I woke up this morning with a question in my head. I turned to my phone, did a Google search, and found the answer in under a second. I’m surrounded by information. My Smartphone and laptop can provide me with news, weather, music, and videos, and my Smart TV offers hundreds of channels to entertain and educate me.  Welcome to the modern era, where information is instantly available.  However, the modern era is fragile; all it takes is a power outage to have these conveniences disappear.

If the power outage is limited to my block, my cell phone will work until I need to charge it.  However, if the outage is more widespread, cell towers will also fail.  In these situations, I would be left without communication or information.  That could be a life-threatening situation. There have been recent disasters where knowing where emergency services were available could make the difference between life and death.  But, how do you know where they are if you can’t access information?

A while back, I read an article on the most significant inventions of the last century. More important than the Internet or even television was radio. Radio brought news, weather, education, music, and entertainment to the world, and could access rural areas rapidly and effectively.  

In 1941, when she was a toddler, my sister recalls hearing about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor via our family’s radio. She was in the kitchen with my mother, who was ironing, and remembers that my mother uttered a word that she had never heard her say before. Radio instantly brought that information to her, faster than any newspaper could have.

On September 11, 2001, I was working at a VA hospital on a unit without a TV. We heard that there had been an attack on Federal buildings, so I logged onto the Internet. In those days, the internet was primitive and completely overwhelmed by increased traffic, making it impossible to access. Luckily, I had a portable radio in my desk drawer and was able to keep the staff updated.

I love to camp in Violet, my homemade adventure van.  I’m often boondocking in remote places that lack cell coverage.  I carry an emergency communication device, which is used for sending a distress call. Thankfully, I have never had to use it. However, I still need to know local weather conditions and what’s happening in the world.  Thankfully, I have never been in a place where I couldn’t receive a radio signal, so keeping informed has always been easy.  

Our country has recently faced significant disasters. Forest fires, hurricanes, and floods are becoming more commonplace. These events cause prolonged power outages and damage infrastructure, including power lines and cell towers.  Re-establishing these physical structures can take weeks or even months.  However, a single emergency radio transmitter can send information to thousands of people. What is the weather going to be?  Where is food and water being distributed? Medical care can be found where?  Only those who can receive its signal are privy to this critical information.

We all need basic emergency supplies, such as a flashlight, a first aid kit, and shelf-stable food. However, having a portable radio is equally essential. In today’s post, I’ll outline what you need and aim to demystify the ins and outs of making a radio purchase. Some portable radios can receive many different bands, so I’ll also discuss and rate their importance.

Why a portable radio?

A portable radio will provide immediate information when all other sources fail. Radios are very efficient and will run a long time on a set of batteries or a single charge. Many of them are simple to operate and have a zero learning curve. Let’s first examine what to look for in a radio, then I’ll discuss the importance of various radio bands.

In general, portable radios come in two sizes: pocket-size and table-size. Pocket-sized radios are similar to the “transistor radios” from the 1960s. Most have the AM and FM bands, although you can find some FM-only radios and others with multiple bands.  The reception and sound quality will generally be inferior to those of a table-sized radio.  However, it still should be adequate. Some “transistor-sized” radios can be had for $10.  Better ones will cost more.

Mid-sized radios often provide better reception and sound quality. Their abilities and costs vary, but they may offer additional features. Some can receive many extra bands. You can find workable mid-sized radios for around $20, with others costing in the hundreds. 

Classic portable radios typically use batteries, such as AA, C, or D. Some older radios may use the more difficult-to-find 9-volt battery.  The larger the battery, the longer the radio will play.  Some radios that use D-size batteries can play for hundreds of hours before their batteries need to be changed.  Batteries have the advantage of being easily replaceable.  If you have an extra set, you can continue to receive information when the first set is depleted.  However, you have to plan to have them on hand.  Batteries can last a long time in a radio. However, some radios will use a tiny amount of electricity even when off. This can eventually discharge a battery. A discharged battery can leak, destroying the electronics in a radio. Ensure that any radio is turned off when not in use.  If it is on but the volume is turned down, the batteries will drain and leak.

Many newer portable radios utilize internal rechargeable batteries that can be recharged via a USB port.  Their advantage is that you don’t have to remember to buy batteries.  However, you need to have a way to recharge them, and you should have a schedule where you recharge an unused radio every three months or so to ensure it is available in an emergency. The best option is to put a reminder on your phone’s calendar. Most don’t come with a charging brick, so you must use your phone’s charger to charge them. 

Almost all new radios are internally digital, built on a microchip design.  This is the case even if they look like an old-style analog set. Older analog radio models utilize components, such as transistors and capacitors, to enable the radio to function. 

Using a digital “radio on a chip” enables cost-effective production and reasonable, if not outstanding, performance. Microchip-powered radios often have decent FM performance, with AM reception ranging from satisfactory to acceptable for less expensive models. 

Old-style analog radios are more pleasant to use and can tune between broadcast frequencies, allowing for better reception of distant AM stations.  This is less of an issue when local stations are down due to a disaster. You can still find a few traditional analog portable radios based on older designs that have remained in production. 

I suggest buying a radio with a traditional analog look.  In other words a radio with a conventional tuning dial and knobs. Radios with many buttons and digital displays can be more capable and may offer additional features, but they have a learning curve. The best emergency radio is the one anyone in the family can easily use.

As stated above, the bigger the batteries, the longer the radio will play without needing to be recharged or replaced. However, even radios with AA-size batteries will play for a long time. You can conserve battery life by keeping the radio’s volume low and limiting playtime. However, a radio playing can be a good moral boost, so I would advise having backup batteries or a way to recharge a rechargeable radio. 

Many companies sell “do-all” emergency radios that can be charged via a crank and/or solar panel.  However, the practicality of charging a radio in this way is limited, and the charging components are poorly made.  I have heard stories of people crank charging their radios only to have the crank crack off in short order.  I believe that you are equally served with a traditional portable radio. 

Unknown Chinese brands now manufacture the majority of portable radios. I have tested several of them, and they were all adequate, with some outperforming others. You want a radio that has both AM and FM bands. In the next section, I’ll explain why, look at a variety of other radio bands, and describe their utility in an emergency. 

The radio bands

I’ll rate these using an A-F scale, with A being most important and F being the least important..

The FM band 

Importance level = A.  

Having a radio with an FM band is a must. FM is a local band, and some rural areas now only have an FM outlet..  An FM radio signal can travel around  30-60 miles. However, it is more realistic to receive an FM signal no further than around 20-30 miles. The more powerful the transmitter and the higher it is on the horizon, the further it will travel. A high-powered station with an antenna on a skyscraper will be heard at a greater distance than a low-powered station that serves a small community. Static and lightning crashes do not impact FM. Our town has a college FM station that would be put into service during an emergency.

The AM band (also called MW or Medium Wave band)

Importance level =  A.  

Having a radio with an AM band is a must.  Some radios are now sold only with FM, so avoid those.  You double your chance of hearing broadcasts if you have both AM and FM.  Additionally, AM signals travel much further than FM signals.  A strong AM station can be heard from around 100 miles away during the daytime.  At dusk and night, AM signals can travel much further, providing you with information even when a regional disaster destroys local infrastructure.  Clear-channel/high-powered stations can be heard for hundreds of miles at night. Using a decent radio from my Chicago location, I can listen to stations from New York City, Atlanta, St. Louis, New Orleans, Montreal, Denver, the Twin Cities, Boston, and more.  I can also receive stations from Wisconsin, Iowa, and Indiana during the daytime when I use a high-quality AM radio.  

Additionally, some communities, including the one I live in, have low-powered emergency AM radio stations that can provide vital information specific to that community during a crisis. These stations can run on backup power systems and don’t require giant antenna masts, so they can be used even when more traditional stations fail. 

Weather Radio band

Importance level = B

The National Weather Service operates over 1,000 low-power radio stations that cover more than 90% of the US population.  This service exists on radio frequencies above commercial FM broadcasts and requires a radio that has “weather band.”  NOAA radio broadcasts emergency alerts and detailed weather information, including information for aeronautical and maritime users.  Although very useful, the reports can be tedious, and most people can obtain all the basic weather information they need from commercial AM and FM broadcasts. You can find some radios, both expensive and inexpensive, that incorporate this band.

2-meter ham (amateur) radio

Importance level = B

This amateur radio service also resides above commercial FM and consists of local ham radio operators exchanging messages and emergency traffic. Ham radio serves as a backup communications network during emergencies, as hams relay information and help coordinate emergency services. If you listen to their chatter, you can gain an inside look at what’s going on behind the scenes. The downside is that you need more technical skills and specialized radio equipment to listen to these broadcasts. 

Note that the majority of emergency communications during a crisis is handled by first responders and government agencies who use their emergency frequencies, not ham operators, who mostly handle health and welfare traffic. Emergency responders often utilize “trunked” transmissions and digital/encrypted communications, which necessitate specialized and expensive equipment. 

Shortwave radio stations

Importance level = C

The large swatch of frequencies between medium wave (AM) and FM is called the shortwave or HF band and includes many different services. The two most pertinent services for disaster information are the long-range ham (amateur) radio frequencies and the international shortwave broadcast frequencies. You can find radios that cover some or all of the shortwave bands.  Inexpensive radios will pick up strong stations, but expensive and sophisticated radios will do a significantly better job.  Radios that include the shortwave band can range from $10 for a cheap pocket portable to thousands of dollars for a pro-level radio.

Amateur radio on shortwave is used for longer-distance communications, and hams use these frequencies to contact ham operators located further away, sometimes in other states or countries.  Most of the time, they broadcast using a transmission method called SSB (single-sideband), and a special shortwave radio is required to decode SSB into intelligible audio. These special radios will list “SSB” in their description. There may be some use to listening to these transmissions, but it is less important than other information sources.

There are segments on the shortwave spectrum specifically allocated for international broadcasters.  When I was a kid, I fixed an old shortwave radio that I found in our basement, and it was transformed by listening to English-language broadcasts from dozens of countries located all over the globe.  However, most of these stations have gone silent, as it is cheaper to stream their programming online.  

I recently used an inexpensive portable radio that had shortwave and did hear some stations in Spanish (South American countries still use shortwave for some local broadcasts).  I also heard around eight different stations in English.  However, the majority were religious in nature (fire and brimstone stuff), and one was right-wing political to the extreme.  These English language stations could be repurposed for emergency communications for the general population in a significant national emergency, as their signals can travel thousands of miles. There is limited utility to having a radio that can tune the shortwave band. 

Emergency responder frequencies

Importance level = C-

Although important, listening to these frequencies typically requires a specialized radio called a scanner.  These transmissions often shift and share frequencies and can be digitized, making them very difficult to eavesdrop on. It is unlikely that you will be able to receive these transmissions. 

Personal radio services

Importance level = C-

There are several personal radio services that ordinary citizens use for local communication.  These include the FRS, GMRS, and CB radio services.  To listen to these stations, you will need a radio capable of tuning in to those frequencies. In most cases, it is easiest to use a walkie-talkie or a dedicated radio designed explicitly for these transmissions. 

Listening is likely of marginal value, but having a set of these radios (called transceivers as they transmit and receive) may help you communicate with your group during emergencies. FRS, or Family Radio Service radios, are very inexpensive and easy to operate. They are short-range devices, typically having a range of 1 to 2 miles, depending on the terrain. Because they operate on a higher frequency than CB radios, they are compact and have small antennas, making them pocket-portable.

GMRS radios require a license to operate, are more powerful than FRS radios, and can utilize repeaters on some of their channels to extend their transmitting range.  GMRS radio can have a range of 2-25 miles and even further if it is connected to a repeater. These radios cost more than FRS radios.

CB (Citizen Band) radio can still be heard if you are near an interstate, as truckers continue to use it. CB radio can be a valuable source of information, as truckers often discuss topics such as weather conditions, road closures, and other relevant information that may be helpful.  CB radio frequencies are located in the shortwave band, and some radios with shortwave capabilities can intercept these transmissions.  CB radio transmissions can travel up to 7 miles.  However, most mobile stations (ie, truckers) have a range of only a few miles.

Aeronautical band

Importance level = D

This is the band that planes use to contact ground-based stations.  Transmissions are typically brief, technical, and of limited use to the general public.

Long Wave 

Importance level = F

Longwave frequencies lie below medium wave (AM stations). At one time, there were longwave commercial radio stations, especially in Europe. However, only a few remain, and none are located in North America. You can hear some location beacons on longwave as well as time signal stations (stations that only broadcast the time for synchronisation and scientific use). Many cheap multi-band radios have longwave, which is pretty useless in the US. 

For as little as $10 and a couple of spare batteries, you can be better prepared for yourself and your family. If you don’t have a portable radio, buy one today.

Images are from Amazon and are being used for educational purposes only.