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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the First Alert
®
brand Public Alert
TM
Radio, Model
WX-200. This product complies with the exacting standards for CEA-2009A Public Alert
TM
devices, and will provide reliability, long life and outstanding performance. The WX-200
receives digitally encoded civil and weather emergency alert messages transmitted from
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Radio (NWR) broadcast
towers. NOAA has more than 900 towers in the 50 states and near adjacent coastal
waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the U.S. Pacific Territories. The WX-
200 Public Alert
TM
Radio receives all 7 NOAA weather channels and uses Specific Area
Message Encoding (S.A.M.E.) technology to identify specific areas, like a county or
portion of a state.
How it works
The WX-200 displays NOAA text messages on the LCD screen. When an alert
is received, the alert siren sounds and the radio automatically switches to the voice
broadcast. Messages are identified by one of three color-coded LED lights as follows:
“Advisory” (yellow), “Watch” (orange) or “Warning” (red). External handicapped accessory
devices are also triggered, if connected.
You can select up to 20 locations for your radio to respond to.
Note: You must select
the correct weather channel to receive warnings from NOAA for the state/county
locations that you have programmed.
There are advanced optional settings which you can use, such as Defeat Siren and
Add Alerts to customize the response of your radio.
For up-to-date information on NOAA and weather
frequencies used in your area, check the NOAA
web site at
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr or
call
1-888-NWR-SAME (1-888-697-7263).
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WX-200 Specifications
WEATHER BAND CHANNELS
Channel 1............................... 162.400 MHz
Channel 2............................... 162.425 MHz
Channel 3............................... 162.450 MHz
Channel 4............................... 162.475 MHz
Channel 5............................... 162.500 MHz
Channel 6............................... 162.525 MHz
Channel 7............................... 162.550 MHz
Power Requirements:
12V DC 300mA (120V power adapter)
4 AA Alkaline, Ni-Cad or NiMH Batteries (not
included) Center Pin positive
WB Antenna
: 18” Telescopic Rod Antenna
External Alert Trigger:
3.5mm mono audio jack
250ma@12VDC
Size:
7-7/8”(L) X 4-3/4” (W) X 2-1/2” (D)
Weight
: 13.5 oz. (without batteries)
ACCESSORIES
- AC Power Adapter (Included)
- Car Power Adapter (Optional – Not Included)
- Handicapped Accessories (not included)
TEST SIGNAL fROM NOAA
NOAA sends out test signals weekly and monthly to verify that your
Public Alert radio is working properly. Your radio is programmed at the
factory to block the alert siren for the test signals. When the test signal
is received:
1. The LCD screen will display the text message
2. The amber Advisory light will blink for 15 seconds.
3. The siren will not sound.
4. Weekly and monthly tests are stored in the Alert Queue.
Note
: If the WX-200 has not received a test signal or an alert for a period
of 10 days, it will display
10 DAY ALERT SENTRY
on the LCD screen
and the amber Advisory LED will blink.Check the SAME location and
WB channel settings to be sure your radio is properly programmed.
