Uniden WX100 User Manual

WX100

7 CHANNEL WEATHER RADIO

Reference Guide

Precautions

Before you read anything else,

please observe the following:

Uniden DOES NOT represent this unit to be waterproof. To
reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock,
this unit to rain or moisture.

Changes or modifications to this product not expressly
approved by Uniden, or operation of this product in any way
other than as detailed by this Reference Guide, could void
your authority to operate this product.

The installation, possession, or use of this radio in a motor
vehicle may be prohibited, regulated, or require a permit in
certain states, cities, and/or local jurisdiction. Your local
law enforcement officials should be able to provide this
information regarding the laws in your community.

DO NOT expose

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

About Your Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

About Weather Alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

About FIPS Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Obtaining Your Area’s FIPS Code(s) . . . . . 4

Taking Proper Care of Your Radio . . . . . . 5

Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Installing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Mounting on the Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Using External Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Controls & Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Initial Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Clock Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Weather Channel Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

FIPS Code Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Alert Type Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Alarm Time Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Backlight Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Using the Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Helpful Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

User Shortcut Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Testing the Weather Alert Radio . . . . . . . 22

Testing the Alert Siren and Indicators . . . 23

Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

One-Year Extended Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Introduction

Getting
Started

Initial Settings

Operation

Troubleshooting

Specifications

INTRODUCTION

About Your Radio

Traditional weather radios receive NOAA’s weather broadcast (usually within a
50-mile radius) then sound an alarm of any emergency code which 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 an emergency and the specific geographic area
(such as a county) affected by the emergency. The WX100 was developed with
the S.A.M.E. (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology. This allows your
radio to receive, interpret, and display the information about the codes so you
can determine if the emergency might affect your area. Only S.A.M.E.
compatible weather radios 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 radio sounds an alert only when a weather
emergency is declared in those locations. This helps you more efficiently track
the weather conditions in and around your area.

Your new radio is equipped with the following features:

■

PLL Control 7 Preprogrammed Weather Channels

■

Programmable Weather Alert with S.A.M.E. Technology

■

Liquid Crystal Display for Alert Description

■

Alert Type Indicators

■

Broadcast Volume Control

■

Alarm Clock

■

Backlight Display

■

External Antenna Connector

■

External Speaker Connector

■

External Alert System Terminals

1

About Weather Alert

When the WX100 receives a weather alert:

• It sounds an alert siren.

• A description of the alert appears.

• An indicator on the front of the radio lights.

If the radio receives more than one weather alert at the same
time, it displays information about each alert.

The alert descriptions your radio 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 radio can display, see NWS Weather Alert Event Code Descriptions on
Page 20 - 21.

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.

2

About 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.

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 radio can receive all S.A.M.E. alert signals broadcasted within about a
50-mile radius of where you installed it. To receive S.A.M.E. alerts and
broadcasts about weather occurring only in particular counties within that
area, you can program up to 20 FIPS codes into the radio’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.

3

Obtaining Your Area’s FIPS Code(s)

To obtain the FIPS code for the location where you installed your radio,
contact the NWS toll free at 1-888-NWR-SAME (1-888-697-7263).

Visit their website: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm
If you call the NWS, follow the instructions you hear.

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 20 FIPS codes into the radio’s memory,

you might want to obtain the codes for other local areas (as long as
those areas are within a 50 mile radius of your local NWS broadcast
station). That way, you can program those codes into the radio and
receive broadcasts covering those locations, too.

4

Taking Proper Care of Your Radio

■

Do not use the radio in high-moisture environments such as the kitchen
or bathroom.

■

Avoid placing the unit in direct sunlight, near heating elements,

or vents.

■

Do not plug the radio into an outlet controlled by a wall switch as
prolonged periods without power causes the clock to reset.

Unpacking

Carefully check the contents against this list:

■

WX Radio WX100 with built-in telescopic antenna

■

AC Adapter (Model AD-100W)

■

Wall Mount Adaptor with Screws

■

This Reference Guide and other printed material

☞

If any items are missing or damaged, contact the Uniden Parts
Department at [phone]. Hours are from 7:00a.m. to
5:00p.m. Monday through Friday, Central Time. We may also be
reached at www.uniden.com.

☞

Complete and mail your Registration Form immediately.

☞

Read this Reference Guide thoroughly before operating
the radio.

5

GETTING STARTED

Installing the Battery

Before using your WX100 for the first time, be sure to install a 9V Alkaline
battery (not included). It provides backup power when the AC power fails or is
temporarily disconnected. Typical backup power will last for up to 8 hours if
the radio is in standby and the batteries are fresh. If the radio is on and you
are listening to the broadcast, the backup power will only last for about
an hour.

1. Make sure the volume control is set to off.

2. Open the battery compartment cover
on the bottom of the WX100, and snap
the battery onto the battery terminals.

3. Put the battery into the compartment,
and replace the cover.

Replace the battery with a new one whenever “BATT LOW”
appears on the LCD with alert beeps.

Use only the type of battery specified, 9V Alkaline Battery
(6LR61).

6

Mounting on the Wall

The WX100 can be mounted on a wall using the wall mount adapter.

1. Insert two mounting screws into the
wall with their appropriate anchoring
device 3 inches apart. Allow about 2/16
of an inch between the wall and
screwheads for mounting the WX100.

2. Snap the wall mount adapter into the notches on the bottom of the radio.

3. Insert the small plug of the AC adapter cord into the jack on the back of the
radio marked

4. Plug the AC adapter into any standard 120V AC wall outlet. Do not plug into
an outlet controlled by a switch. It could cause clock reset.

5. Place the cord inside the molded channel cord holder.

6. Align the mounting slots on the adapter with the screws on the wall. Push in
and down until the WX100 is firmly seated.

7. Extend the antenna to it full height.

7

USE AD-100W ONLY.