Missed weather alerts

[ecps92]

Some of you still aren't getting it. The WX alerts are supposed to be able to sample the WX frequencies every few seconds, and you can hear the interruptions for this when you are scanning. There is no reason to miss an alert if the scanner is sampling the frequencies for the alert tone, even while it's scanning. That said, I've given up that the scanner works as advertised. I've said that. I was just pointing out that despite the advice and manual, it just doesn't work. Well, most of the time anyway. It's like having a refrigerator that has a freezer that works three times a year. Yeah, I can just go buy a freezer but that's not the point. In any case, I don't need the weather alerts to function necessarily, I just thought it would be a nice feature to have working in western Nebraska while traveling. I thought the forum could provide some insight as to why it wasn't working for me, however the forum has contrarily affirmed that this WX alert thing for the SDS radios really don't work right and I should just buy a WX radio. Hmmmmmm...

No, many of us totally get it. And Sampling a frequency every couple of seconds WILL result in missed transmissions.
This is the same/similar issue many folks have using the Scanner to Tone-Alert for the local Fire/EMS when in Scan (Use your Plectron not the Scanner)

IF the Radio is occupied listening on a different frequency, it WILL likely miss the preamble (first tone, etc)

 

[oilmillcharlie]

This could easily be rectified by putting up a transmitter on one of the southern towers that have FM stations on them. John Fuller's tower in Narragansett Pier comes to mind. Or WRIU's

That was one of my recomendations to the NWS person I contacted but apprently they are not interested.

 

[Aremel]

No, many of us totally get it. And Sampling a frequency every couple of seconds WILL result in missed transmissions.
This is the same/similar issue many folks have using the Scanner to Tone-Alert for the local Fire/EMS when in Scan (Use your Plectron not the Scanner)

IF the Radio is occupied listening on a different frequency, it WILL likely miss the preamble (first tone, etc)

Okay, you win. I accept that the scanner doesn't actually do what I think I was led to believe it should do. My bad.

 

[Nascar18]

I think the WX alert radio would be great in a highly dangerous weather area. I think the modern cell phone would provide plenty of alerts even in a power outage!!

 

[Aremel]

I think the WX alert radio would be great in a highly dangerous weather area. I think the modern cell phone would provide plenty of alerts even in a power outage!!

Noted. Thank you.

 

[KB18]

Just to reiterate with today's severe weather warnings of tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms I received every single weather watch and warnings on my Midland wr400 weather radio and not one Noda nothing on my Uniden sds100 and sds200 I have since turned off all weather alerts on my scanners and reliy exclusively on my Midland wr400 it can save your life in an emergency Uniden sds100 and sds200 are awesome radios for scanning Fire and police and so on but they suck and are not dependable for life saving weather alerts Uniden needs to address this issue And yes I have notified them

 

[a417]

Just to reiterate with today's severe weather warnings of tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms I received every single weather watch and warnings on my Midland wr400 weather radio and not one Noda nothing on my Uniden sds100 and sds200 I have since turned off all weather alerts on my scanners and reliy exclusively on my Midland wr400 it can save your life in an emergency Uniden sds100 and sds200 are awesome radios for scanning Fire and police and so on but they suck and are not dependable for life saving weather alerts Uniden needs to address this issue And yes I have notified them

were you scanning when the weather alerts went out?

 

[KB18]

Yes

 

[Aremel]

Just to reiterate with today's severe weather warnings of tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms I received every single weather watch and warnings on my Midland wr400 weather radio and not one Noda nothing on my Uniden sds100 and sds200 I have since turned off all weather alerts on my scanners and reliy exclusively on my Midland wr400 it can save your life in an emergency Uniden sds100 and sds200 are awesome radios for scanning Fire and police and so on but they suck and are not dependable for life saving weather alerts Uniden needs to address this issue And yes I have notified them

Yes, that was the original point. The weather alert function on the SDS-100 and SDS-200 sucks. No disagreement there. We need a better scanner that can scan what we want to scan but sample NWS alerts as needed.

 

[wa1lad]

Life safety concerns related to severe weather should be addressed with a DEDICATED WX ALERT RADIO. Scanners are not a life safety device in any way, shape or form.

If you are using one in that fashion, it is time for you to reevaluate.........

 

[ecps92]

Just to reiterate with today's severe weather warnings of tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms I received every single weather watch and warnings on my Midland wr400 weather radio and not one Noda nothing on my Uniden sds100 and sds200 I have since turned off all weather alerts on my scanners and reliy exclusively on my Midland wr400 it can save your life in an emergency Uniden sds100 and sds200 are awesome radios for scanning Fire and police and so on but they suck and are not dependable for life saving weather alerts Uniden needs to address this issue And yes I have notified them

Yes, because your WX Radio is dedicated to that One Frequency and function.
Your Scanner was busy listening to the Fire/PD/EMS at the time the alert came out. So it missed it.

Think of it this way, your over on the Discovery channel for Shark Week, when your favorite CBS show comes on
and you forgot to flip back to CBS - so you miss the first few minutes.

No Scanner, will catch ALL the WX Alerts, until the manufacturers add a Dual receiver, which is just not going to happen

Hopefully this puts this to bed, since using the Scanner, unless set on the WX Radio 100% of the time, will never achieve what you want to do

 

[a417]

Yes

Ok, well...it's been discussed numerous times of many boards why that's a bad idea.

Life safety and scanning are mutually exclusive. Our life safety radios don't scan, and our scanners don't do alerting for a reason.

Sorry you can't have your cake and eat it, too.

[edit] @ecps92 simultanously posted with me, I'm sure its similar, if not the same.

 

[Aremel]

I remember many years ago discussing with a friend why scanners listening to trunking systems would never be possible. Never say never.

 

[wa1lad]

Life safety and scanning are mutually exclusive

If only the PD's and FD's would realize that........

 

[a417]

If only the PD's and FD's would realize that........

PDs and FDs with heads on their shoulders and common sense know that, can't speak for all of them.

Every dept that I did comms for had that policy in place. The ones that contracted with us for commonality had that forced on them. Life safety radios (primary radios) didn't scan, secondary & tertiary units could for operational necessities.

clearly, YMMV.

 

[ecps92]

I remember many years ago discussing with a friend why scanners listening to trunking systems would never be possible. Never say never.

In todays common Scanner, you are NOT going to get any of the players to put in a 2nd Receiver.
Not Cost effective nor needed, when you can buy for 1/10th the price a dedicated Weather Radio

 

[KB2GOM]

Some additional resources re: NOAA weather radio

• Nationwide Station Listing Using Broadcast Frequencies
• County Coverage Listings by State

FYI -- I have an SDS200; I use a Midland WR120 for weather alerts. The WR120 receiver is very good.
I did some comparisons here:

Jock shares: “A bit more about NOAA Weather Radio”

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jock Elliott, who shares the following guest post: A bit more about NOAA Weather Radio By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m a fan, an advocate, a…

swling.com

Cheers, Jock