Then again, an old analog AM/FM radio may be all that’s needed. This morning I pulled out an older Sony ICF-38 — analog, 4xAA batteries, power-cord wrapped inside.

Okay, I’m a radio-junkie, but no, I didn’t pay $189 for it, more like $25; but I guess it’s a collector’s item or something. I haven’t turned this radio on in years, but accidentally moved the power switch while handling and it turned on, nice sound. I didn’t realize I’d left batteries in it. Yep, four AA Eneloops, with enough charge remaining to listen to the news for a bit. Before they died, I removed the batteries, charged them back to full and put them back in — good to go for another couple years. The latest here indicates the weather that convinced PG&E to shutdown power in the bay area is moving south, so that radio may be put to work sooner than I thought.

Another set of Eneloops are charging now for the CountyComm GP-5 Nice thing is that AA batteries are easily recharged if the grid goes down; those little backpack-able solar panels really are useful.

As for a decent analog radio: May I recommend the Panasonic RF-2400D AM / FM Radio as an alternative at less than $30. Review here.