Light & comms
Hand Crank Radio
A receiver with a crank so it never needs a battery you do not have. Most also charge a phone, slowly.
34 items
A receiver with a crank so it never needs a battery you do not have. Most also charge a phone, slowly.
Appears inAvengers: DoomsdayI Am Legend
Carries far further than a voice and costs nothing in energy. Pealess designs work when wet.
Appears inAvengers: Doomsday28 Days Later
Several handsets already paired to the same channels, for a household.
Appears inDon't Look Up
Area light rather than a beam, for lighting a room instead of a path. Look at runtime on low, not maximum brightness.
Appears inI Am Legend
Red light preserves dark adaptation and travels less far, so it is visible to you and not to everyone else.
Appears inAlien
Panels, mirror and flag for being seen deliberately. Passive signalling that needs no power.
Appears inJaws
A long-throw beam for identifying something at distance. Enormous power draw for short runtime.
Appears inThe Mist
A whistle that still works after being submerged, which cork-pea designs do not.
Appears inThe Impossible
Higher lumens for genuine distance work. Runtime falls sharply at full output.
Appears inEverest
Hands-free red light for reading a map or working without losing night vision.
Appears in30 Days of Night
The maritime radio standard, monitored by coastguards on channel 16. Licensing rules vary by country.
Appears inJaws
A battery sensor that chimes when something crosses it. Useful for knowing about an approach rather than preventing one.
Appears inAlien
Two-way text and an SOS via satellite where there is no cell coverage. Requires an ongoing subscription.
Appears in127 Hours
A repeating flash that marks a position at night. Far more visible than a steady light.
Appears inGravity
Records audio to a card. Useful for documentation when writing is impractical.
Appears inAnnihilation
Compressed gas, far louder than a whistle, audible over engines and wind. Finite number of blasts.
Appears inSan Andreas
Licence-free vehicle radio with an established convention of use on channel 9 and 19.
Appears inThe Stand
Snap-activated light with no battery and no heat. Single use, and they work underwater.
Appears inAnnihilation
Aims reflected sunlight at an aircraft or vessel, visible for miles. No power, no expiry, needs sun.
Appears inThe Grey
A weather receiver that stays silent until an alert is broadcast for your area.
Appears inTwister
Bright pyrotechnic signalling for maritime use. Flares expire, and disposal is regulated.
Appears inCast Away
Hours of light from a wick and wax, with no electronics to fail. They consume oxygen and need ventilation.
Appears inThe Mist
A headlamp bought together with the cells it takes, which is the part people run out of.
Appears inThe Thing
Burns lamp oil for many hours per fill. Needs ventilation and a stable surface.
Appears inKnowing
Short-range voice between people out of shouting distance. Real range is a fraction of the packaging claim.
Appears inAlien
Both signals on one item so neither is the one you left behind.
Appears inTwister
A light that runs on a crank. Dim, and it never fails to have power.
Appears inKnowing
A more capable shortwave set with finer tuning and a real antenna connection.
Appears inLeave the World Behind
Receives the dedicated weather bands and wakes itself for alerts. The alert function is the reason to own one.
Appears inThe Mist
Transmits a distress signal with your position on a dedicated satellite system. Registration is required and free.
Appears inJaws
Slow-burning candles for extended use rather than a single evening.
Appears in30 Days of Night
Receives distant broadcast bands that survive local infrastructure failing.
Appears in10 Cloverfield Lane
Light where you are looking, hands free. Rechargeable is convenient; it also means it can be flat when you need it.
Appears inThe Martian
Several simple lanterns rather than one, so light can be in more than one room.
Appears inThreads