Radio Shack Weather Radio User Manual
7-Channel
Portable
SAME
Weatheradio
with Alert
®
Owner’s Manual
Please read before using this equipment.
ˆ
Contents
Features ................................................................. 5
How Your Radio Works ......................................... 6
Weather Alerts ................................................. 7
New Alert Types ........................................ 8
Understanding FIPS Codes ............................. 8
Obtaining Your Area’s FIPS Code(s) ........ 9
Preparation .......................................................... 11
Installing Batteries .......................................... 11
Using the Antenna .................................. ... .. .. 12
Programming ....................................................... 13
Missed Alert Reminder Beep ......................... 17
Enabling/Disabling the Alert Tone .................. 18
Testing the Weatheradio ................................ 20
Manually Testing the Alert Tone .............. 21
Using the Weatheradio’s ‘All Signals’ Code ... 22
Operation .................................. ........................... 23
The Display Backlight ..................................... 23
Listening to Broadcasts .................................. 24
Using the Alert Function ................................. 24
When a Weather Alert Occurs ................ 25
©
1999, 2000 RadioShack Corporation.
Weatheradio is a registered trademark used by RadioShack Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
2
Reviewing Overlapping Alerts ................ 26
When a Test or Demo Alert Occurs ........ 26
Alert Descriptions ............................................... 28
Troubleshooting ................................................. 32
Care ............................................................... 34
Specifications ..................................................... 35
ˆ
FCC Information
This device complies with Part 15 of the
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.
Product: 7 Channel SAME Weatheradio with Alert
Model: 12-254
Responsible
Party:
Phone: 817-415-3200
RadioShack
100 Throckmorton
Fort Worth, TX 76102
FCC Rules
.
3
This equipment has been tested
and found to comply with the limits
for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the
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.
FCC Rules
THE FCC WANTS YOU TO KNOW
Your Weatheradio might cause TV or radio interference even when it is operating properly. To determine
whether your Weatheradio is causing the interference, turn off your Weatheradio. If the interference
goes away, your Weatheradio is causing it. Try to
eliminate the interference by moving your Weatheradio away from the TV or other radio.
.
4
ˆ
Features
Your RadioShack Weatheradio represents the latest
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 affect you.
SAME Operation
ent FIPS (Federal Information Processing System)
codes into the Weatheradio’s memory so your Weatheradio sounds an alert only when a weather emergency is declared in those locations.
Display Backlight
in low light situations.
Missed Alert Reminder Beep
you do not miss an important weather alert by continuing to sound a chirp tone until the alert time expires.
— lets you program up to 15 differ-
— makes the display easy to read
— assures you that
Features
5
ˆ
How Y our Radio Works
Traditional weather radios simply receive the
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
weather broadcast (usually within a 50-mile radius)
then sound an alarm if an 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,
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.
patible 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
6
NOAA
began broadcasting coded signals
Only SAME com-
How Your Radio Works
National
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.
WEATHER ALERTS
When the Weatheradio receives a weather alert:
• it sounds an alert beep
• it displays a description of the alert and the alert
duration
Note:
If the Weatheradio receives more than one
weather alert at the same time, it displays information
for each alert in sequence.
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 “Alert
Descriptions” on Page 28.
Warning:
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.
The NWS uses sophisticated weather
How Your Radio Works
7
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
81.12:1
turned on) to display
(0(5*(1&
(0(5*(1&, 67$7( 017
(
(0(5*(1&(0(5*(1&
then sound a beeping alert.
67$7( 017, :$51,1*
67$7( 01767$7( 01 7
81.12:1
81.12:181.12:1
:$51,1*
:$51,1*:$51,1*
, the alert description,
:$7&+
, or
:$7&+
:$7&+:$7&+
), and
781(
781( 79
781(781(
79
7979
UNDERSTANDING FIPS CODES
For the purpose of broadcasting weather information,
the NWS has divided the United States into regions
by state and county (or parish, where applicable) then
assigned a 6-digit FIPS code to identify each county
or parish. 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 or parish.
Note:
Most FIPS codes begin with 0, which means
the code represents an entire county. The NWS, how-
,
8
How Your Radio Works
ever, plans to eventually 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 can 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 FIPS
codes into the Weatheradio’s memory. For example,
this lets you avoid hearing an alert that applies to an
area within a 50-mile radius but not necessarily to
your county or parish.
Obtaining Your Area’s FIPS Code(s)
To obtain the FIPS code for the location where you installed your Weatheradio, contact your local
RadioShack store or call the NWS toll free at
NWR-SAME
follow the instructions you hear.
You can also obtain a state/county list of all FIPS
codes by visiting the NWS website:
(1-888-697-7263). If you call the NWS,
www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/
indexnw.htm#sametable
1-888-
How Your Radio Works
9
Note:
If you are close to a county or parish line, you
might want to obtain the codes for the nearby counties or parishes.
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 frequently travel through (as long as those areas are
within a 50 mile radius of your location and within 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.
10
How Your Radio Works
ˆ
Preparation
INSTALLING BATTERIES
Your radio uses three AA batteries for power. For the
best performance and longest life, we recommend
RadioShack alkaline batteries.
Warning:
erly; do not bury or burn them.
Cautions:
Dispose of old batteries promptly and prop-
• Use only fresh batteries of the required size and
recommended type.
• Do not use rechargeable batteries in your Weatheradio.
• Never leave weak or dead batteries in the radio.
They can leak chemicals that can damage the
radio.
• If you do not plan to use your radio for several
weeks, remove the batteries.
Preparation
11
Loading...