NWR Receiver Consumer Information
- Programming Your NOAA Weather Radio
- Where to Buy a NOAA Weather Radio Receiver
- Receiver Types and Models
- Public Alert ™ Devices/NWR All Hazards Logo
- Residential Grade Radios and Features
- Weather Radio Receivers for Consumers: List of Manufactures
- Industrial/Commercial Weather Radio Receivers: List of Manufacturers
- Receiver Recalls
NWR 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 that just pick up Weather Radio broadcasts, to desktop and console
models which receive Weather Radio as well as other broadcasts.
NWS staff
produce Weather Radio broadcasts. NWS neither manufactures nor sells
receivers. You can buy receivers at many retail outlets such as
electronics, department, sporting goods, and boat and marine accessory
stores and their catalogs as well as online.
NWS does not endorse
a specific make or model of receiver. The lists below, which contain
just some of the many NOAA Weather Radio/EAS receiver manufacturers
and resellers, is provided as a convenience and not an endorsement.
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 are 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 might 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.
Multi-Band/Function Receivers: These receivers
bundle a number of features. Weather Radio is just
one of many frequency bands included. You can find
the Weather Radio band included in:
|
|
Public Alert ™ Devices
TM-icon.jpg){kind=icon}
and
NWR All Hazards Logo
We cannot recommend
one brand of receiver over another, but we do recommend users look for receivers with the Public Alert and/or the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) All Hazards logo. The Public
Alert Standard (CTA-2009-B) was developed by the Consumer
Technology Association in
conjunction with NWS. Devices carrying
the Public Alert logo meet certain technical standards and come
with many, if not all, of the features mentioned below. NWS has evaluated devices carrying the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards logo for user friendliness and performance capabilities.
Prices vary from $20 up, 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: NWS will send a 1050 Hz tone alarm before broadcasting most
warnings and many watch messages. The alarm will activate
all the receivers equipped to receive it, even if the audio
is turned off. This is especially useful for warnings during
the night. (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 NOAA
Weather Radio are county-based or independent city-based (parish-based
in Louisiana), although in a few areas of the country the alerts
are issued for portions of counties. Since most NWR 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.
(Public Alert ™ - required)
- 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". (Public Alert ™ -
optional)
- 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. (Public Alert ™ -
required for radios, optional for other devices)
- External antenna
jack: While most receivers come with a whip antenna
you usually can extend to improve reception, depending on your
location you also may need an external antenna.
Some receivers come with an external antenna jack so you can connect to a larger
antenna indoors or outdoors. You can often buy these antennas where you bought your receiver
or from most stores with an electronics department. NWR broadcasts
are in the Public Service VHF frequencies, just above FM radio
and between the current TV channels 6 and 7. An antenna designed
for analog VHF televisions or FM radios should work. You also 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. (Public Alert ™ -
required for institutional receivers, optional for consumer receivers).
NWS does NOT manufacture any brand of weather radio receiver. To get assistance programming your receiver, or to discuss problems, you may be experiencing with its operation, please contact the receiver's manufacturer. Below is a list of many NWR manufacturers. If your radio's manufacturer is not listed, please refer to your User/Owner’s Manual for contact information.
Your Weather Radio receiver also will work in Canada. Environment Canada, which includes the Canadian weather agency, operates weather radio
transmitters that generally operate on the same frequencies as the
U.S. NOAA Weather Radio network.
For information on Weather Radio
receiver recalls, go to the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission web site and
choose "Radios Weather" in the product type list
Manufacturers The following manufacturers have had their radios evaluated and approved by the National Weather Service. NOAA WEATHER RADIO approved manufactures may also produce other models which are not approved by the National Weather Service. Visit their web sites to view specifications and owner's manuals to compare features. Note that these manufacturers may also produce other models have not been approved by the National Weather Service. Visit their web sites to view specifications and owner's manuals to compare features. The links below take you outside this government site. |
||
Manufacturer |
Company Information |
|
Alert Works |
Phone: 419-843-9114 |
EAR-10 |
Aervoe Industries, Inc |
Phone: 800-227-0196 |
Soladyne 7415 |
Alerting Solutions |
Phone: 925-228-2152 |
Sarmex Beacon |
Ambient Weather |
Phone: 480-346-3380 |
WR-111 |
Bell and Howell |
Phone: 847-550-9998 |
BH-1808 |
Chaney Instrument Co. |
Toll free: 877-221-1252 |
Acu-Rite Model 08500 |
Cobra |
Phone: 773-889-3087 |
CRS399, CWR200 |
Energizer |
Phone: 800-383-7323 |
WRADL8AA |
Kaito Electronics, Inc |
Customer Support: 866-KAITO76 |
KA500 |
La Crosse Technology |
Tech Support: 608-782-1610 |
810-106 |
Midland Radio |
Phone: 800-821-7848 or 816-241-8500 |
75-822, 9001Z, 1001LWX |
Motorola (Giant International) |
Phone: 800-638-5119 |
EM1000, EM1010, EM1011R |
Motorola Solutions |
Phone: 888-325-9336 |
RMU2080, RMU2080d |
MZ Berger |
Customer Support: 800-221-0131 |
Nelsonic NLC788 |
Oregon Scientific |
Phone: 800-853-8883 |
WR202, WR203 |
RadioShack |
Customer Relations |
12-500, 12-519 |
Reecom Electronics Inc. |
Phone: Not available |
R-1630 |
Sangean America |
Phone: 562-941-9900 |
CL 100 |
Sharper Image |
Phone: 877-714-7444 |
TK-669D NOAA |
Spectra Merchandising International |
Service Dept. 800-777-5331 |
Discovery D105X, 107X |
viaRadio Corporation |
Phone: 321-242-0001 |
Hearo Model 092 |
Resellers |
||
click
name for Internet link |
other
contact information |
|
| Ambient
Weather 6503 W. Frye Road, Suite 11 Chandler, AZ 85226 |
Phone:
480-283-1644 Fax: 480-283-1645 Email: support@AmbientWeather.com |
|
| Buy Two Way Radios 528 S. Cherry Rd. Rock Hill, SC 29732 |
Phone:803-985-8777 toll free:800-584-1445 fax:803-985-8775 email: sales@buytwowayradios.com |
|
| ExploraTrack (alternate
site) PO Box 1190 Cannon Beach, OR 97110 |
Phone:
800-414-8655 info@exploratrack.com |
|
| FTL Distributing PO Box 1442 Granger, IN 46530 |
Phone: 574-208-3854 web http://www.ftldist.com email sales@ftldist.com |
|
| RadioShack 300 RadioShack Circle, MS WF4.136 Ft. Worth, TX 76102 |
Phone: 817-415-3200 or 800-843-7422 (ext 6 for live person) Email: Customer.Care@RadioShack.com |
|
| Ready
Smart North American Headquarters 148 Farley Street Mountain View, CA 94043 |
Phone:
650-248-0655 Email: info@ReadySmart.com |
|
| Scientific
Sales Inc. PO Box 6725 Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 |
Phone:
800-788-5666 Phone: 609-844-0055 Fax: 609-844-0466 Email: sales@scientificsales.com |
|
| WeatherRadios.com 1950 E. Greyhound Pass, Suite 18-187 Carmel, IN 46033 |
Phone: (800) 567-7690 email: support@weatherradios.com |
|
| Weather Shack P.O. Box 3156 Roanoke, VA 24015 |
Phone: 888-992-2270 Email: support@weathershack.com |
|
| Weather Your Way 2966 Gateway Avenue Hartford, WI 53027 |
Toll Free Phone: 877-999-6879 Phone: 262-670-9697 Fax: 719-218-2250 Email: postmaster@weatheryourway.com |
|
Industrial/Commercial
Weather Radio Receivers Designed for reception of Emergency Alert System EAS broadcasts as well as NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts. Prices may vary from hundreds to thousands of dollars. |
|
click
name for Internet link |
other
contact information |
| Communistarr,
Inc. 215 S. Pavilion Avenue Riverside, NJ 08075-3613 |
Phone: 800-952-7129 Fax: 856-764-6519 |
| Computer
Automation Technology Inc. 4631 N.W. 31st Avenue, Suite 142 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 |
Phone: 954-978-6171 Fax: 561-488-2894 Email: webmaster@catauto.com |
| Dayton
Industrial Corporation 2237 Industrial Blvd. Sarasota, FL 34234 |
Phone: 941-351-4454 Fax: 941-351-6081 Email: SCARadio@aol.com |
| Gorman
Redlich Manufacturing Co. 257 West Union Street Athens, OH 45701 |
Phone: 740-593-3150 Fax: 740-592-3898 Email: jimg@gorman-redlich.com |
| MTS
Communications Products 950 NC Highway 42 West Clayton, NC 27520 |
Phone: 919-553-2995 Fax: 919-553-0437 |
| Thunder
Eagle, Inc. P.O. Box 625 Vienna, VA 22183 |
Phone: 888-553-2928 Fax: 703-281-7459 Email: dgropper@thuneagle.com |
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