Oregon Scientific WR196T All Hazard Radio with AM/FM Radio & S.A.M.E Technology

by Oregon Scientific

Product Details

Product Manual [222kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.9 x 5.2 inches ; 12 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005N5XM
• Item model number: WR196T
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,014 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 14, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Oregon Scientific's WR-196T radio receives all seven NOAA Weather Radio channels and can be programmed to display only warnings and alerts that occur in your local area. The radio continuously receives broadcasts and sounds the radio speaker whenever an alert comes through so you can be sure to be on top of the latest weather news. It folds easily for compact placement on any desktop.

The WR-196T uses Specific Area Messaging Encoding (SAME) technology, giving you the option of screening out unwanted broadcasts and receiving alerts only for the geographical areas you program (up to six counties of your choice). It also receives National Weather Service broadcasts and alerts vital to survival in the aftermath of earthquakes, storms, floods, explosions, radiation emergencies, toxic chemical spills, and other life-threatening disasters.

The LCD's backlit display assures the best readability. This radio also doubles as a digital alarm clock with snooze feature and AM/FM radio with 10 presets. The WR-196T runs on three AA batteries (not included) or on an included AC power adapter.

Product Description

Stay informed and safe with 24-hour NOAA weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather like tornadoes and hurricanes. The National Weather Service broadcasts vital information for survival in the aftermath of earthquakes, storms, floods, explosions, radiation emergencies, toxic chemical spills and other life threatening disasters. State-of-the- art Specific Area Messaging Encoding (S.A.M.E.) technology gives you the option of screening out unwanted broadcasts and only receiving alerts for the geographical areas you pre-program (up to nine specific areas of your choice). AC adapter included. Stay informed and safe with 24-hour NOAA weather forecasts and warnings. Broadcasts tornado and storm alerts, forecasts and warnings. S.A.M.E. reception feature allows you to select broadcasts for specific counties. Pre-program up to 9 specific areas of your choice. AC Adapter Included. S.A.M.E. reception for up to nine specific areas. Detailed description of NOAA messages such as, winter storms, tornados and hurricanes. Actual size: 6.75x.88x5.25

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a reliable source, September 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Oregon Scientific WR196T All Hazard Radio with AM/FM Radio & S.A.M.E Technology (Electronics)

I bought three of this particular model of NOAA radios in November 2000. Within a week period in July 2001, all three LCDs went blank, the memory failed, and the radio went haywire. When I contacted the company about this, I received no reply. If there was trouble with a specific batch, it should have been replaced. If this is their normal quality, I would stay away.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Complicated instructions with little company support, June 21, 2002

By 

Jonathan Jay Gibian (Cleveland, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oregon Scientific WR196T All Hazard Radio with AM/FM Radio & S.A.M.E Technology (Electronics)

I purchased my WR196T just last year. Despite rather confusing instructions printed on one sheet of extremely thin paper, I finally was able to get the radio working. That lasted less than a year when, suddenly, the unit failed to activate/respond to NWS alert signals, both real and tests. Trying to recode the radio, I discovered it would no longer accept any SAME codes.

Oregon Scientific, manufacturer of the radio, says it does not offer any repair services and will replace a unit only within a 90-day warranty period. Since the radio is a rather expensive bit of electronics, you might be better served by buying a unit from a more responsive company.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So far, so good!, May 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Oregon Scientific WR196T All Hazard Radio with AM/FM Radio & S.A.M.E Technology (Electronics)

Bought this radio after a tornado watch made me realize we had no overnight way to be notified of dangerous weather. So far it works great, but I have only had it going for a week. You just put it on NOAA standby mode and it activates automatically when it receives a severe weather alert. A long LCD bar blinks green every 2 or 3 seconds when there are no alerts, then it blinks red the entire time a weather alert is active. With the SAME technology you can program specific county codes and only receive alerts from those areas ...

Pros: Small size lets it fit on my bedside table. Sleek look. Displays date/time/inside temp./weather warning messages. Was able to program only nearby county codes so we only receive warnings in our area. So far we have had two different days of bad weather and the radio worked as advertised. I can't comment on the strength of long range NWS radio reception since the NWS radio station is in my city. But it picks the signal up great. It can also be used as a clock radio alarm. The FM reception is good and you can preset stations.

Cons: The backlight is good but can only be on for 10 seconds at a time when you hit a button. Since I'm using it as a clock radio it would have been nice to have an option for at least a dim backlight on all through the night to see the time. The instructions were slightly less than user friendly. It was not clearly spelled out how to set the radio to NOT receive ALL the nearby county alerts, but I figured it out: you hit the county button, and when it displays county zero you hit the alarm on/off button to blank it out. If you want to wake up to radio on the alarm you can't use the snooze feature - as far as I can tell the radio comes on in sleep mode (60 minutes) and ignores the snooze button. I have to use the alarm to use snooze.

Overall I would recommend this weather radio, but cannot provide long term feedback on it yet.