AM radio is not dead, it's just hiding behind the internet... In a disaster situation, as seen just recently in FL, a portable AM radio can provide weather and news from outside the impacted area. Demo Sony Walkman SRF-49 AM FM Radio Evening MW - YouTube Shows the massive numbers of station that can be heard on this inexpensive radio. BTW - The SONY SRF series is well known in the AM DXing hobby community. In addition to extended battery life, small AM radios are easier to carry and store (battery removed, of course). As shown in the video, no external antenna is needed for decent reception. Finally, there is an active Grou.IO -- main@UltralightDX.groups.io | Home -- plenty of good information and tips for AM DXing. Worth the time to read through and learn. I'll follow this with information on AM signal boosters.
I've had radios in my preps since Y2K. I have a hand-cranked AM, FM, SW radio, additionally it can also be plugged in and use batteries. I also have police/fire scanners, CB, two-way radios, weather radios, kids' walkie-talkies, and an AM-FM radio that fits in my shirt pocket. I have given some thought to getting a small inexpensive HAM radio set-up, but I'm not interested in going to the hassle of getting licensed.
