I have a set of radios I got for hunting and hiking. They were $50 and work well. They are rated for 2 miles but in the mountain area where I live its more like half a mile to 1 mile with your location key to broadcasting distance where elevation helps due to umbrella of radio waves. Everyone under the umbrella hears you fine, and if their umbrella radio field range under you overlaps your location you can then hear back from them. Only issue is that channels are limited and sometimes you get cross talk with other people on the channel.
Never thought of using them in an emergency situation to communicate if cell towers are down. With the weakening of the earths magnetic field and solar flares. The biggest concern would be if a flare hit the earth and spiked power lines and electronic equipment with damage like an EMP burning out chips and all. I was reading up on people taking ammo cans and using them as faraday cage containers to protect electronic devices from this kind of damage since the metal box acts as a shield. The movie goldeneye 007 they went to extremes with EMP created by a nuclear device in space to channel the EMP burst to earth. Lightning bolts emanating from everything metal and electronic. Fact is that its not that dramatic. You wouldnt know that the damage happened until you go to use whatever it is and it doesnt work anymore. As funny as it may sound, older electronics are better protected against EMP than newer. Such as if you had an old Tube Ham Radio and a battery to power it, it would probably survive a EMP since there is no transistors its all tube valves etc. While radios like these listed could be bricked with the traces in the circuit acting like a secondary coil to pulse over voltage chips and transistors and very small surface mount components that are sensitive to static or quick high voltage spike from EMP. Years ago I had a Norelco Short Wave Radio and that thing worked really well. Sadly my wife thought it was an old piece of junk and tossed it on me. But had there been an emergency, that tube type unit would probably survive a solar wind direct hit to earth or EMP.
But ... scale of circuit length also comes into play as well. The more length of wire to act like a secondary or have a potential unequal to surroundings/atmosphere the damage is amplified such as burning out a telegraph system.
Prior to the July 2012 storm, the largest recorded storm was the Carrington Event of 1859. A massive solar flare and CME struck Earth, destroying much of the Victorian telegraph network in Europe and North America.
https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/186805-the-solar-storm-of-2012-that-almost-sent-us-back-to-a-post-apocalyptic-stone-ageI have 3 generators... Initially the one that I made myself with use of a 3.5hp motor and a 90 amp 1997 Mazda 626 car alternator capable of making up to 9 amps at 120VAC, and a simple circuit to start the field in the alternator with a push button. once the field is started with push button from 12VDC battery source then it continues a feedback loop to making its own electricity to sustaining the field in the alternator unless you pull too much draw and collapse the field. Then I bought 2 others when a Tractor Supply business came in and they had a grand opening sale in which i got a 6500 watt generator for $199 and a 3500 watt generator for $119. The 3500 watt generator is still in its box. The 6500 watt has gasoline in it and is prone to ethanol damage. So I just realized I need to start that up soon and flush out some of the ages gasoline. I shut off the fuel valve when its running before shutting it off so that no gasoline remains in the bowl of the carburetor. Ethanol mixed gasoline if left in a carb will corrode and destroy a carb fast. the generator that I made with 3.5hp motor and 90 amp alternator I want to dismantle and make a box with forks to mount to rear wheel for 26" bicycle and make the ability to peddle power turning my 18 speed mountain bike into a stationary peddle generator. Just havent welded up the forks and frame yet with alternator connected to a drum that rear tire tests on that spins like car tire on a dyno drum.
Maybe that will be a summer project.
