Sensitive setup for hearing NOAA weather radio

[KB2GOM]

I was fooling around with radios this AM, trying to figure out which setup would hear the most NOAA weather radio stations (NWR) from my location just east of Troy, NY.

On a whim, I attached a Comet W100RX telescoping metal antenna to my Icom R6. This antenna is supposed to cover from 25-1300 MHz and extends from 8 inches to 40 inches. I tuned to a loud weather radio station and began adjusting the length of the antenna to maximize the number of bars on the signal strength meter. Twenty inches turned out to be optimal.

Then I turned the selector knob to see how many NWR channels I could hear. To my surprise, I could hear a signal on all 7, and if I waved the antenna around to different angles, I could hear a copy-able signal on all 7. Wow. The R6 will also do weather alert, but not on a sophisticated level with SAME codes and selectable hazards.

By contrast, my SDS200 attached to an off-center-fed dipole -- Homebrewed Off-Center Fed Dipole - The RadioReference Wiki -- hears 5 channels (and has very sophisticated weather alert functions.) My Midland WR120 has similarly sophisticated alert capabilities and can hear 4 channels at the same location.

FWIW, I was really surprised at the sensitivity of the R6/W100RX combo. If you like to DX NWR stations like I do, it might be worth a try.

 

[mmckenna]

Twenty inches turned out to be optimal.

By no coincidence, that is about 1/4 wave on VHF.

Tuned antennas will always work better than "one antenna does everything" setups.

 

[dlwtrunked]

Keep in mind that distant stations come and go with propagation . Here about half the time I hear all 7 frequencies and about half the time only 2 or 3. So no matter what you do, propagation will sometimes get the upper hand.

 

[eagle2046]

I was fooling around with radios this AM, trying to figure out which setup would hear the most NOAA weather radio stations (NWR) from my location just east of Troy, NY.

On a whim, I attached a Comet W100RX telescoping metal antenna to my Icom R6. This antenna is supposed to cover from 25-1300 MHz and extends from 8 inches to 40 inches. I tuned to a loud weather radio station and began adjusting the length of the antenna to maximize the number of bars on the signal strength meter. Twenty inches turned out to be optimal.

Then I turned the selector knob to see how many NWR channels I could hear. To my surprise, I could hear a signal on all 7, and if I waved the antenna around to different angles, I could hear a copy-able signal on all 7. Wow. The R6 will also do weather alert, but not on a sophisticated level with SAME codes and selectable hazards.

By contrast, my SDS200 attached to an off-center-fed dipole -- Homebrewed Off-Center Fed Dipole - The RadioReference Wiki -- hears 5 channels (and has very sophisticated weather alert functions.) My Midland WR120 has similarly sophisticated alert capabilities and can hear 4 channels at the same location.

FWIW, I was really surprised at the sensitivity of the R6/W100RX combo. If you like to DX NWR stations like I do, it might be worth a try.

I haven't been able to recieve NOAA weather broadcasts for a while now. I live in Oregon and usually get the broadcast on 162.400 mHz. I tried to recieve on 6 different radios and same result...seems like a dead carrier with no voice broadcast. Was wondering if that NOAA site is down. Friends in other parts of the country are recieving broadcasts ok. Thanks for any information.

 

[mmckenna]

I haven't been able to recieve NOAA weather broadcasts for a while now. I live in Oregon and usually get the broadcast on 162.400 mHz. I tried to recieve on 6 different radios and same result...seems like a dead carrier with no voice broadcast. Was wondering if that NOAA site is down. Friends in other parts of the country are recieving broadcasts ok. Thanks for any information.

NOAA is already aware and has it showing on their outage page:

NWR Transmitter Propagation

You can view and report outages on this page:

Outages

 

[eagle2046]

NOAA is already aware and has it showing on their outage page:

NWR Transmitter Propagation

You can view and report outages on this page:

Outages

Thanks for quick response. Guess I'll wait it out, thanks again

 

[dave3825]

Midland WR120 has similarly sophisticated alert capabilities and can hear 4 channels at the same location.

With which antenna? The antenna on my is crap

 

[KB2GOM]

With which antenna? The antenna on my is crap

With the stock antenna. I can also recommend homebrewing the off-center-fed dipole, which can be found on this forum.

 

[JustinWHT]

Keep in mind that distant stations come and go with propagation.

Posted in DSLreports WISP two years ago ..

I use the VHF (162 MHz) NOAA weather radio transmitters to check out [VHF] propagation.

Usually Fort Worth comes in strong, and Dallas 35 miles east almost equally as strong. On cool weather nights I can hear all seven stations, some as far out as 120 miles.

But lately during the hot 100°+ days (I'm Centigrade challenged so convert yourself), Fort Worth is sketchy 10 miles out and Dallas buried in the noise. At the moment, at midnight at 95°, Fort Worth is noisy.

 

[EAFrizzle]

With the stock antenna. I can also recommend homebrewing the off-center-fed dipole, which can be found on this forum.

I love homebrewed antennas, especially for scanners. I haven't made an OCF dipole yet, but I've had good results from roll-yer-own flowerpot antennas. I cut one to 162.475 to watch propagation on an SDR, wound up using it more for railroad on my PRO-2026. It wasn't too bad from 150-160 as well, but I made another one for PS cut for 155.000 for my PRO-2042. With those, and a 3-element Yagi from the RR pointed north, I had a great VHF setup at my old place.

Here in my temporary place, I've got much better radios, but not as good antennas. The topography and weather up here seems much more conducive to tropospheric enhancement, so I feel like I'm ahead from what I had in Houston.

I can't wait to get that Yagi up on a tower pointed at DFW.



(Flowerpot antennas are great for HOA stealth; just build one in the rooftop plumbing vent. If anyone asks why your vent is suddenly taller, blame odor and slow flow problems.)

 

[BinaryMode]

But lately during the hot 100°+ days (I'm Centigrade challenged so convert yourself),

Tidbit #541:

Remember this simple formula and you can't go wrong.

100° - 30 ÷ 2 = 35

Or roughly 35° Centigrade. (It's actually 37.7°). Think of the number 30 like 32° Fahrenheit which is freezing. Which is 0° Centigrade.

Celsius to Fahrenheit: Multiply by 2 then add 30.

(Flowerpot antennas are great for HOA stealth; just build one in the rooftop plumbing vent. If anyone asks why your vent is suddenly taller, blame odor and slow flow problems.)

I actually stuck a camera inside the plumbing vent. On the side of the vent pipe is a pinhole.

 

[merlin]

The full compliment of NWR station frequencies is 10.
Here in Pocatello, you get 3. Channel 2 ( 162.42500) goes dark after sundown, with only a carrier.
Channel 7, 162.5500 is 24/7.
The 3rd only comes up if there is a lake wind advisory or other severe condition.
Don't recall the channel, I rarely hear it at all and not very powerful, situated near to American Falls Reservoir.
Anything else, you need a hefty DX VHF antenna setup.

 

[BinaryMode]

The full compliment of NWR station frequencies is 10.

No, it's seven. https://www.weather.gov/media/nwr/NWR_Brochure_NOAA_PA_94062.pdf

Publication was revised this past January.

May have been ten at one time.