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Set up broadcast receivers that need no mains power

Broadcast radio keeps reaching people when phones and internet fail. Ready.gov and Germany's BBK both list a battery or hand-crank radio as a basic kit item, and the ITU calls broadcast radio one of the most effective ways to deliver warnings.

How

1. Buy at least one battery or hand-crank radio, as Ready.gov and the BBK checklist recommend, plus spare batteries.
2. Choose one with AM, FM and shortwave bands. AM and FM carry local and national stations; shortwave (HF) signals bounce off the ionosphere and can be heard over long distances without any ground network.
3. Prefer models that run on standard rechargeable cells as well as a crank or small solar panel, so you are not tied to one power source.
4. Find and write down your local and national emergency stations now, while the internet works. Many countries name a lead broadcaster for emergencies (for example the ABC in Australia).
5. Expect shortwave reception to vary with time of day and solar activity. NOAA notes that solar flares can black out HF on the sunlit side of the Earth.
6. Keep a second receiver in a vehicle: the US DOE suggests the car radio as a source of news and alerts.

Sources

1. Build a Kit. Ready.gov, FEMA, accessed 2026-11
2. Ratgeber Notfallvorsorge: Checkliste (emergency preparedness checklist). BBK, German Federal Office of Civil Protection (hosted by THW Hagen), accessed 2026-11
3. The value of broadcast radio in an emergency. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), accessed 2026-11
4. Mobile Broadcasting Assets firm up radio frequencies when Australians need them most. Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure, accessed 2026-11
5. The Rebirth of HF (white paper). HamSCI / Rohde and Schwarz (P. Denisowski), accessed 2026-11
6. HF Radio Communications. NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, accessed 2026-11
7. Keeping Mobile Devices Charged. US Department of Energy, accessed 2026-11

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