Midland WR100 Weather Radio
by Midland Consumer Radio
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Midland Consumer RadioModel: WR-100B
Color: White
Product features:
- Compact alert monitor for weather, civil emergency, and other hazards
- Receives 7 NOAA channels with flood, tornado, thunderstorm, and other warnings
- SAME programming sounds an alert only when specific counties are threatened
- 25-county memory system; 90 dB siren, voice alert, and flashing LED warning systems
- Built-in clock with alarm and snooze; measures 5.12 x 2 x 6.25 inches (W x H x D); 1-year warranty
- Energizer L91BP-8 Lithium AA Photo Battery (8-Pack)
- Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargable Batteries with Charger - 4 Pack
- Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries - 8 Pack
- Midland 18-259W Through Window Mount Weather Band Antenna
- Midland AVPH5 Behind the Head Headsets (Pair)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Midland WR100 Weather Radio
Customer Review: A quality product with challenging instructions
Summary: 3 Stars
If I were rating this project in terms of its performance in providing essential alarms and information, particularly in relationship to its price, I'd give it 5 stars. I do have issues, however, with its instructions and interface.
Performance-wise, this is a quality product. I've had the radio in service for a few weeks; it proved its worth almost immediately. The radio arrived during a period of late spring unsettled weather. A tornado passed to the south of us and the radio woke up to gave me plenty of warning and very good information as to the location and path. I discovered that, during a tornado warning, the Weather Service provides a live, real-time announcer who tracks the storm for you.
During normal weather conditions, you can always listen to the weather service just by punching a button--although what you get is a computer voice reading from a typed script. Once you get past the fun of listening to the computer's pronunciation errors, you'll probably choose to get your weather forecasts from other sources.
The product description doesn't make it completely clear that you can grab the radio and head for shelter without missing a lick--the on-board AA batteries instantly go to work when you unplug the wall power from the unit's back. Similarly, the unit will continue to perform through an electrical outage without any action on your part. I haven't tried to see how long the radio might run on the batteries alone. I suspect that listening full time to the radio (as compared to using it as a weather alarm) probably would shorten battery life.
In addition to its weather warning chores, the radio can also function as an alarm clock, but this does add a layer of complexity in setup and operation with which you may not wish to engage.
I've noticed a reviewer who complained about the frequency of alarms and I admit that receiving them in the middle of the night is a little unsettling. But the point of having the radio is not getting killed in your sleep, so I'm willing to tolerate being catapulted from deep slumber by the alarm. Under normal weather conditions, the radio just sits there, completely silent. You can go for weeks with nary a bleep.
Now to the problems: If you're the kind of person whose VCR used to constantly blink "12:00", you may find the setup instructions somewhat difficult to follow. I suspect they were written by an engineer because of the presence of unwarranted assumptions such as the one that all users will intuitively understand that a panel button can have more than one function. The screen interface isn't much help in this regard either in that it can be hard to know where you are in the setup sequence. If you're willing to be patient, however, rest assured that the radio will do everything its advertising promises to do. For the very reasonable price and quality performance of the unit it would be worth the trouble to find a kid to program it for you.
Bottom line: I didn't find any shortcomings in the radio itself; only the instructions left something to be desired. I'd still buy this radio if I had it to do over again. In fact, I recently did buy an additional unit to give as a gift to a family member (for whom I'll do the setup).
Description of Midland WR100 Weather Radio
The Midland WR-100 Weather/All Hazard Alert Radio gives up to the minute weather, hazards and civil emergency information. With SAME Technology the user can hear alerts from one county to multiple counties. Its 25 County Programmable memory allows the user to monitor alerts in up to 25 counties. The User selectable warning systems allows the user to select a 90 db siren, voice alert or flashing LED. The WR-100 features an a 12 hour clock with alarm and snooze. Emergency battery backup with 3 "AA" batteries (Not Included).Stay up to date on all the latest weather, hazard, and civil emergency information with the Midland WR-100B monitor. Capable of receiving seven National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association (NOAA) channels--each of which receives emergency advisories on tornadoes, floods, severe thunderstorms, civil danger warnings, and more--the WR-100B is a must for people who live in high-risk weather areas, such as the Southeast or Midwest. Plus, the seven NOAA channels offer coverage for roughly 93 percent of the U.S., so most people are well covered regardless of where they live.
Another valuable function is the monitor's Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) reception. SAME allows users to program the radio to sound an alert only when weather and other emergencies threaten a selected county or counties. The technology eliminates all alerts from other areas, so users won't have to perk up their ears each time the alert sounds only to find the emergency is actually 100 miles up the highway. In addition, the WR-100B's memory system accepts up to 25 counties, so you can monitor a broad swatch of counties at once or restrict it to one.
Should an alert occur, users have a choice of three warning systems: a 90 dB siren, a voice alert, or a flashing red LED light. The siren is the best option for people with larger homes or who aren't always near the monitor, while the latter two options work well for smaller homes. Additional features include a clock with an alarm and a snooze button, an emergency power backup that keeps your radio working during power outages or outdoor use, and external antenna and alert jacks.
The WR-100B, which works with three AA batteries (not included), measures 5.12 by 2 by 6.25 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a one-year warranty.
What's in the Box
WR-100B monitor, power adapter, user's manual.
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