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Why the world’s largest e-car never needs to charge
by Dayan Pfammatter
Why this radio is so popular right now
22.3.2022
Translation: Eva Francis
There’s a terrible war happening in Ukraine. And Digitec Galaxus is suddenly selling a lot of radios. Read on to find out what one has to do with the other and what the most important sources of information are in a crisis.
The radio named «Sailor SA-33N» was a niche product in the Digitec Galaxus range until recently. It was purchased rarely. Until all of a sudden, it was ordered almost 600 times within a very short time. Junior Category Manager Michael Sievi showed me the impressive figures. So how did this come about?
The terrible events in Ukraine seem to have reminded people in Switzerland that it’s important to have a radio at hand when disaster strikes. Since February, the sales figures of the Sailor radio have accelerated. March marked a new record. The Sailor SA-33N radio was ordered five times more often in these two months than in the entire previous year.
But is a radio still the best way of receiving information in an emergency? Am I in trouble if there’s a long power cut and I don’t have a battery-powered radio? I’ve asked the Federal Office for Civil Protection FOCP.
Battery-powered radios are part of individual provision
Andreas Bucher also pointed out that an earthquake, for example, increases the probability of a power cut, as it could damage the infrastructure. In this case, you’d need a battery-powered radio.
According to Bucher, people in Switzerland currently don’t need to take any special measures due to the war in Ukraine. The usual provision recommendations apply. These also include the individual emergency supplies recommended by the Federal Office for National Economic Supply to bridge supply shortages.
Radio: usually DAB+, but FM in a crisis
What if I only have an older FM radio model? Retailers and the broadcasting industry are focusing on DAB+, i.e. digital radio. Analogue radio broadcasting has been gradually eliminated since 2020. As things stand, FM is to be switched off entirely at the end of 2024. FM radio owners are required to upgrade to DAB+ by then.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.
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