I agree that it’s good for some needs, but a radio works in more situations.
I remember the earthquake we had here a few years ago - we almost never get those, for a lot of us it was very confusing.
You couldn’t call through many cellular services because the lines were so jammed, and a lot of people were outside with no access to an Internet connection. I would have liked to have a little handheld transceiver then, just to make sure my husband was ok, and get news.
Getting a tech license is easy; but I think one of these should be in everyone’s prep stash if only just for listening during local emergencies/disruptions. They’re very cheap, and the local hams are always on there whenever anything unusual happens, keeping people informed.
I second that de K1QKZ