Weather alert radio?

[topgun2]

I've not been all that bad during 2017, so, I've been thinking about what to put on my Christmas list.  One of the things that comes to mind is a Weather Alert Radio.  My Oliver has the radio that has weather band radio, but, it does not come on automatically when there is a weather alert issued.  So, anyone got one of these that they can recommend?  I'd prefer one that operates via solar, USB and/or battery and not 110 a/c.

 

Bill

[John E Davies]

I can’t recommend a particular radio, are you looking for something that will work outside of cellular coverage? For times when you have a signal, there are apps that are very useful, for example...

 

http://www.nixle.com

 

My real fear is getting trapped at the end of a dead end forest road by a forest fire during summer camping season. I don’t know of any way to stay informed about those other than logging into the wildfire websites, or waiting until a sheriff’s deputy comes screeching past yelling into his bullhorn warning folks to run for your lives. It would be comforting to have push notifications for fast moving or shifting fires... but then again, with no cell signal you are screwed.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[GaryJona]

Just one quick suggestion put weather alert on your cell phone and you will get warning where ever you are on the road as long as u have cell service, Tornados, snow, wind, etc what ever the national weather forecasts put out. Thanks Gary

 

 

[SeaDawg]

After recent years, the wild fire alert is so valid.

Is this alert on weather radios?

We bought ours from radio shack for tornado warning in the Midwest, a long time ago. 8 years?

An updated model might be on my list, too.

Sherry

[topgun2]

Interesting that most people just assume that everyone has a cell phone these days.  Well, yes I do have one, but only use it for emergencies.  Therefore, I do not have it on all the time.  Actually, I hardly ever have it on - hence the "need" for something that I do not have to remember to turn on.  However, thanks for the input - so far.

 

Bill

 

p.s.  The wild fire issue does remind me of a time about 4 years ago.  I was fishing up a 22 mile long one lane dirt road out of Meeteetse, WY fairly near Amelia Earhart's unfinished cabin.  A nice sunny day until I noticed that it wasn't so sunny anymore and those were not clouds.  I never did smell smoke but thought that I just might want to start back down that road in the event this was what I thought it was.  Well, as I got to about 5 miles from civilization an army of forest service guys and fire equipment met me head on.  Just got to give those people a bunch of credit - nasty work and there basically is only one way in and out of that place.

[John E Davies]

Bill, As an older person I understand your reluctance to depend on a cell phone, but often change can be good. Just leaving it turned on might allow rescuers to find you if you are alone and become incapacitated. There are many more uses for a tablet than a phone, but you still have to have that darned signal for much of it to function. I would never go off highway without my iPad and its several nav programs, for example. But I do download maps so I can use it anywhere.

 

Would I ever consider turning off my phone or tablet? Never... they have too much value, even away from reliable cell coverage. I might not have a signal for half an hour, then I get a bar as I approach a saddle, and I am back in touch again, so I can send a short “I’m OK” text to my daughter. With it turned off I would never know that I even had a connection.

 

I do carry and use a SPOT but that is a whole other subject.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[topgun2]

John - don't think that "older" has anything to do with it and change is most always good (in my opinion).  I do always carry two Spots - one is always in the Oliver to track where it is at all times and the other is with me.  I too use a tablet for when I'm in the back country.  In fact, I probably use "Back Country Navigator" more than any other single app and, as you point out, if one downloads maps prior to a trip then they can navigate just about anywhere on earth.  My wish for a weather alert radio has little to do with my need or lack thereof for a cell phone.  For my purposes I believe that it would simply be much easier to have a small radio in my sleeping quarters at all times without having to worry about where is the cell phone - is turned on or off - is it fully charged - is that app functioning - will some bozo call me in the middle of the night...  Glad that it works for you though.

 

Bill

[donthompson]

John,

 

As a solo camper and hiker drawn to remote places like the trails out of Dog Canyon at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, I too carry a Spot. You may want to share your experiences and expertise about this device. My outdoor/adventure retailer in Iowa City convinced me that I should have “extraction” insurance for medical emergencies while hiking in remote areas in the west. I discovered that the Spot subscription provides good insurance as well as a means of getting help in case of emergency.

 

Don

[KarenLukens]

If I wanted the wife to be able to track me, I would have a cell phone for those, "Yes Dear" moments... But I prefer the old "Silence is Golden" times that I have out in the woods alone. It seems like I can't go anywhere these days without my cars knowing exactly where I am anyway... :)

 

Reed

[Try2Relax]

You can read up on this one.

 

Midland WR-120 NOAA Public Alert-Certified Weather Radio with SAME, Trilingual Display, and Alarm Clock

 

On Amazon, it has 2000 reviews and 4.25 out of 5 stars

 

It comes with an AC cord, but that knocks it down to 9vdc and takes 3AA as backup, so you can certainly retrofit it to work in trailer and it's only <$30 everywhere.

 

It does civil alerts too, so that probably includes fires and is rated for 93% of the country.

[topgun2]

Randy - thanks for that suggestion.  I have looked at the WR-120EZ and the only thing I didn't like was the 110 cord.  However, I could use it to brush up on my Spanish.  Been looking at the Midland ER-310.  A bit more money, but I can simply plug it into a USB port that I have in the nightstand and forget it - at least until that thing goes off.  Unfortunately, the ER-310 (or 210) doesn't have SAME.  Still looking ....

 

Bill

[John E Davies]

Is this too much radio?

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QMTI6YK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00QMTI6YK&linkCode=as2&tag=radiojayallen-20&linkId=PDEBKMRRH7A5WL2E

 

It is well made and gets very good reviews, I bet the manufacturer has simpler models if you don’t care about listening to pilots. It does have the ability to use rechargeable batteries and plug into a USB port.

 

https://radiojayallen.com/c-crane-cc-skywave-radio/

 

These little SW radios are fun to play with when you are bored or have a child that needs entertaining....

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[rideandfly]

Here's the small/inexpensive Kaito KA-350 radio we used for 4 years, so far. It's has hand crank power, solar charger, AM/FM, Shortwave, flashlight,  and NOAA weather.

 

 

 

Only used the headphone outlet so far, it also has USB-out & 5V-in ports.

 

 

 

 

 

[topgun2]

Bill - ever get a weather alert on that radio?  It doesn't look like it has the automatic alert feature which means that you have to have the radio tuned to a weather band station in order to get an alert - true?

 

Bill

[rideandfly]

Bill – ever get a weather alert on that radio? It doesn’t look like it has the automatic alert feature which means that you have to have the radio tuned to a weather band station in order to get an alert – true? Bill

 

Bill,

 

I monitor NOAA when the weather is questionable.  My radio does not automatic alert feature.

 

http://kaitoradio.com/ka350grey.html

 

This Kaito radio has automatic weather alert:

 

http://kaitoradio.com/emergency-radios/ka550y.html

 

Here's all of their emergency radios:

 

http://kaitoradio.com/emergency-radios.html

 

 

 

 

[Jack & Trish]

We are looking at the Sangean MMR 38 on Amazon. Sorry I don't know how to add the link.

[topgun2]

Jack & Trish - Thanks!  I think that you may have meant the MMR - 88 since I didn't find the 38 on Amazon.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sangean-MMR-88-Emergency-Flashlight-Smartphone/dp/B00OJZOOLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511276496&sr=8-1&keywords=Sangean+MMR88

 

At $46.81 this radio doesn't seem like a bad deal AND it has the automatic weather alert that I'm looking for plus it can be powered by USB, solar or crank - however, the battery is fairly small and it will not take regular non-lithium batteries.  So, now I'm debating between this one and the Kaito KA600 at $78.88 or KA550 at $49.95.

 

Its fairly simple to add a link to another internet page.  I usually open the page I want to link to in another window and then simply right click on the address bar at the top left of that window.  In the drop down menu I left click on "copy" and the computer copies the already highlighted address into memory.  Then back on the Oliver Forum page (like this one) where I want to type a message I left click on the symbol above that looks like a chain link (third from the right).  In the drop down box I right click and click on "paste" and then left click on the "enter arrow".  The link should now be in your message.

 

Bill

[Spike]

Sorry to seem clueless, but what is a SPOT? (Such a common word with which to initiate a Google search.)

 

--Jeff

 

 

[bradbev]

A SPOT unit is a satellite based SOS type device.   Great for those that venture out of cell range.

 

I have an older one that has 3 types of message.

 

I'm OK

 

Not an emergency but need help

 

Or Emergency help needed.

 

Each message includes GPS data.

 

On my old one, messages 1 & 2 were pre addressed to family or friends.  The third went Direct to emergency services. The newer units are much more advanced and can be linked to a smart phone so that a message can be composed and sent direct from your location. .

[Try2Relax]

The other SPOT is for trailer security, you plug it in, USB, and if it moves it sends out an alert and it's location every 5 or 10 mins. I have one, and it sends me a text every night to let me know where it is.

 

https://www.findmespot.com/en/#

 

 

[bradbev]

<p style="text-align: left;">Boy, lots of new products and features.  I stopped using mine several years ago.  I see that the yearly service charge is higher,  but i can see where it might be justified with all the new features.</p>

Many or all are discounted right now.  Sorta like printers, they give the hardware away but make their profit from the supplies.

[topgun2]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger on the weather alert radio - Kaito KA600L .  Much more radio and money than originally planned or truly needed, but, I added Short Wave, digital tuning, bigger speaker, and bigger battery to the mix.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I4W8EHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Thanks to John Davies for the short wave idea and to Rideandfly (Bill) for the brand.  Also thanks to everyone else who helped stir the pot.

 

Once I actually receive this radio (it is a Christmas present) I'll do a review here.

 

Bill

[topgun2]

OK, time for that short term review on the KAITO Voyager Pro KA600L.

 

The radio was about the size I expected - 4 1/2 inches tall, 5 1/2 inches long, 2 3/4 inches thick but it was a bit lighter than expected at 1 pound 2 oz.  The lightness is probably part of the reason that my initial impression was that the radio is fairly cheaply constructed - certainly not made for "rugged" use like just pitching it into the back of the truck.  I'm guessing that things would break if it is subjected to even relatively minor falls from a counter.  However, one of the first things I did to it was to apply heavy duty "3M" Velcro to its bottom so that it will normally ride near the rear window on top of the night stand.  But, with the Velcro I will be able to remove it to take outside if desired.

 

Other than the fact that I think that the humidistat reads a touch too low, all the other functions work remarkably well.  The thermometer is spot on, tuning is easy (either on automatic or via manual input) and the sound output is OK given the size of the speaker.  I'll have to assume that the NOAA weather alert function works since the controls did what they were supposed to do but during the time that I tested it no alerts were issued.  The radio comes with a short USB cord and my plan is to use this to power the radio from the USB port that I had installed in the rear of the nightstand.  I charged up the battery and let the radio play all day.  At the end of the day the battery charge indicator on the screen only showed a minor use of power.

 

So, bottom line is that I'm happy.  Given all of the things it can do this radio seems to be a bargain as opposed to the other brands I looked at.

 

Bill

 

 

[SeaDawg]

Thanks, Bill. I know we're past due on updating our weather radio  so many places that we camp have no cell signal on either Verizon or TMobile, that I don't feel we can trust just the phones.

 

Years ago, we were camped in a tiny county site outside retty lanesboro, Minnesota. It was a beautiful night. Then, the sheriff deputy drove in to tell us about a tornado approaching, and invited us to the jail for security...

 

Fun killer, for sure. We didn't opt for the get out of jail free card, but did get into the truck for an hour, pointed out of the campground, listening to the truck radio on the local station. Fortunately, the tornado went north of us.

 

Night tornadoes are the scariest. In the day, you can often smell, hear and see them coming...and the warning signs in the birds and sky. At night... Not so much. And, You can't count on a nice deputy to drive into the campsite and give you weather warnings. That's a rarity.

 

Sherry