These threads have popped up occasionally and this is THE question that goes to the heart of giving a good answer.

The questioner often doesn't know enough about radios to understand the answers.
"good in an emergency" is too vague.
Radio is a complex topic.


If I wanted a radio that would really, really, really right-bloody-now get me some "help" I'd want a radio that can transmit on police frequencies.

But I might not survive the being discovered part of the exercise :-)
(if you thought hams were protective of their frequencies.... you oughta consider what the police would do when they found you talking to them!)

I've been a ham for better than 3 decades but I don't have enough info to address the OP's question.



Originally Posted By: philip
You haven't said what you plan on doing with the radio. Who do you plan on communicating with? Do you need more than one radio? Without knowing what you want to radio for, it's difficult to do more than guess on what radio service might work best for you.