Midland WR-300

Bottom Line

The Midland WR-300 is a top weather alert radio in the eyes of experts and users alike. This reliable, high performing desktop emergency radio sports Specific Alert Message Encoding  (SAME) technology to cut down on false alarms and offers great performance on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather channels. Performance as a standard AM/FM radio could be better, some say.

Performance

Great for alerts, not for jams. When it comes to switching itself on and alerting you when there's a weather emergency or other nearby situation unfolding, the WR-300 does its job amazingly well. The clear reception for alerts unfortunately doesn't carry over to more general listening on the AM/FM bands. Some users also bemoan the lack of an auto shut-off feature once an alert has been issued: The unit repeats the alert for five minutes unless it's turned off manually following a message.

Features

Programmable and flexible. The Midland WR-300 includes SAME compatibility, which lets you only receive alerts for your area. It features programmable slots for selecting up to 23 counties to receive alerts from -- a handy feature if you're also concerned about friends and relatives affected by storms elsewhere. You can also select the types of alerts you want to hear, such as severe thunderstorms but not frosts. If you're a heavy sleeper or have a hearing impairment, an accessory port also lets you connect the WR-300 to attachments like a pillow vibrator or a larger flashing light to supplement the 90-decibel built-in siren, LED flasher and voice notification.

Ease Of Use

It's (thankfully) not rocket science. While you do have to locate and manually input your county codes, users and experts report the Midland WR-300 weather radio is simple to set up. Geologist and weather enthusiast Graham McClung notes there's some programming involved with most weather radios, but he feels that the process is fairly intuitive with the WR-300. Once programming is done, most user reviews say that the WR-300 is easy to use.

Value

Goes the distance when you need it. Now available for quite a bit less than the original selling price, the Midland WR-300 has earned a solid reputation for reliability when it counts: in a real emergency. That more than offsets the lackluster performance as a conventional clock radio, at least in the eyes of most experts and users.