Looking for new NOAA WX radio

[mjw357]

Currently I have an old Bearcat weather radio (three frequencies!). It works, problem is it works too well. In stormy summertime weather, the alert is going off every two minutes.

I am looking at some of the new radios, I see a feature called 'SAME'. Does that allow the radio to filter out non-local alerts?

[W9RXR]

If you have a weather radio that has SAME decoding and you have it properly programmed for your area of interest, usually your county, then it will only alert on weather watches and warnings that affect your area.

See this page on the National Weather Service's web site for more information:

NOAA Weather Radio

Most of the receivers listed by the NWS will have to be ordered from somewhere. The exception is the Midland WR-100 which has been commonly available at major retailers and has been promoted by some local TV stations. However, it does have an issue properly decoding the "end of message" signal from NWS. Supposedly, its replacement, the WR-120, addresses this problem. It should now be available at Best Buy, Walmart, etc.

Several of the Uniden scanners have SAME decoding. They have to be in weather alert mode in order to get the alerts which means you can't leave them in normal scanning mode and expect to get the weather alerts.

A fairly recent entry to this market is the Sangean CL-100 which is an AM/FM clock/radio with weather alert. I have two of these and am satisfied with their performance.

[Thunderbolt]

The best NOAA Weather Radio receivers are manufactured by Reecom, Inc. based out of Georgia. They have very sensitive receivers, and highly dependable decoding software to prevent false alarms. Moreover, you can eliminate certain SAME codes so your radio will not sound for them. These radios are available on Internet at discount prices. Just follow the link on their page.

My second favorite receiver is the Midland WR-120. This is the new replacement for the venerable WR-100, which has been in production for a few years now. Likewise, the WR-120 will also display alert messages in English, French, and Spanish. The only drawback with this radio is that you don't have the ability to edit out SAME codes that you don't want to hear.

73s

Ron

[W9NES]

The Midland Wr-120 is a updated version of the FAMOUS Midland WR-100 that is a very great SAME Receiver.I have two in my home (1) in the Communications Center and (1) in my masterbedroom on my nightstand.I keep my Mildand Wr-100 on Alert mode 24/7/365 in both locations.If you have the SAME receiver programed with the right SAME codes for the areas you wish to cover you should have no problems being updated bu your local NWS office for Watches and Warnings for your area.

[Justin_P]

I had a WR-100. Worked OK I guess, but I had several rather large issues with it.

Display kept blanking out which messes up the clock. Tried to fix it by cutting a bit off the standoff for the PC board and would press the contacts against the LCD a bit more. Worked for a while and then started blanking out again.

It would somehow lock out and miss alerts. Radio seemed to function fine but it would not pick up NOAA alerts at all. I should made a video of the SAME tones going off and the radio just sitting there doing nothing. Yes, I had it properly programmed. I had to disconnect power and reboot the radio for it to start picking up alerts again.

My final gripe with it is that there is NO WAY to turn on audible weekly tests. Display only, which is bad when the radio has a known history of missing alerts. Hopefully Midland fixed this with the 120.

My personal opinion is the radioshack 12-519(if you can find one, they are now discontinued), is by far the most quality WX radio that I have had. Had a little issue with mine after dropping it on the floor, but that was completely my fault. The amount of programming features is astounding on this radio. It just works like its supposed to and I have yet to find any bugs or problems in it.

[Thunderbolt]

Originally Posted by Justin_P

My final gripe with it is that there is NO WAY to turn on audible weekly tests. Display only, which is bad when the radio has a known history of missing alerts. Hopefully Midland fixed this with the 120.

Yes. This problem was fixed in the new WR-120 receiver. You now have the option of setting your radio to go off audibly during the weekend test, or having a display only message.

73s

Ron

[Justin_P]

Originally Posted by Thunderbolt

Yes. This problem was fixed in the new WR-120 receiver. You now have the option of setting your radio to go off audibly during the weekend test, or having a display only message.

73s

Ron

Good to know.

As a side note, last night I was browsing through radioshack and found a 12-382 for $7.99 on sale! Couldn't pass that one up so I grabbed it. Seems to be a well made unit actually. At first I was expecting it to be a typical featureless useless WX radio but it supports SAME, has blockable alerts, has lost signal reminder, and pulls in reception quite well. Its quite small as well compared to my 12-519. Heck of a deal for 8 bucks.

[dandrzejewski]

+1 for Reecom. They don't look like much, but they have all the features you'd want. This includes proper EOM detection, which many radios do not have.

[celsasser]

Thanks for the info guys, I've been meaning to get one for the workshop. Just ordered a 1650.

[bauta106]

Midland® All Weather/Hazards Alert Radio with AM/FM Tuning - RadioShack.com

Try this one. The "Midland WR-300". I was looking for a newer weather radio with S.A.M.E technology, and found this one. The telescoping antenna is handy for good Noaa reception. I was also impressed with it's AM reception. I am now able to pull in WWJ from the Detroit area all the way to Flint. It is also capable for the FM , but can't really comment on that aspect, as i have not tried it. Aside from it's sleek looks, it also has a great alarm clock function that wakes me up to traffic reports every Morning. There is a voice, or alarm function for weather alerts. Two alarm loudness settings, and won't alarm weekly tests like my older one. Has Three different colored led lights to inform you of advisories, watches, or warnings, as well as a digital readout of the type of alert. An external antenna input is available for rural areas, input adapter is not included. Four AA batteries are needed for backup, not included. Without them, you will lose S.A.M.E. codes, time and presets during a power outage. I was so impressed with this radio, that i purchased another one for my northern cottage. In the Fifty dollar range, it gives me piece of mind knowing that my family can be aware of changing hazardous weather conditions.

[reedeb]

I use a Radio Shack handheld WX alert unit 12-259 [I carry it with me when bad weather is around] as well as an Oregon Scientific HH unit on a power supply with a desktop cradle for night time operation. BOTH work very well for me.