[Nowhere Man]

Those radios and backup are of no use if an EMP strike hits.

Actually, most handheld transceivers will survive EMP since their circuits are designed to operate in a high RF environment such as the transmitter itself in the radio. Also, they are VHF/UHF, most of the EMP's energy is below that. Now I can see that point if you're talking about the network system but for point to point, they should still work at short range. I guess one can rig up a HT walkie-talkie as a base, even a low powered signal will reach far if you have a good antenna and height. When I was at Lake Erie in 2001, I worked Canada using 1 watt out of my 2 meter HT using the rubber ducky antenna and 6 penlite batteries. My signal went 50 miles across Lake Erie and 20/30 miles into Ontario.

[doorgunner69]

The frequency the radio operates on is not relevant. It is the electronics inside and their vulnerability to the zap. Your toaster, if digitally controlled like mine, is dead, and it sure does not operate on any RF frequency.

The transistor and microprocessor explosion that dominates equipment in everyday life is the issue, and just how much they will be affected, which no one really knows.