Dual Purpose, One Radio
One of the things I look for when buying short-range group-communications radios like GMRS/FRS and CB is that they also have a dual purpose… a NOAA weather radio built into the unit.
I’ve also a couple of stand-alone NOAA weather radios (one with an external antenna) which offer better receptions, but I find I use the dual-purpose units more than the home-based ones.
Examples of Dual Purpose Radios
One radio I am likely to have with me is a Cobra ACXT1035R GMRS/FRS two way radio. We have four of these as part of our GMRS/FRS setup.
Review: Cobra ACXT1035R GMRS-FRS waterproof floating walkie talkies
Another dual purpose radio I own is a Midland 75-822 Mini 40-channel Cb Radio With Weather/all-hazard Monitor.
I’ve had one of these in my car for years, I generally leave it hooked up as a 12-volt accessory with external antenna and it works just as well as the mounted CB’s (except the knobs all fell off right away).
Here’s what Midland has to say about their radio:
- This two-in-one CB radio is portable and lightweight, and can be converted to a mobile radio with required accessories (sold separately).
- The 75-822 includes NOAA Weather Alert Radio and 5 memory channels. 40-channels 4-Watt output power –
- Delivers maximum communication range Squelch control –
- Eliminates unwanted background noise Large, back-lit LCD Multi-function display – easy to read day or night Built in ANL –
- Improves reception for a weak received signal Channel Scan –
- Automatically checks channels for activity NOAA Weather Radio –
- Instant access to weather/hazard info 24/7 Instant Channel 9/19 –
- Immediate access to emergency channel 9 and informational channel 19 Last Channel Memory –
- Turns on to the last user selected channel
- Flexible, removable antenna with BNC connector Dimensions: 3-inches x 12.75-inches
I’ve found it to work really well, although when you put the rubber antenna and battery pack on it to use it as a handheld, range is limited to less than a mile.
Another Dual Purpose Option… But…
This is one radio I just don’t recommend, I’ve had one and found it to be poorly made junk. The reason I include it is that it’s a radio that is widely advertised to the prepping community.
Midland XT511 Two-way Radio – FRS/GMRS – 7 NOAA Channels
The Manufacturer Says:
- Full 5 watts of output power
- 22 high power GMRS channels provide clear and crisp communication
- 121 privacy codes block out other conversations
- Channel scan automatically checks channels for other activity
- NOAA weather alert radio
- AM/FM Radio
- Alarm Clock with snooze
- Flashlight
- USB connector
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 7.25 x 6.38 x 2.75 inches
- Manufacturer warranty: 3-year warranty
I Say:
- Out of the box, the radio does work OK, but do not confuse this with a “base station” and expect greater GMRS/FRS range… it’s got the same range as a hand-held wakie.
- Privacy codes are not SECURITY codes, others can still hear every word you say.
- The USB charger is useless for modern devices. It may be OK for a 1999 flip phone, but for anything that draws actual power? Forget about it.
- The generator and crank are absolute junk. The crank is made out of plastic and I broke two cranks just trying to use it (Midland did send me a replacement both times, but still, if the SHTF I can’t be calling Midland for a spare crank).
- The flashlight feature works, but this is a big honking unit, so carrying it around for the flashlight function is just silly when you can get the same or better beam out of a finger-sized fully-weather-sealed flashlight you can pick up for a couple of bucks.
- No weather sealing, making this extremely unhandy to camp with
- It does nothing that much smaller, cheaper, weather sealed devices can’t do, except for the crank thing (which, again, is junk).
Range Matters: Rural Weather Radio
First, here’s a NOAA coverage map for their radio service. If you are pink, then all is well. Probably. Sort of.
Here’s the thing, though. NOAA weather radio stations are not very powerful, and they have a range of 40 miles tops.
In fact, here’s what the NOAA website says about the range & reception issue that can pop up:
The range for NWR reception is about 40 miles from the transmitter. However, many things affect reception. Large bodies of salt water tend to greatly increase range. Forests, deserts, and hills/mountains tend to greatly reduce reception. Reception in cities may be reduced due to steel and concrete, while higher elevations will enhance the signal. Reception can vary from room to room. Mineral deposits in the ground can affect your radio signal. Moving even a few feet can a weak signal to a strong one.
Improve Reception
Dual purpose radios that have built-in antennas are not the best choice for listening to distant NOAA stations, whereas dual purpose radios like a CB/NOAA will likely have some of the best reception if they have a good quality external antenna mounted properly on a vehicle or structure.
Here’s NOAA’s advice for improving your radio reception:
“It may help to be near a window facing the direction of the station, away from other electronic equipment, and on an upper level. You may need to to get a receiver with a good quality internal antenna, or hook it up to an external antenna.
Generally the least NWR expensive models are the ones that have reception problems. Many models will have a port to hook up an external antenna. You can buy an external antenna from an electronics store or make your own. The antenna will be similar to the type you use for your stereo: a two-conductor piece of wire attached to a wall and stretched up the wall toward the ceiling. When it nears the ceiling, split the wire conductors to form a T where the wire splits into it’s horizontal section, each section should be at least 18 inches long. You can also tap into your regular outside or inside TV antenna.”
My real-world NOAA reception experience
We live about 40 miles from several weather radio stations, and all of them come in very “iffy” on dual purpose radios.
My home radio has a t-style antenna and it picks up one station quite well. My GMRS/FRS radios struggle inside the house, but they do work OK outside the house.
The Place is much closer to a weather station, and any NOAA compatible radio we own picks up reception just fine.
So What’s Up With The Funky NOAA Voices?
The following has NOTHING to do with prepping and can be safely skipped, but I thought it was an interesting read on the NOAA website so I’m sharing it here.
Presented so you don’t actually have to click the link:
From the introduction of NOAA Weather Radio until the late 1990s, nearly all the voices heard in the broadcasts were those of the staff at local National Weather Service (NWS) offices. The messages were manually recorded, first on tape cartridges and later digitally, and then placed in the broadcast cycle.
To manage the increasing number of transmitters for each office and to speed the overall delivery of warning messages to the public, the Console Replacement System (CRS) was deployed at NWS Weather Forecast Offices in the late 1990s. CRS introduced a computerized voice nicknamed “Paul”, using a text-to-speech system. While CRS greatly enhanced the delivery speed and scheduling of Weather Radio messages, there was some dissatisfaction with Paul’s voice.
In late 2000, The NWS embarked on a Voice Improvement Processor (VIP) program, implementing newer text-to-speech voices, nicknamed “Donna” and “Craig”, in 2002. A year later, further updates were made. The “Donna” voice was improved, “Craig” was replaced by “Tom”, and a Spanish voice, “Javier”, was added at a few sites.
By the end of 2016, the NWS will have replaced CRS with the Broadcast Message Handler (BMH) at all sites. Among other functional upgrades, BMH has replaced “Donna” and “Tom” with an improved “Paul” voice. For those NWS offices that use Spanish programming, “Javier” has been replaced with a much improved “Violetta” voice.
https://beansbulletsbandagesandyou.com/bullets/2018/10/11/prepping-winter-travel/
https://beansbulletsbandagesandyou.com/bullets/2018/10/10/hurricane-preparations-prep-storm/