO, EVERY home needs to have an emergency radio charged, and ready to go at all times.

 

[cgrutt]

Guess it really comes down to what type of emergency are you thinking about and do you want to be able to just listen or broadcast for help. Does it need to be portable or do you just need it for house or vehicle?

Almost all of the survival radios and small walkie talkies (GMRS/FRS) will give you weather. I'm currently looking into police/fire/ems scanners although don't know if transmissions in our area are encrypted or not. In widespread disaster will they even work (i.e. will the network even be running). What will local responders be using? Red cross? Etc.

Do you need shortwave to listen across wider areas?

Personally I feel mobile uhf/vhf with a separate scanner will be best option. Need to work on charging solution most likely involving some sort of deep cycle battery and solar charger.

 

[Calculon]

Looking at this as part of a two part solution. First a simple durable device to be able to hear what's going on in event of a major storm/power outage or even a cellular network fail. Part 2 would include some sort of ability to transmit and receive but there are so many options from hand-held to a more powerful base unit that it can make your head spin. I need to go back and review the threads already on this site for something more SHTF appropriate as there's a lot of good info there.

 

[cgrutt]

In my view, emergency radio giving you head's up that hurricane is on it's way is of minimal value. You'll probably already know this well in advance from multiple sources. What counts is what happens AFTER the disaster. How widespread will it be. Will traditional sources (e.g., FM radio stations) still be up and running? Cell phone service? Key I think is knowing what your local/regional responders will likely be using and having that nailed down before disaster strikes. Also just having a radio doesn't do much if you don't know what frequencies will be likely be used. Most of the frequencies will just be dead air, so think about how you'll monitor the right ones. That's why I think a scanner is important but scanner won't enable you to reach out for help or assist others if necessary. Lots to know in advance with scanners too. I think it's fair to say most agencies (at least near NYC) are on digital systems. But even with digital there are different standards... look into APCO Project 25. But Analog systems still play a role. Even agencies using latest technology may not be able to communicate with each other if they are not on same standards, so they may fall back to older technologies during disaster just to be able to communicate with other groups. Things keep changing so what works today may not work tomorrow. Lots to think about...

 

[spat]

I have read you have to crank them for at least an hour to get 5 min of use out of the radio. Although if its the only way to get info......

Better to just get a regular one and a year of batteries.

If you don't have power for over a year, getting radio reception is the least of your problems.