MIDLAND WR300 Weather Radio
by Midland
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: MidlandAudio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD-ROM
Release Date: 2012-01-26
Platform: Windows
Model: WR-300
Product features:
- Receives All NOAA Weather Channels
- S.A.M.E. Technology
- AM/FM Radio with Clock and Alarm
- Memory system for 30 Counties
- Ability to Add & Remove Alerts
- Memorex High Performance AA Alkaline Batteries, 12 Pack
- Memorex High Performance AA Alkaline Battery 8 Pack
- Memorex High Performance AA Alkaline Batteries, 50 Pack
- Energizer L91BP-8 Lithium AA Photo Battery (8-Pack)
- Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargable Batteries with Charger - 4 Pack
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of MIDLAND WR300 Weather Radio
Customer Review: Great radio, but very high battery drain.
Summary: 4 Stars
This radio looks really good wherever you place it. Ours looked exactly as advertised.
The design is not obtrusive, doesn't require a huge footprint, and the buttons are easy to use.
The only DOWNSIDE I found is a major one - the battery consumption is apparently off the charts.
I didn't put cheapie batteries in it either - I got the blue lithium Energizer batteries.
That is the only one we use in our digital cameras due to their ability to last. I take an average of
500 photos a month between my home business and our family and pets, and get at least a month of camera
usage from a set. (I date them all with a Sharpie so I know how long they last.) Even when they are spent
for camera purposes, they still have enough power in them to get our haircutters going, so they are great batteries.
Anyway, I put in a brand new set of the blue lithiums 24 DAYS ago. I had the radio turned on to program it,
but other than that, turned it off until/unless severe storms were in the area. We hadn't had any, so it wasn't
sitting in the "on" position, listening to the regular radio, etc etc.
We had reason to use it this past Saturday, April 24th, when severe storms hit our area. (Part of that huge
system of tornados that hit so many states.) I hadn't thought about it much, even though there were bad
thunderstorms in the area, but there was no warning light on the radio. (It has three small lights on the
left side that light up if there is a watch or warning in your area, and you can turn it on to hear the NWS warning.)
However, suddenly, our town's tornado warning went off! We'd never heard it go off in the 3 yrs we've lived here,
so it was a big deal. We headed downstairs for safety, and I grabbed the radio to take along.
Guess what - dead as a doornail. THREE WEEKS without even being turned on, and the brand new
lithium batteries were DRAINED!!! O-M-G. There ended up being a tornado only a few miles from us that did quite a
bit of damage. I would hate to think what could have happened if I relied on this radio for our only information!!
Once the worst had passed us, I sent my son back upstairs for more batteries. We popped them in and
immediately had the weather warning lights and broadcasts. While that was good, it could have EASILY
been too little too late. I cannot even believe how this thing ate the batteries already that power my digital
camera for a month at a time with constant usage!
There is NO low battery warning light at all, nothing to tell me that it was not working. No beeps, no lights,
nothing but dead air when we needed it the most. If it had been nighttime and we were asleep, who knows what could
have happened! Note to Midland - you NEED a low battery light! Make it blue, so it does not get confused with
any weather warning lights! This is a potentially life-saving product - go the "extra mile" here and provide
a notice of some kind when the power is gone. I never expected the batteries to be drained after about 3 wks without
even using the radio.
If you get this radio, I highly advise keeping it plugged in somewhere. I do not know if the batteries will
continue to drain while it is also plugged in (without being turned on), so I'll revise my review when I
know. I am now on a hunt for the adapter that was supposed to come with it. I do not remember seeing
one in the package. I just got the original box back out this morning to get the adapter, and there's nothing in
there. So, it is possible that the box I got didn't get one put in there. I hadn't planned on plugging it in,
but now see that might be my only real way to get dependable notices. I'll check the radio to see what voltage
the adapter should be, and see if we have an extra one from some other electronic item.
This is the really bad weather season for us (Midwest), and it is very important this radio do its job!
Do NOT rely on the batteries, and keep a spare set of batteries on each floor of your home (if you have an upstairs
or basement, make sure you have some available for flashlights and radios on EACH FLOOR - I had not even thought
about that, but we keep our batteries upstairs, and did not want to go back up during the actual tornado warning!).
I have flashlights tucked every conceivable place in the home (including the bathroom, under the kitchen sink, etc etc),
but never really gave a second thought to having extra batteries available per floor until last Saturday when we needed them.
Lesson learned!
S.A.M.E. technology is a must - don't consider any weather radio that doesn't have it, or you'll hear a
lot of stuff that doesn't even pertain to your location. This radio has it. Note though that on this model, you
have to choose the ALERT ON option to ON or you won't get the warning lights. (Odd that it is not a default to on, but it
isn't.) You have the choice of a LOT of various types of warnings that will pertain to your area, which is great. You
choose which warnings to turn on, except for tornado warnings. This is defaulted to the "on" position, although the manual
does not tell you that. I wrote to Midland to ask about it. It took them two weeks to answer me, but they confirmed it was
a default setting, which is why it was not included in the storm warning options lists.
In summary - great radio, great look, beyond-poor battery usage.
I've taken off one star for the poor battery life - I've never seen any electronic use them faster.
The lack of a low battery light or beep is a huge mistake for this type of product.
Description of MIDLAND WR300 Weather Radio
Midland WR-300 Weather Radio with Civil Emergency Monitor. Get local weather reports when you need them most: Digital PLL tuning for clear reception; S.A.M.E. localized reception; 30 programmable county codes so you can receive alerts about one county or many counties... from your home, to your cabin and where your kids go to college; Full function alarm clock; Built-in AM / FM radio; 10 memory alerts... easily add, edit and remove unwanted ads Powered by included AC wall adapter and 4 AA batteries (not included). Order Now! Midland WR-300 Weather Radio with Civil Emergency MonitorStay alert to conditions that affect you with Midland's WR-300 weather/all-hazard radio. The unit offers S.A.M.E. technology (Specific Area Message Encoding), which preprograms the device to receive only those warnings that apply to your local area--you can choose state, county, and/or nearby counties. The single-speaker radio offers 30 programmable county codes, AM/FM tuning, date, time, alarm functions, and even auto switch from AM/FM to pertinent all-hazard alerts.
For tuning, the radio employs drift-free PLL (phase-lock loop) technology and an easy-to-read blue, backlit LCD. You get a convenient, 10-alert memory, and you can add, edit, and remove unwanted alerts at any time. The radio uses the supplied AC power adapter or four AA Batteries (not included).
What's in the Box
Radio, AC power adapter, and a user's manual.
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