I made a brief post the other day about the Netflix movie Leave the World Behind, and I wanted to mention something that struck me about Kevin Bacon's character, who was supposedly a kind of "prepper."

Why didn't he know what was going on? Because anyone who understands our modern communications system, dependent on computers and networks, knows that a good shortwave or "world band" radio is what you need to stay informed. AM ("medium wave") has good propagation characteristics, but the consolidated network of broadcast stations likely rely on computers and the internet to get their information.

So you'd want a radio that has the ability to receive single sideband (SSB) modulation. Then you'd be able to listen to all the hams, and get a variety of first-hand reports of what they were seeing and experiencing.

And many of these radios include the air bands, so you could listen in to the air traffic and perhaps get some insight into why planes were falling from the sky.

C. Crane, Eton and Sangean all make a good, small, battery powered radio that can receive these frequencies and decode SSB. The real nerds will want an SDR (software defined radio) that can decode many more modes. There are other manufacturers, like XHData, Tecsun and many others. Most are based on Silicon Labs chips, and they mostly vary by user interface, cabinet design, speaker size, batteries, antenna connections and so on. Performance is roughly similar, though the Sangean 909X2 can be somewhat quiet on SSB.

They all work well enough from the whip, but most include a small wire antenna you can use to improve reception.

Anyway, get a good radio. Just in case.

It's Christmas.

(N.B. These are not "affiliate links." I don't get anything if you buy a radio. I own each of them.)