| Good discussion point but the list is a little weak. You can probably google up better. My power was out for a week earlier this summer, so here's my hot take: Once cell coverage was restored I was charging my phone and calling in to meetings in my air-conditioned car. Not too long after that I was able to borrow a generator and keep my freezer from defrosting. I would rank the generator and a good cooler over fancy radios even though I am the sort of person who occasionally buys radios he doesn't need. You probably don't need anything more than a decent portable AM/FM radio: one with a speaker and conventional analog dial controls and that runs on batteries. You'll want a good supply of batteries, which are another topic. You will possibly benefit from a way of telling time that doesn't plug into the wall so you can turn the radio on for scheduled broadcasts to save batteries. A wall supply for normal use of the radio is also nice. You will want to listen to the station that broadcasts baseball games in the summer and high school football games in the fall and agricultural commodity prices at 5:00AM. If you need a weather radio, you probably know it already and already have one. Otherwise they are merely nice to have, and inexpensive enough. If you want one you should get one. A dedicated weather radio with alerts that plugs in the wall and has a battery backup is ideal. I don't own one, though I would have to stop to count the radios I own that can receive weather band. I tuned in to the weather band maybe once while the power was out. We got weather alerts on our phones during the actual storm. FRS/GMRS radios beat shouting by at least a quarter mile. You probably don't need a set. Some people get irritated, upset, tired, offended, or embarassed by shouting though, and they do let you avoid that. I like mine, which live in my toolbox and allow me to say "is it on now?" in a normal tone of voice. They're also nice for comms on multiple-car road trips and have a number of other use cases. I did not use mine while the power was out. Scanners: mine are outdated and not much use. Useful ones that will cover digital modes and trunked systems are kind of expensive. I have found scanners nice on occasion for situational awareness beyond CB on road trips. I would have liked to have had a handheld one ready but I didn't suffer for not having one. Ham radio: I am licensed but don't operate. I did not find my HT useful. It's a nice hobby and if you are interested at all in it you should get licensed and get a cheap radio and have fun. CB: I have a portable CB and mag mount antenna for road trips. Great for finding out from truckers why the interstate is backed up and the best local road detour to take. It was not useful while the power was out. Shortwave: hahah. Just not what it was since the big international broadcasters have mostly shut down. I like mine, but I don't listen to SW on it much. I cannot imagine the catastrophe that would bring back SW broadcasting in the USA.
It's my favorite FM radio though so it did technically see use. |