Weather Alert Radio AM/FM with S.A.M.E. - Midland

First Alert® Emergency Alert Weather Radio

Sangean PR-D9W Public Alert Emergency Weather Radio with Digital AM/FM and NOAA

Midland HH54VP2 Hand Held Weather Radio with S.A.M.E

Oregon Scientific WR601 Public Alert Emergency Portable Weather Radio with SAME

Oregon Scientific WR608 Desktop Emergency Alert NOAA Weather Radio with SAME

We recommend that you choose an All Hazards-Weather Radio equipped with an early warning system or S.A.M.E. technology that allows you to program and receive specific warnings for your designated area. Before purchasing any devise, make sure it has the ability to activate at any time to warn you of severe weather. This is important during the middle of the night when your radio and television could be off and won't be able to alert you to these hazards.

All Hazards-Weather Radio transmitters broadcast on one of seven VHF frequencies from 162.400 MHz to 162.550 MHz. The broadcasts cannot be heard on a simple AM/FM radio receiver. There are many receiver options, however, ranging from handheld portable units which just pick up Weather Radio broadcasts, to desktop and console models which receive Weather Radio as well as other broadcasts.

Where to Buy One

You can buy receivers at many retail outlets, including electronics, department, sporting goods, and boat and marine accessory stores and their catalogs. They can also be purchased via the Internet from online retailers or directly from manufacturers.

Receiver Types and Models

Depending on the information you want to access, and how and where you plan to access our broadcasts, you have many options. There are standalone weather radio receivers as well as multi-band/function receivers with the weather band included. If you want to be alerted to Warnings and Watches day or night, a standalone receiver might work best for you. If you just want to be able to tune to in the weather broadcast and do not care about receiving alerts, a general multi-band/function receiver could be better.

Standalone Receivers: Standalone receivers might also come with AM/FM bands, but their primary use will be to receive weather radio broadcasts. You can choose between handheld and desktop models, depending on whether you plan to take your radio with you when you go out. There are many choices from a number of manufacturers with prices ranging from around $20 to over $100, depending on the number of features included.

* Note that with the conversion of television signals to digital in 2009 the analog TV band of multi-function receivers will no longer work. Look here for more information.

Public Alert ™ Devices

We cannot recommend one brand of receiver over another, but we do suggest that people look at receivers which carry the Public Alert logo. The Public Alert Standard (CEA-2009-A) was developed by the Consumer Electronics Association in conjunction with the National Weather Service. Devices which carrying the Public Alert logo meet certain technical standards and come with many (if not all) of the features mentioned below.

Residential Grade Radios and Features

Prices can vary from $20 to $200, depending on the model. Many receivers have an alarm feature, but some may not. Among the more useful features in a receiver are:

Tone alarm: The National Weather Service will send a 1050 Hz tone alarm before most warning and many watch messages are broadcast. The tone will activate all the receivers which are equipped to receive it, even if the audio is turned off. This is especially useful for warnings which occur during the night when most people are asleep. (Public Alert ™ - required)

SAME technology: SAME, or Specific Alert Message Encoding allows you to specify the particular area for which you wish to receive alerts. Most warnings and watches broadcast over weather radios are county-based or independent city-based, although in a few areas of the country the alerts are issued for portions of counties. Since most transmitters are broadcasting for a number of counties, SAME receivers will respond only to alerts issued for the area (or areas) you have selected. This minimizes the number of “false alarms” for events which might be a few counties away from where you live.

Selectable alerting of events: While SAME allows you to specify a particular area of interest, some receivers allow you to turn off alarms for certain events which might not be important to you. For example, if you live in a coastal county, but not right at the beach, you might not care about Coastal Flood Warnings. This feature may also be called "Event Blocking" or "Defeat Siren".

Battery backup: Since power outages often occur during storms, having a receiver with battery backup can be crucial. However, unless you have a portable unit which you will use away from other power sources, an AC power connection is recommended to preserve battery life.

External antenna jack: While most receivers come with a whip antenna which can usually be extended out from the unit, depending on your location you may need an external antenna to get a good reception. Some receivers come with an external antenna jack (normally in the back of the unit) which will allow you to connect to a larger antenna (which can be indoors or outdoors). You can often purchase these as accessories at the same place where you bought your receiver, or from most stores with an electronics department. Broadcasts are in the Public Service VHF frequencies, just above FM radio and between the current TV channels 6 and 7 - so an antenna designed for analog VHF televisions or FM radios should work. Or, you can make your own antenna.

External device jack (special needs): Some radios have a jack to plug-in external notification devices, such as strobe lights or bed shakers, which can be useful for those with special needs.

Programming Your Weather Radio

To get assistance programming your receiver, or to discuss problems, you may be experiencing with its operation, please contact the receiver's manufacturer.