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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
It worked well... for one year. Tornadoes now go by and laugh at my weather radio. It alerts to thunderstorms, but not tornadoes.
from Hubbard Lake, MI on 7/12/2008
Radio Shack refused to post my last review, lets try this again!
I thought the radio would be a good addition to my station but soon realized it was of no use. I live less than 10 miles from the NOAA tower and even using a VHF antenna outside, the reception is spotty at best. I was very disappointed by the overall look and feel of this unit, not a very well designed radio at all. If one is looking to buy one of these, don't depend on it!
from Hubbard Lake, MI. on 7/10/2008
I thought this radio would be a good addition to my station but was very disappointed in the quality of not only the reception (I live less than 10 miles from the tower), but the overall looks and feel of the unit. Definatly NOT a radio anyone would want to rely on in any sort of an emergency.
i really like this radio. it has alerted me for almost a year so far!
This is the first Weather Alert Radio that I have owned and after reading up on the other weather alert radios on the market I find that it has a lot of features. However, if the main idea behind a weather alert radio is to alert me when something is happening in MY county, this radio doesn't do it. I have programed and re-programmed this thing a dozen times. And I still only get alerts for the 2nd county that I enter not the first when I have it set for multiple counties. The county code that it has automatically programmed into the machine is correct per NOAA. So I have been living with that problem all along. (I live on the border of 2 counties.) Now in the last 2 weeks I have been receiving a No Signal alarm. It is just as loud as the others just not as long, different. Very annoying. I am not longer getting a strong signal from any of the 7 channels. I have changed the batteries, checked the plug. Re-set the channel a dozen of times, and I keep getting that alarm. I just unplugged it and removed the batteries the other day. I now have a worthless piece of equipment. So now I am looking for a new weather alert radio and it wont be this one. Looking at the Midland WR-300 and the Reecom 1650.
Features I liked:
County codes are pre-programed into system.
System auto selects best channel.
Can turn off alerts for alerts not needed.
Bad things:
Impossible to program, at least with my unit you can never get into and out of programming modes. There are 4/5 keys you are using to program most of the time and you never know which one to hit after you think you have made a selection to get to the menu or out of the programming function. Good luck.
Bad channel reception, even prior to no signal issue.
Unable to receive correct alerts.
How can you, as a company, read the numerous comments on your own website, regarding your Hazard Alert Radio 12-262, and not realize that you are running a scam on people?I also have one that worked well for a few months, then simply stopped working. No alerts, no weekly tests. Just "check op". No amount of resetting solves the problem.Is there a chance that you program this fault into the radio, so that people will then purchase another one? Surely most people are smart enough to stay away from the Radio Shack brand after being burned like this!So here we go into another hurricane season, [$]invested in this, unreturnable, unworkable, useless "life saver". You, as a company should be ashamed.Donna Evans
from Georgia on 7/5/2008
We bought this to supplement our other devices and like every one elses it worked for a while then gave it up. Will be looking for a Midland at Krogers.
This radio failed time and time again to pick up alerts. I had it set to pick up all alerts from all areas. I thought the problems many were having was due to incorrect codes being used. That is clearly not the case. Side by side to an older RS weather radio, this unit responded only a handful of times. The older unit responded to each alert. Most of the other negative reviews are 100% correct. I played with it for a few weeks, and have returned for a refund. Save yourself a trip and avoid this poorly made in China radio.
from Florida Gulf Coast on 7/3/2008
This is the worst weather radio we have ever had. Living in Florida these things can mean the difference of getting out of your home in time.... We even tried a "Radio Shack" external antenna and it still doesn't work very well.
Gave up after having to return two units - one didn't work from the start, the second lasted about 30 days before not working anymore. Not really something you want to worry about wheather its going to work correctly - especially when your life can depend on it alerting you to serious situations!!
from Summerville SC on 6/21/2008
Well we bought this radio from the local Summerville, sc Radioshack and it worked great for 13 months.
Now the Alerts do not come on or the warning alarm stays on. I have reset to manufacture default and still no joy. It would seem that these radios are built to last just longer than the warrenty and no more.
For the price we paid we should have got a better make online.I would try another manufacture. Do yourself a favour and keep well clear.
from Port Richey, FL on 6/18/2008
It is replacing an old Radio Shack weather that gave 8+ years of good service during many Florida storms.
Easy set up in minutes (and I am a senior citizen). I had to move it to several locations to find a spot that got the best reception.
If it works as good as the old radio, I will be very plleased.
Like most people, I bought this product to protect my family. I thought by buying a NOAA authorized product, it would work well. I should have read the reviews.
It does work, as long as you are outside your home. I have done everything but put an external antenna on it, which I will do since I have already sunk soo much many $$ into to this one.
Anyone looking for a weather radio should first find out if the external walls or the roof of their home has aluminum foil. If this is the case, then you will need an external antenna. I strongly feel this is my issue.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
Radio failed after 6 months. Couldn't obtain any signal. Warranty only good for 90 days. [...] Not worth the cost.
[0 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
THIS THING IS GREAT EVERYONE SHOULD BY ONE. I BOUGHT TWO.
I bought this unit a year ago and should have checked the reviews. It worked for about 8 months then as we found out last night it no longer works. We just had some bad weather and the unit didn't alert us. I have a cell phone that I have programmed to get weather alerts, thank God, as that is how I found out about the alerts not the by the [$] unit I bought. I tried to reset the radio as the storm was happening and new alerts were going off no luck. Also the unit had done it's weekly test last Wednesday. In this case paying more for it doesn't mean it's better. I'm very disappointed and concerned since this is used to save lives!
We recently lived through a tornado. This weather radio has given us peace of mind knowing that we will know what is going on around us. It alerted us last night to a storm in our area. Happy so far with the unit.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from dover plains n y on 6/1/2008
only good for a boat anchor does not perform to noaa standards useless product
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
This thing is just too complicated to set up. There are numerous discrepancies between the procedures in the manual and how the setup actually works.
The most frustrating piece of electronics I've used in a long, long time.
I haven't had any trouble with the radio. It serves the purpose I purchased it for. We've had several bouts of severe weather in our area and it's been handy in all those cases. I'm happy with the purchase but it's a bit pricey for the sound quality.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
Great alert
from Newark,NY on 5/27/2008
I bought this until for the house since I'm a storm chaser/weather watcher and this does not work, alert's in general have not worked since I bought the until. The older untl works much better. I bought this one for the SAME display...I would not recommend this unit to anyone. Very disappointed in this product.
Purchased radio specifically to receive S.A.M.E. alerts. Worked fine for a few months and then the "check op" notice kept appearing and no alerts and no weekly tests were received. Spent money on external antenna per the instruction book and that didn't help. Radio is useless unless you just want to hear the local forecast which it picks up just fine. Can't depend on it for bad weather alerts. Of course I kept trying to get it to work by reprogramming several times and waiting for the weekly test to see if it was working (and installing the antenna) while the warranty ran out.
from Detroit lakes, MN on 5/24/2008
keeps roaming to another station after locking on to closest station.Does not work consistantly on weather testsVery poor manual No manufacturer back up JUNK
Loud tones, always seems to alert when there is a storm for my county. A little bit overpriced, but I like it none the less.
from Somers Point, Ocean City, NJ on 5/20/2008
Other than it being a pain to program, it is a nice WX radio.
Although it's stationed on an underground level, we do have an external antenna attached and it still fails to alert even though normal broadcast is received and unit has been re-programed many times.
Very hard to program but worked well here in North Texas for 13 months, then stopped recieving any signals. Will be looking to buy a new one, but not from Radio Shack.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
It worked great for 13 months. It cost [$]I feel like I have been had. The radio will losethe signal after 2-3 minutes. I took it back toRadio Shack, the manager said to buy another one and buy the 2 year extended warrantee. I said no thank you
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
The best weather radio I have ever used. Excellent alerts and functionality. I love this unit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Works great as an initial alert system for incoming weather so designated employees can monitor weather by other resources
This radio only has 2 alert options. It beeps for 5 full minutes straight or it beeps then lets the radio talk and continues in this pattern for 5 full minutes. That is very annoying. All it needs to do is beep once and flash the alert across the screen.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
great product i would buy this again
We keep it on all the time in our kitchen. It's programed for our county and those to the west. We get all the alerts we are concerned with. I've recommended it to several friends. And it's not too expensive. Much better than depending upon local sirens.
from Weatherford, Tx. on 4/14/2008
After 1 year my radio quit holding a signal and of course there is no warranty. Expensive radio and Radio Shack will not back up their product. A total waste of money. DO NOT BUY!!!
When I first read the reviews on this radio,I had concerns about purchasing it.A lot of the reviewers mentioned poor sound quality,IMHO the poor sound came from NOAA,not from the radio.I received 2 alerts last night,worked as advertised only con would be, that it is a little difficult to go back and change a setting,after the initial setup.Some reviews mentioned poor instruction's,You have to read them first,and comprehend what you are reading.
from Lexington, NC on 4/7/2008
Purchased radio 6/07. Worked well for about 3 months, then started losing signal. Reset several times, and still keep getting Check OP!! I bought this radio to notify my family when bad weather is approaching and this has happened only once in the 8 months we've had it!! I will be replacing it SOON!
The radio picks up warnings just fine, and has a good alarm. The initial set up for setting your county is great. However, beyond that, it might as well be greek. The menu structure and controls are not intuitive, and the manual is no help. It took me 15 minutes to set the clock and alarm, that's with the book in hand. I've programmed all kinds of things in my life- VCRs, TVs, even computers, but this thing takes the cake. I bought it to double as a bedside alarm clock, but you can't read it at night even with the backlight on. Would work much better as such if it had a regular LED clock face with standard controls. Bottom line, you can get a decent SAME radio for a lot less.
from St. Louis Mo on 4/1/2008
I bought one for my mom and she later bought one for me. In Missouri the weather can get bad quickly. This weather radio lets you know well ahead of time there are problems heading your way.
from Fort.Lauderdale on 4/1/2008
I love this radio!
At radioshack they program all the alerts and whatever you need for the radio!!!
Easy to use; however, I keep getting the Check Op error line. I have reset this machine SEVERAL times and every 2 weeks I have to reset it again. I live in a rural area and do not have easy access to purchase a new radio. This machine works well until this error shows up.
from Orlando, FL on 3/28/2008
would not pick up alerts...not a secure feeling
My husband and I bought this a month ago and have just realized that it has not been working right from the very beginning. On Satruday afternoon we were under tornado warning and I had not known that they had the sirens going off in town near our house until my husband called me. Thank God he did because this useless machine would not have come close to saving my families life. I will be returning it and going somewhere else to purchase another one. Please do not waste money on this if you want to help your family be safe.
Worked well for a few months. Programming it is no problem, but it continues to stop picking up alerts. I have rest it several times, moved locations in our home, etc and the "Check OP" (message telling you it has not picked an alert in 10 days) keeps appearing. After reading the other reviews, this seems to be a common problem. Guess buying the most expensive one didn't prove that we were buying the best one, Do NOT buiy this!!!
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
I am very disappointed in this unit - it worked fine for about 2 months & then it started dropping the signal. Even when it held the signal it stopped alerting us. We were under a tornado WARNING and it never alerted us. I do not recommend this unit
This is yet another product that seems to have well engineered hardware but absolutely abominable menu structures accompanied by useless instruction manuals.
I just returned mine to the store.
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Murfreesboro, TN on 2/17/2008
Bought mine this past July (2007) and had no problems setting it up. Worked great until about November (2007). I got the message to "check ops" and could find no problems. Reset the radio according to directions and it did fine for about a week. Then again it came up with "check ops". Again I reset it. It recieves the weekly tests if I reset it just before the broadcast, then stops receiving again. Still get the voice broadcasts but no alerts or tests of any kind. This past february 5th I reset it and it worked great for the duration of our bad weather. But now it tells me to check ops again. Still get voice just no alerts.
NOTE: Give some weight to the negative reviews, I don't think they are something you want to ignore!
Yes, I am going to try one more, if I can't find something better. If the second one fails also, I will post again.
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
I am on my second one and it still it looses the signal all the time I went to the store to buy external cable and the clerk looked at me like I was a nut, she tried to help me but no such luck finding one.
from Rochester, Minnesota on 2/15/2008
I had very high hopes for this weather radio. Unfortunately, this past week it was displaying the CHECK OP message after having worked without flaw since I got it in April 2007. I reset it according to the manual and re-programmed it (including turning on the weekly and monthly tests) and this week it missed two events: the weekly test and a winter storm warning. I also noticed that the NOAA that used to display in the lower left of the LCD is only on now while the weather bar is pressed and the weather is playing. Perhaps this is a "clue" as to when it will begin to not alert. It's too bad, as I liked this model for a lot of reasons. However, alerting my family to hazardous conditions is what we spent[$] for and it is worthless if it doesn't do that. Looks like I will have to spend money again for a different brand. I would not recommend this radio as this failure is all too common according to the other posts here and could put you and your loved ones potentially into mortal danger.
This product is very Easy. All you do is set up what you want to listen to, and thats it. This unit is the Best out there. That Associate wasn't lying, Thanks Radioshack!
from Atlanta, Georgia on 2/13/2008
This is the easiest unit out there. All you do is set up the stations you want and thats it. That associate was not lying when he said this was a great unit. Thanks Radioshack, You guys are the Best!
Unit worked great for just over a year then the clock stopped working. Since the time never advances past 5:40 the alerts never "time out" so now I have to buy another one.
I set up the radio according to the directions; the display screen showed unit operational. The radio did not give any warnings but my area was under a tornado and severe thunderstorm warning! I searched all materials [...]but there was no technical service to be found!
use at bedside
alarm can be heard through out home
even on porch
i love it
from Clyde, TX on 1/25/2008
Purchased radio based on sensitivity since I live in a rural area and easy to notice Warning, Watch,& Advisory LEDs.However, this unit does not appear to respond to S.A.M.E. messages reliably (even though voice quality appears great). The radio receives the Required Weekly Test (RWT) fine, but has problems decoding S.A.M.E. messages for specific counties. I've reset the radio many times to make sure FIPS is correct. Also coordinating with NWS office in San Angelo, TX to highlight potential recall for this product. [...].Reception / signal strength does NOT appear to be a problem since I can receive several NWS stations (without static).Currently, I have no confidence in this receiver to alert me properly for any severe weather WARNING. I have disabled S.A.M.E. to be on the safe side.It's a shame, since this radio could be a great unit with good design features (e.g. tilting LCD panel, LEDs)
from Oviedo, FL on 12/29/2007
I took the first one back as the time would not set. The instructions in manuel are terrible. I am completely computer literate and followed insturctions.. Clock did NOT Work.
Brought home the second one...
It is also a piece of junk. The setup does not complete but the clock setup does work off and on if you hold the key pad down long enough.
from Fort.Lauderdale on 12/28/2007
i really enjoy this radio. it gets good recption and the alerts come in good.
from fort.lauderdale,florida on 12/28/2007
i recently bought this radio and i have not have had any problems. DO NOT LET those other comments throw you off. if you are loking for a good radio, get this one.
I have several portable Weather alert radios but thought it would be nice to have something next to the bed that would always be there, always ready to alert. Just plug it in, program it and forget about it until it alerts. Sounds simple enough but this set doesn't work so you get a false sense of security.
I'm on my second one. First one worked for a month or so then stopped alerting. I could recieve the broadcast but the alerts just would not work. I took it back after several attempts to reprogram, reset and relocate. Got a replacement figuring there was a defect in that particular unit and not in the model. After all, how can you sell such a pricy weather alert radio and it not be reliable? I can be so naive sometimes!
Well it's not reliable. The second unit worked at first, as well, and then after a signal loss message the other day I discovered I was not receiving any usual advisories!
Where did I put that box?
from Monrovia IN on 11/27/2007
Thought this would be the brand to get. Radio worked fine for about 5 months. Then Clock stopped 'advancing' i.e. Time Stood Still. When Weekly test hapened on Wed. Time to expire shows 15 min -- forever. Multiple resets and power-off did no good. [...]
Very good radio. Not to bad to program. Agree with unable to turn the sound all the way down. Good on alert activation. I like the text messaging. Good Battery life. I would highly recommend this unit to anybody looking for a weather radio. Its worth the price then getting a cheaper radio.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Northeast Arkansas on 10/18/2007
I read the reviews for this product with a chuckle. How can so many people who describe themselves using such labels as Gearhead and Techno Geek and others have so much trouble programming a device that only has five buttons for setup? I've had this radio for over a year and it has worked flawlessly during that time. I live in Arkansas in tornado alley and during certain times of the year, this radio really gets a workout. Other times, especially in mid-summer, it stays completely silent. And yes, mine reads "Check Op" most of the time but that is because I don't have the test alerts turned on. It works when I need it to and more importantly, it works exactly the way I have it setup and want it to work. Don?t take the radio back just because it has ?Check Op? on it unless you know for a fact that it isn?t working. And if you are concerned about that, be sure to check your setup and make sure you have the radio configured to receive test alerts. If you check the manual in the troubleshooting section for ?Check Op?, you?ll see that this message only means that the radio hasn?t received an alert in 10 days or whatever the period is. It doesn?t mean the radio isn?t working. It?s telling to you check the radio operations and make sure that it is still functioning.
I'm surprised that so many people seem to have problems programming the device. I found it to be straight forward and simple. I didn't even read the manual for it. I do admit that I have an affinity for electronics and consequently have never had any problems working with any of them. But this one is very simplistic to use and setup.
My radio woke me up this morning at 1:20 am for a tornado watch. I like the text message it displays and the countdown to the end of watches and warnings are very handy. If you come in the house after an alert has sounded, you can see at a glance that something is up because the LED indicators stay lit during watches and warnings and it's a simple matter of pressing the Weather button to get up to date.
The sound quality of the radio is excellent and it is reliable. The batteries seem to last forever and there is an indicator to let you know when they are running low on power.
Don't let the negative reviews steer you away from this radio. I suspect that most are a result of ignorance (i.e. the reviewer didn't get the radio setup correctly and doesn't understand how to configure it.) There may have been some actual lemons produced though; that's always a possibility. On the other hand, mine worked as advertised, right out of the box. It was preprogrammed to pick up everything within a 50 mile radius and it was programmed to alert for most types of weather. Consequently, at first, it was pretty chatty. I personally don't want to be waked in the middle of the night only to be warned of a lightning storm, especially if it just affects people two counties away from me. So, I eventually did reprogram mine to only alert for a narrow area and to only alert for a specific set of weather events. Personally, I really only want to be waked up for tornado events; storms in general don't really concern me. But that is the great thing about this radio; you can set it up however you want to use it. It's a great product.
I have had this radio since Christmas, and it has worked great. I live in tornado alley and it always gives me watches, warnings, etc. It will wake you up from a sound sleep (such as last night) I have bought all my children one.
There are no directions whatsoever for setting the clock. Pushing the clock button produces a "bell" symbol on the display, but no hint at all as to setting the clock; nor do any of the menu buttons allow you to set the clock
Have had this radio for nine months, have yet to receive a test or an alert. Moved it all over the house and connected it to an outside antenna, doesn't work. Regular broadcast works fine. I have a portable 2 way radio with built in weather and can set it right next to this junk and the 2 way will go off for an alert. [...]
This radio is tricky to set up. The button sequence to get into and around in the setup menus is not obvious. Volume control needs a lot of work. As loud as it is, this makes a better emergency alarm than radio.
Alarm clock features are good. The clock alarm is distinct from the weather alarm so there is less chance of confusion. The switch to activate the alarm can be set to disable the snooze function, though, which makes the snooze button shut the alarm off entirely and could cause you to oversleep if you aren't careful.
Instructions really need improvement, especially with the potential consequences of getting the radio programmed wrong. They are very abbreviated and many features and functions are not well described (for example, this radio will mute at the end of an alert, but only in the tone-alert mode, which actually gives both tone and voice alerts; this is the sort of confusion that the manual doesn't clear up well).
Overall, however, if you can get past the weak instructions, this is a good and dependable radio and does its job well.
All I wanted was a radio to alert me to weather situations. The normal broadcast works fine but I already have several radios that do that. To date I have not even recieved a test alarm even after reprograming. My expectations were too high because I threw away the box and RS won't give a refund with out it.
Signed: Not Happy!
We do not get good reception where we live. I have tried all over the house and I still get "check operations" message. I have not tried to hook up to an outside antena yet. Thats my next stop before I return for a refund. Kind of pricy. [...]could have told me about the reception being poor in the area before I bought it.
from Marietta, GA on 9/3/2007
I have had several weather radios in the past from [...] and have been pleased with them, but this one simply does not work. Reception is poor, but even when you get it where it will receive a station, it will never alarm or get the weekly tests. I bought one, took it back and got another, but it still just says "check op" all them time.
I purchased two of these units for myself and a family member. Both units were defective and would not receive alerts. The replacement units seem to be working well.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
I am 64 yrs old and have owned several "weather radio's" Most have worked out fine for reporting weather alerts over a large radius of your state. This radio allows you to program the country, state, and county that you live in. From there you can continue to program "your choice" of counties, that you want to hear alerts about up to nine. Three or Four will do it for me. This allows you to sleep better at night knowing that when an alert sounds you had better pay attention because this alert is for......"YOU!", no