What kind of portable comms devices and what frequency do most here have or will rely on in emergencies?   Not really thinking of long range, just for use around your home and property.
I don't have any ham license and just have the old FRS Motorola 2 way radios.

Nothing wrong with FRS radios.  They work great for around the home and on large properties.  Works good for hunting too especially if you use the ear piece.

Yup!  FRS is good and basic. I ordered Retevis radios off of Amazon.  Drop ship to my cousin in California. Amateur radio is a good option too but you need to put the time into getting licensed. 146.88 is pretty active here. You can buy a good portable dual band VHF/UHF radio now for under $200.

Yup!  FRS is good and basic. I ordered Retevis radios off of Amazon.  Drop ship to my cousin in California. Amateur radio is a good option too but you need to put the time into getting licensed. 146.88 is pretty active here. You can buy a good portable dual band VHF/UHF radio now for under $200.

Not that it is really legal, but since we are talking emergency communications, many of the dual band HAM handhelds may be easily modified to operate on FRS frequencies.  You will need to know the channel/frequency info though, they will not be set up like a cheap simple FRS radio with channel numbers.  I have one that can also do marine VHF frequencies and more.  Not that i need it for that, but nice to have.

Not that it is really legal, but since we are talking emergency communications, many of the dual band HAM handhelds may be easily modified to operate on FRS frequencies.  You will need to know the channel/frequency info though, they will not be set up like a cheap simple FRS radio with channel numbers.  I have one that can also do marine VHF frequencies and more.  Not that i need it for that, but nice to have.

I read that during an actual emergency, unlicensed individuals can use ham type radios to communicate without FCC or the Hams posse coming after you later.  Also read that some of the popular Baofeng portables can be modified as you described.   To me in a real SHTF or disaster scenario the more options you have to communicate with the better.

Well seems like FRS is still the most common means for 2 way around your property.   Tested mine to make sure they work using both rechargeable batt packs and regular AA.  Only issue is the rubber is getting kind of tacky and need to revive it some how.
 I also have a pair of TA-1 phones, bought at the gun show years ago and a spool of wire.   
I'll look into buying a decent emergency services scanner later this year.

I am a ham-Geek and hold a general class license. (KH7**)

I am a big fan of FRS.  A good cheap radio that performs on 2meter ham bands AND the FRS would be something like the Puxing radios from China on eBay. You can outfit the household for about $40 per radio when you buy 2 or more. It has a much better range than Motorola radios. (Longer antenna and greater wattage output)

In a true emergency you'll have access to the ham repeaters to "pass traffic".  You can program these radios for ham bands, FRS, hospital & emergency frequencies, coast guard, etc.

If you buy the Puxing brand radio, store the radios with their rechargeable batteries disconnected from the body of the radio. For some reason the batteries slowly drain while the radio is turned off.

Hope that helps. The best radio is the one you (or your family members) will use. It doesn't have to be the most expensive.

Illegally boosting the power on a CB radio will give you a pretty long range.  During  a STHF event, I don't think anyone would care.

I am a ham-Geek and hold a general class license. (KH7**)

I am a big fan of FRS.  A good cheap radio that performs on 2meter ham bands AND the FRS would be something like the Puxing radios from China on eBay. You can outfit the household for about $40 per radio when you buy 2 or more. It has a much better range than Motorola radios. (Longer antenna and greater wattage output)

In a true emergency you'll have access to the ham repeaters to "pass traffic".  You can program these radios for ham bands, FRS, hospital & emergency frequencies, coast guard, etc.

If you buy the Puxing brand radio, store the radios with their rechargeable batteries disconnected from the body of the radio. For some reason the batteries slowly drain while the radio is turned off.

Hope that helps. The best radio is the one you (or your family members) will use. It doesn't have to be the most expensive.

Thanks for the info on Puxing radios.   Having a radio that can access ham bands while functioning on FRS is good to have in emergencies.