Weather Station Hardware > Weather Radios
Acurite weather alert radio
larryf:
I can't seem to find this on Walmart's website... Is this only available in some areas?
Walmart has free shipping to store and (sometimes) 99 cent shipping to home when you order items online.
Larry
Garth Bock:
Just a suggestion....the external connection to an alert device would be good. I have several deaf friends who live out in the country and while they have their door bells that flash lights in the house they don't have any way to "see" a weather alert unless the TV is on.
larryf:
I found the Walmart link... But they will not ship to home or another store, all you can do is look at stock in a local Walmart:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acurite-Weather-Alert-Radio/16888929
It was interesting to note someone was selling one of these on Ebay, and he claimed it was too loud and you could not turn the volume down. I'll probably pick one of these up later this week, if it works as advertised it's a great deal for $30.
Larry
Rhino:
The volume of alerts is set at the NWS required DB level, there is a volume control that may be used after the initial alert is received and announces the entire message. AcuRite radios all have S.A.M.E. and had to go through rigorous testing by the NWS and NOAA prior to approval for sale. We were told that our radios has one of the best reception ever tested- we are very proud of that. Because of all the testing we went through, we are able to put the NOAA approval logo and the Public Alert logo on our packaging. If you do not see these logos on packaging, manufacturers likely did not go through the proper testing to make sure their radio is up to snuff.
The channel is displayed as a singular number instead of a frequency because there are only 7 total frequencies, which would require a minimum of 34 additional LCD segments to display- which would affect the readability of the scrolling alphanumeric text. Every LCD panel requires a hardware driver to energize each individual LCD segment. The drivers are matched and selected based on overall LCD size and..how many total segments there are in the panel. We had a specific price point in mind to make our radio a great value for all folks, while making sure we include great features like S.A.M.E.- If we had displayed the full frequencies instead of singular channel numbers- there would have been too many segments for the current driver, resulting in a less readable display with contrast issues- and a different driver would have to be used- the price would also certainly bump up.
Would it help if the cross referenced 7 channel frequencies were etched or printed in the back of the radio unit? Let me know what else you would like to see in a radio, I would love to hear more from the enthusiasts! I design these products for AcuRite, and I am always looking for input directly from the end-user- makes for better products for all!
WXman:
--- Quote from: Rhino on March 23, 2012, 11:14:24 AM ---The volume of alerts is set at the NWS required DB level, there is a volume control that may be used after the initial alert is received and announces the entire message. AcuRite radios all have S.A.M.E. and had to go through rigorous testing by the NWS and NOAA prior to approval for sale. We were told that our radios has one of the best reception ever tested- we are very proud of that. Because of all the testing we went through, we are able to put the NOAA approval logo and the Public Alert logo on our packaging. If you do not see these logos on packaging, manufacturers likely did not go through the proper testing to make sure their radio is up to snuff.
The channel is displayed as a singular number instead of a frequency because there are only 7 total frequencies, which would require a minimum of 34 additional LCD segments to display- which would affect the readability of the scrolling alphanumeric text. Every LCD panel requires a hardware driver to energize each individual LCD segment. The drivers are matched and selected based on overall LCD size and..how many total segments there are in the panel. We had a specific price point in mind to make our radio a great value for all folks, while making sure we include great features like S.A.M.E.- If we had displayed the full frequencies instead of singular channel numbers- there would have been too many segments for the current driver, resulting in a less readable display with contrast issues- and a different driver would have to be used- the price would also certainly bump up.
Would it help if the cross referenced 7 channel frequencies were etched or printed in the back of the radio unit? Let me know what else you would like to see in a radio, I would love to hear more from the enthusiasts! I design these products for AcuRite, and I am always looking for input directly from the end-user- makes for better products for all!
--- End quote ---
Yeah like I said, it's not a reception issue at all. The radio receives the audio fine. It's just white noise embedded in the audio. Not a big deal...just something that I don't experience with any other radios.
As far as the channel listing..yeah it would at least be some help if there was a list printed on the back of the unit. During "automatic setup" the radio told me that Channel 5 was the strongest channel, and it's going to use that one as default. I was thinking, "UM, ok that's cool...but what channel IS channel 5? Is that the tower that is going to send warnings to me? Because if not, I don't care if channel 5 is the strongest signal or not!" I can receive at least 3 or 4 NOAA towers from my house, but until last year only 1 of them sent warnings for my county (now there are 2 that do). So I need to know the frequency I'm tuned to, not the channel that this brand of radio wants to use. Does that make sense?
With the alert tone.. when a warning is issued, the "alert tone" that the AcuRite radio emits is exactly the same alert tone that you would hear if you were monitoring the station with the tones turned off. In other words, the AcuRite radio simply turns ON when a warning comes out...it doesn't sound a loud, seperate, brand specific tone like all the other radios I've ever used. This really confused me at first. It works....it just doesn't work as well.
Again, other than these 3 points I can find no fault with the radio. It's a GREAT value at $30 bucks.
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