The Console Replacement System (CRS) is a personal computer-based broadcasting console, installed at each NWS office, that automatically translates and schedules written National Weather Service forecasts and warnings into synthesized-voice broadcasts over all-hazards NOAA Weather Radio. The automated broadcast programs for NOAA Weather Radio frees NWS staff to spend more time on critical warning and forecasting duties. In addition, the automatic weather broadcast consoles provide a more efficient means of disseminating severe weather watches, warnings and emergency information over all-hazards NOAA weather radio.

The state-of-the-art system is part of a multi-year improvement of the National Weather Service's NOAA Weather Radio network. All-hazards NOAA Weather Radio and the CRS are critical to the NWS mission of disseminating watches and warnings of hazardous weather for the protection of life and property.

This new automated system provides faster broadcasts of severe weather watches, warnings and emergency information over all-hazards NOAA Weather Radio because multiple warnings can be both recorded and transmitted at once. This capability dramatically speeds up the broadcast of warnings during multiple severe weather events. The automated technology also significantly reduces the time it takes National Weather Service staff to record NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts allowing them to devote more time to critical warning services and forecast duties. Automating the process makes it easier for listeners to tune to all-hazards NOAA Weather Radio at particular times for the information they need. Forecast offices are be able to broadcast particular forecasts and information such as marine and river forecasts or climate summaries in time slots on a more regular schedule (for example, at :06, :16, :26, :36, :46, and :56 after each hour).

Almost all forecasts, warnings and weather information are broadcasted with the synthesized voice. An NWR program can be interrupted with live broadcasts as needed.

The Console Replacement System uses state-of-the-art voice synthesis technology. The NWS is committed to making improvements to the system's voice quality as advances in technology become available.

The National Weather Service began a one-year process of installing CRS at offices across the country in January of 1998.

Since each transmitter operated by the NWS office also has a unique geographical coverage area, in the past, NWS staff members manually recorded the forecasts and current weather information for each listening area. This was done using technology that limited programming variability and locked the messages into a repetitive sequential order. Producing and updating information in this manner was time consuming since most Weather Service forecast offices operate multiple (up to 13) different NOAA Weather Radio transmitters.

No. You will not need to make any changes to the receiver you have in your home or business to receive the automated broadcasts.

CRS and the Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) are two separate NOAA Weather Radio technologies. Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) is a feature on the newest generation of NOAA Weather Radios which lets listeners pre-select the National Weather Service alerts they want to receive based on the county where they live. CRS automates the process of assigning SAME codes to watches and warnings.

For more information on all-hazards NOAA Weather Radio, visit the NWR web site at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/ and the Console Replacement web site at http://weather.gov/ops2/crs/crs.htm