Weather Radio's - Montana Owners Club

gojodo · 06-13-2008, 04:58 AM

Do you use a weather radio?
If so which one do you like and why.
I am interested because sometimes we have problems picking up a channel.

Dorothy

firetrucker · 06-13-2008, 05:33 AM

The CB in the truck has a weather radio built into it, but we only occasionally use it. We get most of our weather info from the tv or NWS on the Internet (which we can get mobile with the Verizon broadband service). Most of our travels are in the west where we can usually see at least 20 miles in almost every direction, and changes in the weather are not so dramatic as farther east.

Reception can be spotty because the frequency that the NWS uses means transmission is line of sight (you pretty much have to be able to see where they are transmitting from). At least that keeps the weather on a local basis, though.

Bob

Glenn and Lorraine · 06-13-2008, 07:35 AM

As Bob said CB w/Weather in the truck and NWS online. If I get an inkling bad weather is on the way I head for the truck. CB picks up NOAA which picks up the closest channel to the area we are located in.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 06-13-2008, 08:21 AM

Might want to visit this thread:

http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...ad.php?t=29201

When Mother Nature is brewing, I frequently use any and all maps I can get ahold of, turn on the telie and surf, and there are any number of really good weather URL's on the net, and I will also turn on many of them.

One, that is rather easy, is to download the WeatherBug, you can change location on it quite easily, and it will show radar, severe weather, current conditions, even has a simple, but rather affective travel section.

Also check into possible addition of an antenna to your system??

Good luck, it is vitally important to come up with a plan that works. Mother Nature has been on a real tear this spring.

dsprik · 06-13-2008, 01:48 PM

As Carol said, internet is probably one of the best ways to keep up with severe weather. I use Weather Underground (wundergrond.com) mostly.

However, the most efficient and portable weather alert system is your cell phone. Most weather websites furnish text alerts that come right to your phone. I have a weather program also on my phone that doubles up on alerts. I can set my phone to ring when an alert comes in, so it will wake me up in the middle of the night (like several times last night) if need be. Also you can set the alerts for anywhere in the US/Canada this way.

BTW, I also have a weather radio (Reecom) that works on 110v and batteries. I love redundant systems...

Bill-N-Donna · 06-13-2008, 06:07 PM

I was reading the other day about the hand crank radios for the weather on here; today I seen them at Sam’s Club. I was very tempted to get one but I didn’t, now I’m tempted to go back and get one tomorrow.

exav8tr · 06-14-2008, 03:57 AM

I have the Midland. Made in China. Able to set in county codes and FIPS, I have three set in them for Yellowstone and surrounding counties. I like the forecast data also. It has a battery backup system also.....

msmoonsatx · 06-14-2008, 09:51 AM

During our last trip to Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa, we picked up a Radio Shack Same Weather Radio. Costs about $75 but was well worth it. Radio automatically scans for alerts within a 50 mile radius of its location. Can also be programmed for specific locations and threats. Scans 7 different NOAA channels for the strongest signal and is both electric and battery operated. It came in very handy in Wichita when we had severe weather and tornado warnings.

Dustytuu · 06-14-2008, 03:31 PM

msmoonsatx
I think we have the same radio.
Works great! Spent June in Missouri we used it a lot.

noneck · 06-14-2008, 04:27 PM

We have a couple of Radio Shack scanner's that have primary use for Nascar events and secondarily work for monitoring weather...fire, police, etc.

dsprik · 06-14-2008, 04:28 PM

I may have to get a new radio shortly. This one is getting wore out! Alerts are going off right and left. Multiple storm cells with large hail moving through Lower MI tonight. Hard to keep up. Each one of these small strong storms (we currently have 23 HAIL storms on our local radar right now) triggers there own Severe Thunderstorm Warning with Hail.

Two weeks of this is just too much fun!

(There goes my alerts again as I type this...)

Mrs. CountryGuy · 06-15-2008, 03:06 AM

It is a beautiful morning in Lenawee.

But, wait, what is that sound??

Oh, crum, ANOTHER alert. Thunderstorm Watch.

Bet those NASCAR fans are thrilled, it is race day in Brooklyn, just 10 miles from here and on the northern fringe of that warning area.

As annoying as these radios can be, they are still invaluable.

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