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COMMUNICATION

Baofeng UV-5R Dual Band Ham Radio

~$25 · Amazon
Baofeng UV-5R Ham Radio
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Why We Recommend It
  • The most popular entry-level ham radio for emergency comms — massive community support, cheap enough to buy multiples for the whole group.
  • FRS and GMRS channels work without a license, giving you immediate usable range for neighborhood coordination.
  • Dual band VHF/UHF covers the widest possible range of emergency frequencies and repeater access.
Key Specs
Bands
Dual band VHF/UHF
Channels
128 memory channels
Output
4W
Included
Battery, charger, earpiece
Prepper Use Case
SCENARIO
Extended outage in your building or neighborhood. Cell service is unreliable. You need to coordinate with neighbors about water status, security, and whether anyone needs medical help. Pre-program everyone's radios to the same FRS channel before an emergency and you have instant walkie-talkie comms covering a mile or more with line of sight. No towers, no repeater, no license needed for FRS channels.

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