Originally Posted by
BillsGU
The only problem I have found with hand helds is that when you really, really need them - the battery is flat. Make sure the one you get can either be operated from an external 12 volt source (some cannot be operated when charging) or you can get a battery pack/holder for it that takes normal AAs or AAAs.
It's also a good idea to remove the battery when you are not using them as most have some sort of memory that uses some battery power even when they are switched off.
I have an emergency hand held in the door pocket that works on AAs and I keep the radio in a bag with a set of lithium AAs (as they have around a 15 year shelf life).