MA300
8
WEATHER BAND OPERATION
Accessing the Weather Band
Press the
MODE
button (4) to access the weather band mode.
What is the NOAA Weather Radio?
NOAA is a nationwide system that broadcasts local weather emergency information 24 hours a
day. The U.S. network has more than 530 stations covering the 50 states, as well as the
adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the U.S. Pacific Territories.
Each local area has its own transmitting station and there are a total of seven broadcasting
frequencies used: 162.400MHz (CH2), 162.425MHz (CH4), 162.450MHz (CH5), 162.475MHz
(CH3), 162.500MHz (CH6), 162.525MHz (CH7) and 162.550MHz (CH1).
How many stations can I expect to receive?
Since the broadcasts pertain to local weather and information, the transmission power is usually
very low (much less than AM or FM stations) which means you will usually receive only one
station unless you are on the edge of two or more broadcast signals. The most you will receive
is two or three, and that is rare.
Is it possible I won't receive any stations?
Depending on location, it’s possible to receive a very weak signal or none at all. Also, similar to
AM and FM signals, weather band signals are subject to surrounding conditions, weather,
obstructions of the signal by hills or mountains, etc. If no NOAA signals are found, the tuner will
scan all seven NOAA frequencies every 30 seconds.
How will I know I am tuned to the weather band?
When you select the w
eather band, the “WB” icon will appear on the display panel, along with
the current channel indication. Press the
◄◄or
►►
buttons (13, 14) to tune to each of the
seven channels until you find the weather band station broadcasting in your area.
NOAA Weather Alert
The Weather Alert function adds an additional level of user safety by automatically switching
from the current function mode to weather band mode for a minimum of 60 seconds if a NOAA
warning tone (1050 Hz) is received. If no additional warning tone is received for 60 seconds, the
unit will switch back to the last known function mode.
The Weather Alert function can be turned “on” or “off” by the
INFO/ENTER
button (18), as
described on page 5. When set to
“ON”, the weather tuner remains active in the background,
even when the radio is turned off (as long as the power is still applied to the radio). If a weather
alert is issued, the radio will turn on and play the announcement, then turn back off and revert to
weather alert monitor mode.
The radio will not respond to any weather alerts when it is off and will not automatically switch to
the weather band if an alert is issued.
NOTE: If the unit is programmed for European operation, the WB function will be
disabled.
