Which Handie Talkie for Emergencies
by Jim Cluett, W1PID
I recommend one of four different handies for emergency use.
Not because of the radios, but because of the batteries.
For emergency use I think the ability to run full 5 watts with AA
cells
is essential. Here's why.
When power is out and the ability to recharge is strained, finding
the resources
to recharge your batteries becomes a real obstacle. Lithium Ion
batteries are
fantastic... they're light, deliver full power for a long time and
work well
in the cold. But they're tricky to recharge. They won't tolerate a
voltage supply
that's out of spec. When they're gone, they're gone. You can't use
them without
a fancy charge.
Commercial AA cells are easy to get and store. NiMh rechargeable
cells are
available too. So I choose handies that will hold 6 AA cells. I only
know of a
few of them.
Yaesu makes three. One is the FT-250, and the other is the FT-270.
These are VHF
only radios. If you want a dual-band radio, the FT-60 takes the same
battery packs
as the other two. These radios accept all kinds of rechargeable
batteries, but there's
an accessory 6 cell tray available too. It's the FBA-25A. It only
costs $20 or so.
You can put any kind of AA cell in the pack... lithium, alkaline, or
NiMh. These
batteries come with very high mAh ratings.
Yaesu FT-250 (above)
Yaesu FT-270 (above)
Yaesu 6 cell battery tray FNB-25A
Icom also makes a handie that will take an AA pack.
It's the IC-V80.
It takes the 6 cell accessory tray model BP-263 shown below.
When you buy a radio for emergency use, remember the most important
consideration
is power flexibility. I use rechargeable NiMh AA cells. The
Sanyo Enaloops are rated
at 2000 mAh and (unlike regular NiMh) they have a very long shelf
life. If you need to,
you can even plug the pack into a car battery for a short time and
get a useable recharge.
They can be recharged with a solar panel without a fancy controller
in an emergency.
Any handie is a good emergency tool. But radios that will accept AA
cells for a full 5 watts
are the most versatile and can make the difference during a
prolonged power failure.
-end-