Radio guy's offhand line about AM stations changed my storm kit

Was listening to a ham operator in Tulsa last month and he said 'everyone forgets AM radio until the cell towers go dark.' Made me dig out my grandpa's old AM/FM crank unit from 2012, tested it, and the battery still held a charge. I added a $8 pack of AAA backups to my go bag since that thing eats them fast, but has anyone else actually tested their radio reception during a real outage, or just assume it works?

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lisa524d ago

That line about cell towers going dark hits home. My uncle had a weather radio in his basement for 20 years and swore it worked fine, until a tornado knocked out power for three days and the thing was dead because he never once checked the batteries. Testing your gear before you need it is the whole ballgame, and most folks skip that step.

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william_jackson6524d ago

Oh man, the dead battery radio is such a classic move. My neighbor has one of those fancy hand crank ones and he was so proud of it until the power went out and he realized the crank handle snapped off years ago and he never noticed. So now he's sitting in the dark with a paperweight. Same energy as your uncle's basement radio, just a fancy paperweight instead of a dusty one. The real trick is testing the thing every few months, not just assuming it works because it looks fine on the shelf. Batteries leak, cranks break, and antennas get bent, and none of that shows up until you actually need the thing.

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