Weather Alert Radio

[bsmeaton]

Picking up school supplies for the punkinhead at Office Max Sunday, and on impulse, I grabbed a Honeywell weather alert radio off the clearance rack. I figured I would just leave it in the Monty instead of worrying about the walkie talkies all the time.

I set it up last night and the dang thing wouldn't shut up! Over 8 alerts for flash flood, thunderstorms, and tornados in our County. I figured I made a mistake getting this thing. Woke up this morning to the news of 3 tornadoes that hit in our neighboring towns last night.

Now I'm thinking I caused it because I got this radio It's like you never have a surge till you buy a surge suppressor Sorry Castle Rock and Parker, next time I'll stay away from the clearance rack.

[Hemlockusa]

What you bought on the clearance rack is STANDARD EQUIPMENT for those of us that live in KANSAS.
The biggest fear on those radio's is after you get one and set it for your county. It goes off six times in one night and then you get tired of hearing the alarm. You turn the radio OFF. That is exactly the time the TORNADO SMACKS YOU. In Kansas you learn to live with the alarms through the night, don't like it but learn to live with it and go back to sleep. It's kinda like being a fireman, never know when that dang alarm is going off.
Now you have something to sell at the Garage sale.
safe travels OH """"BRANSON IS FINE FOR 2009"""" pass it on John

[bsmeaton]

John,

I was thinking about all those stays in Nebraska at the lake when I bought it, so I better keep it . That sonalert woke me up for 26 years as a fireman, thought maybe I could finally get some sleep - NOT!

[hazmic]

I didn't think that you got tornado's in the mountains. DW said she saw it this morning on the news. I have ours in the bedroom and she sleeps through the alerts. We will take it with us when we head south. It sure has been a screwy year for weather.

[bsmeaton]

Hazmic, we are at the base of the mountains in the foothills. In fact, it's more like Kansas here but with a nice view to the west. We get everything except hurricanes and typhoons........I think!

[boylanag]

We got one from Radio Shack and it has paid for itself many times over with peace of mind. When we travel, we just set it when we arrive and let it go. We combine it with the Weather Bug on our laptop and have a great idea of what is going on. Usually when we head north from Florida it is in "storm season."

[sreigle]

Some radios have provision to identify which alarms you want to hear and which you do not. On those you can tell it to not tell you about flash flood watches or thunderstorm warnings, or whatever. And you can tell them which county or counties you want alarms for so you're not getting warnings for two counties west of you, etc.

Unfortunately, since we travel frequently it's more pain to set it than it's worth so I just find the strongest weather station for the radio and let it tell me about any and all alarms from that station.

[bsmeaton]

I was thinking that too Steve. This one has about 75 different alarms you can select to alert or not to alert, but as a device for travel I think I will just leave it to default.

Although flash floods aren't a critical issue here, they sure are when we're beached at Lake Powell and the water comes tearing over the cliffs an hour later on top of the boat, as one example.

[Delaine and Lindy]

Can't remember the name, but it was the best Radio Shack had at the time, could set it to 6 different counties and different type alarms. We did buy the warranty and used it twice and finally decided to get our money back. When it worked it was great, but when bad weather was around it would go off all night and after a while it got old. Like Steve we just tune to a goo weather station and hang on. GBY.....

[rames14]

Brad -
We're going to be close to Castle Rock on Sunday. They have an APLA trial in Larkspur. We will be watching the skies to make sure there aren't any leftover tornadoes. Scary that they are still getting tornadoes along the front range this time of year.

We just got the new Motorola FRS radios with SAME weather alerts. Now I gotta' figure out how to set it up.

[bsmeaton]

Ron, just had another alert there tonight (over now). I want to head to the lake up the road tomorrow but I know as soon as I pull out the rig I'll get hail or tornado's . Oh well.

You missed the Renaissance Festival in Larkspur!

[rames14]

My sister likes to go down to the Renaissance Festival. They even dress up for it. She's a professor up at CSU in Fort Collins. I, on the other hand, am firmly anchored in the 21st century.

[Exnavydiver]

We got our radio the week after Lady Lake Florida got smacked last year, we were within a few miles of it and never heard a siren. OH! Gee whiz, they don't use sirens in Fla.. We are both from southern Wisconsin and they have sirens everywhere. Never thought to check in FL when we got there, we just "assumed".....Dave and Betsy

[bsmeaton]

Thats a good point Dave and Betsy, never thought about that. The only siren we have around here is the golf course horn for lightning.

[rames14]

No sirens, how quaint. Aren't they worried about air strikes? I grew up calling them air raid sirens and assumed everyone had them.

[dsprik]

quote:Originally posted by Exnavydiver

We got our radio the week after Lady Lake Florida got smacked last year, we were within a few miles of it and never heard a siren. OH! Gee whiz, they don't use sirens in Fla.. We are both from southern Wisconsin and they have sirens everywhere. Never thought to check in FL when we got there, we just "assumed".....Dave and Betsy

Dave, we were just south of you during that weather event. My understanding is that there was no NWS warning, let alone sirens, so the weather radio might not have helped.