How weather radios work

Experts say that weather radios that include support of the Specific Area Messaging Encoding (SAME) system are the best choices. Those include all radios that comply with the Public Alert Standard developed jointly by the National Weather Service and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). SAME-compliant radios are designed to listen for a specially coded signal that lets them know that an emergency message is appropriate for a user-selected county, city or marine area. When the code is received, the radio turns on, issues an alarm tone and then delivers the broadcast message.

Since NWR broadcasts often cover large geographic areas, one of the biggest advantages of SAME is that it minimizes the number of false alarms for events that are too far away to be of concern. Even so, there will still be cases where certain types of alerts will be of far less concern than others -- especially at 2 a.m. Most people living on high ground won't appreciate being blasted out of bed by an alarm for a flood watch. Likewise, urban dwellers would probably like a few extra hours of shut-eye rather than be awakened by a freeze watch notification.

Some weather and emergency radios, like the top-rated Midland WR-300, overcome that issue by letting users program their radio to not respond to certain types of emergency alerts. Other radios, however, pass along all alerts regardless of type. The National Weather Service web page about NOAA Weather Radios suggests that consumers look for models that feature a selectable alerting of events (also known as event blocking or a defeat siren).

Reviewers, government organizations and other experts have the following recommendations to keep in mind when shopping for a weather radio:

  • The best weather radios are Public Alert-certified. Weather radios that have been Public Alert-certified meet performance and feature standards established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Consumer Electronics Association. Though NOAA does not officially recommend any specific radio brand, it does suggest that you select a radio that carries the Public Alert logo.
  • SAME technology reduces irrelevant alerts. Weather broadcasts often cover a wide and varied geographical area. SAME technology lets you program your radio to only sound an alert for warnings intended for your specific county, city or marine area. It does so by listening for specific area codes called Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), and only triggering the radio when an alert for the user's selected area or areas is issued. To further reduce false alarms, NOAA recommends radios that allow users to specify the types of events to which the radio will respond. However, some SAME-equipped radios don't let users selectively block events, and certain types of events -- such as tornado warnings -- can't be blocked at all.
  • An audible alarm is also important. Disasters and dangerous weather events don't keep banker's hours. The best radios are capable of emitting a loud tone, even if the audio is off, when an alert is received. Most reviewers express frustration with models that don't allow volume control, however, especially for those that don't allow selective alert blocking. It can be an annoyance for some to be awakened at night to the sound of a very loud alert for an emergency that isn't relevant.
  • Look for a weather alert radio with defeatable alarms. Even with SAME technology, a radio can receive alarms that are of less concern to specific users. For example, if you live on high ground, a flood watch or warning might be less important to you.
  • Emergency crank radios aren't the best weather alert radios, but they can be lifesavers in an emergency. Crank-powered radios can provide a lifeline when the electricity is out and batteries have run dry. Many -- but not all -- also provide coverage of the weather bands. Though almost all lack SAME technology, many will sound a warning when the weather broadcast station to which they are tuned issues an alert. Many also offer the ability to charge a cell phone, a huge benefit for campers or outdoor adventurists who may otherwise have no means of contacting help.
  • Look for radios with multiple power sources. In any emergency, counting on electrical power is a bad idea. At the very least, any weather alert or emergency radio should also work with batteries. Hand cranks are vital on emergency radios for when the electricity is out and batteries have run dry. Some emergency radios have additional power sources, such as car adapters, internal rechargeable batteries, solar panels, etc.
  • Electrical power is recommended, but battery backup is important. Power outages often occur during storms and other emergency events, so the ability to run on batteries is key.
  • An external antenna jack is a good idea. Most weather and emergency radios have a built-in antenna, but a jack gives you the ability to add an external antenna in areas where receiving National Weather Service broadcasts can be a challenge. Since the weather frequencies sit between the frequencies for TV channels 6 and 7, an antenna designed for analog VHF TV or FM radio should work well.
  • Weather radios warn about more than weather. NWR also broadcasts alerts about natural disasters (such as earthquakes and avalanches), environmental events (such as oil spills) and public safety issues, including Amber Alerts and 911 service outages.

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