An NOAA weather radio can be an indispensable piece of emergency gear, keeping both you and your loved ones informed during dangerous circumstances. As it provides continuous updates even during power outages or cell tower outages, noaa weather radios provide critical access to reliable information during dangerous circumstances.
Additionally, they deliver non-weather related public safety messages, such as AMBER Alerts from the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Alert System.
Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME)
NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is a national network of radio stations that broadcast continuous weather information direct from local National Weather Service offices, including forecasts, watches, warnings and emergency messages at the request of local and state officials. NWR uses SAME (Subscriber Alert and Monitoring Environment), an embedded identification code in 1050 Hz warning tone signals used for alerts that indicates where it applies; once programmed into Weatheradio SAME-capable models can recognize it and activate voice or tone alerts accordingly for those watch/warning/alert types that apply within its geographic region.
The SAME technique was devised by the National Weather Service and later adopted by both the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for use with its Emergency Alert System (EAS), as well as Environment Canada with their Weatheradio Canada service. It allows individuals to set their NOAA weather radios so that only alert messages affecting their counties will be heard, thus eliminating unnecessary alarms and distractions.
Alerts for the Hearing and Visually Impaired
An NOAA weather radio with an alert tone allows you to set a geographic area that will trigger an alarm whenever a watch or warning is broadcast, as well as connect assistive devices like strobe lights or pillow or bed shakers for extra safety.
At first, NOAA Weather Radio used local NWS offices to record messages manually onto tape. Later in the 1990s, console replacement systems introduced an automated voice known as Paul; many listeners found his accent difficult to comprehend and difficult to follow.
Today’s NOAA transmitters can usually be heard up to 40 miles away depending on terrain, buildings and receiver quality. Residents living in mountain valleys or cities dominated by tall buildings may only experience limited coverage; check the government website for information about available receivers and alerting options; it should also be noted that NOAA Weather Radio service acts as a reliable backup to other sources of hazardous information, such as outdoor sirens and television or smartphone apps.
Battery Life
Ross Patton has reviewed an impressive array of gadgets over time, but emergency gear stands out as his specialty. Through formal education and years of product testing experience, Ross has perfected his ability to recognize even minute variations between consumer devices.
NOAA weather radios deliver National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts, and hazard information 24 hours a day – the information received depends on your location, terrain surrounding you, and receiver quality.
To improve reception, the program button can help. Simply enter the county code that corresponds with your location and press PROGRAM before entering any other codes that you want displayed on the radio. Some models allow you to set alarms, clocks, and locations – with some radios automatically saving codes after pressing PROGRAM; others may require pressing another button instead. Other features may include adjustable auto shut off timers and lock switches to prevent accidental changes as well as LCD backlights.
Charging Options
Emergency radios that allow users to recharge their internal battery via solar panel or hand crank are an invaluable feature, while ones offering the capability of using replaceable alkaline batteries are especially handy as a backup plan during power outages.
The NWS warns of severe weather by both outdoor sirens and broadcasts over radio and television, though these methods can fail when phone lines between office-issued alerts and transmitters become disconnected or damaged. A NOAA all-hazards radio provides a consistent and reliable means of receiving these warnings during natural disasters that sever communications lines.
These radios feature NOAA weather channels, AM/FM frequencies and other popular bands; emergency features include SOS alarm and flashing red LED flashlight to signal help; most include USB charging ports for mobile devices; some also provide emergency buzzer, table lamp function and digital clock with backlight display capabilities.
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