![What Communication Device Should I Get?? [1000x1000 - 346KB]](https://pic8.co/sh/nDJ6lM.png){kind=link}
Good advice, but what about HF?
If your goal is to have something quick n dirty ready to go, then 2M and 70cm are good choices and cheap enough to toss in your bag. I think HF, beyond maybe CB, is outside the scope of having cheap n ready.
Agreed if OP wants to transmit. But small HF receivers can use a simple 100 foot antenna wire and listen in on 80M and 40M where all sorts of juicy chatter is to be surely had in SHTF scenario. Not to mention the joys of scanning in AM for Radio Havana in Cuba or The Mighty KBC in Holland :) However I agree with all your comments and suggestions also, 2M and 70cm are indeed good choices.
I'm thinking more "Get up and get out" - if I was planning on setting up somewhere, I'd have a wideband receiver ready to go.
If you've got some assembly skills and a cheap laptop take a look at https://qrp-labs.com/qdx.html
It's only 5w but for JS8Call and some of the other digital modes that will go a long way. It's not voice but fldigi will drive the snot out of it and a $69 EVO Maestro runs anything you need on Linux,
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