Let me start off by saying I am NOT a prepper.
I have gathered quite a bit of GMRS gadgets, Testing tools, accessories, extra batteries, and the like. I bought the Wouzon HT carrying case, love it. But I am always thinking multifunction. As well keeping everything together has become priority No 1. and yes 1 in 1000 chance of EMP burst in the next 30 to 50 years. (guess I have too much covid/winter cabin fever). Protect your investment? Or just food for thought.
If you feel you should āfaraday cageā your HT then do so. If something like that EMP happens, an HT is going to be very low on the list of things Iām going to worry about. Then again, putting it in a small metal box shouldnāt be very difficult.
I agree totally, No I donāt lose any sleep over EMP. Like you said it is not the inability to communicate in standard ways. More so 1/2 a tank a gas, little food supplies, or standing in the dark or no heat of course. But leaving once protected domain is just a benefit of having a set of radios that will keep the family in contact, youāre working HT will become a vital tool as one ventures out for the basics.
No more or less than tossing your HT on the dash of your car in the sun light, open view to theft. Or put is where it is BEST protected is all I am addressing. A ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (Ben Franklin).
I could unplug my radios if there was a storm coming.I could put bags of silica gel in every box, I could replace backup batteries because I wrote down the date I stuck them in, I could run a regime of proper charging and storage. I could wrap a pic in foil and store it safely so I could program my radios. I could buy a generator, or solar chargers, and I could buy equipment and put it away for a rainy day. If the world goes mad, the who exactly would I be talking to on these radios? I just canāt even start to think of doomsday. I just cannot spoil my life now with this kind of doom and gloom.
This is where you get into the ācould have, should have, and didā thingy. The ādidā part is where things typically fall apart. At least for me.
Call me a gloom and doomer if you wish; āprepperā would be the preferred term. After attending a security threat analysis workshop hosted by DC analysts, and because NoKo has proven the ability to reach space and has nukes, with others there or not far behind, I have radios in faraday cages. I bought two pair of Baofeng UV5Rs for this. I use metal cookie-tins that once held holiday treats (sanded down to bare metal at the rim and inside the lids for good metal-to-metal contact. Inside, are my āgadgetsā, wrapped in small bubble wrap, wrapped in aluminum foil, rinse and repeat several times for several layers (none with conductive contact to the other, then placed inside the tins (with more wrapping to ensure it cannot touch the sides) and sealed with metal tape. Make sure the tape has conductive adhesive, can take some googling. I then test each ācageā with a multimeter to ensure thereās a short circuit between the container and the lid. I have several of these, some in cookie tins, some in small alum. trash-cans. In addition to cheap radios bought for the purpose, Iāve added stuff from junk drawers around the house: calculators, flashlights, an old ipod, an old kindle, a tablet, spare zip drives (one with important docs loaded) etc. Wasnāt using them anyway, or had plenty around. Call me whatever you wish, I think it makes sense.
Thank you. I love your response. my point still is what we are now using as a nice secondary form a communication will become the primary source or better said a tool for survival. All the crazy out there who was I going to talk to? No-one would be safe to communicate with. That many well be the case but my family are my soul concerns. With 2 or 3 working radios will aid me as I provide and protect them.
How sad would it be if a guy or gal with a large collection of state of art communication equipment get left behinds and totally out of the ability to get lifesaving directions just 1 day in advance let alone a one-hour head start.
I donāt lose sleep over this but acknowledge how sad it would be If you or I did not take the time NOW for these possibilities.
An ounce of prevention would be worth much more than a pound of cure, in troubling times.
I had one of the first cellphones back when. I can attest to having saved 2 peopleās lives using cellphones in all these years on the road. I see the youth today get all freaked out with no cell service. The fact being we just donāt know. But I like to have options even if it would not be perfect option. And it will only take minimal $ now and to change my habits concerning storage and older equipment or a spare for special occasions. In no way am I considering taking off the antenna, removing the battery, wrapping my radios in tin foil every time I use my radios. Heck No!
You canāt prepare for everything, too many possibilities there. If such a ācatastropheā should occur I just donāt think a few āextraā radios are going to be much of a life saver. Not that is wouldnāt be nice to have them!
Keep my handhelds in an unused microwave which is a type of Faraday cage as microwaves cannot escape.
Not to be ugly, but donāt we all have much better things to worry aboutāļøPeople having a cellphone stuck to their all day, now thatās an RF issue to actually worry about, IF weāre even concerned about those things.
Why on earth would anyone keep their radios in metal containers - itās just crazy stuff. Mine are on window sills, in plastic tubs, in flight cases - anywhere they can be stored. Iāve got all my radio stock for sale sitting on shelving in the store. Maybe I should start selling a few in EMP proof cases and see if these doom and gloom people want to buy them?
Seriously though. A few problems exist with preparing radios for emergencies. Batteries and battery charging. The modern cells to NOT like being stored with flat batteries and many of the latest ones have zero or virtually zero current drawn when off. These retain their charge for a long time, but are the preppers going to open their sealed boxes and check and charge them twice a year? Then, ion the grid is down, you need your generators to charge them, if you have enough fuel?
I sell a lot of marine band radios and you can actually buy life raft radios - usually orange, and they have a one time charge - the battery is sealed in the unit. when it goes flat, you throw it away and buy a new one. No good for anything but emergencies - hence why you find them in life boats on ships.
I just cannot imagine ordinary people believing the end of the world is coming and you need a radio to talk to other people post apocalypse.
I have to agree with Paul, no use worrying. If you really want something to worry about, read this article about solar storms.
If a big one happens, there goes your bank account. On the up side, all your bills will be erased too! 
And, fun things like this can happen in a wink. Geomagnetic storm sends 40 SpaceX satellites plummeting to Earth | Live Science
Kelly