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.