RadioShack 12-249 Owner Manual
Cat. No. 12-249
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
7-Channel Weatheradio
with NWR-SAME
Severe-Weather Alert
WARNING
: To reduce the risk of
fire or shock hazard, do not expose this product to rain or moisture.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.
DO NOT OPEN.
!
CAUTION
ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER OR BACK. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
This symbol is intended to alert yo u to the pr esenc e of
uninsulated dangerous voltage within the product’s enclosure that mig ht be of suffi cient magni tude to c onsti tute a risk of electr ic s hock. Do no t ope n th e pr odu ct’s
case.
This symbol is intended to inform you that important operating and m aintenance instructions are included in
!
the literature accompanying this product.
The graphical symbols with s upplemental mar kings are on the bottom of the unit.
RadioShack and Weatheradio are registered trademarks
X-10 is a registered trademark of X-10 (USA) Inc.
: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF
©
1997, 1998 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
used by Tandy Corporation.
2
FEATURES
In 1994, the National Oceanic and Aerospace Administration (NOAA) began broadcasting coded emergency weather signals that identify the specific
geographic area (such as a county) affected by an
emergency. Until that time, such specific emergency
weather information was sent in other ways (over
land wire, for example) to other communication outlets (such as radio stations), then broadcast to the
public on AM or FM radio frequencies or on TV.
NOAA transmits the coded weather emergency signals using a technique called Specific Area Message
Encoding, or SAME. Your RadioShack 7-Channel
Weatheradio
Radio-SAME) Severe-Weather Alert is specially designed to receive these SAME transmissions.
The Weatheradio’s SAME technology circuitry lets
you program it with up to 15 predefined state/county
codes and receive emergency weather alert broadcasts that notify you of weather warnings, watches,
statements — about 30 different types — for only
those areas. You can set the Weatheradio to sound
an alert when it receives a SAME emergency signal,
and you can adjust the alert volume.
with NWR-SAME (National Weather
The Weatheradio also comes preprogrammed with
the seven NOAA broadcast frequencies, so you can
select the channel that is broadcast in your area and
listen to general weather information 24 hours a day.
3
The Weatheradio’s features incl ude:
Alert Function — lets you set the Weatheradio to
sound an alert when it receives a weather emergency
broadcast from NOAA.
SAME Operation — lets you prog ram up to 15 different FIPS (Federal Information Processing System)
codes into the Weatheradio’s memory. Each FIPS
code identifies a specific geographic area (defined by
the NWS), so your Weatheradio sounds an alert
when a weather emergency is declared in only those
locations. This helps you track t he weather conditions
in and around your area .
8-Character Liquid Crystal Display — clearly displays as digital characters items such as channel
numbers and alert status descriptions (TORNADO
WARNING, FLOOD WATCH, and so on).
Alert Status Indicators — different-colored indicators let you determine at a glance the type of alert received (red is for a warning, yel low is for a watch, and
green is for a statement).
7 Channels — let you select the frequency for your
local NOAA weather broadcasts.
4
Adju st ab le Di sp la y Ba ck lig ht — makes the display
easy to read in low light situations. You can set the
light to turn on for about 10 seconds when you press
a key, or remain on until you t urn it off.
Alert Volume Control — lets you adjust the volume
of the alert so you will be sure to hear it.
Exte rnal A lert Termi nals — let you connect an external controller system (such as a Plug ’n Power or
X-10
system) to the Weatheradio and set that system to indicate an alert based on signals received by
the Weatheradio. This is useful for ensuring you can
hear or see the alert in a location (such as the garage) that might be som e distance from where you installed the Weath eradio.
External Antenna Connect or — lets you connect an
optional external antenna to the Weatheradio to improve receptio n (in remote areas, for exampl e).
We recommend you record your We atheradio’s serial
number here. The number is on the bottom of the radio.
Serial Number:
5
CONTENTS
Preparation ...................................................................... 7
Connectin g Powe r .. .... ........... .... .... .... ........... .... .... .... . 7
Connectin g AC Power ... .... .... .... ........... .... .... .... . 8
Installing a Back-Up Battery .............................. 9
Using the Antenna .. ............ ... .... .... .... ........... .... .... ... 11
Connecting an External Antenna .................... 11
Getting Started .. .... ... .... .... ........... .... .... .... .... ........... .... ... 12
Understand in g the FIPS C ode ...... .... .... .... ... ........... 12
Obtaining Your Area’s FIPS Code(s) ............... 13
Programming the Weatheradio ............................... 14
Using the Weatheradio’s “All
Signals” Cod e ........ .... ........... .... .... .... ... ........... 19
Choosing a Loca tio n an d Mo un t i ng
the Weatheradio . ........... .... .... .... .... ........... .... ... 20
Operation ....................................................................... 22
Listening to the Weather Broadcast ........................ 23
Using the Alert Func tio n . ........... .... .... .... ........... .... ... 24
Setting the Alert Volume .................................. 25
Checking/Changing the Alert Pattern .............. 25
When a Weather Alert Occurs ........................ 27
NWS Weather Alert Descriptions .................... 28
Reviewin g Ove rla pp in g Ale rts ........... ........... ... 32
When a Test or Demo Alert Occurs ................. 33
Locking Out Undefined (New or Commercial)
Weather Descr ip tio ns ........ .... .... .... .... ........... ... 34
Special Featu res ............... .... .... ... .... ............ .... ... .... .... ... 37
Using Continuous Backlight .................................... 37
Connecting the Weatheradio to an
External System ...................................................... 38
Troubleshooting ............................................................ 40
Care ................................................................................ 44
The FCC Wants You to Know .................................. 46
Specificatio ns ........... ................ ............... ........... ........... 4 7
6
PREPARATION
CONNECTING POWER
Your Weatheradio uses standard AC power f or normal operation. For back-up power (when AC power
fails or is temporarily disconnected), your Weatheradio requires a 9V battery (not supplied). For the best
performance and longest life, we recommend an alkaline battery, such as RadioShack Cat. No. 23- 553.
Notes:
• A fresh back-up battery will power the Weatheradio for up to 1 hour with the weather broadcast
turned on (see “Listening to the Weather Broadcast” on Page23) or up to 8 hours in alert
standby mode (see “Usi ng the Alert Function” on
Page 24). For normal use, however, we recommend you always connect the Weatheradio to
AC power.
• If you disconnect the Weatheradio from AC
power a n d yo u w ill n o t b e u si ng th e W eat he r a di o
for several days, remove the back-up battery. A
battery can leak chemicals that damage your
Weatheradio’s electronic parts.
7
Connecting AC Power
1. If the Weatheradio is on, turn
VOLUME
to the
right until i t cl icks to turn the Weatheradio off.
VOLUME
OFF
MAX
2. Plug the Weather adio’s power cord into a standard AC outlet.
Caution:
Your Weatheradio’s power cord has a
polarized plug (one blade is wider than the
other). If you have difficulty inserting the plug int o
the outlet, do not force it! Turn the plug over and
try again.
8
Installing a Back-Up Battery
Cautions:
• Use only a fresh battery of the required size and
recommended type.
not
• We recommend you
tery.
use a rechargeable bat-
Tab
1. If the Weatheradio is on, turn
right until it clicks to turn the Weatheradio off.
2. Press in the tab on the battery compartment
cover and lift the cover up to remove it.
3. Snap a battery onto the battery term inals inside
the compartment, then put the battery in the
compartment.
4. Replace the cover.
VOLUME
to the
9
When
REPLACE
the battery.
(then)
BATTERY
appears, replace
STATEMENT
Note:
REPLACE BATTERY
WATCH WARNING
ALERTLEVEL
STATEMENT
WATCH WARNING
ALERTLEVEL
also appears if no battery is installed and the Weatheradio is turned on and
connected to AC power.
Caution: Never leave a dead or weak battery in the
Weatheradio. Dispose of an old battery promptly and
properly; do not bury or burn it.
10
USING THE ANTENNA
EXTANT
OPERATE
PROGRAM
MODE
ALARMOUT
+
–
For the best reception at all times,
lift up the Weatheradio’s built-in
telescoping antenna so it is vertical, then fully extend it.
Connecting an External Antenna
To improve reception (in remote areas, for example),
you can connect an external antenna using an adapter cable (RadioShack Unlimited Cat. No. 11806437,
not supplied) with a phono plug to the Weatheradio’s
EXT ANT
wide variety of antennas.
To connect an external antenna to the Weatheradio,
connect one end of the adapter cable to
the Weatheradio and connect the other end to the
phono plug on the antenna. Then lower the Weatheradio’s telescoping antenna.
jack. Your local RadioShack store sells a
EXT ANT
+
OPERATE
–
PROGRAM
EXTANT
MODE
ALARMOUT
on
11
GETTING STARTED
UNDERSTANDING THE FIPS
CODE
The NWS divides the United States by state and
county (or parish, where applicable), then assigns a
6-digit “FIPS” (Federal Information Processing System) code to ident ify each county/parish for the purpose of broadcasting weather conditions. For
example, the code for Tarrant County, Texas, is
048439.
The first digit in a FIPS
code identifies the county subdivision, the next
two digits identify the
state, and the last three
digits identify the county
itself. For example:
Note:
Most FIPS codes begin with 0, which means
that FIPS code represents an entire county. The
NWS, however, eventually plans to subdivide some
large counties. When that happens, each subdivision
will be assigned a digit from 1–9, resulting in codes
such as 148439, 248439, and so on.
Your Weatheradio is preset to receive all SAME alert
signals broadcast within about a 50-mile radius of
where you installed it. To receive SAME alerts and
broadcasts about weather occurring only in particular
counties within that area, you can program up to 15
12
04843 9
State
County
County Subdivision
FIPS codes into the Weatheradio’s memory. That
way, for example, you can avoid an alert that applies
to an area within that 50-mile radius but not in your
county.
Obtaining Your Area’s FIPS Code(s)
To obtain the FIPS co de for the location whe re you installed the Weatheradio, contact your local RadioShack store or ca ll the NWS tol l free at:
1-888-NWR-SAME
(1-888-697-7263)
If you call the NWS, follow the instructions you hear.
Note:
If you are close to a county/parish line(s), you
might want to obt ain the codes for any other countie s/
parishes you are cl ose to.
Hint:
Since you can program up to 15 FIPS codes
into the Weatheradio’s memory, you might want to
obtain the codes for other local areas that you travel
through to work (as long as those areas are within a
50 mile radius of your loca tion and withi n an area covered by your local NWS broadcast station). That way,
you can program those codes into the Weatheradio
and receive broadcasts covering those locations, too.
13
PROGRAMMING THE
WEATHERADIO
Note:
Some of the Weatheradio’s keys (such as
are located under the cover on top of the Weatheradio. Lift the cover to access the keys.
The first time you use your Weatheradio, it is automatically set to:
• Use the NOAA weather broadcast frequency
162.400 MHz (Channel 1)
• Receive all SAME alert signals broadcast within
a 50-mile radiu s of wher e you installed it
Your Weatheradio is preprogr ammed with the seven
national NOAA broadcast frequencies (Channels 1–
7). Depending on your location, you might need to select a different channel.
To select a different broadcast frequency (if necessary) and store or change FIPS codes in the Weatheradio’s memory (to narrow the area in which you
receive SAME alerts), follow these steps.
14
0–9
)
1. To turn on the Weatheradio, turn
left until it clicks. Then set
the bottom of the radio) to
SINGLE/MULTIPLE
SINGLE
entering only one FIPS code or to
you are entering more than one.
VOLUME
if you are
MULTIPLE
to the
(on
if
2. Set
PROGRAM/OPERATE
to
PROGRAM
Weatheradio displays the last selected weather
broadcast channel and frequency number.
+
OPERATE
–
PROGRAM
3. Press
WEATHER
to turn on the weather broad-
cast (if necessary), then turn
EXTANT
MODE
ALARMOUT
VOLUME
to adjust
the volume so you can hear the broadca st as you
make your selection.
WEATHER ALERT
OFF
VOLUME
OFF
MAX
. The
15
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