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Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

plannedemergency.com

81–90 of 105 posts

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#81

I have a windup radio (receive-only). Being not all that serious about prepping, I just got interested in GMRS. Yeah, go ahead, make fun of me. I live in a developed area, so I think it'll be pretty easy to find help, and I do know a lot of the neighbors. Since the GMRS radios are reasonably cheap, I was thinking of getting one and just trying it out, to see who's normally on. Also so I don't have a panicky read-the-…

You can always just get a Baofeng to scan around UHF and VHF. I recently got some basically just for fun. They’re $25ish so basically a toy but pretty capable and programmable. They’re technically fairy illegal to actually broadcast with but as an emergency system I think they’d be fine.

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#82
post #53

If you hike, camp, backpack, this is from a very experienced Search and Rescue leader who I took course from: -First, have a Personal Locator Beacon. If funds allow, have one with two-way messaging (there's a monthly subscription fee). Needless to say, be mindful of battery condition. -Second, have a GPS with maps from your area, or the equivalent smartphone app. Learn basic map reading, a good Youtube video about it…

I think you meant this for point #2 but its important to clarify: you should be carrying PAPER maps —- preferably laminated if your environment calls or at least stuffed in a gallon zip lock bag.

So many things can and do go wrong with gadgets.

This comment posted while on a remote backpacking trip with somehow just enough coverage to load HN.

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#83

If you’re going to use a radio in an emergency, the radio is less important than the skill of the operator. So, if you’re serious, go do the test and get the license so that you can practice. Radios don’t work like in the movies. There’s a lot to know. You’re not likely to get help in a timely manner by slapping 146.52 into that shitty Baofeng spurious emissions potato.

> You’re not likely to get help in a timely manner by slapping 146.52 into that shitty Baofeng spurious emissions potato. Why not? What should you do instead?

Having no experience and some quick googling.

1. It depends where you are and who's monitoring.

2. If you're near a city or busy highway this may be "good enough" but the range can the big limit (One number thrown out was ~10 miles)

I'm guessing from the parent that they wanted immediate help and this frequency would not get you directly to emergency services

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#84
post #53

If you hike, camp, backpack, this is from a very experienced Search and Rescue leader who I took course from: -First, have a Personal Locator Beacon. If funds allow, have one with two-way messaging (there's a monthly subscription fee). Needless to say, be mindful of battery condition. -Second, have a GPS with maps from your area, or the equivalent smartphone app. Learn basic map reading, a good Youtube video about it…

> Third, take 3 hours to study for a ham license.

Yep, Technician is pretty easy. With privileges available to techs, I was able to get into a repeater 70 miles away with 5 watts on an HT (Yaesu FT-70D) using Fusion (a digital voice mode). This is in an area with precisely zero cell coverage, but plenty of elevation. Also, because it was digital voice, it was as clear as a phone call.

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#85
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.

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#86

If you’re going to use a radio in an emergency, the radio is less important than the skill of the operator. So, if you’re serious, go do the test and get the license so that you can practice. Radios don’t work like in the movies. There’s a lot to know. You’re not likely to get help in a timely manner by slapping 146.52 into that shitty Baofeng spurious emissions potato.

> You’re not likely to get help in a timely manner by slapping 146.52 into that shitty Baofeng spurious emissions potato. Why not? What should you do instead?

Get an amateur radio license (or, in Canada - it's a "Certificate of Proficiency"), and then spend a couple of years participating in exercises with a local club.

That way you'll learn about propagation, what makes a good radio cost 10x as much as a Baofeng, antenna systems, signalling modes, communication protocols, handheld channel programming, what local repeater systems are around and what their capabilities are.... You'll also learn who are the other hams around you, and where and what time they tend to be listening.

Or, assuming a 911 call from your cellphone isn't an option, you could pay for a Garmin InReach device.

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#87
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's what I got as well: ACR ResQLink -- you register it with NOAA every 2 years, I can't find anywhere listing the price, I think it's $50 or $75. It then talks to NOAA satellites to send out your distress call and location. The device itself when I got it was $250, looks like they are $350ish now. The downside is there is basically nothing other than "I need rescue" that you can do with the device. You turn it on…

Do people get charged after they get rescued? I'd imagine it's pretty expensive to send a team out into the wilderness, do they recoup the costs from the rescued?

UK: pretty sure you dont get charged for anything execpt possibly ambulance/hospital if you are not from UK or EU, but I suspect it’s so unusual most NHS staff wouldn’t know how to bill you. Definitely no charge for sea rescue by the RNLI even though a typical shout for a Severn class ALB will burn £1-2k in diesel fuel.

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#88

The biggest flaw of all prepper radio lists is that they do not contain knowledge about how easy it is to locate a radio transmitter. Every radio user should do at least one "radio fox hunt" to understand how to locate other people and / or how easy it is to be located. You can do that even with radios on this list, no special equipment needed.

The problem with prepper anything is that preppers tend to be out to justify buying cool stuff they don't need based on exciting fantasies. I am not personally that different, just self-aware.

The short preparedness lists prepared by the Red Cross, FEMA, local government, etc will have you ready for actually likely disaster scenarios.

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#89
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s illegal to have a radio that transmits on both FRS/GMRS as well as the ham bands. FCC Part 95 (GMRS) & Part 97 (Amateur) spell this out quite well. Baofeng has played fast and loose with these requirements in the past. The newer radios just fall in line with FCC rules.

It's not illegal to have but it is illegal to misuse. However, this is a post about radios for emergency use and most readings of the HAM and GMRS rules state that emergency use is allowed.

It is illegal to have. Part 95 requires GMRS radios to have pre-programmed frequencies (no keypad) and a non-removable antenna. No ham radio meets those requirements.

Re: Best radios to use in an emergency (2021)

#90
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s illegal to have a radio that transmits on both FRS/GMRS as well as the ham bands. FCC Part 95 (GMRS) & Part 97 (Amateur) spell this out quite well. Baofeng has played fast and loose with these requirements in the past. The newer radios just fall in line with FCC rules.

For an emergency I personally would disregard FCC regs. I don't think the rescuers will care either. Certainly local law enforcement won't care. Out in the wilderness it is unlikely one will be causing interference using a few extra watts. I say this as someone who used to pump out a few thousand extra watts. People generally get into trouble when they are playing around on frequencies they should not be on and causi…

You can use any freq in a legit emergency. But it requires “safety of life and protection of property”. You can’t just use it willy nilly.

The reason hams are anal about this is because the FCC grants us frequencies as a privilege. If we abuse that privilege they can easily take it away.

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