Survival Radio

Having a survival radio during an emergency will provide you with valuable up to the minute information. Staying informed during an emergency may save your life. Having details on the projected path of a storm, where emergency shelters are located or which roads are closed will allow you to make better choices. Informed decisions ensure the safety of yourself and your family.

Alerts

Every home, car and survival bag should contain a radio. Weather alert radios in the home will notify you of incoming storms. Some alert radios are equipped to alert you to earthquakes and other natural disasters such as wildfires. It is important to keep fresh batteries in all your radios as an unexpected power outage might render plugged in radios useless. Emergency Radios

Limitations

Small portable AM/FM radios are easy to carry in survival bags. While they may not have weather alert capabilities they can keep you informed during an emergency. The range of these radios is small. Keeping a small length of speaker wire will allow you to boost reception by attaching one end to the radio’s antenna and placing the other end as high off the ground as possible.

Older Hand-Cranks

Older hand-crank type radios do not usually contain batteries. This type only works while you are turning the handle. The older crank radios are also limited in range. Most of them do have a built in flashlight and cell phone charger. They do not weigh much but they are larger than a portable radio.

Next Generation

Nitro Pak has state of the art versions of the crank radio available through their online catalog. Designed for use by the Red Cross the FR300 is the next generation crank radio. They have AM/FM and short wave capabilities. The internal Ni-MH rechargeable batteries will provide about 15 minutes of use with only 90 seconds of cranking. This radio can also be powered 3 AA batteries and be charged using an AC/DC outlet. The FR300 also has NOAA weather band channels which will provide you with weather information keeping you up to date should the power go out.

Small but Powerful

The FR350 radio is the FR300’s smaller cousin. Also available through Nitro Pak it is smaller in size and weight. It comes equipped with all AM/FM and shortwave bands, NOAA weather channels and is able to use AA batteries. Cranking this radio for 90 seconds will provide up to an hour of use. Weighing only 1.5 pounds the FR350 is a good addition to any survival bag or vehicle. Both radios have built in led lights and red signal lights.

Solar-Powered

There are a few solar powered emergency radios on the market. These might be useful if space is limited or you are forced to leave home quickly. This type of radio is small enough to fit in a pocket. The downside to these radios is that they require sunlight to work. Many of these solar radios are not equipped with shortwave bands but do have built in lights. These units can operate for about 3.5 hours on a full charge.

Regardless of which survival radio you choose remember to check the battery strength regularly. Any survival radio that has no charge will be no use to you during an emergency.