Recommendations for a small radio for emergency?

Discussion in 'Survival Communications' started by abacus, Apr 5, 2006.


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  1. abacus

    abacus Monkey+++

    I have a set of 2-way radios w/ NOAA weather reception.
    I'd like to add a small radio, but I have no clue as to what I need.
    I'd appreciate any input on this.
    Thanks.
     
  2. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Ok, are you talking about for comunications or a reciever? I dont have much advice for the comunications part but I have one I got for catching news and weather and such.

    What I have is an Eton FR 300 from Radio Shack that was about $50. Its about 2" thick and 8"x8" or so and has NOAA, AM, FM and TV bands. It also has an LED light and flashing red LED light and siren. There is a rechargable batterie with it like in most cordless home phones that can be charged from an optional AC adaptor or by the crank on the radio, it can also be run on 3 AAA batteries or just by the crank with no batteries at all. It also comes with adaptors to plug a cell phone into it so you can charge the cell phone with the crank on the radio.

    I normaly always keep it in my truck along with my emergency kit but it also comes in the house some times if hte weather is to bad. I have definatly not regreted spending the money on it and love the fact that batteries arent a concern and it has all the options since I have even used the flashing light when stuck at the side of the road at night and the fuse to the hazard lights were blown.
     
  3. abacus

    abacus Monkey+++

    I was asking about a reciever.
    I'm also curious if a shortwave radio is useful at all?
    Thanks.
     
  4. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Thats the one down side to the one I have is that it dosnt have short wave. Short wave could be nice in that they recieve (as I understand it) signals from MUCH further including Europe and so on so you can get news coming from elsewhere which may have different facts ommited localy or other viewes of a given situation not to mention that if local stations are all down then normal radios would be of little use but a short wave might still pick up signals from uneffected areas.

    I dont have a short wave radio though so someone more familiar with them might be able to clear this up more.
     
  5. prepareordie

    prepareordie Monkey+++

    Abacus - I own a simular model made by Eton - the FR 200- that has the SW bands where the 300 has TV bands, but does not have the cell phone charger. So there are plenty of afordable radios out there depending on your needs. I agree with Monkeyman that SW is nice to have. and I really like the fact that these radios have three power sources. The only other radio I own and suggest is scanner so I can listen in on local emergency sources.

    Regards, Prepareordie
     
  6. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    I'd get a small eton or grundig, (same company) shortwave that has AM and FM.
    Around $50ish. If you want a radio, it mayhelp to get some outside input as to what might be going on.

    If the situation is like Katrina, it would be nice to listen to local stations to get some heads up on the SITREP. If it's worse, You might be able to tne into world band to get a take on the state of the US....

    I'd get one. I have a few
     
  7. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

  8. abacus

    abacus Monkey+++

    Cool. I guess I'll have to start shoping around for one. Thanks.
     
  9. Glenn

    Glenn Monkey

    I'm looking at a boafeng bf_ f9 v2+ tripower radio I live in a rural area of ky can I get help programming it and get the most out of it ie weather police etc I want extra battery and Nagoya 771 antenna for the next emergency coming
     
  10. AD1

    AD1 Monkey+++

    stg58 and Yard Dart like this.
  11. SB21

    SB21 Monkey+++

    Do you need a license to operate all shortwave radios ? Does anyone here think CB radios could be useful . Back when I was truck driving , I had a radio that was tweaked out , and one time I was able to reach out for about 70 miles , but I happened to be on the top of a hill , and the guy I was talking to could have possibly been on high ground also .
     
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  12. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    No license is required unless you are transmitting in the good 'ol USA. No license required for CB radio use, even if you transmit. But you should know what you're doing. If you hook up a CB with an amplifier and transmit above what the FCC allows, you can be in deep dookie. And we all know what dookie smells like. If you're a redneck type and just don't care, well you wouldn't be the first, and not the last either.

    Check the forums out, we have some threads on CB radios and communications.
    (notice at the bottom of this thread there are numerous links to related threads you can peruse to learn more.)
     
  13. AD1

    AD1 Monkey+++

    Do yourself a favor and get your license. Its supper easy, all test questions amd answers are published(legally) and you need some practice if you move into HF where you can talk around the world.

    Its not like a CB where you turn it on select a channel and talk.
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2016
    Ganado likes this.
  14. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    If you are looking for a throw-away radio, ok. If you are looking for a quality radio with good spectral specs, get a good radio.
    What are you trying to do? Do you have an amateur radio license?
     
  15. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    Get your license and learn how to make antenna, and their value .
    antenna are 1/2 the radio.
    Get to know the hams in your area and make friends and know their voices and learn whom you can trust.
    Post SHTF there will be many folk on the air that are not licensed and looking for resources ,beware of this fact and know who your are talking to.
    Hams usually look out for one another and provide vital information on road conditions and are usually there to help one another in a emergency if they can.
    The test is not that hard no need to learn code or IC circuits or fine electronics.
    However learning to operate a ham radio is not like a family, GMRS, or CB . there is a bit of a learning curve with each radio brand by brand much like phones and watches.
    Unless your a jerk ,most hams offer all the support they can, to help one another on the air.
    They are people too,, so among the group there will be those that abuse their privilege, however the FCC does not take this abuse easily and will confiscate gear from those abusing it.
    Many hams will organize them selves to find the culprit, and let the FCC deal with it from there.
     
  16. Homer Simpson

    Homer Simpson Monkey+++

    I think CB has much value, both today, and if/when something happens. A CB with SSB is even more useful. We use them for many things and they work good for out needs. On a visit to flat south FL I was talking 40 to 50 miles, in my pick up truck, with a decent barefoot radio, it is all in the antenna and how it is tuned.

    I have looked in to ham radio and the tests, and don't see the need or reason to invest in to a dying medium. For ham to do the things I would want it to do, that I can't do on 11 meters would cost way to much money and hassle. Ham radio's heyday was decades ago, face it it ain't coming back, regulation snobbery and elitism did nothing to help the medium over the years. My personal feeling is the lack of regulation on 11 meter radio is why it is dying a much slower death, anyone can pick up a radio and start using it, no hoops to jump through. I do not, and am not advocating anything illegal, but it has been said right here on this board, the FCC is to broke to send Uncle Charlie out looking for people on 11 meters with a little extra power, unless they are splattering all over the place and reported interfering with something important like EMS, Fire, Police, Air traffic, or such.
     
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  17. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Not to mention the fact that some folks around these parts of the web don't exactly take kindly to bending on one knee, filling out licenses, and kissing the rear end of his majesty or having to beg permission to exercise an inalienable right to communicate.

    "But it's electric power and you can interfere with..."

    Hush. We know. Fascist oligarchy, FCC, licenses, your name into registered database, must use call sign, your information is freely available, OPSEC violation, goody goody citizens.

    Everything isn't about HAM, fellas.
     
    Homer Simpson likes this.
  18. Tempstar

    Tempstar Monkey+++

    To each his own, but....
    Hams know comm techniques that allow us to gather info from all over the globe, and have millions of possible channels to talk on, versus 40 on CB.Way better security there. About that license....A lot easier to track a drivers license if you're not a ham and know where to look. And we have seen that the effort to obtain the license keeps out the riff-raff and the lazy...no CB trash talk to endure.
     
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  19. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Oh, there are certainly benefits to being a licensed HAM operator. I don't know what you mean about tracking drivers licenses because driving is a necessity to remain employed, whereas operating a radio is a hobby. We also do not go around showing everybody our drivers license at every corner, and they cannot simply visit a website and perform a call sign lookup. I have no issue with regulating the airwaves to keep the idiots at bay or even licensing to an extent. I do have an issue with abusive government. As long as the fascist oligarchy remains, then licensing is not valid as far as I see it.

    But, this thread is about all types of communications, not just HAM.
     
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  20. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    Look on Ebay for an ICOM R2, an R5 or R6 - both cover 153Khz to 1.3 Ghz, Am. FM amd FM - wide.
    Good for listening to just about everything. Last one sold on fleabay went for $80


    iCom IC-R2 Communications Receiver
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2016
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