Recommended for Emergency Communication Kit
When the mobile network or power goes down you still need two things: a way to receive official information, and a way to reach the people around you. UK networks can fail in a power cut, and the switch to digital landlines means cordless home phones stop working without electricity.
Our picks cover both jobs — a wind-up and solar radio to pick up BBC local radio and Met Office warnings without mains power, licence-free two-way radios to keep a group in contact over short range, and a loud pealess whistle as a simple, battery-free way to attract attention.
A wind-up or solar-powered emergency radio keeps you connected to weather warnings, emergency broadcasts, and rescue coordination when the power grid fails. Your lifeline to critical information.
The best emergency radios combine a hand crank dynamo, solar panel, USB charging, and AAA battery backup. This redundancy ensures you can always power the radio regardless of conditions. One minute of cranking should provide at least 15-20 minutes of listening time.
FM covers most UK local and national stations, while AM/Long Wave receives BBC Radio 4 on 198 kHz — the UK's primary emergency broadcast frequency with nationwide coverage. DAB reception is a bonus but draws more power. Ensure the antenna is robust and replaceable.
Many emergency radios include an LED torch and a USB port for charging a mobile phone in emergencies. While phone charging via hand crank is slow, it can provide enough power to send a critical text message or make a brief emergency call.
An IPX3 or higher water-resistance rating is important for UK use. The radio may need to operate in damp conditions, outdoors in rain, or in a flooded environment. A rubberised casing and sealed battery compartment protect the electronics from moisture damage.
Write down your local BBC radio frequencies and keep them with the radio. In an emergency, you do not want to be scanning through static trying to find a station. BBC Radio 4 on 198 LW provides nationwide emergency coverage and should be your first port of call.
Hand-crank dynamos work but are tiring over extended use. Keep rechargeable AAA batteries with the radio as a backup, and if your model has a solar panel, position it in a window during daylight hours to maintain charge passively. Use the crank as a last resort, not the primary power source.
Batteries left inside a stored radio can leak and corrode the contacts, rendering the radio useless when you need it most. Remove batteries during storage and keep them in a separate sealed bag alongside the radio. Test the radio every six months.
A hand-crank and solar radio with a built-in torch and USB charging, so you stay informed with no mains power. A core item for staying updated during a prolonged outage.
A licence-free PMR446 radio set from a trusted brand — simple, light and ideal for keeping a family or group in contact off-grid.
A loud pealess safety whistle whose sound carries far further than the human voice. A tiny, effortless way to signal for help and attract rescue.
A licence-free PMR446 radio pair from Motorola, built for the outdoors with a rugged, splash-resistant body and a bundled hard case. Handy for keeping a group in contact on a hike or coordinating at home when the mobile network is down. Range is line-of-sight so treat the box figures as best-case, but for short-range family or team comms it does the job.
An AM/FM emergency radio that charges three ways: hand crank, solar panel or USB, with a 12,000mAh battery that can also top up a phone. It rolls a torch, reading light and a loud SOS alarm into one unit, so it earns its place in a grab bag when you need news and a little power with no mains available.
A hand-crank FM/AM radio built for the moment the power and the phone signal both go down and you need to hear official advice. Winding it charges the internal battery, so you're never reliant on finding fresh cells, and many units in this class add a torch and a USB port for topping up a phone in an emergency. Keep it in the grab bag or the cupboard under the stairs and give it a wind every few months.
A set of four waterproof PMR446 licence-free radios with a travel case, useful for keeping a household or group in contact when mobile networks are down or out of range. The IP67 rating means they'll survive rain and a brief dunk, which matters for real outdoor use.
A wind-up AM/FM emergency radio that also charges from solar, USB or its 2000mAh internal battery, so you can keep hearing local broadcasts during a prolonged power cut. It doubles as a small torch and a top-up charger for a phone in a pinch. Crank output is modest, so treat the hand-crank as a backup to the built-in battery rather than the main power source.
A wind-up and solar AM/FM radio with a large internal battery, built-in torch and reading lamp, and a USB output to top up a phone in a blackout. The NOAA weather band is US-focused and won't apply here, but the crank, solar and AM/FM are the real value for a UK power cut. A sensible one-box option for keeping informed when the grid is down.
A wind-up and solar DAB/FM radio built for power cuts, with hand-crank and solar charging so it works when the mains and your batteries are gone. It also has a torch and can top up a phone in a pinch. Keep it in the cupboard for storm season so you can still hear emergency broadcasts off-grid.
A pair of long-range two-way radios for keeping a group in contact when the mobile network is down or absent. Handy for a family in a power cut, coordinating on a hill walk, or staying in touch across a site with no signal. Range claims are optimistic, but for line-of-sight and short distances they do the job licence-free.
A hand-crank and solar emergency radio that adds DAB to the usual FM, so you can still pick up digital broadcasts during a power cut. It doubles as a torch and a small power bank for topping up a phone, and the wind-up handle means it keeps working when the batteries and grid are both gone. The kind of thing you set aside for a storm and forget about until the day you need it.
A hand-crank and solar radio for keeping AM/FM (and DAB) news coming when the mains and mobile networks are down. It doubles as a torch and a small power bank, so it earns its place in a grab bag or the cupboard under the stairs. Reach for it during a storm or power cut when you need updates without draining your phone.
An FM/AM radio you can power by hand crank, solar panel or its built-in battery, with a torch, SOS alarm and a USB output to trickle-charge a phone. The kind of thing to reach for in a power cut or when you need to keep up with news off-grid. Note the NOAA weather band is a US feature, so in the UK you'll rely on FM/AM, and the crank charger is for emergencies rather than fast top-ups.
A wind-up and solar radio that pulls in AM/FM/SW so you can follow official updates when the mains and mobile networks are down. It doubles as an LED torch, SOS alarm and small power bank, with the 2000mAh battery topped up by crank, sun or USB. A tidy all-in-one for a grab bag or the power-cut drawer.
A wind-up and solar AM/FM emergency radio with a built-in LED torch and a 2000mAh battery that can trickle-charge a phone in a pinch. It keeps you connected to broadcast news and local warnings when the grid and your mains chargers are down, and the hand crank means it never depends on batteries you've run out of. A sensible power-cut and grab-bag item rather than a hi-fi listening radio.
A hand-crank and solar emergency radio with a 4,500mAh battery, so you can keep FM reception and a little phone charge going when the grid and mains are down. Handy as a backup information source and torch during storms or power cuts. Wind-up output is modest, so treat the USB charging as a top-up rather than a substitute for a proper power bank.
A do-everything emergency radio that keeps working when the grid doesn't: hand crank, solar panel and a rechargeable 4000mAh pack all feed the same battery. Reach for it in a storm or blackout to pick up AM/FM broadcasts, top up a phone, or trigger the SOS alarm and torch. It's the kind of single, self-contained tool that earns its place in a grab bag.
A hand-crank and solar radio for when the mains and mobile networks are down. The 2000mAh battery holds enough to pick up emergency broadcasts and top a phone up a little, and the crank keeps it running when there's no power at all. Treat it as a grab-bag radio, not a hi-fi — you reach for it in a storm or a prolonged power cut.
A hand-crank and solar AM/FM radio that keeps you informed when the mains and mobile networks are down. It doubles as a torch and a small USB power source, so it earns its place in a grab bag rather than sitting idle. No batteries to run flat: a minute of winding gives you a burst of listening or a trickle of charge.
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