How does weather radio work?
Weather radio is part of the FCC’s Emergency Alert System (EAS). NWR has 900 transmitters covering the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific territories. A local NWR station issues a weather warning. If a frequency of 1050 Hz is detected, an alarm on the weather radio alerts the listener ten seconds before the message is broadcast. Newer radios have Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) which sounds an alarm if the warning is limited to a particular weather event in a specific broadcast area. After the alarm, a recorded message announces the warning. The tone of voice the message is delivered in indicates the urgency of the warning. Because the NWR activates the EAS, the NWR and EAS share similar protocols. Does weather radio broadcast other information? NWR will broadcast non-weather related information if • Public safety is an issue. • The information comes from a reliable government source. • Time is of the essence. How do I get weather radio? Weather radi
