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It's almost a cliche at this point to say that we're seeing a long rash of unexpected weather. It's not just this year, either. If you really go back and look at news stories, you'll realize that these "once in a lifetime weather events" have been coming with increasing regularity for about fifteen years.

Sadly, there's a predictable pattern. A storm is forecast. Some people listen to the warnings. Some evacuate. And then, there are those who stay behind to protect their homes. When the clouds part, those folks are without power.

More importantly…

Perhaps more noteworthy in today's smartphone-obsessed world, they may be without internet or cell service. Most cell towers have battery backups that can keep them up for several hours in the case of an outage, but few have generators that can keep them up for even longer. More importantly, if the tower was flooded or just blew over, it's not coming back for a while.

Communication and information is more important now than ever. We have grown increasingly dependent on always-available information. We read our socials, we stream TV, we get our news from online sources. For better or worse, losing that communication can be a big problem.

Here's the solution

You know what works almost all the time, covers a large area, and is a form of communication that's almost always served by a generator? Radio. Radio stations stay on in the worst possible weather and unless their towers fall down they'll keep broadcasting emergency information 24/7 in cases of emergency. See, it's not just for listening to music when you're out of cell range. Radio is a great thing to have in emergencies.

Radio broadcasting takes place in a very low frequency part of the broadcast spectrum. AM is 550-1600kHz (.5 – 1.6MHz) and FM is 88-109MHz. Of course at some level you knew that since those frequencies are shown when you tune. Those frequencies travel further with less power, so a radio station can cover a very large area. In fact, in each market there is one designated AM station that is allowed to have more power so it can cover an area often spreading to several states.

In order to get radio broadcasts, even without power, all you need is a radio like this CCRADIO-SOLAR from C.Crane. It will run on batteries or solar power, and you can even crank it to run. It will charge your phone, too. It's worth having one in your emergency kit. I do.

Here's the thing about the internet

Facebook and Instagram are great, and even I'll admit that Twitter's a great resource for breaking news, when it's up and running. But natural disasters often destroy the very infrastructure that cell phones need and that means that it sometimes becomes impossible to tweet, just as others are hungry for the sort of information that Twitter so capably provides. At times like that, when you need official word from the government on when to evacuate or what emergency services will be available, you need a reliable medium that is easy to receive, even in the worst weather and even with a very inexpensive and power-efficient receiver. You need something that can keep giving you information when the power goes out, when the phone goes out, and when the internet goes out.

That's why you should have a radio

Radio a broadcast medium that has existed in the United States for almost 100 years, but is almost forgotten by today's stream-hungry young people. It's a times like this that radio really shines. If you haven't listened to broadcast radio in a while, I don't blame you. On most days it's a cesspool of useless blather with infrequent bouts of incorrect news, weather and traffic thrown in to distract you from the roughly 26 minutes of commercials each hour. On a sunny day there's nothing that radio can do that the combination of Google News, Waze, and Spotify can't do better. Of course on a sunny day you get great cell service. When those hurricanes come slamming into town it's a different story.

I don't recommend you force yourself into becoming a radio afficionado, especially with so many better alternatives. Frankly I'm surprised most stations stay in business, because I don't know that many people who listen anymore. However, I do think you should have an emergency radio in your home.

It's not just this kind of emergency that you'll need a radio for. Winter will be here before you know it and right on schedule, winter storms will knock down power lines and cell towers will be affected. While it's still reasonably warm, pick up an emergency radio or two at Solid Signal!

Get what you need from Solid Signal

Solid Signal has all your emergency tech and so much more. Shop the great selection at Solid Signal, or call the experts at 888-233-7563 if you have questions. We can help you with radio, and we can also help you get reliable satellite and cellular communications. We can activate most equipment in-house and explain all the options to you. Call us or fill out the form below!


The post You need a radio for when bad weather comes appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.

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