Powering your radio off the grid

Your radio is only as good as its battery. A little planning keeps you on the air for days instead of hours.

Start simple

• Spare batteries — the cheapest insurance there is. Keep at least one charged spare per radio.
• A USB battery pack — many handhelds charge over USB, and a decent power bank tops you off many times over.
• A car charger — your vehicle is a big battery on wheels; a 12V cable turns it into a power source.

A step further

• Higher-capacity battery packs are available for most popular radios.
• A small solar panel with a USB output keeps phones and radios going through a longer outage.
• Charge on a schedule — a dead spare helps no one. Set a calendar reminder to top everything off.

Keep it together

Store your charged batteries and cables with your radio (see Building a go-kit). When the lights go out, you want to grab one bag and be ready.