Weather Radio / Alarm Clock... Any good?

[UFEMTFF]

Hey everybody -

I recently stumbled across this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Midland-S-A-M-E...WR300-NEW_W0QQitemZ160128188920QQcmdZViewItem

It's a weather radio and alarm clock in one. This is great because I've been looking for a new alarm clock, and I'd rather not have my scanner be a dedicated wx radio.

But my question is, is it any good? I'd rather not get it if it's a bad weather radio and an o.k. alarm clock... lol.

Any body have any experience or recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[baronofbeer]

That is one heck of a good weather radio. I have one sitting on my shelf above my bed. If there is a tornado coming through town, I want to know about it. It usually makes my parents mad when they have to listen to it going off.

I haven't tried the alarm clock on it yet, as I already had a clock radio when I bought it, but I highly recommend it.

 

[theoldcop]

Might want to take a look at these reviews...now you've got me thinkin'
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/4247

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi U and all,

Everyone living in an area prone to severe weather should have them and IMO the local authorities should make them available to the public at cost. At that price you can't go wrong!

"It usually makes my parents mad when they have to listen to it going off."

Baron, with all due respect do your parents have a death wish? Perhaps you should tactfully make them aware of this. Nobody's going to alert them, so unless there's an active receiver (and this includes a radio or TV tuned to an EBS channel) within earshot they may be taken by surprise, possibly with tragic consequences.

It's better to be angry at a false alarm than be sorry not hearing the one that counts!

 

[N4JNW]

I've got the Midland WR-100. It works really good, for a basic weather alert radio. I've got multiple SAME codes programed in, but it's just set to where it alerts for my county. That way, when it DOES go off, you know you're screwed!

 

[kc2jfs]

You can get these cheaper at Amazon with free Super Saver shipping. Good deal as long as you don't need it quickly.

 

[jeff_connors]

I'm an emergency manager for the military and contacted Midland a few years back when these were introduced. We tried it out and recommended it for everyone to purchase. We have had them for several years now and they are very reliable. Some are not. This also has SAME which is the only way to go.

 

[RevGary]

Dittos - each member of our Chaplain Responder Team has one in their vehicle attached to the top of the dash with Velcro ®. We also have the NOAA frequency list right along side of the monitor for the various zones that we go into before and after hurricanes. Wouldn't be without them during our responses...

 

[DaveNF2G]

There is a thorough review of this item, with photos, in the Severe Weather Chasing Forum.

 

[K9GTJ]

If you want to spend a little more money, you can get a Uniden (atomic) clock radio, scanner, weather alert radio - http://www.uniden.com/products/productdetail.cfm?product=BC370CRS&filter=Base

It is very nice to have some basic scanning by my bedside beside other functions. Now if it only projected the time on the ceiling it would be perfect.

 

[E-Man]

I have been using a Reecom R1630 for over 3 years and it has worked great with no problems.

http://www.reecominc.com/

 

[daleduke17]

I have been using a Reecom R1630 for over 3 years and it has worked great with no problems.

http://www.reecominc.com/

On that Reecom, does that have a "lockout" function where you can block certain broadcasts from coming through?

What does the effective time do? Does that countdown how much time is left on the warning/watch/advisory?

That would be a great item since we have Clinton NPS about thirty minutes away and we live in the county of Illinois with the most weather warnings in the state.

 

[E-Man]

"On that Reecom, does that have a "lockout" function where you can block certain broadcasts from coming through?"

It does not have a lockout, you program the area's you want to be alerted to. If you do not want certain areas comming through then you do not program those area's.

"What does the effective time do? Does that countdown how much time is left on the warning/watch/advisory?"

The effective time shows on the display, Example taken from the manual page 10: Tornado Warning, Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes. It does not mention a countdown, but the radio will come back on and tell you when the warning is over. I am not 100% but I think the times may change as the storm is being constantly re assesed.

I hope this helps, if you need further info, Reecoms phone number is:

(770) 641-9228

Edit: Eham review:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/5733

My biggest complaint is no provisions for mounting it on a wall, I have mine mounted on a wall next to a RS indoor/outdoor wireless thermometer, a barometer and a wall clock. I used some small brackets I had laying around tiewraped the radio to the brackets, crude but it gets the job done and doesnt look to bad.