Rapid Radios

This Facebook ad claims that Michigan-based Rapid Radio’s walkie-talkie works from anywhere including showers, campsites, lakes, and even porta potties with “nation-wide range.”

It will also apparently work in the midst of World War 3:

So is it actually possible that this walkie-talkie could retain service during a global disaster? Well, that depends. Does the looming apocalypse still have working cell service?

While this company claims above that its consumers “CAN NOT RELY on Cell Phones,” Rapid Radio’s own products are actually completely dependent on cell phone carriers.

In fact, according to the teeny tiny fine print at the very bottom of this company’s website, the walkie-talkies can only function when in range of an LTE tower:

This means that although the walkie-talkies may still function if a couple cell carriers go down, the products will not work in places with no cell service at all.

And unfortunately, that’s not the end of this company’s doublespeak.

Rapid Radio also uses some misleading language when marketing the price of its products. On its product listing page, for example, the company claims it doesn’t charge any interest or monthly fees for a pair of walkie-talkies (which usually run at about $400):

And in this ad, the company claims there are no contracts or fees.

But according to the company’s FAQs, if you want to use the walkie-talkies for longer than a year, that’ll cost you $50 per year.

Rapid Radios did not respond to TINA.org’s request for comment.

The Bottom Line

If you are a doomsday prepper, you may want to focus on products that don’t rely on modern technology and keep the endtimes free of yearly charges.