Emergency Radio Noob

[DJinTX]

Not sure if I am in the right place as I don't really see reference to emergency radio broadcast here, but mainly scanners and shortwave which is not what I'm looking for. Recently just had some close calls with Hurricane Harvey and need advice on emergency radios. Can you all advise on such? Mainly just want a helpful too for the next storm if we lose power again to get NOAA alerts. I have found many good radios that seem good, have good features/reviews, but very few have S.A.M.E. technology, and the few that do don't seem very portable and/or are very expensive. I would prefer to spend $30-60. Obviously having S.A.M.E. Would be good but not sure if I should consider it mandatory or not. Any advice for me? If I need to post this in a different forum that specializes in emergency radio please advise.


Thanks,
Derek

 

[jwt873]

Man, I hope you weren't too hard hit down there. There sure are a lot of heartbreaking scenes on TV

Orion Scientific makes a SAME radio in your budget.. I almost bought one a year or so ago but the eBay seller took my money and never mailed it.. (I did get a refund through PayPal). Oregon Scientific Store - Oregon Scientific WR602N Portable Public Alert Weather Radio with SAME

I wound up with a Midland unit: https://www.radioshack.com/collecti.../midland-all-hazards-same-weather-alert-radio

If you get a good signal from your NOAA station, It works great, but can get annoying in the summer during an active thunderstorm season. They seem to send out alerts almost every day then. It can be annoying,.. But if you turn it off, then you could miss something like a real tornado alert.

 

[a29zuk]

Universal Radio has a handful to choose from, also.
Good luck down there in Houston!

Jim

 

[hiegtx]

This one on Amazon is AM/FM/NOAA Weatheradio with S.A.M.E. Also a bluetooth speaker. Can be charged by a solar panel, or hand crank if power is unavailable. Also can be used to charge your phone. Includes a built in flashlight.

A different model is the radio (AM/FM/NOAA), flashlight, chargeable via solar or hand crank. The second one is in your budget range.

 

[DJinTX]

Thanks for the concern. Yes Harvey was just an unbelievable force. I expected rain and wind and flooding and power outages, but I still cannot believe how much rain fell. I can't comprehend. Luckily my house even though very close to one of the large bayous was somehow spared. A few houses in my neighborhood were also free of damage but over half were flooded anywhere from a few inches to 4-5 feet of water. So very sad.

As for next time I definitely want to have a radio on hand. I first wanted the Eton FRX3 but learned it wasn't SAME. I also saw the FRX5 but for $100 it is a bit pricy. I also saw the midland you linked to but it is more of a desktop unit and was hoping for a crank model. I had seen the eton scorpion but had marked it off my list. I may go back and give it another look. I'm picky, I want the radio to have most features, be well regarded well designed and still be about $60. I know, wishful thinking. Would be so helpful to find a list of all the SAME models, but so far I have to just read every description and even then it may not specify if it had SAME. Also, as mentioned in my initial post, I'm not even sure if I have to have SAME Functionality. Was hoping to find an article on how important or not this is but couldn't
Find this, only recommendations saying you can opt for this feature.
Post

 

[DJinTX]

Thanks for your concern, it was a hellish amount of rainfall, incomprehensible. We were fine though, but st least half our neighborhood had flooding in their homes. Next time I want to have a radio. I looked at the eton FRX3 but no SAME. Looked at the FRX5 but at$100 its pricy. Looked at the eton scorpion but had marked it off my list. Maybe I'll give it another look. The midland you showed was too much of a desktop unit, was really thinking a crank model would be better. It's hard because I can't find a list of SAME models. I just have to read descriptions, and even then they don't always specify. And, I'm still not even sure if SAME is mandatory. Maybe I don't even need it. I looked for an arrival that could specify how important it is, but didn't find it. Maybe it would be fine without.

 

[a29zuk]

Sangean has the MMR-88 for $50 and Eton has the Zone Guard for $35 just to name a few. These are more portable models.
I personally don't own these but use one of my police scanners.
I'm happy to hear you were spared the flooding.

Jim

 

[hiegtx]

Thanks for your concern, it was a hellish amount of rainfall, incomprehensible. We were fine though, but st least half our neighborhood had flooding in their homes. Next time I want to have a radio. I looked at the eton FRX3 but no SAME. Looked at the FRX5 but at$100 its pricy. Looked at the eton scorpion but had marked it off my list. Maybe I'll give it another look. The midland you showed was too much of a desktop unit, was really thinking a crank model would be better. It's hard because I can't find a list of SAME models. I just have to read descriptions, and even then they don't always specify. And, I'm still not even sure if SAME is mandatory. Maybe I don't even need it. I looked for an arrival that could specify how important it is, but didn't find it. Maybe it would be fine without.

I think you would be much happier with a weather radio with S.A.M.E. capability.

Without S.A.M.E., you would hear all alerts for all counties covered by the NOAA station you are listening to. I'm in Dallas County, and the Dallas station carries alerts for a dozen counties. Without using S.A.M.E., I would hear alerts for all of those, some 70 miles or more from me, and in some cases, directions where a storm in that vicinity would not be a threat to me, either because of distance, or because that was far east of my house and storms usually move from a westerly to easterly direction (not always, but the majority of the time). You can see a list of which counties are covered by a specific transmitter here. I see that a number of them in the Houston area are out of service.

 

[DJinTX]

Sangean has the MMR-88 for $50 and Eton has the Zone Guard for $35 just to name a few. These are more portable models.
I personally don't own these but use one of my police scanners.
I'm happy to hear you were spared the flooding.

Jim

I like the MMR-88, but it doesn't appear to have SAME.

 

[a29zuk]

I like the MMR-88, but it doesn't appear to have SAME.

Sorry, I missed that!

How about the Alert Works EAR-10. It's portable, has SAME, and costs about $35.

Jim

 

[DJinTX]

Sorry, I missed that!

How about the Alert Works EAR-10. It's portable, has SAME, and costs about $35.

Jim

I like the ear-10 ok, but amazon shows it for $52. Also with no crank option I may just go with the midland handheld Hh54vp

 

[a29zuk]

Ok. I got that price for the EAR-10 at Universal Radio.

 

[cg]

I have a Reecom 1630 radio. Very loud alert, I want it to wake me up. Battery back up good for 200 hours.
A friend stayed over while I was away and a storm came through. Scared the crap out of him but he ordered one as soon as he got home.
I keep all of the BS shut off and set it to alert for things that come up fast. A winter storm warning is pointless as they are hyped for days on end ahead of the event.

chris