By: Greg Chabot
Photos: Sasha Steadman
During emergency situations, information is just as valuable as water, food, and ammo. A good radio with short-wave capability should be an essential part of your plan. Why short-wave? I like to receive information from different sources that cannot be controlled by government agencies. As we have seen, the media likes to spin stories and manipulate how people think. Short-wave gives one access to different viewpoints to form their own opinions.
What Is Short-Wave?
I’ll put it in layman terms: SW was the internet before computers. It is a radio transmission using frequencies in the short-wave band. It includes all high-frequency bands which extend from 3 to 30 MHz above medium frequency to the bottom of the VHF band. SW waves can be “bounced” off the ionosphere allowing it to travel great distances, which means one can pick up stations from around the world. And contrary to popular belief, SW is still going strong in the age of streaming off the internet.
Emergency Radios
We have all seen in outdoor stores the radio that is solar powered and lets you charge devices. I have bought a few over the years and most were complete garbage. Wouldn’t hold a charge or do as advertised by the manufacturer. This past spring I was looking for a compact radio for emergencies. After a lot of research, I settled on the Raddy RE40 FM/AM/SW/WB radio, the subject of this article.
The Raddy RE40 is compact and has excellent features for its price point. The RE40 is 2” L x 3.2” W x5.2” H. It comes with a built-in compass SOS function and flashlight and is Bluetooth capable for music playback off other devices. A wrist strap is included as is a charging cord. The radio has a sleep function, and a fully charged battery will run the radio for 24 hours of continuous use. A 3.5 mm headphone jack comes with this radio. The compass is on top of the volume knob, it works and is better than nothing in a pinch. I wouldn’t recommend using it on a land nav course! The manual is well written, and I strongly recommend end users read it so they can get the most from this radio.
There are two ways to tune this radio manually or digitally. Both ways work well and depending on your area you should be able to pick up stations with ease. For short-wave, end users might have to wait until night as most SW stations don’t broadcast 24/7, I’ll include a link to a site that will help you find SW stations. I had no issues getting SW stations with my improvised wire antenna attached to the radio’s antenna. You’ll have to experiment to see what stations you’ll receive. And you might need to use a wire antenna for better reception as geographic area and weather can affect SW signals. I like the weather band function as I can get accurate reports without the climate change nonsense that state-run media likes to promote every chance they can get.
Unlike other emergency radios, the solar charger works well and keeps the battery charged. I have charged this radio from lights in the house! The battery can also be charged via an outlet with the included cord. While charging devices it does a good job, but it does take time. The hand crank also works well and can be used to charge phones and other devices in a pinch. It does take a lot of time, keep that in mind. For a small radio, the sound quality is amazing! I have severe hearing loss from my military service, and I can hear it clearly from a good distance. Friends that have better hearing than I have complimented on the sound quality. I’ll take their word for it.
I have been using this radio on a regular basis for a year. It hasn’t disappointed me either on the beach or in the woods. In below-freezing temperatures, the battery held a charge with no loss of performance. I have no qualms about recommending this radio as part of one’s emergency preparedness as SW can keep one better informed than AM or FM in emergency situations. Keep in mind it is wise to take it out and check the charge on occasion and charge if needed. The Raddy RE40 can be found on Amazon for $44.99 USD, which is where I purchased mine.
The following link is for short-wave information. This site provides information on what SW stations are broadcasting. You just type in any station and your preferred language, and a list of station frequencies will come up along with what program is on. It is very helpful when listening to short-wave and will save you time searching for a station you want to listen to. Don’t be surprised if you find a pirate station or two, they can be very entertaining.
https://www.amazon.com/Raddy-RE40-Shortwave-Emergency-Rechargeable/dp/B0CKPKG3LM
Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas!