For one-way communication you should consider an NOAA emergency radio that can be charged by solar power or a hand crank. So what is NOAA? NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Working with the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System , NWR is an "All Hazards" radio network, making it your single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with Federal, State, and Local Emergency Managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards – including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages).”
There are several types of two-way communication systems that you can use. One that we will not discuss, but is an option is HAM radio. HAM radio requires lots of practice and a license to operate. If you are not interested in making HAM radio a hobby, it probably isn’t a good option. There are a lot of people out there that have gotten licensed, bought there HAM radio, and put it with their survival stuff, to use when the situation arises. That radio is not going to do them any good. They are not going to be effective using the radio. It takes practice.
A better two-way communication option would be a hand-held two-way radio, often called a walkie-talkie. The two main types of two-way hand-held radios are GMRS radios and FRS radios. These survival radios are good for short distances with little terrain interference. These radios are nice because they are small and easy to carry. Their biggest drawbacks are their range and their battery life. Some of the manufacturers report that these survival radios will work up to 35 miles, but that is 35 miles over a flat surface with no interference. Once you start putting trees, hills, houses, etc in the way the range drops dramatically.
If you purchase hand-held (walkie-talkie) style radios, it’s best to find radios that allow you to operate off standard AA batteries if needed. Many radios will do this out of the box, or allow you to purchase a separate “tray adapter” that lets you remove a pre-installed NiMH pack, and use straight AA batteries instead. This is ESSENTIAL to making sure you can continue to power your radios, even in unforeseen circumstances. (NiMH packs have a limited life, whereas AA batteries are easily replaced and easily found). Also note that NiMH packs will slowly discharge over time. So if you rely solely on the NiMH packs to power your gear, you may find that all of your batteries are dead when you need them. If you go with AA batteries, DO NOT store them inside the radio. They will also be dead when you need them, and they may even corrode over time, damaging the radio itself.
The main difference between FRS and GMRS are the frequencies (stations/channels) on which they can transmit and the amount of power that they can operate at. GMRS also requires an easily obtainable license. FRS does not require a license. FRS channels all use narrow bandwidths and only allow a maximum of 1/2 watt of power.
GMRS has two groups of channels: Channels that are shared with FRS and channels that are exclusive to GMRS. For the shared channels: A (licensed) GMRS user can use these shared channels, with narrow bandwidth, and up to 5 watts. On the exclusive channels, GMRS users can use a wider bandwidth and up to 50 watts of power.
What makes this so confusing is that there are lots of radios that have both all the FRS channels and all the GMRS channels. This allows the user to use the FRS frequencies at 1/2 watt, and allows the user to use the GMRS only channels, and the shared GMRS/FRS channels, at higher power but only if they have the appropriate GMRS license. Because the FRS and GMRS frequencies overlap this results in substantial pirate use of the GMRS frequencies. Use of the GMRS frequencies does requires a license; however most users either disregard this requirement or are unaware.
Another option would be CB radios. Around for several years as an offshoot of Ham Radio, CB does not require a license and unlike amateur radio, it may be used for business as well as personal communications. Enjoying a boom in the mid-seventies and are readily available today, CB radios are still the main short range communications choice for truckers. You can find CB’s fairly cheaply at yard sales,craigslist, ebay and flea markets. Mandated by regulation as a low power device, the range on these radios is much greater when combined with a signal amplifier, or “Linear” Amp. It is not advocated using a linear amp, however for the most part, enforcement of the restrictions are few and often only when an illegal stations signal interferes with other communication methods. Long distance communication is possible when atmospheric conditions permit. Operating within the 10-12 Meter HF Band, CB radios need a longer antenna than GMRS/FRS radios
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