Midland Radio WR-301 User Manual

All Hazards Weather

Alert Radio

WR-300/301

Owner ’s Manual

www.midlandradio.com

WR-300/301 Owner’s Manual

Page 2 www.midlandradio.com

Quick S

Quick Stt

art Instructions:

1. Place 4 AAbatteries (not supplied) into the compartment on the underside of the 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 the antenna and extend to its full length above the weather radio.

4. Program the Weather Channel for Your Area-

(A). Turn the radio on with power/volume wheel on side of the radio (Ensure the volume is up so you will be able to hear the broadcast). (B). Press the “MENU” button. (C). Press the “UP” (or “DOWN”) arrow until “WEATHER CHANNEL” is displayed on the

LCD. (D). Press the “SELECT” button. (E). Press the “UP” arrow to manually scroll through the weather channels

until you hear the weather broadcast. (F). Press the “SELECT” button to save this channel. (G). Press the “MENU” button to exit programming mode.

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

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

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

1-888-697-7263 or visit

www

. nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw

.htm

WWeather Channel Frequencies:

eather Channel Frequencies:

Channels Preset on the

Weather Radio

Broadcast Frequency

(MHz)

162.400

162.425

162.450

162.475

162.500

162.525

162.550

Please see pg. 5 for important buttons and controls.

5. Press the “WEATHER/HAZARD ON/OFF” button to listen to the weather radio. Then use the power/volume wheel to adjust the volume to a desired listening level.

WR-300/301 Owner’s Manual

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Quick Start Guide Table of Contents Product Information WR-300/301 Controls Icons on the Display WR-300/301 Accessory Jacks Set the Time Set the Date Set the ALARM Time Choosing an Alarm Type Programming Notes Getting your S.A.M.E. County Codes Programming S.A.M.E. County Codes Helpful Tip All S.A.M.E. County Code A Single S.A.M.E. County Code Multiple S.A.M.E. County Code Reviewing Stored S.A.M.E. Codes Choosing an Alert Type(Voice or Siren) To Turn the Alert ON and OFF Setting the Alert Volume Selectable Alert Option Testing the Alert Reviewing the Alert Test Signals Broadcast by NWS No Reception Warning AM/FM Radio Turning the AM/FM Radio On Changing the AM/FM Stations AM/FM Memory Channels Troubleshooting Reception About NOAA,NWS,&S.A.M.E.County Codes S.A.M.E. County Code Record Specification FCC Compliance Specification Warranty Info Service Accessories Accessories Order Form Other Midland Products

2 3 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 11 12 13 14 15 16 16 17 18 19

20 21

Table of Contents

WR-300/301 Owner’s Manual

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Product Information:

Thank you for choosing Midland! Your new WR-300/301 weather radio is the latest in weather and hazard alert monitoring technology, providing you with the information needed to keep you safe. Your WR-300/301 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-300/301 weather radio has an innovative automatic alert system. In the event of a special warning broadcast, the radio is automatically activated along with a loud tone, a flashing 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 alert, hazardous explosions, fires, chemical spills and other civil emergencies.

In addition, this WR-300/301 weather radio has the “S.A.M.E. Digital Weather/Hazard Alert” feature, providing you with constant monitoring of your localized 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 weather radio. See the “Quick Start Instructions” section of this manual for the initial weather radio setup and programming. After your new weather radio is programmed and operating properly, store the manual in a safe place for future reference.

WR-300/301 Owner’s Manual

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WR-300/301 Controls:

Advisory

Light- Yellow

Watch Light-

Orange

Warning Light-

Red

Snooze

Alert

On/OFF

Weather/ Hazard

On/OFF Button

AM/FM Button

Radio Button

Alarm Clock

On/Off Switch

Power On/Off

and Volume

Programming

(Arrow)

Buttons

Select Button

Menu Button

Alphanumeric Message

Time Indicator

Clock Alarm

Weather Channel Indicator

Low Battery indicator

Alert Type Indicator

County Code

Indicator

ICONS on the Display

WR-300/301

Accessory Jacks

DC Jack

Programming

Cable Port

External

Alert Jack

Earphone

Jack

External Antenna

Connector

LCD Backlighting

Press and release any button to turn the backlight on for 5 seconds. For continuous backlight, press the “MENU” button, then the press the “DOWN” arrow until “LIGHT” displays on the screen. Then press the “SELECT” button. Then press the “UP” arrow to change the backlight setting from “NORMAL” to “CONTINUOUS”. Press the “SELECT” button to save your settings.

WR-300/301 Owner’s Manual

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Set the Time:

(A). Turn on the weather radio with power/volume wheel on side of the radio. (B). Press the “MENU” button. (C). Press the “DOWN” arrow button until “SET UP TIME” is displayed. (D). Press the “SELECT” button, hour setting will begin to flash. (E). Press the “UP” button to adjust the hour setting. (Note: the am/ pm setting cannot be

manually changed; it changes automatically as you scroll through the hours.) (F). Press the “RIGHT” arrow to adjust minutes and save your hour setting. (G). Press the “UP” button to adjust the minute setting. (H). Press the “SELECT” button to store the time setting. (I). Press the “MENU” button to return to the main menu.

Set the DA

TE:

(A). Turn on the weather radio with power/volume wheel on side of the radio. (B). Press the “MENU” button. (C). Press the “DOWN” arrow until “SET UP DATE” is displayed. (D). Press the “SELECT” button. (E). Press the “UP” arrow to adjust the day. (F). Press the “RIGHT” arrow to select the month. (G). Press the “UP” arrow to adjust the month. (H). Press the “RIGHT” arrow to select the year. (I). Press the “UP” arrow to adjust the Year. (J). Press the “SELECT” button to store DAY/MONTH/YEAR. K). Press the “MENU” button to return to the main menu.

Set the

ALARM T

ime (for the AM/FM Clock Radio)

(A). Turn on the weather radio with power/volume wheel on side of the radio. (B). Press the “MENU” button. (C). Press the “DOWN” arrow until “SET UP ALARM” is displayed . (D). Press the “SELECT” button. The alarm hour setting will begin to flash. (E). Press the “UP” arrow to adjust the alarm hour setting. (Note: the AM/ PM setting

cannot be manually changed; it changes automatically as you scroll through the hours.) (F). Press the “RIGHT” arrow to choose setting alarm minutes. (G). Press the “UP” arrow to adjust the alarm minute setting.

Setting the

AM /FM Clock Radio Functions:

To Choose the Type of Alarm:

(A). Press the “MENU” button.

(B). Use the “UP” arrow to choose radio or sound for clock alarm. (The icons are

located below the clock display.) (C). Press the “SELECT” button to store the type of alarm setting. (D). To activate the alarm, set the “ALARM OFF/ON” switch to the “ON” position.

The clock face icon will appear.

(E). The “SNOOZE” button on the top of the WR-300/301 is for advancing the alarm time

by 9 minutes each time the alarm sounds. The “SNZ” icon will be displayed. (F). Turn the alarm off with the ”ALARM OFF/ON” switch on side of the radio. (G). Press the “UP” arrow to adjust the alarm minute setting.

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Programming Notes:

*Your WR-300/301 can be programmed with up to 23 different S.A.M.E. codes for your county

and the surrounding counties of your choice. This ensures you receive alerts for only those counties concerning you. * Please note: Embedded in an alert message is the amount of time for which the alert is active. The WR-300/301 will continue to display the alert until the expiration time. Ex: END 12-55P indicates the event ends at 12:55 PM.

Getting your S.A.M.E. County Codes

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

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. (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.

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

When you pull up this URL, you will see a list of states .

• Click on your state.

• Find your county, and record the S.A.M.E. number listed next to your county.

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 a link to the NWS list of states and corresponding county codes. Click on this link.

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

WR-300/301 Owner’s Manual

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Programming S.A.M.E. County Codes into the WR-300/301

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

•

Press the “MENU” button to open menu options.

• Press the “UP” arrow to scroll through menu options until “County Code” is displayed.

• Press the “SELECT” button and then the “UP” arrow to scroll through ”SINGLE”, “MULTIPLE” or “ALL”.

• Display “SINGLE”, then press the “SELECT” button.

• “Code 01” will be displayed. Press the “SELECT” button to program this code. The first digit space will start blinking.

• Use the “UP” arrow to scroll through the digits 0-9. Input the first digit then press the “RIGHT” arrow to save that selection and move to the next digit.

• Continue programming all 6 digits in this way. When finished, press the “SELECT” button and your entered code will be saved.

“ALL” S.A.M.E. County Codes is the Factory Setting:

Your WR-300/301 weather radio is 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 “ALL”.

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

•

Press the “MENU” button to open menu options.

• Press the “UP” arrow to scroll through menu options until “County Code” is displayed.

• Press the “SELECT” button and then the “UP” arrow to scroll through “SINGLE”, “MULTIPLE” or “ALL”.

• Display “MULTIPLE”, then press “SELECT”.

• Use the “UP” arrow to scroll through code locations 1-23. You are able to program up to 23 different county codes into your WR-300/301 weather radio.

• Display the location you want then press the “SELECT” button. The first digit space will start blinking.

• Use the “UP” arrow to scroll through the digits 0-9. Input the first digit then press the “RIGHT” arrow to save that selection and move to the next digit.

• Continue programming all 6 digits in this way. When finished, press the “SELECT” button

and your entered code will be saved.

• To program your next code, press the “UP” arrow to go to the next code location.

• When you have entered all your desired codes, press the “MENU” button to store your settings.

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.

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