1
About Your Radio
Traditional weather radios receive NOAA’s weather broadcast (usually within a
50-mile radius) then sound an alarm of any emergency code which was
transmitted along with the broadcast. This means that people who live outside
an affected area are often alerted even when their area is not affected, causing
many of them to ignore potentially real weather warnings that can save lives.
In 1994, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began
broadcasting coded signals called FIPS (Federal Information Processing
System) codes along with their standard weather broadcasts from stations in
your area. These codes identify an emergency and the specific geographic area
(such as a county) affected by the emergency. The WX100 was developed with
the S.A.M.E. (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology. This allows your
radio to receive, interpret, and display the information about the codes so you
can determine if the emergency might affect your area. Only S.A.M.E.
compatible weather radios are able to take advantage of this new technology.
Each FIPS code identifies a specific geographic area (defined by the National
Weather Service), so your radio sounds an alert only when a weather
emergency is declared in those locations. This helps you more efficiently track
the weather conditions in and around your area.
Your new radio is equipped with the following features:
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PLL Control 7 Preprogrammed Weather Channels
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Programmable Weather Alert with S.A.M.E. Technology
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Liquid Crystal Display for Alert Description
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Alert Type Indicators
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Broadcast Volume Control
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Alarm Clock
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Backlight Display
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External Antenna Connector
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External Speaker Connector
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External Alert System Terminals
INTRODUCTION
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