Oregon Scientific WR601 Portable S.A.M.E. Weather and Emergency Alert Radio

Oregon Scientific WR601 All Hazards Weather Radio with Automatic S.A.M.E. Emergency Alert System--includes cradle and ac adapter for home use

Not only does the Oregon Scientific WR601 Portable S.A.M.E. Weather and Emergency Alert Radio offer all the features and functionality of the earlier WR102 and WR103 (including new federal alert and hazard messages), it also comes with the two important accessories for home use that you've been asking for.

This small, portable, water-resistant weather and emergency alert radio can be programmed by county to give you only the alerts that pertain to you. Now, more than ever, every family should have an emergency alert radio to provide the earliest possible warning of dangerous conditions in your area.

Oregon Scientific WR601 Weather & Emergency Alert Radio

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Don’t be caught off-guard by storms, tornadoes, radiological or biological hazards, or other disasters. When traveling, boating, hiking, or working outdoors, or just relaxing at home, Oregon Scientific's WR601 Portable S.A.M.E. Weather and Emergency Alert Radio helps make sure you have the information you need to stay safe. It receives tornado and storm alerts, and forecasts, as well as many new civil and law enforcement warnings that could save your life. It can also be programmed to receive information pertinent to your local area only--or other areas you're interested in (up to six specific areas of your choice). Water-resistant construction and superior technology make Oregon Scientific portable emergency-alert radios the rugged choice for staying informed in outdoor conditions.

I have one of these units myself. Especially now, with an eye toward terrorist attacks, my unit is always in alert mode. Most of the time it's on my desk, powered by the ac adapter. Other times it's in my pocket, running on batteries, or with me in the car, powered from a cigarette lighter adapter.

Before I found this unit, there had been a number of times I really could have used one of these. Once, weathering the close passing of a tornado in a tent, and a couple times skiing off a mountain in blinding blizzards, 20 minutes of warning would have made all the difference in the world. Of course, there are more common uses. Being warned of heavy spring thunderstorms, flood conditions, forest fires, radiological, biological and law enforcement alerts, and getting up-to-date weather reports on demand while traveling across country or just home from work are reason enough to have one of these.

This is a very feature-rich weather and emergency alert radio, and yet it is small enough to fit in your shirt pocket. It also includes S.A.M.E. alert functionality, allowing you to select what counties you wish to receive alerts for. You can walk around, ski, canoe, or backpack with the radio set to alert you to nasty weather and emergencies in the area. The WR601 is water resistant and does not have the long, cumbersome antenna that some weather and emergency radios have. This unit has a connector for its external power supply (included) and another for a speaker or headphones. With the external power supply and the selective S.A.M.E. alert programmability, this unit can double as an "always on" alert radio on your desk or nightstand, or keep it in your car on road trips.

This unit has a tough case and a very nice backlit LCD display. It runs on 3 AA batteries (included) or an external supply (also included). It's about 5-1/2" high (including the antenna), 3" wide, and 1-1/4" thick.

Although this unit comes with a belt clip, it's more of a pocket or purse radio (when you use it as a portable). I personally did not find the belt clip to be up to the job of keeping this radio attached to my belt. With a little modification, I put the belt clip to work as a dash mount, keeping my radio at hand in my van.

Benefits:

Reception of critical emergency information, civil and law enforcement alerts, forecasts, and severe weather warnings in a portable, water-resistant (but not submersible) clock radio perfect for today's active lifestyles.
A literal "lifesaver" for backpackers, hikers, boating enthusiasts, campers, and those whose work subjects them to the weather.
S.A.M.E. (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology allows you to pre-select the geographical area(s) you want to stay informed about.
Should disaster strike, the audible and visual alerts and flashing LED make sure you get the warning!
Easily fits in a backpack, fanny pack, purse, or auto glove box.
Comes with an ac adapter and a cradle for home use on a desk, shelf, or nightstand.
A perfect gift for the outdoor enthusiast, extreme sports fanatic, or weekend adventurer.

Features:

Monitors U.S. Emergency All Hazards and EAS (Emergency Alert System) weather bulletins, warnings, and forecasts.
Automatic tuning and standby modes.
Audible and visual alerts when activated, with 100-decibel alarm.
3 levels of warning: Statement, Watch, and Warning.
Digital PLL (phase lock loop) tuning for all 7 NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) channels.
S.A.M.E. reception feature allows you to select broadcasts for 6 specific counties.
Main line of LCD display shows NOAA Alert/Clock/Calendar/Alarm/County.
Reception range is up to 40 miles.
12-hour or 24-hour clock with day-of-week display and selectable month-day-year or day-month-year format.
Two daily crescendo alarms, each with 1-minute duration and available 8-minute snooze function.
Large LCD panel with blue EL (electro-luminescent) backlight.
Speaker on/standby mode control (standby mode mutes speaker until a weather/emergency alert signal is received).

Specifications

Function	Metric	English
*Radio*
Channels	digital PLL tuning for 7 NOAA channels
S.A.M.E. code setting options	6 independent settings or ALL counties
Volume	7 adjustment levels
*Time*
Clock	12-hour or 24-hour format
Calendar	day-of-week display; user-selectable month-day-year or day-month-year format
Daily alarms with snooze	2 crescendo alarms, each with 1-minute duration and 8-minute snooze function
Accuracy	+/- 0.5 second per day
General
Battery type	3 UM-3 or AA (1.5V) alkaline batteries (included)
AC/DC adapter (included)	7.5Vdc, 350mA output
LCD panel dimensions (L x W)	50 x 22 mm	1.97 x 0.87 inches
Overall unit dimensions (L x W x D)	137 x 74 x 35 mm	5.39 x 2.91 x 1.38 inches
Weight (without batteries)	131 grams	4.62 ounces
Operating temperature range	-5.0°C to +50.0°C	23.0°F to 122.0°F

Oregon Scientific WR601 Portable S.A.M.E. Weather and Emergency Alert Radio

Oregon Scientific WR601 Portable S.A.M.E. Weather & Emergency Alert Radio

Oregon Scientific WR601
Portable S.A.M.E. Weather & Emergency Alert Radio