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VOL

CHN

CHN

VOL

SEL

MODE

WEA

THER

WARNING

WATCH

ADVISORY

IN

Meet Cobra’s Handheld Weather Radio. 

Learn how to use the CWR200 to stay up to date on 
extreme emergency related events. 

Manual

Printed in China   Part No. 480-928-P Version C

CWR200 Display

NOTE:

 This device complies with part 15 of FCC rules: Operation is subject to the following two 

conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any 

interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation.

CAUTION:

 Modifications or parts not approved by Cobra Electronics Corporation may violate FCC 

Rules and void authority to operate this equipment.
This device complies to Canadian Standard ICES-003. 
CAN ICES-3B/NMB-3B.
This device complies with RSS-310 of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the condition that this 

device does not cause harmful interference. 
The manufacturer is not responsible for any radio or TV interference caused by unauthorized  

modifications to this  equipment. Such modifications could void the user’s authority to operate  

the equipment.

CWR200

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2

6

1. Antenna
2.  External Headphone/ 
 

Micro-USB Charge Jack

3.  USB Out
4.  LED Status Indicator
5. 

Power/Menu

 Button

6. 

Channel Up/Down 

Buttons 

7.  Backlit LCD Display 

 

8. Speaker
9. 

Volume Up/Down 

Buttons

10. 

LED 

Flashlight 

Button

11. 

Weather/Snooze 

Button

12. 

Tornado Mode 

Button 

13. 

Select/Enter 

Button

14. Wrist Strap Hole
15. Belt Clip
16. Battery Compartment
17. Battery Door Latch
18. Rubberized Grips 
19. 

LED Flashlight

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16

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4

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5

1.  Battery Level Indicator
2.  Weather Alert Icon
3.  Signal Strength Indicator
4.  USB Charge Indicator
5.  Alarm Icon

6.  Speaker Volume Icon
7.  Weather Channel
8.  S.A.M.E. Message Type
9.  Dot Matrix LCD Display

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Set Up 

Carrying your CWR200 radio with you is easy when 

using the belt clip or optional wrist strap. The belt 

clip easily attaches to your belt, purse, or backpack.

 

Installing Batteries 

1.

  Remove belt clip by releasing belt clip  

latch and sliding clip up.

2.

  Pull up on the battery door latch to remove the 

battery compartment cover. Remove and dispose  

of white anti-theft device.

3.

  Insert the supplied three AA rechargeable batteries 

or non-rechargeable alkaline batteries. Position 

batteries according to polarity markings.

4.

  Replace battery compartment cover and  

belt clip.

Power On and Set the Time 

1.

  Press and hold the 

Power/Menu 

button 

to turn on the radio.

2.

  Use the 

Power/Menu 

button till you 

reach “

Set Time

” and press 

Select

.

3.

  Press the 

Up

 and

 Down

 buttons to adjust the hours then  

press 

Select

.

4.

  Use the same procedure to set the minutes and 

AM

 or 

PM

.

5.

   Press 

Select

 to save that time.

TM

To Charge Batteries in Radio 

1.

  Check to see that the batteries have been inserted 

properly.

2.

  Insert the cable into the charge jack located at the 

top of the radio.

3.

  Plug the cable into USB power source.

Use only the supplied rechargeable batteries and charger for recharging 

your Cobra weather radio.

To Charge Weather Radio in Desktop Charger

1.

  Insert radio into desktop charger as shown.

2.

  Insert the micro-USB cable into jack on the back of  

the charger.

3.

  Plug the cable into a power source. For pluggable 

equipment, the socket-outlet should be installed near the 

equipment and should be easily accessible.

If charging light is not on, check position of the the radio. 

Radio should be upright. The charge indicator light will stay 

on as long as the radio is in the charging well, and the light 

will go off when the charging is complete.

Battery Low

When battery power is low, the final bar in the  

Battery Low

 icon will blink and an audible tone  

will sound before the radio shuts off. Your batteries 

should be replaced or recharged, if using rechargeable 

batteries.

Note:

 The radio will display flashing battery icon while 

charging.

ADVISORY

To Select a Channel

You will find a very useful expanded information about the NOAA  

broadcast system at: 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio 

stations broadcasting continuous weather information from the nearest 

National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official warnings, 

watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days 

a week.   
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has over 

900 broadcast stations. NWR “Broadcast Service Area” coverage by 

State and coverage maps can be found at this link: 

http://www.nws.

noaa.gov/nwr/listcov.htm

.  

Environment Canada also maintains an alert system compatible with 

this alert radio and full information on that system can be found at: 

http://ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/
1.

  Use the 

Channel Up

 or 

Channel Down

  

buttons to change the channel.

2.

  Typically you will tune to the strongest and 

best sounding channel.  This will often be 

the closest channel with the most localized 

weather information.

3.

  Listen to the selected channel and cross check the NWR “Broadcast 

Service Area” information on the website to make sure this is the 

best channel for your needs.

Notes:

 

•  Antenna performance is a function of local conditions,  

 

causing signals to be stronger signal level in some directions  

than others.

•  Seasonal environmental conditions, such as icing or heavy rain, 

affect performance of a transmitter station and its various compo-

nents, particularly those subject to continuous weather exposure.

To Adjust Volume

You can adjust the volume to best fit your needs.  You can set the radio 

for “silent standby” by adjusting the volume level all the way down to the 

lowest level.  This will allow you to sleep or just get some peace and quiet 

while the radio monitors for applicable alerts in the background.

1.

 Use the 

Volume Up 

or 

Volume Down

 buttons 

to change the volume level.  

2.

 The level will be shown on the display.

3.

 Just leave the radio for a few seconds and 

that volume level will be saved.

Notes:

 

•  Any alerts received (which are not filtered by 

S.A.M.E.

 or Tornado 

Mode) will override the volume setting and alert at full volume.

•  Your monitoring preference must be set according to the 

S.A.M.E

., 

Weather Alert and other sections of this manual to properly receive 

alerts.

Understanding S.A.M.E. (Specific Area Message  

Encoding) & Alerts

The CWR200 is an advanced Weather and Emergency Alert Radio capable 

of receiving and decoding S.A.M.E. notifications.  It alerts to over 60 

emergency related events such as tornados, hurricanes, blizzards, natural 

disasters, child abductions, civil emergencies, etc.  When an alert occurs 

and the proper setup has been completed; lights come on, sirens sound, 

and messages are displayed in text on the CWR200 to make sure you are 

in the know and prepared.  
When an NWR office broadcasts an Advisory, Watch or Alert, it also 

broadcasts a digital SAME code that may be heard as a very brief static 

burst. This SAME code contains digital information such as; the type of 

message, county(s) affected, message expiration time, etc.  If this radio 

is programmed correctly, the alert will sound and will include the 1050 

Hz warning alarm tone (as an attention signal), followed by the broadcast 

message and finally a voice announcement about the alert.  At the end of 

the broadcast message, you will hear a brief digital end-of message static 

burst followed by a resumption of the NWR broadcast cycle.
Note- Any alerts received (which are not filtered by S.A.M.E. or Tornado 

Mode) will override the volume setting and alert at full volume.  Press the 

Weather Snooze button to temporarily silence the alarm. You can review 

multiple S.A.M.E. messages by pressing the 

Select

 button.

This Weather and Alert Emergency radio is set to have S.A.M.E. mode ON 

by default.  However, it is set with the default six zeroes (000000) saved 

into Memory Location 1.  This default FIPS code of 000000 will allow 

the radio to alert (visual and audible) to emergencies in all areas within 

receiving distance of the tuned radio channel.   If you travel frequently 

with the radio and do not wish to set FIPS codes as you travel then you 

may leave the default 000000.
For effective use of the S.A.M.E. local alert filtering system (for less false 

alerts or alerts not applicable to your local area) you can program in FIPS 

codes that will filter alerts only applicable for your designated area. 

Know Your Lights

•  Advisory (Yellow Light) 

- For less serious 

conditions than Warnings and Watches.

•  Watch (Orange Light) 

-  Risk of Hazardous 

Weather or hydrologic events has increased 

significantly, but occurrence, location and time 

is uncertain. 

•  Warning (Red Light) 

- Hazardous Weather  

or hydrologic events is occurring, imminent or likely.

Set Up S.A.M.E. and Memory Codes

The 

SAME

 Mode is set to 

ON

 by default.  If it is not ON then you can turn 

it ON by:

1.

  Press the

 Power/Menu

 button until 

SET SAME

  

  is shown.

2.

  Press the 

Select

 button to show 

ON

 or 

OFF

.

3.

  Press the 

Up

 or 

Down

 buttons until ON is shown.

4.

 Press 

Select

 to turn 

SAME

  Mode 

ON

.

 

VOL

CHN

CHN

VOL

SEL

MENU

MODE

WEA

THER

WARNING

WATCH

ADVISORY

VOL

CHN

CHN

VOL

SEL

MENU

MODE

WEA

THER

WARNING

WATCH

ADVISORY

VOL

CHN

CHN

VOL

SEL

MENU

MODE

WEA

THER

WARNING

WATCH

ADVISORY

To receive S.A.M.E. notifications filtered for your area, you’ll need to get 

and enter your 6 digit S.A.M.E. FIPS Code.  Coverage areas are defined 

within the “NWR Broadcast Service Area” and are comprised of named 

counties, boroughs, metropolitan areas or portions thereof.   Write down 

and record your local codes once you find them.
These codes can be found at:

In the US:

 

•  Visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm or 
•  Call the National Weather Service Toll-Free Number at  

1-888-697-7263

In Canada:

•  Visit http://ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather or 
•  Call Environment Canada’s Meteorological Service Toll-Free number 

at 

1-877-789-7733

Note:

 

This radio has 25 Memory Locations for so you can save up to 25 FIPS 

locations you would like it to alert in.  For example, this could be the 

locations for home, work, cabin, marina, vacation, etc.  If you do not 

have a FIPS code for these areas OR the default 000000 is not entered 

then the radio will NOT alert.  

Note: 
Alerts for areas outside the programmed FIPS codes will  

NOT ALERT. 

 

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CWR200_MANL_4_FOLD.indd   1

2/14/14   4:27 PM

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