Cat. No. 12-250
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
7 Channel WRSAME Weatheradio® with Alert
WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or shock hazard, do not expose this product to rain or moisture.
CAUTION |
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RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK. |
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DO NOT OPEN. |
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER OR BACK. NO USER-SERVICE- ABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
This symbol is intended to alert you to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within the product’s enclosure that might be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock. Do not open the product’s case.
This symbol is intended to inform
!maintenance instructions are
included in the literature accom- panying this product.you that important operating and
©1999 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
RadioShack, Plug ’n Power, and Weatheradio are registered trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.
X-10 is a registered trademark of X-10 (USA) Inc.
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DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
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, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
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Product: |
7 Channel WRSAME |
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Weatheradio with Alert |
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Model: |
12-250 |
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Responsible Party: |
RadioShack |
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100 Throckmorton |
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Fort Worth, TX 76102 |
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Phone: |
817-415-3200 |
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This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
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However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
•Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
•Consult your local RadioShack store or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by RadioShack may cause interference and void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
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Your RadioShack 7 Channel WRSAME Weatheradio is the next generation of weather alert technology. Your Weatheradio uses SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) circuitry to provide more complete information about weather conditions in your immediate area, letting you avoid hearing alerts for geographical areas that do not interest you.
Your Weatheradio’s features include:
SAME Operation — lets you program up to 15 different geographical codes into the Weatheradio’s memory, so the Weatheradio sounds an alert only when a weather emergency is declared in any of those locations.
7 Weather Channels — let you select the frequency for your local National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather broadcasts.
Selectable Alert Function — lets you set the Weatheradio so it sounds an alert when it receives a weather emergency broadcast from NOAA. You can also set the Weatheradio so it does not alert you when it receives some types of warnings.
8-Character Liquid Crystal Display — the Weatheradio’s large, easy-to-read display clearly shows a description of the type of alert in progress (such as a tornado warning, flood watch, and so on).
Alert Status Indicators — help you determine at a glance the type of alert the Weatheradio is receiving.
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Adjustable Display Backlight — helps you read the display 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 turn it off.
Alert Volume Control — lets you adjust the volume of an alert so you will be sure to hear it.
External Alert Terminals — let you connect an external controller system (such as a Plug ’n Power or X-10 system) to the Weatheradio, then set that system to indicate an alert based on signals received by the Weatheradio. This lets you hear or see the alert in a location (such as the garage) that might be some distance from where you installed the Weatheradio.
External Antenna Connector — lets you connect an optional external antenna to the Weatheradio to improve reception in remote areas.
We recommend you record your Weatheradio’s serial number here. The number is on the bottom of the radio.
Serial Number:
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How Your Radio Works .................................................... |
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When a Weather Alert Occurs ...................................... |
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New Alert Types ..................................................... |
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NWS Weather Alert Descriptions ................................ |
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Understanding FIPS Codes ........................................ |
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Obtaining Your Area’s FIPS Code(s) ...................... |
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Preparation ..................................................................... |
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Powering the Weatheradio .......................................... |
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Connecting the Weatheradio to AC Power ............. |
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Installing the Backup Battery ................................. |
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Using the Built-In Antenna .......................................... |
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Choosing a Location and Mounting the Weatheradio . 23 |
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Connecting the Weatheradio to an External System .. |
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Programming the Weatheradio ................................... |
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Testing the Weatheradio ............................................. |
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Manually Testing the Alert Tone ............................. |
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Testing the Alert Siren/Display ............................... |
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Operation ........................................................................ |
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Listening to a Weather Broadcast ............................... |
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Using the Alert Function ............................................. |
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Setting the Alert Volume ........................................ |
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Changing/Checking the Alert Pattern .................... |
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Enabling/Disabling Alert Tones .............................. |
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Using the Weatheradio’s ‘All Signals’ Code ........... |
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Reviewing Overlapping Alerts ................................ |
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When a Test or Demo Alert Occurs ....................... |
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Using the Backlight ..................................................... |
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Troubleshooting ............................................................ |
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Care and Maintenance ................................................... |
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The FCC Wants You to Know ...................................... |
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Specifications ................................................................ |
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Traditional weather radios simply receive NOAA’s weather broadcast (usually within a 50-mile radius) then sound an alarm if any emergency code was transmitted along with the broadcast. This means that people who live outside an affected area are often alerted even when their area is not affected, causing many of them to ignore potentially real weather warnings that can save lives.
In 1994, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began broadcasting coded signals called FIPS (Federal Information Processing System) codes along with their standard weather broadcasts from stations in your area. These codes identify the type of emergency and the specific geographic area (such as a county) affected by the emergency. Your Weatheradio receives, interprets, and displays information about the codes so you can determine if the emergency might affect your area. Only
SAME-compatible weather radios (such as this Weatheradio) are able to take advantage of this new technology.
Each FIPS code identifies a specific geographic area (defined by the National Weather Service), so your Weatheradio sounds an alert only when a weather emergency is declared in that area. This helps you more efficiently track the weather conditions in and around your area.
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WHEN A WEATHER ALERT OCCURS
When the Weatheradio receives a weather alert:
•it sounds an alert (siren or beep)
•a description of the alert appears
•an indicator on the front of the Weatheradio lights
Note: If the Weatheradio receives more than one weather alert at the same time, it displays information about each alert.
The alert descriptions your Weatheradio can display are based on a list of specific weather alert types published by the NWS. For a list of all the alert descriptions that your Weatheradio can display, see “NWS Weather Alert Descriptions” on Page 10.
Caution: The NWS uses sophisticated weather models to determine an alert’s effective time. However, the end of an alert does not necessarily mean that the related weather emergency is over.
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New Alert Types
Your Weatheradio is designed to recognize all common weather alert types currently used by the NWS. However, the NWS occasionally creates and broadcasts new alert types (for which the Weatheradio’s memory does not contain a specific, corresponding description). If your Weatheradio receives a signal for a new alert type, it is preset (if the alert function is turned on) to display UNKNOWN, the alert description (EMERGENC, STATEMNT, WARNING, or WATCH), and TUNE TV, then sound a siren alert.
NWS WEATHER ALERT
DESCRIPTIONS
Your Weatheradio can display these NWS weather alert descriptions. For easy reference, this list also shows the type of alert (siren or beep) that sounds during each alert.
Weather/Alert |
You See |
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Description |
Hear |
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Avalanche warning |
AVALANCH |
Siren |
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WARNING |
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Avalanche watch |
AVALANCH |
Siren |
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WATCH |
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Weather/Alert |
You See |
You |
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Description |
Hear |
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Blizzard warning |
BLIZZARD |
Siren |
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WARNING |
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Civil danger warning |
CIVIL |
Siren |
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DANGER |
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WARNING |
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Civil danger watch |
CIVIL |
Siren |
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DANGER |
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WATCH |
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Civil emergency — turn |
TUNE TV |
Siren |
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on the TV for information |
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or, if no information is |
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available on TV, call your |
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local NWS office |
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Note: TUNE TV might also indicate the Weatheradio has received a signal for a condition not defined in the Weatheradio’s memory (see “Testing the Alert Siren/ Display” on Page 33).
Coastal flood |
COASTAL |
Siren |
warning |
FLOOD |
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WARNING |
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Coastal flood |
COASTAL |
Siren |
watch |
FLOOD |
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WATCH |
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Weather/Alert |
You See |
You |
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Description |
Hear |
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Emergency action |
EMERGENC |
Siren |
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warning |
ACTION |
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WARNING |
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Emergency action |
EMERGENC |
Beeps |
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termination |
ACTION |
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TERMINAT |
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Evacuate |
EVACUATE |
Siren |
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immediately |
IMMEDIAT |
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Fire warning |
FIRE |
Siren |
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WARNING |
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Flash flood statement |
FLASH |
Beeps |
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FLOOD |
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Flash flood warning |
FLASH |
Siren |
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FLOOD |
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WARNING |
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Flash flood watch |
FLASH |
Siren |
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FLOOD |
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WATCH |
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Flood statement |
FLOOD |
Beeps |
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Flood warning |
FLOOD |
Siren |
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WARNING |
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Flood watch |
FLOOD |
Siren |
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WATCH |
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Weather/Alert |
You See |
You |
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Description |
Hear |
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Hazardous material |
HAZARD |
Siren |
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warning |
MATERIAL |
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WARNING |
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Hazardous material |
HAZARD |
Siren |
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watch |
MATERIAL |
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WATCH |
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High wind warning |
HIGH |
Siren |
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WIND |
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WARNING |
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High wind watch |
HIGH |
Siren |
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WIND |
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WATCH |
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Hurricane statement |
HURRICAN |
Beeps |
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Hurricane warning |
HURRICAN |
Siren |
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WARNING |
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Hurricane watch |
HURRICAN |
Siren |
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WATCH |
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Immediate evacuation |
IMMEDIAT |
Siren |
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warning |
EVACUATE |
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WARNING |
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Law enforcement |
LAW |
Siren |
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warning |
ENFORCE |
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WARNING |
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Weather/Alert |
You See |
You |
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Description |
Hear |
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Local area emergency |
LOCAL |
Siren |
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AREA |
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EMERGENC |
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National information |
NATIONAL |
Siren |
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center |
INFO |
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CENTER |
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Periodic national test |
NATIONAL |
Beeps |
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PERIODIC |
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TEST |
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Practice/Demo |
DEMO |
Nothing |
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MESSAGE |
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Radiological hazard |
RADIOLOG |
Siren |
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warning |
HAZARD |
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WARNING |
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Radiological hazard |
RADIOLOG |
Siren |
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watch |
HAZARD |
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WATCH |
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Required monthly test |
MONTHLY |
Beeps |
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TEST |
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Required weekly test |
WEEKLY |
Beeps |
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TEST |
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Severe thunderstorm |
SEVERE |
Siren |
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warning |
THUNDER |
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WARNING |
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Weather/Alert |
You See |
You |
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Description |
Hear |
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Severe thunderstorm |
SEVERE |
Siren |
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watch |
THUNDER |
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WATCH |
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Severe weather |
SEVERE |
Beeps |
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statement |
WEATHER |
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Shelter in-place warning |
SHELTER |
Siren |
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IN-PLACE |
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WARNING |
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Special marine |
SPECIAL |
Siren |
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warning |
MARINE |
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WARNING |
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Special weather |
SPECIAL |
Beeps |
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statement |
WEATHER |
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Test message |
TEST |
Nothing |
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MESSAGE |
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Tornado warning |
TORNADO |
Siren |
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WARNING |
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Tornado watch |
TORNADO |
Siren |
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WATCH |
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Tsunami warning |
TSUNAMI |
Siren |
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WARNING |
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Tsunami watch |
TSUNAMI |
Siren |
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WATCH |
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Weather/Alert |
You See |
You |
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Description |
Hear |
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Unrecognized code |
UNKNOWN |
Siren |
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ending in S |
STATEMNT |
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TUNE TV |
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Unrecognized code |
UNKNOWN |
Siren |
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ending in W |
WARNING |
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TUNE TV |
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Unrecognized code |
UNKNOWN |
Siren |
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ending in A |
WATCH |
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TUNE TV |
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Unrecognized code |
UNKNOWN |
Siren |
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ending in E |
ENERGENC |
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TUNE TV |
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Volcano warning |
VOLCANO |
Siren |
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WARNING |
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Volcano watch |
VOLCANO |
Siren |
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WATCH |
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Winter storm warning |
WINTER |
Siren |
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STORM |
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WARNING |
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Winter storm watch |
WINTER |
Siren |
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STORM |
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WATCH |
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