Topic: Midland WR-300 test alert question

[Sigdigit]

Just got this radio for Christmas, and am clearly receiving signal from the Allentown, Pennsylvania transmitter.  Just recieved the Required Weekly Test today, but the siren did not sound.  Does this test usually activate the siren?  I scrolled through the SELECTABLE ALERT OPTION and I think this test may have been set to "alert disable" as well as the other test alerts.  Does this radio come from the factory with the test alerts set to "alert disable" by default?  It would be nice if this was in the instruction manual! I have enabled everything now until I receive some kind of siren to make sure this thing is going to work properly.

[WeatherBeacon]

Did you hear a series of beeps preceding the weekly test?

[Sigdigit]

I was in the other room when the test finally went through and didn't hear anything.  About an hour ago, I went back into the room, pressed the down arrow key, and noticed the test message along with 'expired' showing.  Before, it only showed "no messages". That's when I started messing with the Alert Option menu and discovered the test messages were apparently disabled.  Volume wheel was up, but I still didn't hear anything at the time.  Siren is set to High.

UPDATE: On 1/8/09, I received the Required Weekly Test, this time with siren (I worked night shift the night before.  It did a great job waking me up).  For anyone getting this radio, the test message audible alerts apparently come from the factory disabled by default.

[JOE]

I just recently got a Midland 300.  Tonight it went off for the first time since I've had it.

Wow!  Is there any way to shorten the alert time?  I haven't read all the book yet.

I have another radio that went off at the exact same time, and it had already finished it's alert tone and announced the entire message before the Midland came close to finishing the alert tone.  That's rediculous.

Anyone know?  Or should I go look for the book? (Sheepish grin)

[Anthony]

Depending on what the alert if for. Sometimes the broadcast will have already started bedore the alert stops sounding on my radio. My radio I think is the equivilant of the Midland 300.

[Sigdigit]

I have only received weekly test message alerts, and the audible alert 'siren' does not stop until you press 'silence alert'.  Fortunately, we don't often get short fused weather warnings/watches in NJ, so I haven't had the opportunity to see/hear how it functions with a real warning.

[JOE]

I think I found what I was looking for.  Just not sure it does what I want it to.

Choosing an Alert Type (Voice or Siren):
1. Press the “MENU” button to open menu options.
2. Press the “UP” arrow until Alert Mode is displayed on the screen. Press the “SELECT”
button and “VOICE” will start blinking.
3. If you want the voice alert, press the “SELECT” button.
4. If “VOICE” is chosen, the alert would sound for 8 seconds followed by 5
minutes of weather broadcast.
5. If you want the siren alert, press the “UP” arrow until “SIREN” is displayed,
then press the “SELECT” button to save your setting.
6. If “SIREN” is chosen, alert tones will sound for 5 minutes or until the “ALERT
ON/OFF” button is pressed.

I have a Radio Shack model that works "better"

It sounds a tone for 6 to 8 seconds (guessing)
Then announces the Watch, Warning, Advisory.
Then shuts off.

None of this 5 minute stuff.

Oh well, otherwise the WR-300 seems to work OK.

I've spent more and gotten less before....

[WeatherBeacon]

I just recently got a Midland 300.  Tonight it went off for the first time since I've had it.

Wow!  Is there any way to shorten the alert time?  I haven't read all the book yet.

I have another radio that went off at the exact same time, and it had already finished it's alert tone and announced the entire message before the Midland came close to finishing the alert tone.  That's rediculous.

Anyone know?  Or should I go look for the book? (Sheepish grin)

JOE:

Page 9 of the manual:

4.  If "VOICE" is chosen, the alert would sound for 8 seconds followed by 5 minutes of weather broadcast.
6.  If "SIREN" is chosen, alert tones will sound for 5 minutes or until the "ALERT ON/OFF" button is pressed.

Remember, the radio's purpose is to alert you to emergencies or potential emergencies, but it does give you options. I have mine set to "VOICE". The problem with "VOICE" is that the alert sounds for only 8 seconds, and what if you were outside or in the shower or in the far side of the house during those 8 seconds? The idea behind the 5 minute SIREN is that when the siren sounds, you're going to go to your radio and press the "ALERT ON/OFF" button to determine what's going on.

Regards,

Kevin...


EDIT:  Oops! You found it while I was typing. As we have heard many times ourselves, "When all else fails, read the instructions."
EDIT2:  I didn't intend that to sound like a rebuke. It was directed as much toward myself as anyone else.

[mackbig]

Probably by design.  Dont want a sound sleeper getting killed by a tornado cause of a three beep then off type scenario.  

I have mine set for silence on all alerts aside from Tstorm warning and tornado.   The rest of the warnings can wait till morning for my attention.

Andrew

I have only received weekly test message alerts, and the audible alert 'siren' does not stop until you press 'silence alert'.  Fortunately, we don't often get short fused weather warnings/watches in NJ, so I haven't had the opportunity to see/hear how it functions with a real warning.

[JOE]

Thanks for the replies.  That's why we're all here: to help each other.

I hoped to find a way to adjust some of the features a little more.  I'll try the "voice" settings.

The 8 seconds will wake me.  Then I can just stay in bed, listen to the "warning" and if no action on my part needed, simply roll over and go back to sleep.

Except I usually will get up and check radar anyway.

[WeatherBeacon]

Thanks for the replies.  That's why we're all here: to help each other.

I hoped to find a way to adjust some of the features a little more.  I'll try the "voice" settings.

The 8 seconds will wake me.  Then I can just stay in bed, listen to the "warning" and if no action on my part needed, simply roll over and go back to sleep.

Except I usually will get up and check radar anyway.

You sound like me that way.

Yeah, the 8 second alert will wake you up if the radio is nearby. My radio is on my night stand, and it wakes us up immediately, even though the alert volume is set to "Low".

When I told my wife I wanted one for my birthday last year, her response was essentially, "You need another weather toy?" But it's clear that it gives her more peace of mind, too (even though she sometimes gets annoyed by being wakened, but that's when you need to make sure you edit your alerts pretty selectively).

Enjoy your radio!

Kevin...

[Sigdigit]

The weekly alert siren alert went off the other day and I wasn't home but my wife had the day off.  It scared the crap out of her, she thought something was on fire upstairs, lol.  And yes, I did explain how it worked and how to silence the alert when I got the thing for Christmas, but all I got it response at the time was "uh-huh.  Yes.  That's nice sweety".  That's the nice thing about the siren alert though.  Even though it's upstairs in my bedroom, you can hear it go off anywhere in the house.

[WeatherBeacon]

The weekly alert siren alert went off the other day and I wasn't home but my wife had the day off.  It scared the crap out of her, she thought something was on fire upstairs, lol.  And yes, I did explain how it worked and how to silence the alert when I got the thing for Christmas, but all I got it response at the time was "uh-huh.  Yes.  That's nice sweety".

Ha ha ha ha ha! That sounds familiar.

That's the nice thing about the siren alert though.  Even though it's upstairs in my bedroom, you can hear it go off anywhere in the house.

That's awesome!

[JOE]

I switched mine to voice alert last night.  I think that will work better for me.  I live alone so no one to shut it off.  Or scare either.

I also set the backlight to "ON".  Neat blue nightlight.

Now to wait for another warning or advisory....

[tomwxman]

I have mine set for silence on all alerts aside from Tstorm warning and tornado.

Same here -- very nice feature to be able to select specific warnings!

I'm a gizmo fanatic myself but would be lost without the manual BTW. Everyone needs to find theirs and put it under the radio!

Oh, and another thing, there is a Test mode somewhere also. Sorry don't remember how to do it exactly--I'd have to look at the manual! 

[mackbig]

Speaking of the manual. There is one feature that is not even touched in the manual, and I could not find it online. It has to do with adding alerts.  You can kind of muddle through the keystrokes, but I found a complete lack of having it listed to be a large omission from the booklet.

Andrew

I'm a gizmo fanatic myself but would be lost without the manual BTW. Everyone needs to find theirs and put it under the radio!

[JOE]

If mine becomes a "nuisance", I might look into more selective programming.

I only have it set for about 8 or 9 counties around me.

[floodcaster]

I only have it set for about 8 or 9 counties around me.

That may require some fine tuning. I have mine set to just 2 but guess it depends on your location in relation to the counties. BTW, I use the Voice Alert Mode and it works great.

[WeatherBeacon]

I only have it set for about 8 or 9 counties around me.

That may require some fine tuning. I have mine set to just 2 but guess it depends on your location in relation to the counties. BTW, I use the Voice Alert Mode and it works great.

I have mine set to 4 counties, if I recall correctly. My own and the adjacent counties to the NW, W, and SW.

[Anthony]

Mine is set to 5 I think. All counties arount me. Except to the E.

[tomwxman]

Speaking of the manual. There is one feature that is not even touched in the manual, and I could not find it online. It has to do with adding alerts.  You can kind of muddle through the keystrokes, but I found a complete lack of having it listed to be a large omission from the booklet.

Hmmm, yeah I see you can program up to 5 of these, but... have you ever found an Alert Type that was not already in the radio? Maybe a better question to ask: does anyone know where every alert type officially supported by the S.A.M.E. might be listed? With the codes you'd need to program-in to this Add Alerts menu area? It looks like it wants a 3 alphanumeric code of some sort...?

Maybe this is a feature of the radio that was anticipating some notion NOAA had that they never implemented?

EDIT: Found a few links about this. I guess one could add something in the future, tho this info is well-buried for sure!

http://support.radioshack.com/support_tutorials/weather/wr-gde-7.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_Area_Message_Encoding

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/meg/EAS/emergencydescription.html

OK FWIW I count about 80 official NWS alert types, and about 60 slots in the WR-300. Haven't compared them to see what is missing from the WR-300, but I suppose if one of the "missing" types was one you were interested to receive, you could program-in the 3 char code and get the alert on the WR-300.

[JOE]

I am located near the corners of 4 counties, so I have those 4, plus the next "tier" out to the west.

Probably a little overkill, but I usually know what's coming.

I should look at limiting the types of alerts, but honestly, don't get that many around here.

[mackbig]

It was more for interest.  Since I got mine in the winter, I noticed that Wind Chill Warning was not listed.  So I poked around, found the area on the menus that you could add a 3 char code, and it was at that time that I noticed no ref in manual.

Having said that wind chill warning does not appear in any noaa list I have seen. not sure if Enviro Canada uses it.  Anyway I did not purse further.  But chances are that I would be more impacted by a wind chill warning, then an IBW (Ice Berg Warning) 

so I am not too worried, just an observation.

Andrew

Hmmm, yeah I see you can program up to 5 of these, but... have you ever found an Alert Type that was not already in the radio? Maybe a better question to ask: does anyone know where every alert type officially supported by the S.A.M.E. might be listed? With the codes you'd need to program-in to this Add Alerts menu area? It looks like it wants a 3 alphanumeric code of some sort...?

Maybe this is a feature of the radio that was anticipating some notion NOAA had that they never implemented?
...........
OK FWIW I count about 80 official NWS alert types, and about 60 slots in the WR-300. Haven't compared them to see what is missing from the WR-300, but I suppose if one of the "missing" types was one you were interested to receive, you could program-in the 3 char code and get the alert on the WR-300.

[mackbig]

it'll probably take one of those rare Lake Michigan Ice Berg Warnings... or someone accidetally typing in VOW at 3am to change your mind.

I assume that enviro canada does not broadcast Special weather statements.  Seems these are issued almost every morning during winter, and then in the summer.  They are usually very broad covering winter weather or convective weather for half the province.  Usually issued at 5am.   

My last real warning on my radio was several weeks ago. the rest are all weekly tests. 

One nice feature on this would be an Alert time stamp (or date at least).  Or at least which number it is in the history of 10,  After you start going thorough the 10 alerts in memory and most say "req weekly test...." they all kind of blend together even though its beeping as you scroll....

Then again the primary reason for this purcahse was the 100 year tornado, and secondary to stream to wu...and lastly cause everyone else has one. 

Andrew

If mine becomes a "nuisance", I might look into more selective programming.

I only have it set for about 8 or 9 counties around me.

[mackbig]

alarm just went off, first tstorm warning of the year/radio....  could definitely hear it.... but must admit at first I thought it was one of the kids toys going crazy.

Andrew