# Emergency radio: your station and your set

> Find your BBC local station's FM frequency, choose a wind-up, solar or battery radio, test it in two minutes and check what still works on long and medium wave.

- Canonical URL: https://emergencyradio.co.uk/
- Source: [Be Ready, the UK government's household emergency checklist](https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-ready-for-emergencies/)
- Checked: 2026-10-25

This page includes a free interactive tool that runs in the browser and sends no data. The figures and rules it uses are the ones stated on this page, with their sources.

## Why a radio, and why FM

- **The official checklist asks for one.** The government's Be Ready checklist includes a battery or wind-up FM radio, and suggests writing down the frequencies of the stations you use for news ([gov.uk](https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-ready-for-emergencies/)).
- **It works when phones and internet do not.** A battery or wind-up set needs no mains power, mobile signal or broadband.
- **Long wave has gone.** BBC Radio 4 switched off 198 kHz long wave on 27 June 2026 ([RSGB](https://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/rsgb-notices/2026/05/29/the-closure-of-bbc-long-wave/)).
- **Local medium wave is going.** The BBC's last five local medium wave services in England close by the end of 2026 ([WorldDAB](https://www.worlddab.org/newsroom/18594/why-bbc-local-radio-s-remaining-medium-wave-services-are-closing)). FM is the band to rely on.

## What the app does

It asks what you would like to sort out, then takes you through it:

- **Which station do I tune to?** Type your town or county to see your BBC local or nations station, every FM frequency with the area it serves, and make a card to keep with the radio.
- **Which radio should I get?** Five quick choices give the features that matter for you, and the ones you can ignore.
- **Is my radio ready?** A two-minute test and a calendar reminder every six months.
- **Will my old radio still work?** Tap the bands on your set to see what still carries BBC services.

## Read next

- [Find your BBC station](https://emergencyradio.co.uk/find-your-bbc-station/) and [the long and medium wave closures](https://emergencyradio.co.uk/long-wave-medium-wave-closures/)
- [Choosing an emergency radio](https://emergencyradio.co.uk/choosing-an-emergency-radio/) and [wind-up, solar or battery](https://emergencyradio.co.uk/wind-up-solar-or-battery/)
- [Test and store your radio](https://emergencyradio.co.uk/test-your-radio/), [questions and answers](https://emergencyradio.co.uk/faq/) and [sources](https://emergencyradio.co.uk/sources/)

Independent guide, not affiliated with the BBC, the government or any radio maker.

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Emergency Radio UK · Contact: contact@emergencyradio.co.uk