Yesterday evening I picked up an item arrived via an internet order, that being a very plain battery-powered digitally-tuned AM/FM radio with built-in speaker. The one pictured in this article is the one I purchased (listed here if you want to buy one yourself). The cost is under 10 bucks.
This is a very small radio and is only slightly larger than the size of a box of Bicycle Rider Back playing cards.
Bear in mind I had to custom order this thing. It was not available on any store shelf anywhere. Custom ordering it via internet was my only option to get one.
What’s the big deal about a battery-powered radio?
Ask yourself: When you lose power, how do you stay informed?
Sure, some of you may have a battery backup in your cablemodem (as I do), but that doesn’t do much good since the router requires power (you know, that thing that gives you wireless internet?) And yes, I know there is such a thing as a battery-powered router, but it’s not cheap by any means.
Basically put, you’re up the creek without a paddle when the power goes out. All your normal sources of live information for weather reports, school cancellations, etc. are gone. The television is out as is the internet. Anything that requires power from the wall is not an option.
Radio to the rescue. Now you have a source of live info and a darn good one at that.
Trust me when I say everybody needs a battery-powered radio. Sure, it’s old-tech but it works well.
Where to find local stations?
Use Radio-Locator. Type in your ZIP (or town/state) and you’ll get all the AM and FM stations there.
Other uses of small battery-powered radios
If you work in a cubicle, you’re probably under the watchful eye of management where anything wi-fi is "banned", so your options for entertainment are seriously limited. Little radios like the one above are the only kind that can be operated at a volume low enough where you can hear it and not bother anyone else. Furthermore it has a small enough footprint where you can put it just about anywhere.
For anywhere you work at your home where televisions or computers can’t go (under the car, in the garden, in the shed, etc.), radios can.
Yes, it’s true, there are other portable music players that have AM/FM capability, but most don’t have a built-in speaker. And you’ll probably pay at least double the price for one.
Remember, electricity is obviously not infallible. It can and does go out due to storms and other weather phenomena from time to time. Do yourself a favor and flip out ten bucks for one of these. You’ll be glad you did.
Like what you read?
If so, please join over 28,000 people who receive our exclusive weekly newsletter and computer tips, and get FREE COPIES of 5 eBooks we created, as our gift to you for subscribing. Just enter your name and email below:
One should also keep and old fashioned, plug it in the jack, regular telephone around. When the power fails, your cordless phones don’t work.
Most cordless phones don’t work. Some (albeit not many) have battery backups in the base.
And yes, thankfully that itty-bitty 6 watts inside an RJ-11 jack allows corded phones to work even when the power is out.
Unless of course you use VoIP as your landline phone – b/c then you’re really screwed if the power fails, whether your phone is cordless or not.
This is true if the cablemodem you have doesn’t have a battery backup. But if it does, you have about three to six hours (assuming you have a corded phone) before that battery dies, THEN you’re screwed.
Touche!
I’m a ham radio guy and volunteer with a local group to use my skills to help out my community. Battery powered radios are a great addition to anyone’s survival kit, so are the crank up / solar powered models. Before you need to use it in an emergency, consider making a list of what radio stations claim they will provide local emergency information. Too many stations are lights out, satellite fed national feeds. You may be under 6 feet of water or the lights are out for weeks, but mickey and donald or a talking head oblivious to your pain continue to banter on. If the radio is battery only always keep one or more spare sets of batteries around. If you can find one the absolute best poor mans radio is the SuperRadio, badged as Thompson, RCA, or GE. The build quality is spotty, they are big and bulky, but when your find a good one they are under $50, have great sound, the 6 D cells batteries last years, and can pull in stations 1,000s of miles away. The negative aspect is size and old school clunky tuning.
Typically the AM stations (24-hour ones anyway) don’t go dark when states of emergency are declared. As for FM, I couldn’t say.
Something a tad better than the superadio is a “CCRadio”. It has precise digital tuning and unbelievably good reception. They are expensive but arguably the best AM/FM units money can buy.
http://www.ccrane.com/radios/am-fm-radios/
I didn’t mention these prior because I was trying to keep things on the more affordable side.
If you are purchasing a radio for emergencies, a radio with a crank is a much better option. No batteries required.
Since I collect old radios, I have several battery powered ones. My pride is an old Philco console type radio from 1947 — still working and has great sound from the 12 inch speaker.