Emergency radio for a power outage
When the internet and mobile networks go down, a battery radio is how you find out what is happening and what the authorities are asking. What we say here comes from official sources, listed on the sources page.
Why
On 28 April, people with a battery radio quickly learned that the blackout covered the whole Iberian Peninsula and what the authorities were saying; people without one spent hours among rumours. Authorities ask you to listen to trusted stations and not to spread hoaxes. And 999 is for real emergencies: if everyone calls to ask questions, it gets blocked for those who need it.
Which one to buy
A battery radio works just as well as a wind-up one. Choose by what you want to spend and whether you also want it to charge your phone.
Portable battery radio
AM and FM, for the national and local stations.
Our pick: PRUNUS J-985 · 2 AAA batteries
Wind-up radio with torch and USB
No batteries needed, and it can top up a phone.
Our pick: SOLARBABY, hand crank, solar panel and 2,000 mAh battery
Spare alkaline batteries
The size your torches and radio take. Check the cover before buying.
Our pick: Amazon Basics, 12 AA and 12 AAA: enough for everything in the packs
Links go to amazon.co.uk and are affiliate links: if you buy through them we get a small commission and it costs you nothing extra.
Once you have it
- Put in new batteries and keep spares next to it.
- Find the frequency of BBC local radio where you live, and of a national station. Write them on a note stuck to the radio.
- Show everyone at home where it is and how to switch it on.
This does not replace instructions from the authorities or 999: if they say something different, do what they say.