[rsetterlund]

I was wondering which weather alert radio I should purchase. Does anyone know the best one? What do most in TV own?

[Barefoot]

We just bought one today at Publix and took it to the Fire Department for programming.
It seems to emit constant warning sirens, even tho we didn't have a tornado warning (just a watch). I'm wondering if we need a more expensive one, if it has been programmed correctly, or if they all squawk and give out constant warning sirens during bad weather. :dontknow:

[Sidney Lanier]

We picked ours up on ebay for just a few dollars; it's a Radio Shack model, a few years old, and it seems to work fine. Took it to the firehouse where a firefighter programmed it to pick up signals from a tower at Lake Something-or-Other (long name that I didn't recognize) which is where our local area gets its signals from. We weren't home today to know if it worked in terms of the tornado watch which had ended by the time we got in. Actually we wondered that if the alarm went off, would it be continuous till we shut it down, and we have no way to know....

[SeaCruiser]

I ordered a weather radio I saw presented on QVC.

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail

I really love this model the display is brightly colored and features an outdoor unit, great for the lanai, that displays the outdoor temperature and humidity on the in house display.. I was easy to program and has batteries in the event of power loss. There is no external antenna and the reception is great.

It can be seen at www.qvc.com item # V18329

This item cost more but really was really worth it to me.

[captain1202]

We are using the Midland (ace Hdw) with success I think. You do need read the instructions and program the radio properly to set all the features such as type of alarm and length. I would recommend you NOT depend on someone else to set up an important piece of equipment such as this and become familiar with its operation just as you would your new microwave.

It's not difficult, just takes a little reading and playing around. Ours is set for all three local SNAME codes Lake, Marion, Sumter inasmuch as weather activity in those counties could affect us. The alarm sounds periodically during severe weather events, but that's what it is supposed to do!

[gfmucci]

We've had one in Destin for 8 years now - a Radio Shack. In the middle of the night when the alarm sounds I slap it off, look at the scrolling warning "severe thunder storm warning" and go back to sleep. If it read "tornado warning" instead of "watch", I would probably check things out a bit more...like wake up enough to listen to sounds, peek outside, and maybe turn on the TV.

[jadebox]

Got our Midland at Publix and you can view a video showing how to program it at the WFTV web site. It goes off but just, as said before, hit the weather/snooze button and read what the warning is. Works well. WFTV and Publix got together to offer the radios.

[carolanddave64]

We purchased one from Radio Shack and had them help us program it. We are very satisfied with its operation. It moniters our three counties and is programmed to give a audio alert for only ten minutes. It can be shut off before that amount of time. The best radios are those with the SAME designation as they can be set up to get signals only from certain counties and not for all over a large area.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by barb1191

We bought one at Publix and went to the Fire Station opposite Southern Trace; they programmed it for us. With the appliance turned ON when we are threatened with a storm, the alarm runs continuously until you click on the "Weather/Snooze" bar. The appliance is a Midland and there's an ON/OFF switch on the side of the unit. barb

Ours works exactly the same - probably because it was programmed by the same Fire Station! The alarm keeps sounding again, after you hit the Snooze Bar. Often. I don't want it to wake me up for every thunder storm, just for Tornado Warnings. I'm wondering if it can be programmed that way? (Yes, I know I could watch a TV Video but it is so much easier to ask the question here. I don't want to screw it up and Fireboy has gone back to Canada to work).

[bsliny]

I have a Oregon Scientific you can leave it on or put it in standby mode In standby mode
it only comes on when there an a warning being broadcast Its a little expensive wish
i new about Publix or Radio Shack :dontknow:

[captain1202]

BF
You can't be selective as to the type of warning. Whenever an alert is broadcast, it will fire off the radio.

Barb,
Do you only turn your smoke detector on when you smell smoke?

Our radio is silent until an alert is sounded. Actually, that's when I want to hear it.

[renielarson]

In addition to a weather radio, we also have Red Cross hand crank emergency am/fm radios at both our TV and Michigan homes. Here in Michigan, we have used it more than once when our power went out during storms. Just hand crank it (no electricity required) and listen to radio stations in order to hear the weather/news broadcasts. I wouldn't be without one!

[rsetterlund]

Thanks everyone for all the information. I guess it is Radio Shack or Publix. I will also check on ebay.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by captain1202

BF
You can't be selective as to the type of warning. Whenever an alert is broadcast, it will fire off the radio. Do you only turn your smoke detector on when you smell smoke?

Thanks Captain. My radio is always on, and I also have battery back-up if the power goes off. Better to hear all warnings than miss an important one.