Midland Radio WR-100 User Manual

All Hazards Weather

Alert Radio

WR-100

Owner’s Manual

www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Quick Start Instructions:

Quick Start Instructions:

Please see pg. 5 for important buttons and controls

Please see pg. 5 for important buttons and controls

1. Place 3 AAAalkaline batteries (not supplied) into the compartment on underside of radio.
(Note: Batteries are important because they provide emergency power for the radio in case of a
power outage.)

2. Plug the AC Adapter into a standard house outlet. Plug the other end of the adapter into the DC
jack on the back of the radio.

3. Pull out antenna and extend to its full length above the weather radio.

4. Ensure the radio’s weather mode is on by clicking the switch on the right side of the radio to “ON”.

5. Program the Weather/Hazard Channel for your Area-

(A). Turn switch on side of radio to “ON”.
(B). Press “MENU”.
(C). Press “UP” arrow until “CHANNEL” is displayed.
(D). Press “SELECT”.
(E). Press “UP” arrow until you hear the broadcast of your station.
(F). Press “SELECT” to save station selection.
(G). Press “MENU” to close menu mode.

cast on again, press “WEATHER/SNOOZE”.

To turn Weather/Hazard broad-

6. Press the WEATHER/SNOOZE button to turn on the weather radio. Then press the “UP” or

“DOWN” volume button to select desired listening level. (Note: Turning the volume all the way
down [where no bars show] puts the radio into silent mode.)

You are now able to receive weather alerts for your area and surrounding areas. To narrow the
alerts to just your county, see page 8 to program the S.A.M.E. code for your county into the
radio.

eather Channel Frequencies:

WWeather Channel Frequencies:

Preset Channels on the

Weather Radio

1 162.400

2 162.425

3 162.450

4 162.475

5 162.500

6 162.525

7 162.550

Broadcast Frequency

(MHz)

o get the S.A.M.E. code for your area, call

TTo get the S.A.M.E. code for your area, call

1-888-697-7263 or go to www

1-888-697-7263 or go to www

.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw

.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw

.htm

.htm

Page 2 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

able of Contents:

TTable of Contents:

Quick Start Instructions
Weather Channel Frequencies
Table of Contents
Product Information
WR-100 Features and Controls
ICONS on the Display
Accessory Jacks on Back of Radio
Programming the Clock
Programming the Sleep Alarm
Programming Notes

Button Press Beeps
Start Over

Getting the S.A.M.E. Codes

The National Weather Service Toll-Free Number
National W
Midland Radio Corporation Website

Programming Your S.A.M.E. County Code(s)

Helpful Tip

“ANY” S.A.M.E. County Code is Factory Default

A Single S.A.M.E. County Code

Multiple S.A.M.E. County Codes
Choosing an Alert Type (DISPLAY, VOICE, or TONE)
Reviewing Recent Alerts
Test Signals Broadcast by NWS
Troubleshooting
Reception
About NOAA, NWS, & S.A.M.E. County Codes
S.A.M.E. County Code Record (chart)
Specifications
FCC Compliance Information
One Year Limited Warranty
Service
Other Midland Products

eather Service Website

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2
3
4
5
5
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6
6
7
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7
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7
8
8
8
8
8
9
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14
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WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Product Information:

Product Information:

Thank you for choosing Midland! Your new WR-100 weather radio is the lat­est in weather and hazard alert monitoring technology, providing you with the
information needed to keep you safe. Your WR-100 weather radio has a special
receiver that tunes to the 24/7 broadcast issued by the National Weather Service.
The combined All Hazards/Weather Alert broadcast network is the single, most
immediate source for comprehensive weather and emergency information avail­able to the public.

This WR-100 weather radio has an innovative, automatic alert system. In
the event of special warning broadcasts, the radio is automatically activated along
with a loud tone, an LED indicator and an “alert” message on the LCD.
Emergency weather bulletins include alerts about: tornadoes, hurricanes, floods,
ice/snow storms, and other severe weather. Other emergencies might include:
Amber alerts, hazardous explosions, fires, chemical spills, and other civil emer­gencies.

In addition, the WR-100 weather radio has the “S.A.M.E. Digital Weather/
Hazard Alert” feature, providing you with constant monitoring of your local NWS
broadcast. The S.A.M.E. decoding receiver allows you to hear only messages for
the area(s) concerning you. You now have a choice as to what information will be
brought to you.

We encourage you to read this owner’s manual thoroughly before
operating this radio. This manual is a valuable part of your new Midland
weather radio. See the “Quick Start Instructions” section of this manual for
the initial weather radio setup and programming. After this weather radio is
programmed and operating properly, store the manual in a safe place.

Page 4 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

WR- 100 Features and Controls:

WR- 100 Features and Controls:

Menu

Select

Programming
Buttons

ICONS on the Display:

ICONS on the Display:

Weather/Snooze Button

Warning
Light-Red

Watch Light­Orange

Weather Radio
On/Off Switch

Volume Up/
Down

A

dvisory
Light­Yellow

The following icons appear on the weather radio display to indicate radio functions that are
active:

Menu

Indicator

Low Battery
Indicator

Accessory Jacks on Back of Unit

Accessory Jacks on Back of Unit

Antenna Jack

Weather
Radio On
Indicator

Clock AlarmVoice AlertWarning Tone

Alert

Volume Level
Bars

Alphanumeric

Programming

Cable Port

DC Plug Jack

Page 5 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Programming The Clock:

Programming The Clock:

(A). Press “MENU” to open menu options.
(B). Press “UP” arrow to scroll through menu until you see “TIME”
(C). Press “SELECT” (hour option will begin flashing)
(D). Press “UP” arrow until current hour is displayed. (Note:

AM/PM changes as you scroll through the hours).

(E). Press “RIGHT” arrow to save current hour and advance to minute

settings.
(F). Program the minutes the same way.
(G). Press “SELECT” to store the current time. Press “MENU” to exit

menu mode.

Programming The Sleep

Programming The Sleep

(A). Press “MENU” to open menu options.
(B). Press “UP” arrow to scroll through menu until you see “ALARM”, then

press “SELECT”.
(C). Press “UP” arrow to display “ON”. Press “SELECT” (This activates the

alarm time options. You will see the alarm hour begin flashing.)
(D). Press “UP” arrow until the hour you want is displayed. (Note:

AM/PM changes as you scroll through the hours).

(E). Press “RIGHT” arrow to save alarm hour and advance to alarm

minutes. Program minutes the same way.

(F). Press “SELECT” to save the alarm time. (The display will show “ON”

and the alarm icon will be displayed.

(G). Press “MENU” to exit menu mode.

To temporarily silence the sleep alarm, press the weather/snooze button. This will
advance the alarm time by 9 minutes. To silence the alarm for the remainder of
the day, press the “MENU” button.

Alarm:

Alarm:

Page 6 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Programming Notes:

Programming Notes:

Button Press Beeps- For silent programming, turn the weather radio off before programming
the WR-100 weather radio.
Start Over­ously until it “backs out” of programming mode.
If no program buttons are pressed for about one minute the weather radio will exit the menu
mode.

Getting the S.A.M.E. County Codes:

Getting the S.A.M.E. County Codes:

If you want to start over while programming, press the “MENU” button continu-

A. First, determine the counties you are interested in. Then do one of the following

three steps to get the codes:

1. The National Weather Service Toll-Free Number provides S.A.M.E.
County Codes at: 1-888-NWS-S.A.M.E or (1-888-697-7263)

This is what to expect when you call the NWS number. When you call the NWS
toll-free number, automated instructions will guide you to the S.A.M.E. County
Code(s) you need. The number will be six digits long.

• You will hear, “Welcome to the National Weather Service. You have
reached the Specific Area Message Encoding Program Service.”

• If you select “touch-tone” to make your entries, you will be prompted to
enter the name of your state using the telephone keypad.

• Next you will be prompted to enter your county name.

• Then you will hear, “Your geographic code is xxxxxx.” (This is your
S.A.M.E. County Code.) Be sure to write it down for future reference.

The system will then give you the option to enter “another combination”: This
enables you to get additional S.A.M.E. Codes for surrounding counties.

2. The Internet Web Site of National Weather Service-
www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm.

This is what to expect when you go to the website.

• The link above takes you directly to the list of states.

• Click on (your state).

• Find your county, and record the “S.A.M.E. #” (the S.A.M.E. County
Code) that is listed to the right of your county, and for any other counties
in which you are interested.

Page 7 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

3. Go to the Midland Radio Corporation website at www.midlandradio.com

• Click on the weather radio link at the top of the page.

• At the top of the weather radio page will be the link to the NWS list of
states and corresponding county codes. Click on the link.

• Click on your state and a list of counties and codes will be listed. Locate
your county and then find your code.

Programming S.A.M.E. Codes into the WR-100:

Programming S.A.M.E. Codes into the WR-100:

Helpful Tip: The S.A.M.E. code is created using the following method:

• The first digit is the subcounty code-currently 0 in most areas.

• The second two digits represent the state code.

• The last three digits represent the county code.

“ANY” S.A.M.E. County Codes is the Default Factory Setting: Your WR­100 weather radio comes preprogrammed to receive NWS weather and haz­ard alert transmissions for all S.A.M.E. county codes within range. If this is
what you want, leave the radio set to “ANY.”

A Single S.A.M.E. County Code:

Press “MENU” button to open menu options.

• Press the “UP” arrow to scroll through menu options until “S.A.M.E.
SET” is displayed, then press “SELECT” button.

• Press the “UP” arrow to scroll through: “SINGLE”, “MULTIPLE”, or
“ANY.”

• Display “SINGLE”, then press “SELECT.” “S.A.M.E.01” will be displayed.

(Note if you are programming a single S.A.M.E. County Code, only the
“01” setting will be used.)

• Using the “UP” arrow, find the first digit of your S.A.M.E. County Code.
Press the “RIGHT” arrow to save the digit and automatically
advance to the next digit.

• Program all digits of your S.A.M.E. County Code in the same way.

• Press “SELECT” to store your S.A.M.E. County Code. Press “MENU”

to close the programming menu.

Press “SELECT”.

Page 8 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Multiple S.A.M.E. County Codes:

Press “MENU” button to open menu options.

• Press the “UP” arrow to scroll through menu options until “S.A.M.E.
SET” is displayed, then press “SELECT” button.

• Press the “UP” arrow to scroll through: “SINGLE”, “MULTIPLE”, or
“ANY.”

• Display “MULTIPLE” as explained, then press “SELECT”.
“S.A.M.E.01” will be displayed, indicating you will be programming your first
S.A.M.E. County Code at weather radio menu location “01.”

• After programming your first S.A.M.E. County Code, press “SELECT” then
the “UP” arrow to advance to “S.A.M.E. 02.” Program all of your S.A.M.E.
County Codes in the same way as above.

• When finished entering all your codes, press “MENU” to
close the programming menu.

Choosing an

Choosing an

1. Press “MENU” button to open menu options.

2. Press “UP” arrow to scroll through menu options until “ALT TYPE” (Alert

Type) is displayed, then press “SELECT” button.

3. Press “UP” arrow to scroll through the following (3) alert types: “DISPLAY”,

“VOICE”, or “TONE”.

4. Press “SELECT” to choose the Alert Type you want.

5. Press “MENU” to exit menu programming mode.

Alert T

Alert T

Alert T

Alert T

DISPLAY

VOICE

ype (DISPLAYY

ype (DISPLA

ype

ype

, VOICE, OR T

, VOICE, OR T

Description of T

Description of T

When the DISPLAY alert type is chosen, only
a text alert will scroll on the display. There
will be no audible alarm.

When the VOICE alert type is chosen, the
alert will sound for 8 seconds, then you will
hear the voice of the weather broadcast for 5

ONE):

ONE):

one Pattern

one Pattern

When the TONE alert type is chosen, the

TONE

Page 9 www.midlandradio.com

alert tone will sound for 5 minutes, or until
you press any button except the “WEATH­ER/SNOOZE” button which toggles to the
voice weather broadcast.

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Reviewing Recent

Reviewing Recent

The weather radio can store up to 10 different Weather/Hazard alerts (with over­lapping effective times) in its memory. If the weather radio receives a new alert
while any previous alert is still in effect, it automatically displays the new alert.
You can review all alerts still in effect by pressing the “UP” arrow to scroll through
the weather radio’s active alert memory. A double beep indicates the end of the
list. “NO MESSAGE” will be displayed if no alerts are active.

est Signals Broadcast by NWS:

TTest Signals Broadcast by NWS:

All National Weather Service stations periodically transmit test signals. You can
find out when your local NWS station broadcasts test signals by calling the NOAA
National Weather Service Forecast Office (listed under ‘Weather” in the Federal
Government section of the telephone book.)

During the weekly test signal, the local NWS station will give a list of counties
covered by their transmitter. The NWS test signal allows everyone with weather
radio receivers to verify the operation of their equipment.
The following test signals may be sent by the NWS during testing: required week­ly test, required monthly test, system demo, and national periodic test.

During a test, the yellow advisory LED will light up and the “Weekly Test” or
“Monthly Test” message will be visible on the display. The radio will not sound an
audible alert tone to avoid giving the impression of an actual alarm. The visual
response to the test is confirmation that your radio is working properly.

note: If your advisory light is on and continues to stay on, the radio will
reset this function within 6 hours.

Alerts:

Alerts:

Please

Page 10 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

roubleshooting:

TTroubleshooting:

Problem

Problem

No power

No sound

No weather broadcast when you press
WEATHER/
SNOOZE button

Suggestion

Suggestion

Make sure the AC Power Adapter is
securely plugged into both DC jack on back
of weather radio and into wall outlet. Make
sure batteries are installed in case AC
power fails.

Check VOLUME control to ensure volume
is turned up to an audible level.

Ensure that telescoping antenna is up and
fully extended.

If you are using an external antenna,
ensure that it is connected properly.

Ensure that the radio is set to the NWS
weather channel in use in your area.

Contact NWS to ensure they are presently
broadcasting.

The radio is not responding properly to
NWS weather alert broadcasts

For Technical Support Contact:

Midland Radio Corporation

5900 Parretta Drive

Kansas City

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Website: www.midlandradio.com

If in a metal structure, make sure you are
close to a window.

If in a weak signal area, you will need an
external antenna.

Check to see that you have programmed in
the correct S.A.M.E. County Code(s).

Check with the NWS that the tower is
broadcasting.

, Missouri 64120

Page 11 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Reception:

Reception:

The National Weather Service operates a system of weather and hazard
alert broadcasts covering a large area of the United States. Currently, only a few
areas are not covered. Typical broadcasts are within reception distance of 25-50
miles of the weather station. Your WR-100 weather radio can receive broadcasts
from up to 50 miles from the weather station depending on your location and con­ditions of weather, terrain, etc... If you find reception is not good in your area, try
different locations in your home or office to find a spot of improved reception.
Placement near a window usually improves reception.

If a weather broadcast cannot be heard on any of the 7 channels, contact
you local NWS office and verify the closest station is on air. Also verify the channel
frequencies the station is broadcasting.

not receiving the broadcasts, you may need an external antenna.

our website at www.midlandradio.com to view our suggested antenna, the 18­259W VHF Through-Glass Antenna.This antenna improves reception when applied
to a window.

If your NWS is transmitting and you are

Please visit

Please note: Metal structures are more difficult to receive reception in, because
metal interferes with the signal. If you live in a metal structure, you may need an
external antenna.

Page 12 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

About NOAA, NWS, & S.A.M.E. County Codes:

About NOAA, NWS, & S.A.M.E. County Codes:

In 1994, NOAA began broadcasting coded emergency signals that identify
the specific geographic area (such as the county within a state) that is affected by
an emergency. Until that time such specific emergency weather information was
not available directly to the public. NOAA transmits the coded emergency signals
using a technique called Specific Area Message Encoding (S.A.M.E.) The WR­100 weather radio is designed to receive these S.A.M.E. county code transmis­sions.

The National Weather service divides the United States by state and county
(or parish) and assigns a six digit code number called a FIPS (Federal Information
Processing System) code, also known as a S.A.M.E. county code.
You can program the weather radio with up to 25 S.A.M.E. county codes. The
weather radio allows you to receive broadcast alerts for either your own county, or
for up to 25 counties. This will eliminate any alerts that are not within your area
of interest.

When you program your S.A.M.E. county code(s) into the WR-100 weather
radio, you eliminate any alerts that are not within those counties. Warnings,
watches and statements of weather and other area emergencies, about 50 differ­ent types, will activate the weather radio for only your programmed specific area.
The S.A.M.E. message the NWS sends contains information pertaining to the
period for which the alert is valid. NWS can set the active time of the alert from
15 minutes up to 6 hours. When the designated time has passed, the weather
radio display message and light will automatically reset to their normal appear­ance.

Page 13 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

S.A.M.E. County Code Record:

S.A.M.E. County Code Record:

Use this space to keep a record of the S.A.M.E. county codes that you program
into your WR-100 Weather Radio.

County Name

County Name

S.A.M.E. County

S.A.M.E. County

Code

Code

NWS Channel

NWS Channel

Page 14 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Specifications:

Specifications:

Specifications are nominal and subject to change.

General

General

Frequency Range

Number of WX Channels 7

Input Voltage

Dimensions (51/2 x 2 x 6 in.)

20 dB Quieting Sensitivity 0.5 uV

FIPS County code Sensitivity at5kHz Dev 0.5uV

Channel Selectivity

Speaker Impedance

Speaker Output at10%THD 200 mW max.

FCC Compliance Information:

FCC Compliance Information:

(162.40, 162.425, 162.45, 162.475, 162.50,

162.525, 162.55MHz)

9-14 Volts DC

±25kHz, 60dB

8 ohms

MIDLAND (NOAA) Weather Radio Model WR-100, “S.A.M.E. Digital
Weather/Hazard Alert Radio”. This device complies with part 15 of the FCC
Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may
not cause harmful interference; (2) This device must accept any interference
received including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Page 15 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

One YY

One

ear Limited W

ear Limited W

arranty:

arranty:

MIDLAND Radio Corporation will repair or replace, at its option without charge,
your WR-100 weather radio which fails due to a defect in material or workman­ship within one year following the initial consumer purchase.

This warranty does not include any antennas, which may be a part of or included
with the warranted product, or the cost of labor for removal or re-installation of
the product in a vehicle or other mounting.

Performance of any obligation under this warranty may be obtained by returning
the warranted product, freight prepaid, along with a copy of the original sales
receipt to Midland Radio Corporation at the address provided below.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights,
which vary, from state to state.

Note: The above warranty applies only to merchandise purchased in the United
States of America or any of the territories or possessions thereof, or from a U.S.
Military exchange. For warranty coverage on merchandise purchased elsewhere
ask your dealer.

Midland Radio Corporation

Warranty Service Department

5900 Parretta Drive

Kansas City, Missouri 64120

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Website:www.midlandradio.com

Page 16 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Service:

Service:

If your MIDLAND Weather Radio fails to operate properly, check the
“Troubleshooting” section in this manual before returning it for service. If neces­sary, return as follows:

1. Pack the unit in its original box and packing. Then pack the original box in a
suitable shipping carton. Caution: Improper packing may result in damage
during shipment.

2. Include the following:

a. full description of any problems
b. money order for $7.50 to cover shipping and handling (this may not be

required in some states)

c. daytime telephone number, name & address

3. For warranty service include a photocopy of the bill of sale from an authori­zed dealer or other proof of purchase showing the date of sale.

4. You do not need to return accessory items (AC/DC Adapter, batteries,
Owners Guide) unless they might be directly related to the problem.

5. A flat rate of $45.00 will apply to repairs not covered by warranty or units
that are over one year old. Send only cashier’s check, money order or
Master Card or Visa card number.

Midland Radio Corporation

5900 Parretta Drive

Kansas City, Missouri 64120

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Website:www.midlandradio.com

Page 17 www.midlandradio.com

WR-100 Owner’s Manual

Come see Our Other Midland Products at www

Come see Our Other Midland Products at www

.midlandradio.com

.midlandradio.com

Page 18 www.midlandradio.com