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NOAA Magazine || NOAA Home Page NOAA WEATHER RADIO MAKES GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT THIS SEASON
Known as the "Voice of the National Weather Service," NOAA Weather Radio is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA Weather Radio network broadcasts forecasts, watches, warnings, and other hazard information covering the 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories. NOAA Weather Radio receivers are available at most stores that sell electronics, through catalogs and over the Internet. Receivers come in many sizes and with a variety of functions and costs. Pocket radios can be used for outdoor activities or carried on family trips. Most NOAA Weather Radio receivers will sound an alarm when a hazard alert is issued, even if the receiver is not playing. Some NOAA Weather Radio receivers have a special feature called Specific Area Message Encoding, or SAME. All official watches and warnings broadcast by the National Weather Service are preceded by unique digital audio codes that describe the type of warning and identify the county or counties being warned. People who own a SAME-capable receiver can pre-select their local codes to ensure they hear the specific warning information they need to make potentially life-saving decisions. For the deaf and hearing impaired, some SAME-capable receivers provide limited text information describing the type of warning issued. Another feature is an accessory jack which enables users to supplement an audio alarm with alternate attention-getting devices such as strobe lights or bed-shakers. Beginning in early 2002, the NOAA Weather Radio system will begin implementing a new voice text-to speech software program that combines phonetic sounds with natural language modeling. NOAA Weather Radio stations reach about 85 to 90 percent of the United States population. The receivers are capable of tuning in frequencies between 162.400 and 162.550 MHz. Check whether your local area is in transmitting range of a broadcast tower before buying a NOAA Weather Radio. For more information, including the latest list of station locations and SAME codes for programming a SAME-capable radio, check the NOAA Weather Radio Web site. Relevant Web Sites
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