OK hows this for a PMR 446

[The Local Ned]

One other point , and I will make it my very last public contribution to the comms debate.

Before anyone else is put off by the negativity that seems to be going around at the moment...especially regarding amateur style handhelds and their 'reliance' on repeaters.

Most repeaters are at as high a vantage point as possible.

They are sometimes already 'off the grid' as due to their remote locations - there are no power facilities close enough.
Some are generator powered , others have small wind turbines or have PV panels fixed to trickle charge.

After the grid goes down - both my 2 nearest repeaters should still be operational as they have alternative power setups already , and another is intermittent as its batteries recharge.

Another point to note - HAMs are also preppers in their own fashion - MOST of them practically live for the chance to help aid as primary comms during some form of disaster , their setups are geared towards power down scenarios and their RAYNET thing is already in an advanced form , with operating procedures already established.

Even with no repeaters these small dual band radios are still good for local patrol comms , forget about the silly PMR446 on 0.5w you can buy out of argos etc , invest in a UV-5R.

Please be aware of this when making your mind up to buy a UHF/VHF radio.