Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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74 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sturdy little weather alert radio - performs well, August 29, 2007
The WR602 is an updated version of the WR108, which had some alert problems. Oregon Scientific changed the model number for the repaired version to avoid confusion. Do not purchase the WR108, which has been discontinued.
The WR602 works well. It has good reception, and once it's set up, is bascially a no-brainer. Plan on spending a few minutes to actually read the instructions and play with the unit when you first receive it, though. We had a nasty storm front hanging over Chicago for several days. Believe me, this radio does what it's supposed to. Over the course of a couple of days I received the weekly test, thunderstorm warnings, a tornado warning, and flash flood warnings, all relevant to my area.
One note: the instructions advise that *when changing batteries*, push the reset button in the battery compartment. This does not "wipe" the unit (location codes are retained), but it does "reboot" it. Apparently if you don't do this (at least on the older model), the unit may not alert properly. I have not had this problem, but your mileage may vary. All that should need to be done after a battery change/reset is to set the clock.
If you don't want audible alerts, you can put it into mute mode. Any current alert will show up on the screen, and the light will blink red, but there will be no audio.
Pros: You have the option of either selecting the station you wish to receive, or you can set it to automatically select the strongest station. You can program up to 9 different SAME codes to only receive alerts for a specific area(s). There is also a travel mode that switches the unit to automatic channel/receive all county alerts. By pressing one button you can ensure that you will receive alerts as you travel. Pressing the travel/home button again restores your home channel/SAME settings. The unit has rechargeable batteries, and will continue to operate during a power failure. The audio is both loud and clear.
Cons: When the backlight is used, the display is difficult to read except when looking up from the bottom of the radio. The status light could also be brighter.
Other Information: The radio responds to a specific alert signal sent out by the National Weather Service. When such an alert is broadcast on TV or radio, there is a distinctive "squawk" tone which precedes the message. Not every alert that is put out by a TV or radio station originates from the NWS (or more specifically the Emergency Alert System), and not every alert the NWS issues is considered important enough to "squawk". They reserve this for messages they consider of high importance. Per the National Weather Service / NOAA: "Only the most imminent life- and property-threatening hazards are broadcast with the SAME signal and 1050 Hertz warning alarm tone, where the public has to take immediate action to protect themselves and their property. An operational guideline is that messages are alerted only for hazards urgent enough to warrant waking people up in the middle of the night or otherwise interrupting someone's activities at any time." Don't necessarily expect to hear the alarm go off for watches. Your local NWS station decides what is important enough for the alert tone. When you do receive an alert, the display has a countdown timer that will delete the alert when it reaches zero (expires). Also, be aware that the alert tones (or as some have called them, the "siren") are BROADCAST. They aren't part of the radio. The "squawk" is what activates the radio, the tone that follows is intended to get your attention.
Incidently, weekly tests don't always happen when they're supposed to. If there's even a chance of a real alert happening, they will keep pushing the test back 24 hours at a time until there's no chance of a real alert being issued.
You can't disable specific alarms, but you shouldn't need to, since NWS doesn't issue alarms capable of activating the radio lightly. The weekly test will make noise for about a minute once a week, but it's useful in that you will know that the unit is still working. The radio isn't doing you any good if you only find out that it's not operating when you actually need it.
As to technical support, I had a couple of pre-purchase questions regarding the way the unit operated. I reached a live person quickly (2-3 minute hold time) and they answered my questions accurately. I've had no problems with the unit since I purchased it.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good basic weather radio, December 29, 2007
This radio works fine for me. I seem to have a strong signal in my area. The radio indicates signal strength, but it doesn't seem to work well, it either shows full strength or zero, even though it's capable of displaying several intermediate levels. Regardless of the indicated signal strength I can hear the weather statements and receive alarms/alerts with no problem.
The LCD display has a pretty limited viewing angle, you have to hold it at just the right angle to view it well.
You can't turn off alerts, they time out on their own. I'm not sure how long it takes, but it's many hours. It gets a bit old seeing the Wednesday test scroll across the screen over and over.
The rechargeable batteries last 2 or 3 days, with the radio in standby most of the time, and a few minutes of listening to the radio each day. For a trip of any length you will need to bring the charger or switch to regular batteries.
These are minor issues, overall I'm happy with it.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
solid reliability, June 18, 2008
Item arrived on time and in good condition. No complaints thus far. Easy to set up. I like the fact that you can minimize the counties to ward off unwanted alerts in the middle of the night. Kudos.
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