Customer Reviews

Oregon Scientific BARM699 Touch-Screen AM/FM Radio Alarm Clock with Weather Forecasts and Wireless Outdoor Thermometer

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

After having tried several "atomic time" clock radios and alarm clocks, I have finally found what is for me a nearly perfect unit.

The clock easily synchs up with the time signal from WWVB, even during the daytime, when many other units can't (assuming you orient the antenna properly).

The digitally tuned radio works well on both AM and FM, being one of the few radios that I have tried that doesn't get swamped by the nearby radio towers.

A big plus on the alarm clock feature is that you can set the alarm to a particular station and volume, and then go to sleep with the radio set for a different station and volume. So you can go to sleep with a classical station on a low volume and wake up to a news station on a very loud volume.

Even without the HiGlo turned on, the display is very high contrast and easy to read in even moderately dim light.

I happen to prefer that the HiGlo isn't on full-time, since I try to avoid light pollution in my bedroom at night (several medical studies have shown surprising health differences that seem to be related to the light levels during sleep!).

Some people have complained that the surface touch controls are too sensitive. I have not found that to be the case. The unit locks out the controls after one minute, so you have to touch a control twice in order activate it. As long as the clock is left on a table or dresser, this prevents accidental changes quite adequately. The only way this could be a problem was if someone was to pick up the clock and hold it in their hand such that they were bumping one of the controls.

Only three minor changes that prevent this from being perfect.

The first is that when set to wake to buzzer instead of radio, the clock only beeps for two minutes (albeit quite loudly in an increasingly annoying pattern) before giving up. Since I wake to radio, which plays for two hours, this isn't a problem for me.

Another feature that could use improvement would be a switch to toggle the HiGlo between its current behavior and being on full time (although this would throw off the accuracy of the inside temperature reading due to heat generation).

The only thing on the unit that I could call a real flaw is the lack of having a backup battery. The unit will hold its settings for several seconds during a brief outage, but if the outage lasts longer than that all settings (saved stations, alarm time) are lost. The clock will reset itself from WWVB once power is restored, but you will have to reprogram your favorite stations and reset your wake-up time.

While the features overall are pretty neat and this is a nice, compact design that is perfect for a night stand, I am finding that for a bedroom alarm clock it doesn't work so well. I thought that the "HiGlo(tm)" back-lighting was always on, making it easy enough to read in the dark, but that is not the case. The back lighting only comes on after fumbling to find one of the "touch technology" buttons that, of course, are also not lit up. For a desk clock, this would be perfect. For a bedside clock, find one that is visible in the dark...

The atomic clock didn't sync up after 48 hours on standby (the manual recommends at least 24), the temperature reader is off by 5 degrees, and the weather forecast promises only 70% accuracy (which means I check my computer for a *real* forecast each morning anyway). So what you have is a self-setting clock that you have to manually set yourself, a thermometer that you have to mentally adjust downward by 5 degrees, and a forecaster that provides a rough but useless idea of the day's weather. If the above is not enough to dissuade you, consider this: (1) the touch screen buttons are absolutely useless in the morning when your hand-eye coordination is at its worst, (2) the clock's "snooze" button annoyingly becomes a "sleep" button after several minutes of radio/ringing, (3) the radio reception on this in my area is worse than any other radio I have tried, and (4) as others have mentioned, the clock is invisible when the lights are off.

yes there is no battery back up, why? i dont know but that was the only mistake. I set my cell phone alarm for M-F the time i should leave my house for work as a reminder and as a back up in case my alarm doesn't go off so this isn't a deal for me cause i never used it on my old alarm clock.

I wake up to the radio and its loud, i dont use the beeps so i can't say anything about that.

The interface is nice and sleek and works great, i dont know why other people don't like it. To turn on the backlight just hit any button once. then you can use it. you wont accidentally change anything because hitting once just unlocks it and turns the light on.

also its better that its invisible at night. light pollution should be minimal for a good night sleep as many studies show but i guess they could have included an option for those who want to know the time in the middle of the night w/o moving (i dont! ruins my sleep) or need a night light.

The indoor and outdoor temperature are spot on. Today it read 16 outside when my car thermometer read 15 and the internet said it was 17. (F)

The atomic sync took only an hour with low signal.

I haven't had it for that long but it said it was going to rain when it did and sunny when it did.

its nice and small and the back design had plenty of room for a battery back up but whatever. this has lots of features, sleek and works great. Any one else RTFM. (read the manual) the outside sensor should be out of direct sunlight, away from other electronics and heavy metal (interference), a clear view of the sky, Facing the unit within 100ft (even closer and use an alkaline [non rechargable] battery for temps bellow 10(F) [they contain less water]) This also gets better radio reception then my previous (20yr old) clock radio.

Piece of garbage. Speakers are like toys. Reception is awfull.

Impossible to operate. Packed in sealed container. After cutting open package and finding I am not satisfied, could not return. Do not buy this product!

I needed a clock radio to fit a small space in my bathroom and thought this would be perfect. Unfortunately with the lack of a constant back light, poor am radio reception and marginally responsive and generally annoying soft touch buttons, it was anything but. More often than not, when I tried to steady the unit to change a setting, I ended up touching a button that changed a different setting. I'll find a spot for it somewhere, but I purchased a Maverick R-395 Color-Coded LCD Weather Station and AM/FM Radio with Atomic Alarm Clock (Silver) for the bathroom. Far superior.

Along with the others that complain of the touch sensitivity and low light my clock seems to have a mind of it's own where it randomly starts beeping and turning the radio on and off. This is NOT good function at 3am and you are trying to sleep. No it's not the alarm because there is no rhythem to the beeping, just chaotic. The outdoor temp never sends it's signal and my nightstand is a little higher then my head so since the clock is slightly angled I can't read it at all, even with the dayglo on. This causes me to have to reach for the clock and tilt it to read... at which point my fingers hit the sensitive touch buttons and all hell breaks loose.

My brother got an Oregon Scientific clock like this (but different) when he moved into his apartment. When I moved into my own apartment I bought this one. In almost every way I like this clock much more; it's clean, elegant, and has a large display. I love the radio function, but one of my major disappointments is that the alarm can't be set to the radio. The only other problem I have is with the temperature sensor that comes with the clock because it doesn't have a temperature display on the sensor itself like I've seen with other clocks, it's just a little white box with a blinking dot on it. Even so, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to this clock and I was glad I bought it.

Although we really like the looks of the clock and it's functions, it is does not glow in the dark so you can't read it unless you hit a button and speaking of hitting buttons it tends to be less user friendly and it is a pain to program. I would not recommend this or buy another one!

Works vry nicely and I like the fact that when the alarm goes off the backlight stays lit long enough to see the time and temps.