IMHO, SW radios are over rated for survival purposes. Most of the domestic broadcasts are evangelistic or conspiracy shows. The conspiracy stuff can be entertaining, but doesn't help you stay alive. They do not have any local coverage either. Most of the over-seas stuff is boring beyond description and primarily thinly veiled propaganda. The US govt sponsored SW broadcasts also fall into this category.

The BBC arguably has some of the best world wide news coverage, but their transmissions to the US have been cancelled. It is still possible to pick up some of their broadcasts from the eastern US, but quite difficult now from the NW US. Great info, but not so useful in a crisis.

There may be some limited benefit to receiving ham radio broadcasts, but this is going to be exclusively SSB broadcasts, requiring a more sophisticated SW receiver. Even then, the ham broadcasts are often logistical in nature and may be of little benefit to you. Locally after the last earthquake I found the local ham communications were of little benefit. On the 2m band there were lots of folks sharing their personal observations and experiences. It was interesting, but of limited survival value. The 2m and 440 MHz communications are available on a simple UHF/VHF scanner.

On the other hand, after the Northridge earthquake in So Cal, it was determined that the TV stations had better and timelier information than the government run Emergency Operations Center. TV stations with their helicopters and news gathering staffs have honed the craft of local information gathering on a daily basis.

An AM/FM/TV radio would be ideal to help sort out a local disaster or emergency. Weather band would be a nice bonus.

I also find a UHF/VHF scanner (police/fire etc) to be indispensable. If you take the time to program it correctly, you can get info on specific concerns before it is available to the TV news folks. It is especially nice if you live in an area that uses trunked communications. All communications for a specific incident use the same "Talk Group". All communications go through a repeater. This allows you to monitor an incident without changing frequencies and allows you to hear even the low power handi-talkies. I have monitored local emergencies that were being covered by the TV stations, but with 10 times the details, and in real time.

Shortwave is a hobby.

AM/TV/Weather radios and UHF/VHF scanners are survival tools. Shortwave is a hobby.


Good luck, TR